An Ipswich heating engineer who stole from his customers, a drunk bricklayer who brutally beat his wife, and a man with a foot fetish who massaged a woman's feet on a train are among the people put behind bars in Suffolk this month.

Man with foot fetish massaged woman's feet on train

Samuel Creed, from Stowmarket, was subject to a three-year community order and a five-year criminal behaviour order in December 2020 restricting his use of trains after he admitted two offences of sexual assault.

In the first offence in 2019, Creed struck up a conversation with a 20-year-old woman on a train to Ipswich before removing one of her shoes.

He then proceeded to massage the woman's foot, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

In 2020, Creed also took off the boots of a teacher and massaged her feet while she was waiting for a train at Stowmarket station.

Creed, 21, was sentenced to a total of 26 months in jail.

Drug dealer found with cocaine and tablets in Ipswich

Police stopped Mitchel Brewer in Ipswich's Cavendish Street on September 29 last year after they noticed a string smell of cannabis.

Ipswich Crown Court was told Brewer, 21, gave officers a false name.

When Brewer's rucksack was searched, police found 61g of cannabis, a kitchen knife, a tiny amount of cocaine, 73 Xanax tablets, 60 Valium tablets and £484 in cash.

Brewer admitted a string of offences and was handed a 16-month sentence.

Village treasurer stole cash to help his business

Andrew Bouton, a former treasurer of Kelsale Village Hall, made 50 transfers from the hall's bank account into his own over a period of two years.

Kelsale Village Hall was run as a charitable organisation on behalf of the village and it had been seriously impacted by the fraud, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Steven Dyble, for Bouton, said his client committed the offence after things went "pear-shaped" for his business and he ran out of options.

Bouton, 68, admitted fraud by abuse of position between February 16, 2018, and May 30, 2020.

He was jailed for 14 months.

Robber uses toy gun to steal Dr Pepper from kebab shop

Daniel Burrows threatened a Lowestoft kebab shop owner with a toy gun as he stole a can of Dr Pepper.

Ipswich Crown Court heard Burrows was a regular at Kings Kebab in London Road South but was denied free food when he entered the store on September 21 last year.

When the shopkeeper refused, Burrows took out a toy gun from the waistband of his trousers and waved it around.

Armed officers arrived in the area and the 33-year-old was arrested.

Burrows admitted possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, robbery, possession of a knife and possession of cannabis, and was jailed for 44 months.

Heating engineer stole from customers to feed drug habit

Gavin Seager stole cash and property worth £24,000 from customers while working in their homes to feed his cocaine habit.

Ipswich Crown Court heard Seager, a heating engineer from Ipswich, had "callously" taken from his victims, some of whom had lost jewellery of sentimental value which couldn't be replaced.

Seager admitted nine offences of theft which were committed between March 2018 and May 2019.

The 43-year-old was jailed for 18 months.

Woman attacked brother's ex-partner with knife in 'revenge' attack

Stacey Glashin attacked a woman at her home in River Street in Ipswich on May 12 last year.

Ipswich Crown Court heard the 44-year-old held a knife to her victim's throat in what Judge Levett said was a "revenge" attack to "settle a score".

The victim, the former partner of Glashin's brother, had increased security at her home and no longer felt safe there, Judge Levett added.

Glashin, who had more than 70 previous convictions, was jailed for four years.

Paedophile went to Ipswich pub to meet 'schoolgirl'

Darren Heather believed he was going to The Cricketers pub in Ipswich to meet a 13-year-old schoolgirl named 'Riley'.

The 58-year-old believed he had been communicating with the girl's stepfather, who was actually an undercover police officer, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Sentencing Darren Heather, from Witham, Recorder Graham Huston described the discussions between him and the undercover officer leading up to the meeting as "sickening".

Heather was jailed for 44 months at the court.

Burglar stole safe and goods worth £13,000 from Ipswich store

Daniel Ruel broke into the Penalty 2 convenience store at Ellenbrook Green in January last year and took a safe, alcohol and a laptop among other items.

The 31-year-old left with goods worth £13,000, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Judge Martyn Levett said the owner of the store was left with debts of more than £22,000 following the raid.

Ruel, of Colchester, was jailed for 26 months.

Pair concerned in the supply of cocaine

Sam Stopher, 28, and Perry Walker, 27, were both convicted at Ipswich Crown Court of being concerned in the supplying of cocaine.

Walker, of Humber Doucy Lane, Ipswich, was also convicted of possession of CS spray and has been jailed for four years and two months.

Stopher of The Street, Aldham, was jailed for two years and eight months.

On Thursday, May 20, 2021, officers from the Serious Crime Disruption Team executed a warrant at a property on Humber Doucy Lane with Walker found to be the only person at the address and arrested.

Two phones and a CS canister were recovered and a further two warrants were executed at Sandpit Close in Ipswich and a property at Aldham where electronic devices namely USBs and mobile phones, along with some clear zip seal bags were recovered.

On Tuesday, May 25 2021 Stopher, who at the time lived at the property searched by police in Aldham, handed himself in at the Police Investigation Centre in Martlesham and he was arrested.

Subsequent enquiries established that their criminal operations took place between 5 October 2020 and 20 May 2021 with analysis of their mobile phones showing they were running an active drug network in Ipswich with bulk text messages being issued to their phone contacts to generate drug deals

Rapist who is 'danger to all women'

A 31-year-old of Fuchsia Lane was jailed for 15 years for repeatedly raping a woman.

Samuel James had denied five offences of rape and two offences of assault by penetration and following a trial at Ipswich Crown Court in September he was convicted of three of the rape offences.

He was cleared of the remaining two offences of rape and the offences of assault by penetration.

In addition to being jailed James was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for life and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for the same period.

He will have to serve two thirds of his prison sentence.

In an impact statement the victim accused James of irreparably damaging her and described him as a “danger to all women he comes into contact with.”

Range Rover driver who led police on chase through Ipswich

Leroy Clarke, who has more than 100 previous convictions, has been jailed for 12 months after he drove a stolen Range Rover at speeds of more than 70 mph during a police chase in Ipswich.

The 32-year-old of no fixed address in Ipswich, admitted aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, drink driving, driving with a licence and driving without insurance.

In addition to being jailed for 12 months he was banned from driving for 30 months.

Sentencing him Judge David Pugh said: “The risk to other road users was very high and it was fortunate, no thanks to you, that no-one was injured.”

On April 24 police officers saw the vehicle being driven without lights in Nacton Road and began following it with the blue lights on their car illuminated.

They had followed the Range Rover on roads including Clapgate Lane, Rands Way, Beatty Road, Packard Avenue, Queens Way, Kings Way, Shackleton Road and Heather Avenue.

During the pursuit the vehicle had been driven without lights at speeds of 70-80 mph along residential streets and had gone over red traffic lights, the court heard.

The Range Rover had eventually come to a halt when it hit railings after a tyre burst as it went over a speed bump.

Man sexually abused a young girl

Beccles man Ross Smith denied three counts of causing or inciting a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity, but was found guilty by a jury at trial.

The offending took place between 2018 and 2019, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

At the sentencing hearing, the victim's mother described Smith's offending as "despicable".

The 33-year-old was jailed for 10 years and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

'Depraved' man tried to meet a teenager for sex

Aaron Morrison, from Felixstowe, was arrested in December 2020 following a police investigation which found he was sending sexual messages to a 14-year-old.

Morrison, 34, attended different locations in Essex to meet the victim to carry out the intended act.

He pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating the commission of a sexual offence and was jailed for 35 months at Ipswich Crown Court.

Detective Constable James Lait, of Suffolk police, said: "Although the victim and Morrison never met, the sentence handed down reflects the depraved nature of Morrison."

Duo supplied cocaine into Suffolk over course of a year

Dorjan Balisha and Klajdi Domi, both 26, supplied drugs into Suffolk between 2020 and 2021, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The court was told the pair were involved in the 'Bash' drugs line, which transported cocaine into the county.

Balisha, of Ipswich, and Domi, of Droitwich, both admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Balisha was jailed for six years and Domi was handed a 40-month sentence.

Drunk bricklayer punched and kicked his wife

Mark Manning, from Ipswich, attacked his wife after she kissed him "without enthusiasm" on the drive home from a pub in Shotley on December 4 last year.

When she refused, he pulled her out of the car by her hair and punched and kicked her, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Manning, a 60-year-old bricklayer, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm, making a threat to kill, drink driving, drink while disqualified and having an offensive weapon.

He was jailed for 20 months and banned from the roads for 46 months.

Thug entered home and threatened man with a knife

Lowestoft man Andrew Reilly climbed through a window and dragged his victim out of bed over a drug debt, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The 33-year-old scared the man "out of his wits", Recorder Graham Huston said.

The victim was forced to leave his Reeve Street home and taken to another address on Jacobs Street, before the pair left again, with Reilly, who was brandishing a knife, claiming he would force the victim to commit a robbery to get his money.

Reilly admitted false imprisonment dating back to March 12, 2020 and three offences of assault on emergency workers.

He was jailed for a total of five years and four months, and was also given a three-year extended licence period, as well as a restraining order which banned from from contacting the victim.

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