EACH and every day, criminals cause misery across Colchester and North Essex whether it be with violence, drug dealing or depraved sexual acts.

Here are the faces of the people police brought to justice in August who have received substantial jail sentences at crown court.

Gazette:

Neil Diaz, 58, was labelled "pathetic" and "an attention seeker" by a judge after he threatened a young mum with a knife while she was with her one-year-old baby.

Diaz, of Roosevelt Way, Colchester, targeted the stranger in Asda. He told police he was suicidal having been jilted by another woman and wanted to scare someone and tell them about his problems.

He admitted two counts of attempted false imprisonment relating to mother and baby, threatening the woman with a knife and possession of the knife found in his car and jailed for four years.

To read more click HERE.

Gazette:

"DESPICABLE" Luke Smith splattered officers with saliva while claiming he had coronavirus.

The grim offence happened after he had been arrested in Margaret Road, Colchester, for a string of other matters.

Smith, 28, claimed he had the virus in the back of the police car and coughed all over the two constables.

Smith, of Windsor Road, West Mersea, admitted two counts of assaulting a police officer, two counts of breaching a restraining order, possession of cannabis and two counts of criminal damage and was jailed for 16 months.

To read more click HERE.

Gazette:

CRACK addict Charlie Anderson, 24, robbed a woman and child at knifepoint because he thought she looked rich.

Anderson spotted the woman in a supermarket car park in Clacton and then got into the back of her Land Rover carrying a blade.

He demanded she drive to a nearby pub and made her hand over £150 and her mobile phone.

He admitted charges of possession of a bladed article and robbery and was jailed for five years and ten months with an extended licence period of three years.

To read more click HERE.

Gazette: Gazette:

THUGS who left their victim needing 28 stitches after a brutal attack with a glass bottle have been jailed for a total of six years.

Rolfe, 29, of Viscount Drive, Colchester, and Welham, 26, of Hazelton Road, Colchester, set upon victim Nathan French at the skate park in Cowdray Avenue, Colchester.

During the attack Mr French was slashed in the face with a broken rum bottle, missing his eye by 1cm. The attackers fled but were arrested following an appeal.

They admitted unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm at Chelmsford Crown Court in June and were jailed for three years apiece.

To read more click HERE.

Gazette:

DRUG dealer Armani Wilkin was caught red handed before eventually being jailed.

In April he was discovered at a crack house in Barley Court, Wivenhoe, which had been take over by dealers.

Previously the 23-year-old, of of Tramway Avenue, London,was found with drugs after police stopped cars in Braintree and Chatham in Kent.

He admitted a string of possession with intent to supply charges and possession of criminal property and was jailed for four-and-a-half years at Chelmsford Crown Court.

To read more click HERE.