Jailed in January: The faces and stories of the Essex criminals locked up this month

• ​A man who stabbed his wife in the back following a row over an alleged affair was sentenced to life with a minimum of 18 years.

Wilfred Jacob, 44, had denied murdering Linda Vilika but a jury found him guilty after a two week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Jacob was arrested and charged by police following Ms Vilika’s death at the couple’s home address in The Street, Great Saling, on August 19, 2019.

Jacob had rung 999 claiming Ms Vilika was lying on the floor unresponsive after she had allegedly attacked him with a knife.

A post-mortem examination found Ms Vilika, who was 41, had died after suffering stab wounds to her back and chest.

Scene: Police investigating the murder in Great Saling

Giving evidence during the trial, forensic pathologist Dr Fitzpatrick-Swallow said Ms Vilika had also sustained small dots of blood in her eyes and injuries to her neck which were most likely caused by strangulation.

Jacob accepted he had caused his wife’s death but insisted his actions were the result of suffering an epileptic fit called an aura.

He claimed he had no recollection of the incident or what he did.

But these suggestions were dismissed by the prosecution, who stated there was no scientific evidence to prove Jacob had suffered an epileptic episode.

Jacob was rushed to hospital following his wife’s death but was discharged the next day.

Murder victim: Linda Vilika

Andrew Jackson, prosecuting, said the defendant had carried out a “powerful attack” on his wife after becoming “consumed with jealousy” over an alleged affair she was having.

Jacob was said to have bombarded Ms Vilika with unpleasant Whatsapp messages prior to her death and accused her of being unfaithful on a number of occasions.

It took the jury less than two hours to deliver its unanimous verdict.

Read more >>> Great Saling murder: Wilfred Jacob convicted of wife’s murder

• Vidunas Tutkus, 23, was jailed for 19 months after collecting cash from the elderly victims of a fake police investigation con.

In each case, criminals claimed to be police officers who were investigating counterfeit money at a bank.

They persuaded their victims, aged in their 70s to 80s, to withdraw large sums of money from their accounts.

Tutkus, posing as a courier, collected the cash from them.

Fraudster: Vidunas Tutkus

Two victims were also asked to hand over bank cards.

He managed to steal £24,800 from four victims in this way between April and June last year.

The victims were living in Elmstead in Essex, Barrowby in Lincolnshire, Wollaston in Northamptonshire, and Winchester in Hampshire.

On July 29, a woman in Ramsgate, Kent, received a similar call from someone claiming to be a police officer, who asked her to withdraw £4,000 from her bank account.

She did but police were waiting to arrest him when he arrived after they were notified by her bank.

Tutkus, 23, of no fixed address, was taken into custody.

During police interview, he said he wanted to earn extra money to pay off debts and thought it was a legitimate courier job.

He admitted six charges of fraud by false representation at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday and was jailed the same day for a total of 19 months.

Read more >>> Fraud victim: 'Fake police detective pressured me into handing over £10k'

Investigating officer Detective Constable Lee Winfield, of Clacton CID, said: “The judge described this as sophisticated fraud in which Tutkus was sent to collect money from the victims.

“While he was not one of the lead organisers, he still had a key role in the fraud.

“Crimes such as this are really callous and distressing because fraudsters take advantage of people’s trust and are very persuasive.

“I’d ask people to remain vigilant and to contact us if they receive any phone calls of this kind.

“Police officers, law enforcement agencies and banks will never ask you to send money, bank cards or other personal property via a courier, taxi or other means.

“They will also never ask for your bank account details or PIN over the phone, so please don’t disclose these to anyone.

“Challenge anyone who asks you for this. If you are suspicious, end the phone call.

“Wait at least five minutes to ring your bank to check with them the validity of the call, or use another phone, as fraudsters can wait on the line.”

Detective Constable Jim Stevenson, of Lincolnshire Police, said: “Telephone and online fraud is becoming common place due to the current lockdown and we are grateful that our community can recognise these scams from the start.

“This was a sophisticated crime that abused the trust the community have with the police and that was why we were determined to do what we could to locate and bring those involved to justice.

“We hope this result can bring some form of closure to the victim and I am grateful to DC Winfield from Essex Police for his assistance who took the lead in this case.

“Being able to collaborate with another force is of great importance and I’m glad we were able to do so on this occasion.”