Jailed this month: The north Essex cases dealt with by judges

From cases of domestic violence to a dangerous driver, here are the Colchester and Tendring offenders jailed by crown court judges this week.

Abuser's 'continued onslaught of physical abuse'

Joshua Sergeant

A JEALOUS domestic abuser who dragged his partner from a car and threw her into a window before kneeling on her neck has been jailed.

Fuelled by jealousy and paranoia, Joshua Sergeant, 26, carried out a “continued onslaught of physical and verbal abuse”, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

Judge Mary Loram QC described how, on October 31 last year, Sergeant launched his most serious attack on his girlfriend in Brightlingsea.

She said: “On that day, you became jealous and possessive. You terrified your girlfriend with your driving and deliberately so.

“You struck her to the face, claiming ‘it was just a backhander’.

“You dragged her out of the car and then threw her so hard into the window, she thought she had smashed it.”

FULL STORY: Man who knelt on girlfriend's neck said strike was 'just a backhander'

Judge Loram added: “You got back in the car and you drove, as she puts it, like a maniac, all the while demeaning her.

“Once out of the car, you pulled her to the ground and you knelt on her neck so that she couldn’t breathe. She estimated that was for five seconds.

“That’s long enough to cause unconsciousness and death in many cases, that is why it is so serious.”

The court heard Sergeant carried out another assault on October 9, and sent “unpleasant and threatening” messages to the victim.

Sergeant, of Melrose Road, West Mersea, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault by beating and two counts of sending electronic communications to cause distress. At a previous hearing, Richard Conley, mitigating, said: “Mr Sergeant has demonstrated real shame and genuine contrition about his behaviour and his actions.

“This is a person who encountered a set of personal circumstances which put him to the brink of suicide and he has come back from that and sought help.”

Sergeant also admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis and cocaine after police discovered drugs in a padlocked bag in Chapel Lane, Thorrington, in June 2018. It included 2.7kg of skunk cannabis with a potential street value as high as £54,000.

The court previously accepted Sergeant was acting as a custodian of the drugs to pay of a debt.

Judge Loram sentenced Sergeant to 50 months imprisonment.

Man 'throttled and beat' his ex partner in 'ugly' display

A FORMER professional snooker player who throttled and punched an ex-partner in an “ugly” display of violence has been jailed.

A crown court judge told 39-yearold Adam Davies the attack he launched on his ex-partner in Colchester was “a disaster waiting to happen”.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard in February last year a drunken row between the pair spiralled into violence.

Judge David Turner QC said there were “issues of drink, jealousy and rows”, culminating in Davies punching the woman and throttling her.

The court was told the assault left the woman with a cut to the bridge of her nose and a bloody lip.

Davies denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm, but failed to attend a trial at the magistrates’ court, where he was convicted in his absence.

He launched an appeal, but Judge Turner and two justices upheld the conviction.

Judge Turner said: “I accept I didn’t necessarily hear the full story of what happened, your case is that she flipped and was largely the aggressor.

“Her case was that you simply assaulted her.

“I accept you had a black right eye, that you yourself had a cut to your nose and you were seen at the police station to have some fresh scratches to your hands.

“This was, on any view, a complex incident.”

FULL STORY: Man jailed for punching and throttling partner

The court heard a non-molestation was put in place, but Davies breached the order by messaging the victim.

Steven Levy, mitigating, said Davies was suffering “terribly”

with his mental health at the time of the assault and wasn’t taking his medication.

He said after the breakdown of the relationship, Davies moved away from Colchester and was unaware the trial was set to take place.

Mr Levy said his client had spent almost two months in custody, where he is on a “stable programme” of medication.

“He now has a positive outlook on his life,” he said. “He’s someone who, in his younger years, was in the professional front of snooker.”

Judge Turner said: “This was a serious and ugly incident.

“Throttling someone as you did in a domestic context, where there are drunken exchanges, is a disaster waiting to happen.”

Davies, of Havering Close, Clacton, was sentenced to 11 months imprisonment and hit with a threeyear restraining order banning contact with the victim.

Pervert's indecent images 'encouraged child abuse'

A MAN who kept a collection of sick child abuse images was locked up after he told a probation officer “the children appeared willing”.

Peter Oliver, 40, was snared by police officers who visited his caravan at a holiday park in Clacton in August 2020.

Across several devices, police found 34 indecent images of children at the most serious category A, 97 at category B and 127 at category C.

Officers also found 46 prohibited movies and images on a CD and USB stick, as well as 12.5g of amphetamines.

Judge Mary Loram QC said Oliver had stored images on electronic devices for around two years.

She told Chelmsford Crown Court images were found on a messaging application on a tablet device, adding: “It is clear you were a user of a group that was involved in the sharing of images.

“Your involvement in that, even if you didn’t actually share the images yourself, encouraged others to do so.”

The court heard some of the most serious images involved children being restrained and in distress.

Oliver, of London Road, Clacton, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children, one count of possessing prohibited images of children and possession of amphetamines.

Shanice Mahmud, mitigating, said Oliver “has the ability to recognise he has slipped into a very dark place”.

She told the judge her client is “willing to undergo a process of rehabilitation”.

But Judge Loram said Oliver had made “staggering” comments to the author of a pre-sentence report, adding his offending had “created a market for lives to be ruined”.

She said: “You also said this: ‘There are a lot worse people out there’.

“And another quite staggering comment – and to make clear, to the probation officer whose entire job is to assess your attitude – that ‘the children appeared willing’.

“I sense no real appreciation from you at all that what you did was to encourage child abuse, that looking at children being raped was anything but something that you were sexually interested in.”

Oliver was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and made the subject of a five year sexual harm prevention order.

Driver mowed down runner after hitting speeds of 95mph

Ben Dykes (Image: Essex Police)

A THRILL-SEEKING driver who caused life-threatening injuries to a runner has been jailed.

Ben Dykes was travelling at 95mph when he approached a bend in Berechurch Road, Colchester, where the limit was 40mph.

Ipswich Crown Court heard he lost control on the corner, breaking through a pedestrian protection barrier and striking a man who was out running at about 6.30am on August 18, 2020.

The court heard police officers were called to the scene where they found Dykes’ Audi in a ditch, a lamppost uprooted and a pedestrian in a life-threatening condition.

Another road user told officers how Dykes “accelerated aggressively” moments before approaching the bend, with a forensic report stating 175 metres prior to the impact he was travelling at 95mph.

Experts estimated, despite some braking, the victim was struck at a speed which could have totalled 71mph.

The early morning jogger was projected 23 metres from the moment of impact and has since had multiple surgeries after being airlifted to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridgeshire.

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He was left with lacerations to his liver, a ruptured spleen, four fractured ribs, a complete fracture to one of his legs, bleeding on the brain and a laceration to his left kidney.

A victim impact statement read he was previously a “very happy, busy, outgoing person”

but has now been diagnosed with depression amid a new life which means he can no longer do what he loves.

Dykes, 28, of Bradford Drive, Colchester, admitted he had “got a bit excited” when a road “opened up”, but was remorseful for what had happened.

Dykes was jailed for 26 months after admitting causing serious injury by dangerous driving, despite pleas for him to avoid an immediate custodial sentence amid concerns for his pregnant partner.

But Recorder Graham Huston lambasted him for making a “deliberate decision” to ignore a series of road warnings to slow down.

Sentencing Dykes, Mr Huston said: “A moment’s thrill-seeking has devastated a man’s life.

“On this road it’s blatantly dangerous to drive how you did.

“It’s impossible to comprehend by anyone how you could approach it with such speed.”