Here are the names and faces of the men and women who are have been sentenced to prison time in March 2025.
Prison guard jailed for relationship with Zara Aleena killer
Hayley Jones, 34, from Strood, was a prison workshop officer at the Thamesmead prison when CCTV footage caught her kissing, touching and playing with McSweeney – who was serving a life sentence for the brutal sexual assault and murder of 35-year-old Zara Aleena in Ilford.
Footage also showed the pair leaving rooms which had no CCTV whilst adjusting their clothes.
In a letter which was intercepted by guards, McSweeney told another prisoner that he had been “f***ing the fat thing from the workshop” for 10 months.
He also claimed she had been providing him with contraband such as a phone, “man was living good” McSweeney wrote.
Jones admitted kissing and touching took place between her and McSweeney but denies having sex with him or providing him with contraband.
“Concerns were raised about a relationship between Ms Jones and Mr McSweeney by an employee at HMP Belmarsh who witnessed them holding hands with their faces very close together. On seeing him they quickly parted,” prosecutor Polly Dyer said.
The witness also heard another prisoner say something along the lines of “looks like they like each other”.
This prompted staff to check CCTV in the workshop for the period of March 6 to April 7, 2023.
“The CCTV shows inappropriate interactions between Ms Jones and Mr McSweeney on a daily basis,” Ms Dyer said.
At first the pair were seen games such as McSweeney sitting in a trolley whilst Jones pulled him around, or McSweeney turning off lights and her turning them back on.
The contact then became more physical with McSweeney seen messing up her hair, flicking her ears, and taking hold of her neck in both hands and pretending to throttle her.
Some footage gave cause for serious security concerns, such as when he prevented her from shutting gates by hugging her or when he was seen touching the area where she stored her prison key.
Ms Dyer said: “Mr McSweeney can also been seen pinching her bottom. He can be seen kissing Ms Jones on the cheek.
“Then within the backroom are the most physical interactions such as Mr McSweeney touching her neck, embraces between them, Mr McSweeney touching her chest area, Mr McSweeney moving her around, and a kiss or kisses between them.”
Ms Dyer said: “Ms Jones is regularly seen smiling and laughing with Mr McSweeney, and seems happy at the interactions between them.”
Read the full story – Zara Aleena’s killer said he was having sex with prison guard for 10 months
Greenwich paedophile mocked victim’s families
Armstrong sexually abused two 12-year-old girls in Greenwich between November 2023 and August 2024.
As he was led out of the dock after being sentenced to 11 years and nine months in prison, a family member of one of his victims shouted: “Burn in hell. Vermin. Burn in hell.”
Armstrong responded by sarcastically clapping towards them.
The children came forward about the abuse in August 2024 and Armstrong whilst he tried to the leave the country.
Armstrong, living in Croydon, admitted two counts of sexual assault by penetration on a female under 13 and four counts of sexual assault on a female under 13.
Detective Constable Callum Boast, of the Met’s Public Protection South East team, said: “I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the victims in this case, who have been extremely courageous in coming forward to police and recounting the trauma of abuse they suffered because of Armstrong.
“Armstrong is a dangerous individual who has carried out horrific crimes to two girls known to him. He will now serve a substantial amount of time behind bars for his despicable behaviour.
“It cannot be underestimated the impact, both physical and mental, such sustained abuse will have had and I hope today’s sentence will give some sense of closure and peace to the victims and their loved ones.”
Read the full story – Greenwich paedophile told to ‘burn in hell’ as he’s jailed
‘Evil’ teen who stabbed 15-year-old girl to death
He had a history of attacking girls and carrying knives before he killed the popular schoolgirl outside the Whitgift Centre in Croydon.
He had admitted manslaughter but was found guilty of murder and having a blade after a jury rejected his claim that autism affected his ability to exercise self-control.
In a televised sentencing, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Elianne, an aspiring lawyer, was a “hard-working, happy girl” with a “radiant smile”.
She told the defendant: “Elianne was 15 when you murdered her, she will always remain just 15, she will never realise the potential of her life.”
The driver for his actions was his “short temper and aggressive tendencies” which combined with his “deliberate decision to carry a knife,” she said.
As he was sent down, there were angry shouts from the public gallery rejecting his earlier apology, saying: “You deserve to be spat on.”
Sentamu sat with his head in his hands in the dock and wiped away tears as he was sentenced.
Earlier, Elianne’s family described their “living nightmare” in a series of statements read to the court.
Mother Dorcas Andam said: “Elianne was my world, she was the kindest most loving daughter I could have asked for she was vibrant, creative and purposeful.
“She loved deeply, loved to sing, to braid hair always practising new style. Our home was full of her music, laughter and energy. There was always warmth and joy when Elianne was there.
“Now the music has stopped the laughter has gone all that is left is a deafening silence that echoes through my life.”
Addressing Sentamu, Mrs Andam said: “You brutally murdered her in the most humiliating way in broad daylight.
“Mercilessly killing her on the floor as she begged for mercy. You walked away showing no remorse as if her life meant nothing.
“You did not only kill Elianne, you killed me mentally and emotionally. Your actions were senseless and evil.”
Read the full story – Elianne Andam murderer jailed for life for Croydon stabbing
Bromley burglar left elderly couple feeling ‘violated’
An elderly couple came home to their flat on The Avenue, Beckenham, November 26 last year to find their balcony door smashed by a thief who had tried to steal their safe.
“Both my wife and I are in our 80s. To arrive home to find it burgled was most traumatic. Following the violation of our home we feel vulnerable and now worry about what we may find when we return home,” the man said.
Four days later another man was at his home on Beckenham Grove, near Shortlands station, when he heard a window smash.
When he went to investigate he found himself face to face with a man wearing a balaclava, who then ran off with his wife’s jewellery.
Farias was identified as the burglar in both instances by DNA found at the scene.
Farias, from Chile, was in the country on a six-month visa hoping to find work but unable to find work due to his immigration status he said he resorted to crime to survive.
Read the full story – Bromley burglar left elderly couple feeling violated by ransacking their home
Greenwich men tried to kill cage fighter
Paul Allen was jailed for 18 years in 2009 for his part in the £54 million cash robbery of Securitas Express in Kent.
But Allen, then 41, was paralysed for life after shots were fired at his large detached rented home in Woodford Green in 2019 following his prison release.
Louis Ahearne, 36, his brother Stewart Ahearne, 46, both from Greenwich, and Daniel Kelly, 46, of no fixed abode, were found guilty of plotting to murder Allen.
During the trial, prosecutors alleged the background to the shooting was that Allen was a “sophisticated” career criminal.
He was convicted at Woolwich Crown Court in 2009 for his part in Britain’s biggest armed robbery, at Securitas in Kent, in which £54 million in cash was stolen, much of which has never been recovered, the court heard.
By 2019, Allen had been released from prison and moved from south London to a large detached property in Woodford where he lived with his partner and young children.
The court heard how the defendants had planned the shooting carefully, carried out surveillance and fitted a tracker device to the victim’s car to track his movements.
The defendants travelled from their neighbourhood in the Woolwich area, through the Blackwall Tunnel, to the victim’s new home in Malvern Drive in a car hired two days earlier by Stewart Ahearne.
While Stewart Ahearne waited in the car, Kelly and Louis Ahearne snuck into a garden overlooking Mr Allen’s back garden.
At around 11.09pm, six shots were fired through the back doors and windows, striking Mr Allen in the neck as he stood in the kitchen.
The men fled back to the waiting car, which drove away, leaving their victim fighting for his life.
Sidcup driver jailed for New Year’s Eve police chase
He was uninsured and unlicensed behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta when he failed to stop for police.
He then led police on a dangerous chase through the area including driving through a red light.
After his arrest Arnott pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop for police and failing to comply with traffic lights.
He was sentenced to nine months in prison.
Erith man stabbed woman he was obsessed with
Eric Da Silva-Soares, 29, of Wharfside Close, violently attacked three people including a woman he was obsessed with.
The attack took place on Spital Street, Dartford, on the evening of August 31 last year.
The woman, aged in her 20s, was with her partner and another man when she received a call from a friend.
She was told that Da Silva-Soares was in town and had threatened to kill them.
Around 10 minutes later, she saw the attacker approaching them and carrying a bag.
The 29-year-old then pulled a knife from his bag and stabbed the woman in her stomach and left arm.
Her partner tried to stop this but was also repeatedly stabbed.
Their friend tried to pull Da Silva-Soares away, but he was stabbed in the back.
Da Silva-Soares then continued to stab the woman’s partner again, including his face, before all three managed to escape to a fast-food restaurant.
Staff locked the doors and Da Silva-Soares fled the scene.
The three were taken to hospital and underwent surgery for their serious injuries.
The partner has been left with life-changing injuries after being repeatedly stabbed.
On September 1, Da Silva-Soares texted the woman saying his actions were unforgivable.
He then tried to catch a flight out of the country the following day, but officers stopped him at Edinburgh Airport.
Da Silva-Soares was convicted of two attempted murders and unlawful wounding.
He was jailed for 12 years and 10 months.
Read the full story – ‘Dangerous’ man stabbed woman he was obsessed with and two men in Dartford
Abbey Wood teen kept man hostage for days
Cadnaan Ali, 19, of Overton Road, arranged for a man to be kidnapped and held hostage for four days as part of a £77,000 extortion plot.
Ali drove the victim from London to Luton where he had arranged for two other men to ambush the car.
Ali then joined in as the three of them attacked the victim before holding him for the next days in various addresses in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and London.
He was forced to transfer money to various bank accounts, totalling £77,000.
The victim eventually escaped but Ali continued to harass and threaten him into not calling the police.
Ali was convicted of kidnap, causing actual bodily harm, two charges of theft and two charges of perverting the course of justice.
He has been sentenced to eight years and two months in a young offender’s institution.
Detective Sergeant Richard Marshall, of Bedfordshire Police, said: “This was an exceptionally violent attack, executed with weapons for financial gain.
“The offence clearly shows meticulous planning, and when Ali lost control of the situation, he resorted to threatening the victim in a desperate attempt to evade justice.”
Read the full story – Abbey Wood teen kept man hostage for days in extortion plot
Serial rapist jailed for a second time
Lee was jailed for rape in 2016 but was released on licence in September 2022.
In June 2024 a woman was on a night out in central London with her sister and friends when she was approached by Lee as she walked her.
He began to talk to her and offered to accompany her home as he lived in a similar occasion.
She tried to dissuade him but he persisted before taking her to a secluded area where he raped her.
Lee was linked to the rape by forensic analysis and was arrested at his partner’s home ten days later.
Despite the weight of evidence he denied rape and claimed the samples were contaminated in the lab.
A jury found him guilty of two counts of rape after less than two hours of deliberation.
Lee has now been jailed for 13 years.
Read the full story – South east London predator Rashane Lee jailed for rape
Bexley thief stole from Co-op two days after he was in court
Daniel Wodley was in court last Thursday (March 13 where he was set free with a community order after he admitted stealing £283 worth of cash and alcohol from Co-op in Anerley.
As part of his sentence he was banned from that Co-op and ordered to engage in drug rehabilitation treatment.
But instead of counting his lucky stars and changing his ways the 37-year-old went on to burgle another shop two days later.
He entered Co-op on Steynton Avenue, by Albany Park station, and stole £790 worth of tobacco from behind the tills.
Wodley found himself back at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Monday where this time magistrates showed less sympathy.
Noting that he had been given a chance to address his drug problem but had failed within two days, they sentenced him to one year in prison.
They described Wodley as having an appalling record and a “persistent, willful and deliberate” offender.
The thief had stolen from the same Co-op store on Steynton Avenue twice in January, again stealing tobacco.
Bexleyheath thief jailed for chocolate thefts
He stole £110 worth of sweets from The Co-op on January 16 then stole £210 worth of chocolate from Asda on February 3.
Brook was jailed for six months after pleaded guilty to both thefts.
Brook has a history of offending despite serving multiple prison sentences.
He was jailed for three months in February last year for stealing a shopping basket full of share bag sweets from Tesco Express.
Months later when he was back on the streets he offended again, this time stealing alcohol from Asda in Bexleyheath and laundry detergent from Co-op.
He was jailed for six weeks last June but by mid-July Brook had been released from prison and stole food and drink from Co-op in Bexleyheath.
He then went on to steal £133 worth of booze from Co-op in Sidcup in August and £60 worth of meat from Co-op in Bexleyheath in October.
Paedophile travelled to south London to rape 12-year-old
Police were alerted to reports of the abuse by the victim’s mother on September 23 last year, after her 12-year-old daughter had confided in friends about the ordeal.
The victim told her friends the abuse followed after a man reached out to her on BeFriend, a social media platform, pretending to be a young teen.
She told investigators he had picked her up in his car in the early hours of September 19, 2024, having used a fake profile to groom and communicate with her for a month prior.
Police say he left little evidence of his true 40-year-old identity, but was found using CCTV and the number behind his fake BeFriend profile.
Using his profile, detectives tracked the movement of his phone through London and to the victim’s phone after it citied off telecom masts.
CCTV footage from the areas were also paired with this in evidence, allowing them to single out a car which was later found to belong to Bosworth.
Bosworth was convicted of two counts of rape and seven other child sex offences.
He was jailed for 16 years.
Peckham man ‘a danger to young girls’
He is said to have a history of drug-related convictions as well as being in the company of young girls who are under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
As a result of concerns about child sexual exploitation, he was made the subject of a slavery and trafficking risk order (STRO) in July 2021.
But on September 5 last year police officers in Peterborough stopped a car which pulled out in front of them and smelt strongly of cannabis.
The car was stopped and Harif was one of four occupants who was searched.
Fifteen “deal bags” of cannabis was uncovered and all four men were arrested.
Harif was also in possession of a mobile phone which was not registered with the police.
This was a direct breach of the STRO and as a result he was jailed for two years and three months.
Detective Constable Kyle Miskin, who investigated, said: “Harif has a history of drug-related convictions, as well as being in the company of teenage girls who have been found under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
“Having the slavery and trafficking risk order in place gives us additional powers to ensure safeguarding is in place, however Harif has proved he is not able to stick to the conditions of his order, with six convictions for breaching it in 2022.
“The court agreed Harif poses a significant risk to vulnerable people, in particular young females, which is reflected in the sentence.”
Read the full story – South east London man known to associate with drunk teen girls is jailed
Co-op thief jailed for meat and booze thefts
He admitted stealing from Co-op seven times between November and February.
In total he stole more than £500 worth of meat, fish, wine and other goods from the shop.
Hibbert appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on February 25.
He was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison.
Magistrates noted he had numerous previous convictions and was not engaging with his current community order.
