'Cowardly' paedophiles, bungling crooks and killers - Essex criminals jailed in September 2024

Clockwise from top left; Daniel Carroll, Adam Valli, Callum Taylor, Joe Howlett, Kieran Hughes-Mason and Barry Larkin
-Credit: (Image: Essex Police)


We're at the end of another month and edging closer to the end of 2024. In the month of September, there has been no shortage of crime in Essex and many criminals have been put behind bars once again.

This month, we have seen a full gang of criminals brought down by a single phone number, plus a fallen police officer who turned to criminality by using dead people's bank cards to go on a shopping spree. We've also seen a professional footballer locked up for causing serious injuries to a young girl who can now no longer walk unaided.

Additionally, a crook was rummaging around in drawers right next to where the home's occupany slept before she woke to see him burgling her, and a "despicable" paedophile who "took away the innocence" of two young girls.

Read more: Face of prolific shoplifter banned from entering BP, Tesco and Morrisons in Basildon

Read more: The 'impeccable' Essex hotel that's been crowned the best in England

Below are the stories of the Essex criminals jailed in September 2024, and how long they received behind bars.

The man placed on the sex offenders register for life

Daniel Carroll, 45, from Westcliff
Daniel Carroll, 45, from Westcliff -Credit:Essex Police

Daniel Carroll, 45 of Westbourne Grove, Westcliff-on-Sea appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday, August 30 where he was jailed for 19 years and a further 5 years on licence and placed on the sex offenders' register for life.

In 2020, Essex Police received a report from a girl who had been sexually abused by Carroll. The offences occurred over a two-year period. When Carroll was arrested in August 2020, officers searched an address in Southend and London.

Officers located mobile phones and computers, which contained indecent images of children. These images included category A images which are classified as some of the most serious prohibited images of children. Carroll was charged in February 2023 with two counts of rape of a child under 13, one count of rape of a child over 13, three counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act and three counts of multiple possession of indecent images of children.

Following a three-week trial which concluded on Tuesday, June 11 at Basildon Crown Court, Carroll was found guilty of the nine offences. It took the jury just 90 minutes to make a decision.

The violent crook rummaging through drawers as a woman slept

Harry Fryett has been jailed
Harry Fryett has been jailed -Credit:Essex Police

Violent burgler Harry Fryett tried to claim to the nurse he was with the police before fleeing her apartment, but not before the brave nurse managed to grab the necklace he was wearing.

Fryett has now been locked up for the burglary as well as other offences which saw a man robbed in the street. The 27-year-old approached a stranger at a cash machine in Southend High Street in the early hours of December 10, 2022.

Approaching his victim from behind, Fryett used a baton to strike the man over the head. He demanded cash, taking £50 from the victim before making off on a bicycle towards Southchurch Road. Essex Police received calls from witnesses and officers attended, taking an initial account from the victim and taking him on to hospital.

The baton was sent off for forensic testing, which uncovered the victim’s DNA on the tip. Fryett, of Belle Vue Place, Southend, was later charged with robbery. Separate to this investigation and while still on conditional court bail, Fryett entered a woman’s flat in Westcliff on May 26, 2023.

The woman, a nurse, had recently finished a night shift and was asleep in bed. She awoke to find Fryett in her bedroom, rifling through a set of drawers. When she demanded to know who he was, Fryett told her he was “with the police” and had entered her home to warn her about her property being insecure.

There was a scuffle, and the woman managed to grab a neckless the intruder was wearing as he fled the address. He has since been jailed for four years and ten months.

The man who smuggled 1.5 tonnes of cannabis through a port

Edward Adjei, 48, from Grays
Edward Adjei, 48, from Grays -Credit:NCA

Edward Adjei worked with three other men, all from London, but the drugs were discovered inside a shipping container at Tilbury Docks by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Daniel Yeboah, 54, Kristoffen Baidoo, 48, Kwaku Bonsu, 52, all from London, and Adjei, 48, from Grays, were found guilty after the NCA investigation by a jury yesterday (September 3) after a three-week trial at Southwark Crown Court. Baidoo failed to appear at the trial, but was tried and found guilty in his absence.

All four men will be sentenced on October 18. The container arrived at Tilbury Docks from Ghana on December 19 2019 where it was held before continuing its journey to London, and intelligence obtained by the NCA and the Ghanaian Narcotics Control Commission suggested it contained drugs.

A search confirmed that 2,335 packages of herbal cannabis weighing a combined 1.5 tonnes were hidden inside white hessian sacks of Gari powder. NCA officers estimate the street value of the drugs would have been approximately £4.3 million.

The teen who stabbed a man to death in a park

19 year old Callum Taylor
19 year old Callum Taylor -Credit:Essex Police

Terry Leeks was 46 when he was fatally stabbed in Northlands Park, Basildon, at around 1.30am on July 11 2021. He was captured on CCTV entering the park on his bicycle a short time before the assault before a confrontation with a group of three or four people.

Fishermen on the opposite side of the lake in the park, heard a disturbance and witnessed a coming together and Terry falling to the floor, they rushed to his aid and called emergency services. Terry was taken to hospital but, sadly, later died there. A homicide investigation began by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.

A total of 13 people were arrested as part of the investigation. Through these enquiries, detectives identified a teenager - 18-year-old Callum Taylor – who they believed was responsible and he was arrested.

In February of last year, he was charged with Terry’s murder. Initially, he denied the charge but at Basildon Crown Court on October 4 last year, he admitted manslaughter. At the same court, the now-19-year-old was sentenced to seven years in prison.

The man who thought he could lie his way out of prison

Anthony Watson, 31, was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment on Wednesday (August 28)
Anthony Watson, 31, was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment on Wednesday (August 28) -Credit:Essex Police

Anthony Watson, 31, of High Street, Walton-on-the-Naze, was arrested in Clacton in December 2022 in connection with a long-running drug supply investigation in Essex, where was found in possession of Class A and Class B drugs, as well as an iPhone and a burner phone.

Watson had been identified as being in regular contact with another man, Liam Phelan, who was charged at the time with multiple drugs and firearms offences and was later sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment in May 2023. Watson had also been connected to the seizure of a large quantity of drugs recovered during the arrest of Phelan in May 2022.

Phelan was one of five men in a large-scale drugs supply network which had also been moving viable firearms. He was described by the judge sentencing him as a ‘professional criminal’ who ‘revelled in the money he made’ bringing violence and harm to the streets of Essex.

Watson initially pleaded guilty to the possession charges but either pleaded guilty or entered no plea to the other three counts. However, with the trial approaching and the strength of the case clear, he eventually pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The dealer who lobbed 1kg of cocaine into a garden to avoid being caught

Franky Brown, 27, from Clacton
Franky Brown, 27, from Clacton -Credit:Essex Police

On March 23 this year, Franky Brown was seen by officers leaving a home in North Road, in Clacton, with a brown paper bag which appeared to be clearly heavy and getting into a taxi.

Officers then began following the vehicle and a short time later, it was stopped. When Brown realised it was police officers stopping the taxi, he quickly got out of the car and attempted to run away and was seen to throw the paper bag over a garden fence.

However, he was easily caught by officers and arrested. The bag was also recovered, and when its contents were examined, it was found to contain 1kg of cocaine.

The Just Stop Oil activists who dug up and occupied tunnels under oil tanker routes

Just Stop Oil protestors Samuel Johnson, Xavier Gonzalez-Trimmer and Joe Howlett in the tunnel beneath St Clements Way in Grays
Just Stop Oil protestors Samuel Johnson, Xavier Gonzalez-Trimmer and Joe Howlett in the tunnel beneath St Clements Way in Grays -Credit:PA

Environmental activist group Just Stop Oil caused widespread disruption around roads in Thurrock’s industrial estates and docks in August 2022. The group targeted the site by obstructing the roads and tunnelling around them, causing widespread disruption to road users and businesses operating in the area.

St Clements Way, Oliver Close, Oliver Road and Stoneness Road were all affected, as the area is a key delivery route for the nearby oil terminal. The last of the group left the tunnels they dug after 13 days, on September 4, 2022.

Officers monitored the tunnels 24 hours a day for the entire period, as well as additional officers monitoring the road network surrounding the site. Businesses such as goods hauliers, HGV service and maintenance mechanics and were all impacted, as well as access to food storage and supply depots blocked.

Joe Howlett
Joe Howlett -Credit:Essex Police

Larch Maxey, 52, of Beechwood Road, Northampton, to three years in prison for intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance; Samuel Johnson, 41, of Keens Lane, Reydon, 18 months in prison, for intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance and criminal damage;

Chris Bennett, 33, of no fixed abode, 18 months in prison intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance; Joe Howlett, 34, of Kilmersdon, Radstock, 15 months in prison intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance and criminal damage; Alice Wharrie, 62, of Churchill Road in Horley, 12 months suspended sentence, and must carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance.

The man who tried to kill his friend during a shooting

Adam Valli, 23 years old
Adam Valli, 23 years old -Credit:Essex Police

Adam Valli, 23 of Derifall Close, London appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Monday, September 9 where he was jailed for 28 years after being found guilty of attempting to murder his friend down Frobisher Way in Shoebury in May 2023.

The sentencing concludes an investigation by Essex and Kent Serious Crime Directorate which was launched on May 14 2023. Essex Police received a report shortly after 2am from a member of the public witnessed a man being shot on Frobisher Way in Shoeburyness.

The victim was quickly located with a bullet wound to his leg and taken to hospital. He has since required four operations after sustaining the serious injury. Early enquiries identified Adam Valli as the suspect, and he was arrested on May 19. Valli had been friends with the victim for years, and on the night of the attempted murder, the pair had been at an event in London together.

They had argued over a lift home and continued to argue over phone calls and text messages. The two men then met on the A127, where Valli had cut in front of the car the victim was in and shouted at him to get in.

Whilst both men were in the car, Valli pulled out a gun and threatened to take the victim to outside his mother’s house and shoot him. The two men got out of the car on Frobisher Way, with Valli continuing to point the gun at the victim’s head. The victim was then shot in the leg. Valli attempted to change his appearance prior to his arrest by shaving his hair and beard.

The 'cowardly' footballer who battered a young girl

Kiernan Hughes-Mason, a former professional footballer, has been jailed for 14 years for child cruelty
Kiernan Hughes-Mason, a former professional footballer, has been jailed for 14 years for child cruelty -Credit:Essex Police

Kiernan Hughes-Mason, from Westcliff, was charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and child cruelty after the girl was found with serious injuries in Westcliff-on-Sea in January 2020.

While the victim survived her injuries, she was left in constant pain but due to the serious brain damage she sustained, she is unable to tell people where her pain is or what upsets her. Hughes-Mason was a footballer who played for a number of EFL and Non-League clubs, who began his career with Millwall and was most recently player-manager at Enfield Borough. He also spent time at the Brentwood-based club Hashtag United, who branded his actions "frankly sickening".

On January 31, 2020, Hughes-Mason called paramedics after he claimed he found the young girl conscious but unresponsive. The East of England Ambulance Service arrived and rushed the child to Southend General Hospital. Her injuries were so severe she was placed in an induced coma and taken to Great Ormond Street Hospital for further treatment.

Doctors identified 17 different injuries and she remained in a coma for 14 days. 32-year-old Hughes-Mason was arrested and later charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and child cruelty in November 2022. He denied the charges against him, but was found unanimously guilty on August 20 following a trial at Basildon Crown Court. On September 10 Hughes-Mason was jailed for 14 years.

The crime gang brought down by a single phone number

Organised crime group consisting of Peter Bartlett (left) Lewis Slater (centre) and Lonnie Tranter
Organised crime group consisting of Peter Bartlett (left) Lewis Slater (centre) and Lonnie Tranter -Credit:Essex Police

Three drug dealers who supplied cocaine in bulk for "considerable" profit have been jailed for more than ten years after their organised gang were dismantled.

The man at the top of the chain, 36-year-old Lonnie Tranter, of Third Walk, Canvey, was jailed for five years, his assets have been frozen and proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act are underway against him. Tranter supplied Lewis Slater, 31, of Fifth Avenue, Canvey, who ran cocaine and cannabis dealing lines with the assistance of 23-year-old Peter Bartlett, of Link Road, Canvey.

Essex Police's Operation Falcon has seen a dedicated team targeting and dismantling the organised crime groups (OCGs) and drug dealers operating in Castle Point and Rochford. As part of this work, the team stopped a man on Canvey Island in September 2022. He confirmed he was waiting to purchase £20 worth of cocaine.

Examination of his mobile phone revealed a number of interest, which would eventually lead to the entire gang being arrested by police and locked away for multiple years this month.

The 'despicable and cowardly' paedophile

Barry Larkin, 32, from Harlow
Barry Larkin, 32, from Harlow -Credit:Essex Police

Barry Larkin, 32, was described by sentencing judge Richard Wilkin as a “paedophile and a complete coward” after he was unanimously convicted of eight charges following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

An investigation, led by Essex Police's specialist Child Abuse Investigation Team, established Larkin, of Barn Mead, Harlow, had groomed and abused two young girls.

With support in place, the two victims revealed the extent of the abuse they had suffered. It was revealed on one occasion Larkin had threatened one of the girls, advising her if she told anyone, then “she would be sorry”.

Larkin was deemed to be a dangerous offender and handed an extended sentence. This sentence will comprise 12 years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of two years.

The man who took on his brother's £600k criminal business

Ballayat Sayeed took on his brother's drug line before being caught
Ballayat Sayeed took on his brother's drug line before being caught -Credit:Essex Police

More than 18 years in prison sentences have been secured against Ballayat Sayeed, 33, and two of his trusted lieutenants.

Essex Police had initially taken action against the ‘RAD’ drugs line in 2020, culminating in a 14-year prison sentence for its leader Arafat Sayeed. Arafat had been convicted of conspiring to supply Class A drugs and possession of firearms.

From October 2021, it was established that his brother, Ballayat, had kickstarted the drug line once again, building up a large customer base in the trade of Class A and B drugs. Officers traced bulk advertising messages sent out to customers on a regular basis until December 2022. Ballayat Sayeed, of Cowley Road, Ilford, was then the principal holder of the drugs line.

Read more by clicking here.

The cop who stole money from a dead man

Met Police officer Craig Carter
Met Police officer Craig Carter

Craig Carter, 51, of Harlow, stole around £115 from Italian filmmaker and actor Claudio Gaetani between September 7 and 14 2022.

Carter worked for the Met’s North Area Command Unit, which covers Enfield and Haringey, and appeared at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday September 13 wearing a dark blazer and tie and a white striped shirt.

Judge Kalyani Kaul KC described Carter’s career, and noted that he has raised two daughters, and has a “strong” marriage with his wife who he cares for. She then told him: “On the 7th of September, two years ago, you threw all of that away – you let down your force, you let down your community”.

The dealer who exploited a child to deal drugs for him

Lamar Griffiths has been jailed for exploiting a teen to deal heroin and cocaine for him
Lamar Griffiths has been jailed for exploiting a teen to deal heroin and cocaine for him -Credit:Met Police

Lamar Griffiths, 29, of Elizabeth Way, Harlow was jailed on Thursday (September 12) for four years and 11 months at Cambridge Crown Court. Griffiths had also pled guilty to being involved in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin. Previously, David Rosa, 21, of no fixed abode was jailed for four years and two months. He had previously pled guilty to being involved in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin, and human trafficking.

The arrest of Rosa and Griffiths followed a rapid investigation between Met Police officers and Cambridgeshire Police after they had located a missing 15-year-old boy in Peterborough on Wednesday, August 6, 2023. The boy was found staying in the address of a local drug user.

By analysing data from the boy’s phone, officers were able to reveal how Rosa and Griffiths had used the boy to distribute Class A drugs, including crack cocaine and heroin. On August 9 last year, Griffiths was arrested at an address in Newmarket, Cambridge where he was seen attempting to discard drugs and his phone from a bedroom window.

The thug with a Rambo knife who robbed a boy in an underpass

Ellis Brown has been jailed
Ellis Brown has been jailed -Credit:Essex Police

Ellis Brown, now 19, has been jailed for four years after carrying out the robbery on May 8 this year. His victim, aged just 15, had been cycling through an underpass near Netteswell Orchard, Harlow, accompanied by a friend.

They were approached by Brown, who drew a large, Rambo-style knife and threatened the pair. After the boy attempted to flee, Brown gave chase, shouting for the boy to drop his bag on the floor. The victim discarded his bag and Brown picked it up, before fleeing the scene.

In July 9 this year, Brown was spotted on CCTV in Braintree town centre appearing to engage in a drug deal. The following day, he was stopped by an officer out on foot patrol, with an amount of cannabis, several wraps of crack cocaine and a mobile phone in his possession, all of which were seized.

He was arrested and charged with robbery, possession of a knife in a public place, possession with intent to supply a Class A drug and possession of cannabis Brown, of Beadon Drive, Braintree, appeared for sentence at Chelmsford Crown Court on September 6 after admitting all charges against him. He was jailed for four years.

The cop who used dead people's bank cards to go shopping

Former Metropolitan Police officer to appeared  in court charged with misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice
Former Metropolitan Police officer to appeared in court charged with misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice -Credit:Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror

Ex-PC Muhammed Mustafa Darr, 39, was handed a 40-month sentence at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, September 16, after admitting to three counts of misconduct in public office (MIPO) ahead of a trial scheduled for this year.

The charges were brought following an investigation by the Met Police's Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS), under the guidance of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The offences took place between December 2018 and September 2020, when Darr, hailing from Walthamstow, served as a constable in a response unit in North London.

He resigned in February 2023 shortly before being charged. From June 2019 to September 2020, Darr misused his position by accessing files related to a fraud investigation into himself.

The paedophile who spent decades abusing children

Sean Richmond was jailed for nine years and six months 30 years after he committed his crimes against children
Sean Richmond was jailed for nine years and six months 30 years after he committed his crimes against children -Credit:Essex Police

Sean Richmond, 53 of Hillyfields, Loughton appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Wednesday, September 18, where he was sentenced to over nine years in prison after being convicted of 14 non-recent sexual offences.

Richmond’s offences were reported to Essex Police in 2015, after two victims reported that they had been sexually abused between 1985 and 1991. He was arrested, however, following consultation with the CPS, Richmond was told he would face no further action.

Essex Police continued enquiries, looking at the possibility of reproaching the CPS with further evidence. Three further victims then contacted Essex Police to report that they had been sexually abused by Richmond over 30 years ago. Richmond was arrested again and charged with 18 offences including attempted rape, indecency with a child and indecent assault.

The bungling burglars with the same name

(L-R) Bernie McDonagh of Coventry and Bernie McDonagh of Romford
(L-R) Bernie McDonagh of Coventry and Bernie McDonagh of Romford -Credit:Warwickshire Police© SWNS

Bernie McDonagh, 56, of Heather Close in Romford, Essex, and his accomplice Bernie McDonagh, 35, of Villiers Street, Coventry, who are not believed to be related, targeted homes in Coventry, Warwickshire and Essex.

Their crimes were exposed by CCTV footage and DNA evidence. The elder McDonagh from Romford was found guilty of numerous offences including three burglaries, attempted burglary and driving without insurance.

He received a sentence of four years, nine months and two weeks and was also disqualified from driving. His younger namesake was convicted of burglary, attempted burglary and going equipped and was sentenced to two years in prison.