Male sentenced after being found with 68 wraps of cocaine and heroin in his pants

A man has been sentenced to two years imprisonment after he was found to be hiding 68 wraps of cocaine and heroin in his underwear. 

Diogo Vaz of Liverpool plead guilty to possession with intent to supply herion, cocaine and cannabis. 

Vaz was discovered with the drugs after being searched by police on Kings Road on 20 March. 

Detective Constable Tom Duffy said: "We are committed to disrupting the supply of the drugs within Brighton & Hove. This sentence shows that anyone convicted of dealing drugs in the city can expect a jail term. Vaz was of previous good character and this was his first conviction."

Witnesses sought after a violent road rage attack on London Road

Sussex Police are currently searching for any witnesses to a violent attack on London Road which left a man suffering from serious head injuries. 

The assault took place at around 7.50pm and involved occupants of two vehicles. A man is believed to have been hit in the head with a steering wheel lock. The man was taken to hospital with serious head injuries. 

Detective Donna Ward of Sussex Police said: "This was an isolated incident between two vehicles. The two cars have been involved in a road rage incident and this has subsequently lead to a physical altercation. 

"We believe there was a bus going past the two vehicles at the time of the incident. We are appealing for anyone on that bus or members of the public walking past to come forward with any information they may have."

Two men have been arrested in connection with the assault and the investigation is still ongoing. 

To report information please go online or call 101 quoting reference 1193 of 21/04. 

Attempted robbery in Brighton's Churchill Square

Police have released a photograph of a man suspected of robbing the post office in WH Smith in the lower level of Churchill Square on Monday 16 April.

The incident happened at 17:10 when the man handed over a note to counter staff saying he had a weapon and would harm people if money was not handed told him the police had been alerted.

He is described as white, 5’ 8” and has a full beard. He was wearing a blue baseball cap, dark glasses, dark Nike trainers with a white tick on the side, red jogging bottoms and a white T-shirt with dark stripes. He had skin coloured tape across his nose and multi-coloured tape around the lower parts of each finger between the two knuckles, possibly to cover up tattoos.

Anyone with information should phone 101 and quote 1067 of 16/04.

Latest retail crime report from ACS

The 2018 Association of Convenience Stores [ACS] Crime Report shows that shop theft can often lead to abusive and violent behaviour, with retailers reporting that challenging shop thieves was the biggest cause of aggressive behaviour in stores. In total, there have been over 13,437 incidents of violence reported over the last year, although it is likely that many more incidents have gone unreported. Retailers have reported that violence against staff is their number one concern when dealing with crime.

There were over 950,000 incidents of theft estimated over the last year, rising from 575,000 in the previous year, with retailers reporting that the top three reasons for people stealing from their stores are:-

• opportunism (36%)
• someone motivated by an alcohol or drug addiction (32%)
• an organised group of criminals (22%)

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Retailers and their staff are facing violence and abuse on a regular basis for enforcing the law, whether it be through challenging shop thieves, refusing the sale of age restricted products like tobacco and alcohol, or refusing to serve people who are intoxicated. Retailers need a consistent response from the police to ensure that when a crime is committed against a retailer it is taken seriously by the police and the courts.

The total cost of crimes committed against the convenience sector over the last year was £193m, which equates to a 7p ‘crime tax’ on every transaction in stores

There were over 2,800 burglaries and over 9,300 robberies estimated in the last year and the total cost of burglaries to the sector has reached £20m. The total cost of fraud (counterfeit notes, credit/debit card fraud etc) over the last year was £24m.

Bank robber ID sought

Sussex Police Force has released a picture of a man wanted in connection with the robbery of TSB on West Street, Brighton at 09:24 yesterday. 

He is described as white, in his late 40s to early 50s, about 5’9” [1.79m] and of slim build. He had a shaved, balding head, grey stubble and dark grey or brown eyes. He was wearing a black baggy fleece with a fluffy texture, which was zipped to the top. He also wore dark blue jeans and brown shoes.

Anyone with information should phone 101 and quote serial number 269 of 10/04

 

Sussex Police dip into reserves to hire 200 more officers

Sussex Police Force is going to use the recent increase in council tax precept and £17m of reserves to hire the additional officer over the next four years to strengthen community policing but not necessarily to put more officers 'on the beat'.

It isn't known how many, if any, will be allocated specifically to Brighton & Hove.

At one point the Sussex force was tasked to save £76m when austerity measures were introduced in 2010 and it was feared that up to 500 officer posts could be lost. Officers numbers in Sussex will still be lower than 2010 even after the additional recruitment.

Concorde2 attacker jailed

A drug addict who launched a cowardly attack on what he thought was his ex-girlfriend's new partner in the queue waiting to get into Concorde2 has been jailed.

Nicholas Leon saw his ex-partner in the queue and assumed that another man - Andrew Wood - was with her. He attacked Mr Wood from behind breaking his jaw and then fled the scene. Leon, a self confessed drug addict from the age of 16, has 23 previous convictions from a total of 56 offences, including burglary and various drugs offences.

At the time of the incident Mr Wood was recovering from a long standing illness and was hoping to enjoy his first night out in a considerable period of time. Instead he had to endure hours of surgery while four metal plates were installed in his face and jaw.

Leon was jailed for three years and six months.

Maserati collides with estate agent shop in Hove

A man was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident after a car collided with two pedestrians and a shop in Hove.

At about 9.30pm on 29 March, police were called to the incident in Western Road involving a blue Maserati 3200, which crashed into the window of Fox and Sons.

The two pedestrians were hurt one of whom sustained serious injuries.

A 31-year-old man was detained for driving without insurance. He was interviewed and released under investigation.

Police would like to speak to the rider of a motorcycle who may have witnessed the incident who was travelling east on Western Road and may have turned right down Bedford Place.

If you have any information please report online or phone 101, quoting Operation Gunton.