Names and faces of Surrey criminals jailed in September including murderers

A number of criminals were jailed in Surrey in September for a wide variety a crimes. The people who were put behind bars include murderers and rapists, including a former teacher who sexually abused students. Another case saw five men jailed for their roles in a county lines drug operation between Surrey and London.

It involved children who were reported missing. SurreyLive rounded up the criminals jailed over the past month.

Former teacher jailed after sexually abusing students

A former teacher was found guilty of sexually abusing two students in his care. Paul Clifton, 55, of Sidcup, pleaded guilty to nine charges at Guildford[1] Crown Court.

This includes sexual communications with a child, sexual activity with a child involving touching, four counts of sexual activity with a child involving penetration, causing and inciting sexual activity with a child, and two counts of abuse of position of trust - causing or inciting sexual activity with a child. He was charged after a woman came forward via an online report in 2019. Katherine (not her real name) had been a 15-year-old student at a school in Surrey in 2017 when Clifton began a relationship with her.

Struggling with stress at home and issues with friends at school, Katherine used creative writing to express herself and asked Clifton, her English teacher, for help. He used this as a way of gaining her trust, making her feel special and encouraging a relationship between them.

Clifton assigned them pet names to ensure no one found out about their 'secret', and Katherine kept detailed accounts of their interactions in her journal, including the date of their first kiss and the first time they had sex. These encounters continued both on and off school premises over the course of a year.

As the investigation progressed, another victim was identified. In 2006 Alison (not her real name), then 15, was groomed by Clifton, who was her English teacher at a school in Kent. Initially, Alison said, Clifton would belittle her in class, making her feel stupid, talking about her love life, and making her bring her homework to his house when she missed a deadline.

Having exchanged phone numbers, Clifton's tone changed. He texted Alison telling her he missed her and asking for photos of her that grew progressively more explicit. He convinced her they were in love, and shortly after she turned 16, he persuaded Alison to go round to his address and had sex with her.

During interviews Clifton denied any sexual contact with either Alison or Katherine. He even claimed to have a father-daughter relationship with Katherine, up until the interviewing officer read the content of one of the text messages aloud to him expressing how much he missed her and 'the way you kiss me and touch me, the way you look at me'. Clifton then requested additional legal counsel before proceeding to give a 'no comment' interview.

On June 20 at Croydon Crown Court, he was sentenced to five years and seven months in prison. He will be subject to a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which prohibits him from almost all contact with any female child under 18, and from undertaking any paid, voluntary or recreational activity that is likely to bring him into supervisory contact with any female child under 18. He will also be subject to notification requirements and has been placed on the Children's Barred List, prohibiting him from working with children again.

Prolific shoplifter who tried to flee the country jailed

Prolific shoplifter Wesley Maughan has been sentenced to 22 months in prison after pleasing guilty to 13 counts of theft from a shop.

The 25-year-old, of Slough, was sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court on September 2. He targeted Boots, Tesco and Co-op stores across Surrey, London, Buckinghamshire and Kent, stealing more than GBP34,000 worth of nicotine, healthcare and cosmetic products in a period of six weeks. On multiple occasions, CCTV showed him brazenly enter a Boots store, fill bags with goods, conceal items in his coat and leave without paying.

He was identified by Surrey Police[2] officers and arrested on May 17 at Harwich International Port. He tried to flee the country under a false identity. Despite providing a no comment interview in relation to all offences, Maughan was charged and remanded in custody two days later.

Domestic abuser sentenced

Charlie Walker, 33, from Godalming[3], was found guilty of rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and controlling and coercive behaviour, following a four day trial.

He was sentenced to 12 and half years in prison at Guildford Crown Court on September 5. The court heard how between the period of three years, Walker subjected his victim to a campaign of abuse and control and on a particularly harrowing occasion, he assaulted and raped her when she was pregnant. The investigation into Walker by Surrey Police's Sexual Offences Investigation Team uncovered more than 100 voicemals from walker to the woman.

They included abuse, threats, expletives and slurs. It was also discovered that in a three-month period, he had made over 1,200 calls to her, many of which were abusive and controlling in nature. He was arrested in June 2024, but denied all offences through a pre-prepared statement and then proceeded to answer no comment throughout.

Officers examined medical records and discovered that the survivor had been treated several times in hospital for injuries including significant bruising to her body. The case against Walker also included multiple compelling testimonies from witnesses of his behaviour, which was crucial in accurately demonstrating the pattern and extent of his abuse. Walker was sentenced to 12 years and six months' imprisonment, alongside a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order and he will also be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Two men convicted of murder after fatal crash

Two men have been jailed for murder following a fatal collision in Sunbury[4] Cross in July 2024.

The incident happened in the early hours of July 22, 2024 on the exit slip road between the southbound carriageway of the A316 at the junction with the M3 and the Sunbury cross roundabout. Members of the public had discovered a black Talaria Sting electric off-road motorbike and its two riders in the carriageway. It had been involved in a collision with another vehicle which had failed to stop.

Both riders had catastrophic injuries. William Birchard, 21, died at the roadside, and 22-year-old Darren George died later that same day in hospital. A black pickup truck was seen performing a U-turn and driving down the slip road towards Sunbury Cross roundabout shortly after the collision, and a black Ford Ranger Raptor registered to a local man was soon identified and found parked up close by.

Several hours later the owner, Alex Rose, contacted police to report his truck stolen. This was a false report, and Rose subsequently pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice. Rose, who had previously been a victim of burglary at his business premises, saw people moving around in the grounds of a college which backed onto his home on the night of 21 July, and believed they were a group of burglars.

At this point Rose called Charles Pardoe to meet up and they drove around in his black Raptor for over an hour. During this time, Rose was in phone contact with his girlfriend, Tara Knaggs, who remained at home while he searched. It was here, shortly before 00.50am, that William Birchard and Darren George's paths crossed with Rose as they rode into Sunbury on the Talaria Sting electric off-road motorbike.

Having spotted the two men, it is believed that Rose mistook them for part of the group he had been searching for and pursued the electric off-road motorbike along Green Street to the Sunbury Cross roundabout, exceeding speeds of 60mph in a 30mph zone. In their efforts to get away, William and Darren drove the wrong way around the Sunbury Cross roundabout and onto the slip road travelling the wrong way towards the A316/M3. Rose and Pardoe followed them in the Raptor, also travelling the wrong way, and collided with the bike, before fleeing the scene.

On July 23, officers tracked Rose to Birmingham airport, where he was about to board a one-way flight to Istanbul with his girlfriend, Tara Knaggs. The flight had been booked just hours before, they had a single carry-on bag between them containing a few items of clothing and more than GBP4000 in cash. Rose was arrested on suspicion of murder and Knaggs was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The following day, Pardoe and a second man, Samuel Aspden, were also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. Rose, Pardoe, and Aspden were all later charged with murder, and Knaggs was charged with assisting an offender. Following a four-week trial at Guildford Crown Court the following verdicts were given on September 10:

• Alex Rose, 30, of Sunbury-upon-Thames, was found guilty of two counts of murder.
• Charles Pardoe, 25, of Feltham, was also found guilty of two counts of murder.
• Tara Knaggs, 25, of Great Ayton in Yorkshire, was found guilty of assisting an offender.
• Samuel Aspden, 26, of Walton-on-Thames, was found not guilty of two counts of murder and not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

Alex Rose was sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 34 years.

He will also serve 21 months concurrently for perverting the course of justice. Charles Pardoe was sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 29 years. Tara Knaggs was sentenced to three years imprisonment, to serve a minimum of one year and two months prior to being considered for licence.

Each of the defendants had their sentences marginally reduced to account for time already spent in custody prior to trial. A deprivation order was also granted for the GBP4,000 cash found on Rose and Knaggs when they attempted to leave the country.

County lines dealers jailed

Five men have been jailed for their roles in a county lines drug operation between Surrey and London. During a six-week trial, it was revealed the ringleaders looked to "exploit children to carry out their dirty work".

An investigation was launched in September 2023 following the disappearance of a number of children from Surrey. They were located at addresses in London that police believe were being used ot supply drugs.

Two months later in November, Mohammed Yousuf, 21, who police had found said addresses in London, was stopped in a vehicle in Surrey with a child who had been reported missing days before. Officers searched the vehicle and found more than GBP1,000 in cash and a pot of Vaseline, which police have said they think was not "being used as a lip balm", and he was swiftly arrested for drug supply offences.

A review of Yousuf's phone, while he was released on bail as the investigation continued, revealed a "huge volume" of messages related to drug supply and conspiring with others to recruit children to help facilitate drug deals.

During dawn raids in Surrey on March, 7 2024, Ahmed Al Khudairy, 21, of Kingston[5] and Edward Atudorei, 19, of Sutton were arrested, charged and remanded for a number of offences, including arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation and being concerned in the supply of Class A and B drugs.

Later that day, Mohammed Yousuf, 21, of Kingston was also arrested, charged and remanded for the same offences.

Just a few days later, on March, 12, Ronnie Read, 24, of Thames Ditton was arrested for his role in the drugs network, followed by Ali Cayir, 23, of Thames Ditton when a warrant was carried out at his address on June 12, 2024. Following a six-week trial at Guildford Crown Court, which ended with sentencings earlier this week, the following convictions were carried out:

• Mohammed Yousuf, 21, was convicted of conspiring to arrange the travel of another person with a view to exploitation. He was sentenced to three-years six months imprisonment, alongside a 21-month driving ban for driving without insurance and drug driving.

• Ahmed Al Khudairy 21, was convicted of conspiring to arrange the travel of another person with a view to exploitation and of being concerned in the supply of Class A, B and C drugs.

  He was sentenced to six-years imprisonment.

• Edward Atudorei, 19, was also convicted of conspiring to arrange the travel of another person with a view to exploitation and was sentenced to three-years.

• Ali Cayir, 23, pleaded guilty prior to the trial, to being concerned in the supply of Class A and B drugs, possessing with intent to supply Class B drugs, and being in possession of criminal property. He was sentenced to four-years, six-months imprisonment.

• Ronnie Read, 24, also pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A and B drugs. He was sentenced to five-years imprisonment.

Burglary gang jailed

A burglary gang have been jailed for a combined total of 17 years.

A total of at least 11 burglaries was carried out across Surrey and London between November 3 and December 11, 2024. The group stole more than GBP80,000 worth of property. The gang, posing as tourists, would usually target flats and houses in affluent areas, climbing up to the first or second floors and then forcing entry through windows or doors, often using tools.

They ransacked the properties they targeted, looking for watches, designer clothing, and jewellery in particular, before making good their escape.

At one burglary in Epsom[6] on December 3, the occupants' Christmas[7] presents had been unwrapped and abandoned in the lounge. These offences were highly organised and involved a sgnificant degree of planning to pull off, police said. Officers added the mistakes the group made landed them behind bars.

Officers were given the first piece of the puzzle on November 3 when Israel Contreras dropped his phone fleeing over the fence of a home in Hillingdon.

The phone contained five screenshots from a mapping app, with pins dropped on residential properties around London. Contreras also left behind DNA on parts of a broken angle grinder blade left behind at the scene of a burglary in Esher[8], connecting the offences in London and Surrey. Contreras was the first of the gang to be detained by police and was arrested while attempting to board a flight from Heathrow Airport[9] to Chile on 5 December.

He was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary, but officers knew he wasn't acting alone.

On December 11, the remaining members of the gang were stopped by officers from Surrey Police driving a red Hyundai on Fulham Palace Road in London.

Having attempted to reverse and ram their way to freedom, the car was tactically stopped by police and the three occupants detained. The car and their pockets were full of jewellery, designer goods, and tools. The passengers were Yeico Fernandez and Michael Carrasco.

Fernandez had arrived in the UK from Chile at 7am that morning. By 5pm he was in police custody, having immediately met up with the group and gone straight on an offending spree. Over the summer, the defendants were sentenced at Guildford Crown Court as follows: Israel Contreras, 22, was sentenced to five years and three months.

Eduardo Marquez, 29, was sentenced to six years and nine months. Yeico Guzman Fernandez, 25, was sentenced to two years and nine months. Michael Carrasco, 28, was sentenced to two years and nine months.

'Opportunity' burglar jailed

A 44-year-old man has been jailed after conducting burglaries at multiple addresses in Shepperton[10].

Raymond Agyemang-Gyamfi, 44, of Shepperton was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of burglary and three counts of attempted burglary. Agyemang-Gyamfi entered a property at around 1.45am on May 29, stole several power tools and around GBP400 in cash. That same night, CCTV showed him at a neighbouring property, trying the handle of the garage and searching around the garden.

A week later, he targeted another home three times. In the early hours of June 1, he entered via the rear door and was chased out of the address by the family dog. Later that day, Agyemang-Gyamfi attended the same house but was unable to enter the garden due to a padlocked gate.

On June 3 at 4.30am, he made his third and final attempt to burgle the address. CCTV showed Agyemang-Gyamfi struggle to lift a side gate before once again being deterred by the family dog. These CCTV images were circulated to officers in Spelthorne.

At 10pm on June 3, he was stopped on the High Street and arrested on suspicion of burglary and attempted burglary. During his interview, Agyemang-Gyamfi described his behaviour as 'opportunist'. He identified himself in CCTV footage of the burglaries, stating he had a 'curiosity' to see what was in the property and admitted to selling the goods at a market in London.

At Guildford Crown Court on September 15, he was sentenced to three years in prison.

Prolific burglar sentenced

Jesse Webb, 50, of no fixed address, targeted vulnerable victims. He was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison at Guildford Crown Court on September 26. He pleaded guilty to: two counts of burglary other than a dwelling, five counts of burglary of a dwelling, two counts of burglary with violence, one count of theft from a motor vehicle, three counts of fraud by false representation, one count of attempted burglary.

Webb was identified as a significant suspect following a series of burglaries across Walton[11] and West Byfleet[12] in May this year. The burglaries followed a similar theme of targeting vulnerable people - often elderly - during daylight hours, entering their homes before stealing bank cards and cash. Care homes were also targeted.

On one occasion, Webb told the victim that he was a carer attending for a visit before snatching their handbag. Webb was identified through lengthy CCTV enquiries which showed him using the victim's bank cards. Investigating officers PC King and PC Lightburn began conducting further intelligence on Webb and discovered that he was linked to other offences in Hampshire.

On June 4, a member of the public identified Webb in Woking[13] town centre following a media appeal. Officers dispatched and he was quickly arrested. Upon arrest, it was discovered that he had bank cards in his possession that were not in his name.

Enquiries to trace his steps determined that these had been stolen from handbags of people who had been volunteering at a Church service nearby. Officers intercepted Webb before he had the opportunity to spend any money on these cards. Webb was charged and subsequently plead guilty to all offences on July 10 and on September 4 at Guildford Crown Court.

You can see the latest crime and court news from Surrey in our free newsletter here[14].

References

1. ^ Guildford (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
2. ^ Surrey Police (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
3. ^ Godalming (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
4. ^ Sunbury (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
5. ^ Kingston (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
6. ^ Epsom (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
7. ^ Christmas (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
8. ^ Esher (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
9. ^ Heathrow Airport (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
10. ^ Shepperton (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
11. ^ Walton (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
12. ^ Byfleet (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
13. ^ Woking (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
14. ^ here (www.getsurrey.co.uk)