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Locked up in March: The faces of 28 Devon men and women including killer Marine and dangerous rapist

The streets are a safer with them behind bars

06:00, 01 Apr 2026

Jailed in Exeter March 2025View 26 Images

Jailed in Exeter March 2025(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A Royal Marine convicted of a 'one punch' killing in Exmouth was among the high profile cases heard in Exeter in March. Joseph Jones admitted manslaughter for a violent attack and was jailed for three and a half years.

Other criminals sent to prison included rapist Sonny Boyes. He was given an extended jail sentence of 24 years for a double sex attack in Exeter.

These are the faces of 28 men and women locked up for their crimes by judges and magistrates in March 2026.

They include drugs dealers, biker gang members, child sex offenders, violent boyfriends and knifepoint robbers.

Aleksandar DobrevView 26 Images

Aleksandar Dobrev(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A Bulgarian man caught dealing drugs in Devon said he only came to the UK to deliver food. Aleksandar Dobrev was stopped by police in Barnstaple[2] with bags of cocaine in his car and in his sock.

He said he'd been in the UK for a few days after losing his job in his homeland. The 47-year-old was described as highly educated and fluent in several languages.

A judge said his explanation was 'nonsense' and locked him up for 30 months.

Lee ConabeareView 26 Images

Lee Conabeare(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A man who went on the run for 36 hours after escaping police in Exeter[4] has been jailed.

Lee Conabeare, 33, ran away from a police officer who was trying to cuff him for a motoring offence on the M5[5], a court heard.

Conabeare was already on the police radar after being arrested for supplying drugs. The defendant appeared at court to be sentenced for all his offences and was jailed for four years.

The court heard he had been a hard-working roofer who had gone off the rails as he cocaine habit spiralled. He said he had been foolish and wanted to get his life back on track.

Lucia SuteuView 26 Images

Lucia Suteu(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A Romanian single mum was so desperate for money, she came to the UK to sell drugs, a court heard.

Lucia Suteu was acting as a runner for a gang when she was caught with cocaine in Barnstaple[7].

She was jailed for two years at Exeter[8] Crown Court and told she would be deported after serving part of that sentence.

View 26 Images

Trio motorbike club members jailed - including Dale Austin from Exmouth(Image: Greater Manchester Police)

An Exmouth man was among a group handed prison sentences after a motorcycle club feud which spanned the country uncovered drugs, weapons and even 3D-printed handguns.

The feud between rival bikers in Salford, Manchester, saw three men jailed for a combined 17 years for drugs and firearms offences, with the leader of one gang coordinating the production of 3D-printed guns.

Dale Austin, 31, of Dukes Crescent, Exmouth, admitted possession of a prohibited firearm and being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and has been sentenced to six years' imprisonment.

Craig ShortView 26 Images

Craig Short(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A serial child sex offender must serve more time in jail after being convicted of abusing a girl.

Craig Short, aged 54, is already in prison after being convicted in 2025 of multiple offences against children.

His latest victim came forward after seeing press reports of that earlier conviction.[11] She went to police and said Short sexually assaulted her when she was aged between nine and 11.

The vile paedophile, from Paignton[12], sexually assaulted her and then told her not to tell anyone, a court heard. He was sentenced to another five years in prison with an extra 12 months on licence when he is released. The jail term will run consecutively to his current sentence of 12 years with two on licence.

Samuel Todd and Adam McCarthyView 26 Images

Samuel Todd and Adam McCarthy

These two Devon thugs were jailed for a series of knifepoint street robberies.

Adam McCarthy and Samuel Todd, both aged 20, threatened violence to menace victims in Barnstaple[14], a court heard.

The offences left multiple victims traumatised. The pair admitted offences of robbery, attempted robbery and an affray at Exeter[15] Crown Court.

McCarthy was sent to a young offender institution for four years. Todd was sentenced to four years and two months.

Colby HillView 26 Images

Colby Hill(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A 22-year-old Exeter man was jailed for rape and other offences.

Colby Hill, of no fixed address in Exeter[17], also known as Colby Seatherton, was found guilty at a trial at Exeter Crown Court in February on two counts of rape of a woman, charges he denied.

Appearing before the court for sentencing on Monday, March 30, he was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years, including one year's extended licence and made subject of an indefinite restraining order as a result.

The judge told him: "It is very clear you pose a significant risk to members of the public. I have a real concern about your inability to regulate your behaviour."

John CharlesworthView 26 Images

John Charlesworth(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

This 77-year-old man was locked up for sexually assaulting a woman. Depraved John Charlesworth took advantage of the victim after she had been drinking.

He initially denied assaulting the victim after she passed out at a property but pleaded guilty to sexual assault when the case got to court.

Charlesworth, of Higher Sandygate, Newton Abbot[19], was jailed for two years at Exeter[20] Crown Court.

Judge David Evans said: "Alcohol rendered the victim vulnerable to sexual assault. She was completely unaware and could do nothing to prevent it happening."

David SharpeView 26 Images

David Sharpe(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A sleep deprived 58-year-old man attacked his neighbour - an ex policeman - leaving him blooded and bruised.

David Sharpe, of Okefield Road, Crediton[22], admitted assaulting Nevin Hunter causing him actual bodily harm - battering him 20 times in a minute-long attack. Exeter[23] magistrates court heard Sharpe went to his neighbour's garden as Mr Hunter parked his car one morning in March last year.

Sharpe stood behind him and punched him to the ground and repeatedly struck him in around 60 seconds leaving him with a broken nose and a bruised and bloodied face.

He was jailed for a year.

Paul LordView 26 Images

Paul Lord(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A holidaymaker was caught with a kilo of cocaine in the boot after crashing his car. Paul Lord was travelling to Devon with his family when he was arrested on the A30 near Sourton, a court heard.

The 45-year-old initially claimed the cocaine was for his own use and he liked to buy in bulk.

But he later confessed that he was a courier. Exeter[25] Crown Court heard the drugs had a street value of ?80,000.

The defendant, from Gloucestershire, admitted possession with intent to supply and was jailed for three years.

Joseph JonesView 26 Images

Joseph Jones(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A Royal Marine killed a much-loved Exmouth[27] man with a single punch - claiming he had been 'disrespected' about where he was from. Joseph Jones, 22, delivered a single, savage and fatal punch to Cemal John Yilmaz outside a bar on Lower Fore Street on Saturday, December 13.

Mr Yilmaz was described in court as a 'gentle giant' and larger than life character who was never aggressive. He had done nothing to provoke the punch which came without warning as a large group of local people and Marines gathered outside The Loft.

Jones, from Wolverhampton, lost his temper in a 'second or two of madness' when Mr Yilmaz joked that he was from Birmingham.

Jones told his fellow Marines in the aftermath he did not let anyone disrespect him.

The Marine's career is now in tatters, Exeter[28] Crown Court was told. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was jailed for three and a half years.

Michael LandView 26 Images

Michael Land(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

This dangerous Exeter rapist was jailed for 15 years. Binman Michael Land was described in court as a 'violent and aggressive' man who does not understand the nature of consent or rape.

He denied two charges of rape but was found guilty by a jury at a trial in January.

The judge said he was a danger to the public and added an extra five years to the sentence which Land will serve on licence once he is released.

Judge James Patrick told Land: "I accept that you do not find it easy to communicate. You had a very difficult childhood and upbringing." But he said the defendant was capable of being violent, aggressive, demanding and selfish.

Sonny BoyesView 26 Images

Sonny Boyes(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A dangerous Exeter sex attacker who said he didn't need to rape girls because he was so good looking was given an extended jail sentence of 24 years.

Sonny Boyes bragged about what a stud he was after being arrested for raping a teenager in bushes in the Digby area of the city and then sexually assaulted a second victim on a train.

A jury found him guilty off the double sex attack at a trial last year. He accused both victims of 'crying rape' and still does not accept doing anything wrong.

Boyes returned to court on Friday to be sentenced for two rapes, four assaults by penetration and three sexual assaults.

Callum HawkerView 26 Images

Callum Hawker(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A scaffolder broke into his ex partner's house and ambushed her new boyfriend, a court heard.

Jealous Callum Hawker, 29, repeatedly punched, kicked and threatened to kill the man during a vicious assault in the living room.

When his ex tried to pull him away he grabbed her by the neck and pushed her against a wall. Exeter[32] Crown Court was told that Hawker could not accept the end of a four-year relationship.

After the split he stalked her for a month by tracking her movements and letting her know he knew where she was. The defendant, of Wareham Road, Hawkchurch, admitted stalking, ABH and assault and was jailed for two years and eight months.

Danny MorganView 26 Images

Danny Morgan(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A prisoner was caught trying to smuggle cocaine and cannabis worth thousands of pounds into HMP Exeter[34]. Danny Morgan hid drugs and mobile phones in the insole of his trainers, a court heard.

An X-ray revealed cannabis inside his body.

The drugs had a prison value of just over ?6,000.

Morgan, 26, has been jailed for a spree of offending which included bringing prohibited articles into prison, criminal damage, possession of drugs and a public order offence.

Sentencing him to three years and five months at Exeter Crown Court, Judge James Patrick said: "You were sentenced to custody and took into custody sizable amounts of cocaine and cannabis. It was deliberately planned and they were very well hidden."

Six people in organised crime group jailed for a total of nearly 40 years for orchestrating a major drug trafficking operationView 26 Images

Six people in organised crime group jailed for a total of nearly 40 years for orchestrating a major drug trafficking operation(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police )

Members of an organised crime group were jailed for a total of nearly 40 years for orchestrating a major drug trafficking operation that flooded North Devon[36] with around ?4 million of cocaine.

The criminal network, with members in North Devon, West Yorkshire and Merseyside, used couriers to travel to Liverpool who would collect the cocaine and transport it back to Barnstaple[37] for distribution to street-sellers.

  • North Devon regional manager - Paige Kightley, 31, from Lacey Avenue, Bideford was jailed for five years seven months
  • North Devon courier - Neil Warren, 49, from High Street, Ilfracombe was sentenced in March 2025 to four years
  • North Devon street supplier - Karl Aldridge, 38, from Corporation Terrace, Barnstaple, was sentenced in January 2025 to five years and four months
Stephen PenningtonView 26 Images

Stephen Pennington(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

A sex offender who moved to Devon without telling police has been jailed. Stephen Pennington deliberately ignored court orders designed to protect the public from his behaviour when he left Lancashire to start a new life in Bideford[39], a court heard.

The 38-year-old was subject to strict rules about where he could live due to a conviction for raping a child under 13 in 2009.

Police arrested him in Devon after he started a friendship with a young mum. Exeter[40] Crown Court heard he had shown a 'blatant disregard' for court orders.

He was jailed for three years and nine months.

David TimlinView 26 Images

David Timlin(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

An abusive ex made 17 phone calls to his former partner - from the prison where he was serving time for harassing her. Obsessed David Timlin, 57, was jailed in September 2024[42] for a campaign of 'unrelenting harassment' against the woman.

But three months later he called her up from Erlestoke Prison in Wilshire in a flagrant breach of his restraining order. His victim said she was 'horrified' to hear his voice and he spoke 'as if it was normal to do so'.

A judge at Exeter[43] Crown Court said it was 'astonishing' that the prison had not taken simple steps to make sure he could not call the victim of his crime.

Timlin, from Chudleigh, pleaded guilty to breaching the terms of his restraining order.

He was sentenced to a further 18 months.

ALEXANDER KNIGHT

Alexander KnightView 26 Images

Alexander Knight(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

Alexander Knight, Holloway Street, Exeter. Age: 29. On 01/06/2023 at Ilfracombe[44] adult attempt to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Plea: Guilty. Also found guilty of other offences against Sexual Offences Act 2003. Prison six years and three months.

Sexual Harm Prevention order for 10 years.

GEOFFREY CAVE

Geoffrey CaveView 26 Images

Geoffrey Cave(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

Geoffrey Cave, NFA Exeter. Age: 72. Between 20/12/2020 and 03/01/2021 at Wiltshire burglary of a dwelling.

Plea: Guilty. Prison for 16 months.

WANDA BUBEER

Wanda BubeerView 26 Images

Wanda Bubeer(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

Wanda Bubeer, Southfields Road, Torquay. Age: 45.

On 07/08/2025 at Paignton[45] stole cosmetics from Boots. Further theft Clothes Locker in Brixham[46], Austins in Newton Abbot[47], Tesco[48], Pets at Home, assault a male by beating, assaulted a female causing ABH. Plea: Guilty.

Prison for 12 months.

PAUL MOSLEY

Paul MosleyView 26 Images

Paul Mosley(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

Paul Mosley, Raleigh Close, Torquay[49]. Age: 46. On 08/02/2025 at Torquay intentionally strangled a female.

Plea: Guilty. Prison for 16 months. Restraining order.

LOUIS COLLINS

Louis CollinsView 26 Images

Louis Collins(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

Louis Collins, NFA, Newquay.

Age: 35. On 04/03/2025 at Paignton assaulted a female causing ABH. Plea: Guilty.

Prison for 25 months. Restraining order.

Baviithrann Vilvarajah

Baviithrann VilvarajahView 26 Images

Baviithrann Vilvarajah(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

Baviithrann Vilvarajah, Rowley Lane, Wexham. Age: 31.

On 12/01/2026 at Honiton[50] drove on A30 whilst unfit through drink, disqualified, without insurance and dangerously. Plea: Guilty. Prison for 16 months.

Disqualified for four years and 196 days.

Article continues below

Corey Parker

Corey ParkerView 26 Images

Corey Parker(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)

Corey Parker, St Paul Street, Tiverton[51]. Age: 21. On 15/10/2025 at Tiverton possession of cannabis.

Assault female causing ABH. Cultivated cannabis. Intentional strangulation.

Plea: Guilty.

Prison for 18 months.

Restraining order for five years.

References

  1. ^ Judge slams Bulgarian drug dealer's 'nonsense' food excuse (www.devonlive.com)
  2. ^ Barnstaple (www.devonlive.com)
  3. ^ Roofer escaped Exeter cops and went on run for 36 hours (www.devonlive.com)
  4. ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
  5. ^ the M5 (www.devonlive.com)
  6. ^ Single mum sold drugs in Devon to send money back to family (www.devonlive.com)
  7. ^ Barnstaple (www.devonlive.com)
  8. ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
  9. ^ Motorcycle club feud uncovers drugs and 3D printed guns (www.devonlive.com)
  10. ^ Justice catches up with sick Paignton paedophile given extra jail time (www.devonlive.com)
  11. ^ earlier conviction. (www.devonlive.com)
  12. ^ Paignton (www.devonlive.com)
  13. ^ Devon thugs jailed for 'traumatising' knifepoint street robberies (www.devonlive.com)
  14. ^ Barnstaple (www.devonlive.com)
  15. ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
  16. ^ Exeter man, 22, jailed for rape poses 'clear risk' (www.devonlive.com)
  17. ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
  18. ^ Pervert pensioner, 77, jailed for sexually assaulting woman while she slept (www.devonlive.com)
  19. ^ Newton Abbot (www.devonlive.com)
  20. ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
  21. ^ Crediton man jailed for 20-punch assault on ex-cop neighbour (www.devonlive.com)
  22. ^ Crediton (www.devonlive.com)
  23. ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
  24. ^ Holidaymaker crashed with a kilo of cocaine in the boot (www.devonlive.com)
  25. ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
  26. ^ Royal Marine killed 'gentle giant' with single punch in savage unprovoked attack (www.devonlive.com)
  27. ^ Exmouth (www.devonlive.com)
  28. ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
  29. ^ Dangerous Exeter rapist jailed for 15 years (www.devonlive.com)
  30. ^ Predator rapist Sonny Boyes jailed for double Exeter sex attack (www.devonlive.com)
  31. ^ Jealous ex caused havoc stalking terrified woman and ambushing new boyfriend (www.devonlive.com)
  32. ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
  33. ^ X-ray revealed drugs inside Exeter prisoner's body (www.devonlive.com)
  34. ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
  35. ^ Organised crime group members jailed after flooding streets with cocaine worth millions (www.devonlive.com)
  36. ^ North Devon (www.devonlive.com)
  37. ^ Barnstaple (www.devonlive.com)
  38. ^ Wanted sex offender found after starting new life in Devon (www.devonlive.com)
  39. ^ Bideford (www.devonlive.com)
  40. ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
  41. ^ Obsessed Chudleigh ex didn't let prison walls stop his harassment (www.devonlive.com)
  42. ^ jailed in September 2024 (www.devonlive.com)
  43. ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
  44. ^ Ilfracombe (www.devonlive.com)
  45. ^ Paignton (www.devonlive.com)
  46. ^ Brixham (www.devonlive.com)
  47. ^ Newton Abbot (www.devonlive.com)
  48. ^ Tesco (www.devonlive.com)
  49. ^ Torquay (www.devonlive.com)
  50. ^ Honiton (www.devonlive.com)
  51. ^ Tiverton (www.devonlive.com)

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