For career criminals, sitting before a magistrate or crown court judge is a regular occurrence.
For most of the population, sitting before a magistrate judge for a minor offence is thankfully very unusual.
Whether a defendant has been hauled back before the courts for the umpteenth time, or an otherwise law-abiding citizen has been caught by a speed camera, members of the public have a right to know who has come before the justice system.
So far this month, judges in Essex have seen burglars, abusive train passengers, sex offenders, dangerous drivers, and dine-and-dashers walk into the court room.
Some walked free, others did not – here is a round-up of some of the north Essex defendants who have found themselves on the wrong side of the law so far this month.
James Lang: Dine-and-Dash at Turtle Bay
On Thursday, May 30, James Lang bought two red stripe pints, chicken wings and spiced fries from Turtle Bay
He then attempted to make off without payment.
Lang, 33, of Whitmore Drive, told police officers he had left his card inside HSBC – they then went inside the bank to make further enquiries, but it was eventually established the defendant did not have the money to pay for the meal in the first place.Recognised - Colchester Magistrates' Court heard how staff knew about the defendant, James Lang (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)
Lang was arrested the same afternoon and taken to Colchester police station where he was cautioned.
When he appeared before Colchester Magistrates Court on Tuesday, July 2, he told magistrates: “I will pay the fine and what not.
“I suffer from a bit of mental health illness, so I am quite forgetful about community orders.”
After he admitted one charge of making off without payment, he was ordered to pay £239 in costs.
Loren Hamilton: Burglar who stole tools from self-employed mechanic
In August last year, single mum-of-four Loren Hamilton burgled an address in Leather Lane, Great Yeldham.
As part of her spree, she ripped open several boxes and broke an urn containing the ashes of the homeowner’s deceased child.
The homeowner noticed his house had been burgled when he returned the following morning to find his front door – which had a hole in and was covered in tool marks – was open.Suspended - Loren Hamilton was not sentenced to a term of immediate imprisonment (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)
Chelmsford Crown Court heard earlier this month how police tracked Hamilton down using her car registration plate and arrested her whilst she was unloading some of the stolen goods from her vehicle.
She was even wearing a pair of shoes she had stolen from the address.
Hamilton, 34, of Leather Lane in Great Yeldham was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months after admitting one charge of burglary of a dwelling and theft.
Jay Ford: Train passenger who verbally abused ticket inspector
In May Jay Ford unleashed a tirade of abuse towards a ticket inspector on a Greater Anglia train from Clacton to Colchester.
Colchester Magistrates’ Court how Ford, previously of Church Hall Gardens in Little Clacton, and now of Redgrave Road in Basildon, was recognised by a ticket inspector as a regular fare evader.
Abusive - the court heard how Jay Ford verbally abused a ticket inspector and then threw his suitcase across a platform when he got off the train (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)
Ford did not have a ticket for the journey and was asked to leave the train, prompting him to threaten ticket inspector Marius Ispas, shouting “I will take your head off”.
After Ford left the train at Colchester Station, he launched his suitcase across the train platform in front of his children and then told a security guard he would headbutt him.
Admitting one charge of using threatening and abusive words with the intent to cause fear or provoke violence, Ford was fined a further £200 and must pay further costs of £165.
Chair of the bench Jeremy Batchelor said: “If you continue to react like this, particularly in front of children, there will come a time when advocates will run out of things to say in your defence.”
Matthew Holmes: Driver whose driving meant police called out helicopter
Missed the last train home but don’t have a valid driving licence?
Most of us would accept defeat, stay in a Travelodge for the night and risk the wrath of the other half in the morning.
Matthew Holmes did not take such a reasoned approach, however, allegedly borrowing his friend’s Mercedes Sprinter and attempting to evade officers when they clocked he was driving illegally.
The defendant then drove up on the curb and performed a U-turn, sparking a 45-minute chase through Stanway, West Bergholt, and several other neighbouring villages in an attempt to lose the police.
Police then called in pursuit-trained driver PC Gosling to lead the chase as Holmes, 45, led officers down one-track roads, frequently switching his lights off.
With the chase showing no sign of stopping, officers contacted the National Police Air Service, which sent a helicopter to follow Holmes.
Jailed - Matthew Holmes was jailed after he led police on a 45-minute car chase which required a police helicopter to be called out (Image: Essex Police)
After reaching a dead end near a church yard Holmes, of Glisson Square in Colchester leapt out of the vehicle and was pursued on foot before he finally gave up and was arrested.
Holmes, of Glisson Square, Colchester, admitted dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, failing to stop for the police, driving without insurance, and possession of cannabis.
At Ipswich Crown Court on Monday he was jailed for 14 months and banned from driving for five years upon his release.
Gordon Bees: Pensioner got on the wrong train and then racially abused bank staff
At Colchester Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Gordon Bees appeared to admit three charges of racially aggravated harassment.
The offences arose after Bees, 71, got on the wrong train from Colchester to London instead of Harwich.
When he got to the Nationwide bank in Edgeware, he subjected employees to a foul-mouthed tirade.
Sentencing - Gordon Bees will be sentenced in October after he verbally abused bank staff and police officers (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)
At one point he shouted, “I am going to rob this bank” before calling one member of staff “a cow” and telling another “to go back to India” when he was asked to leave.
When police attended to arrest Bees, he then racially abused officers and threatened one violence.
Raphael Piggott, mitigating, said Bees was suffering from a severe bipolar episode.
Bees, of All Saints Close in Dovercourt, will reappear before Colchester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, October 24 for sentencing.
Stacey May: assaulted police officers who tried to stop her drink driving in Tesco car park
An off-duty police officer tried to arrest Stacey May in January after she was seen stumbling towards her car in the Tesco Highwoods car park.
It did not go well.
An officer told May, of Bay Tree Close, they were placing May under arrest and attempted to take her car keys off her.
Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard how May, 43, “became physically aggressive” and punched the officer in the ribs.
A police car then arrived to take May to the police station, but whilst she was in the vehicle she leaned forward to prevent an officer from putting her seatbelt on.
Arrest - an off-duty police officer tried to arrest Stacey May to stop her from drink driving (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)
May then headbutted the officer in the back of the car and then leant forward to bite another officer who was sitting in the front seat.
May admitted two counts of assaulting an emergency worker, one count of common assault, and one count of attempting to drive a motor vehicle when over the limit.
She was sentenced to a two-month sentence, suspended for one year and has to pay £75 in compensation to each of the officers.
Aaron Matthews: drug dealer who told officers cash in his house was ‘inheritance’
Aaron Matthews received a visit from police at his address in Rectory Road, Colchester, in 2022.
The officers found 1.5kg of cannabis, 58g of cocaine, and large amounts of cash.
Although Matthews, 29, admitted two counts of drug possession his version of events was somewhat different to that put forward by the prosecution at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Drugs - Aaron Matthews admitted two charges of supplying drugs (Image: Newsquest)
It is claimed Matthews “received payment in cannabis in return for supplying”, he was “holding the cocaine at his address for another”, and “the cash was inheritance money following his father’s death”.
Matthews is now required to attend Ipswich Crown Court next month when the two versions of events will be put before a judge.
Jamie Sherfield: Defendant said ‘Let’s ****ing do this’ before robbing security guard
In March, Jamie Sherfield described himself as being ‘possessed’ when he decided to rob a security guard carrying a box containing what he thought could be thousands of pounds.
The robbery took place in March at the Asda supermarket in Turner Road, with Sherfield shouting “give me the box” at security guard Neil Hoy.
But the security guard, who was uninjured after the incident, caught a glance of the number plate and recited it to police when he called 999.
Jailed - Jamie Sherfield will serve half of a four-year term in prison (Image: Essex Police)
Sherfield, of Viceroy Court, Stanford-le-Hope, later admitted one charge of robbery.
Sherfield was taken to Colchester police station by car and told officers: “I know what I’m about – I’m a stupid boy.
“I ****ing drove down to Essex for no reason to see my pal and thought, ‘let’s ****ing do this'.”
When Sherfield, 40, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday, he was sentenced to four years in jail.
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