By Tom Orde Crime and court reporter
Pictured: Southampton Crown court
A PAEDOPHILE sexually abused a young girl leaving her feeling sick and unable to trust adult men, a court heard. Thomas Murphy started sexually abusing a girl the Southampton area when she was just six-years-old. The 64-year-old told his victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, that they would keep his crimes a “secret”. Prosecution barrister, Robert Brown, said that the girl eventually complained about Murphy to her mother who then contacted the NSPCC. She said that her abuser was nice when her mother was around but “horrible” when she was away.
CCTV operators have been praised for their quick thinking in response to an assault in Leigh Road Park. CCTV operators have been praised for their quick thinking after alerting police to a serious assault in a town centre. Jeremy Blake Simmons, 20, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to a number of offences at Southampton Crown Court last September. He was sentenced to 13 years and four months after a serious assault took place in Eastleigh in August 2020. Southampton Crown Court heard how Simmons subjected his female victim to a harrowing attack at around 2.15am on August 4, 2020 as she walked along Leigh Road.
By Tom Orde Crime and court reporter
Darren Cooper before his sentencing at Southampton Crown Court A MAN rammed a patrol car during a police chase claiming it was an accident. Darren Cooper led police on a chase while driving a blue Mazda, a court heard. The 41-year-old was spotted in New Road, Fawley, but failed to stop when a police car switched on its blue lights. He later reversed the car and rammed into the patrol car before speeding along Blackfield Road. Prosecution barrister, Catherine Donnelly, told how Cooper eventually fled from the vehicle on foot. But, when a police officer ran after him telling him to stop, he threatened him verbally.
“Ultimately entry was forced. “The defendant was located within the property. He was the only person in the house. What officers found within the premises has been described by a drugs expert as a commercial operation in terms of growing cannabis. “There were some 162 plants in various stages of lifecycle. “Mr Shatri was the only individual present and the property was predominantly kitted out as a cannabis factory. “He appears to have lived in the front room on a mattress on the floor. During the raid in the Bevois area of the city, police seized two mobile phones. Addressing Southampton Crown Court, Mr Williams went on to say: “A cursory examination of the photos on one of the phones showed images from a matter of days previously showing the defendant posing in front of a vehicle and in a park in the local area.
By Tom Orde Crime and court reporter
Jeremy Simmons attacked a woman in Eastleigh town centre A MAN subjected his victim to a harrowing attack as she walked through a Hampshire town centre. Jeremy Blake Simmons banged a woman’s head against metal railings and then dragged her into Leigh Road Park, Eastleigh. He told the 19-year-old he had a gun and kicked her to stop her screaming. Simmons, 20, had pounced on the woman as she walked along Leigh Road. Prosecution barrister, Christopher Wing, said how the woman was left feeling anxious, depressed and suffering nightmares. Simmons, of no fixed address, said he had been trying to rob the woman who had been wearing headphones and was oblivious to his presence.