Ex-Teacher Paul Clifton Jailed for Grooming and Abusing Schoolgirls
Paul Clifton, 55, a former Sidcup English teacher, preyed on two schoolgirls more than a decade apart. He sexually abused a 16-year-old in south-east London in 2006 and a 15-year-old in Surrey in 2017.
The predator groomed his victims with gifts and special attention before forcing them into long-term sexual relationships. One victim said:
“The age I was when this happened is such a pivotal age… The defendant robbed that from me.”
Another added:
“Paul Clifton made me feel stupid and unworthy… I had a panic attack when he messaged me years later claiming what we had was real.”
Clifton pleaded guilty to nine child sex offences and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Speeding Biker Daniel Redpath Kills Elderly Pedestrian in Horror Crash
Daniel Redpath, 25, from Orpington, was clocked doing 64mph on a 40mph road when he fatally hit 86-year-old Kunwar Singh at a Keston pedestrian crossing in April 2023.
The elderly man died instantly. Redpath was riding without L plates and held only a provisional licence. He was jailed for 21 months and banned from driving for three years.
The judge condemned Redpath’s “clear disregard for the rules of the road,” calling the victim impact statements “heart-rending.”
Lewis Benjamin and Jamal Ali-Richards Jailed for Manslaughter of Missing Man
Lewis Benjamin and Jamal Ali-Richards were locked up over the death of 34-year-old Justin Henry. Justin was last seen at a McDonald’s drive-thru before his bloodied body was dumped in a car boot two hours later.
Benjamin’s flat was found stripped and bloodstained. He received 20 years, while Ali-Richards was sentenced to eight and a half years.
Sex Offender Osama Alkhair Faces Deportation After Attempted Rape Conviction
Osama Alkhair, 37, tried to rape a passed-out woman in Croydon last December. Caught in the act and convicted of attempted rape, he was sentenced to seven years and four months.
As an asylum seeker, Alkhair will serve two-thirds of his sentence before automatic deportation.
Judge: “You took advantage of a woman who was clearly incapable of consenting.”
Mark Weatherley Locked Up for Brutal Attack on Female Police Officers
Sidcup man Mark Weatherley, 43, savagely attacked two female officers in June, leaving them unconscious with serious facial injuries during an arrest attempt.
He punched, kicked and verbally abused the officers before being subdued. Showing no remorse, Weatherley said the officers “deserved it” and he’d do it again.
He was jailed for eight years.
Voyeur Finlay Riley Caught Filming Woman in Wimbledon Station Toilets
Finlay Riley, 22, scared a woman by secretly filming her in the toilets at Wimbledon station last May. He lurked for 45 minutes before fleeing when confronted.
Later arrested, Riley pleaded guilty and was jailed for six weeks.
Salah Ahmed Jailed for Life Over Neighbour’s Fatal Stabbing
Balham’s Salah Ahmed, 22, stabbed neighbour Issa Ali Musa Abdularaman-Baracat, 18, to death during a phone dispute—and even recorded the attack.
Issa’s family described him as “generous” and “full of ambition” whose life was “stolen for no reason.”
South London Duo Jailed for Drone Smuggling Into Prisons
Bradley Scott and Jevonte White from Thornton Heath used drones to smuggle drugs, weapons, and phones inside cartons to 17 prisons across the UK.
Scott got six years in jail, while White received a suspended sentence. Police warned of the serious dangers to prisoners and staff.
Photographer Errol McCardo Weir Jailed for £2.4m Cocaine Smuggling
Errol McCardo Weir, 49, helped smuggle 30kg of cocaine hidden in a small plane that landed in Epping. He pleaded guilty and was given seven years behind bars.
The pilot, Anastasios Balian, received nine years.
Lewisham Drug Dealer Shevane Collins Behind Bars for County Line Crime
Shevane Collins, 32, ran a county line trafficking crack cocaine and heroin from London into Eastbourne’s Hampden Park area.
After two arrests and £3,000 cash seizures, Collins was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.
Serial Shoplifter Wesley Maughan Nabbed After £34,000 Theft Spree
Wesley Maughan, 25, targeted Boots stores across Surrey, London and beyond, stealing more than £34,000 worth of stock.
Caught trying to flee the country using a false identity, he pled guilty to 13 theft charges and was jailed for 22 months.
