EACH and every day, criminals cause misery across Colchester whether it be with violence, drug dealing or depraved sexual acts.

Here are the faces of the people police brought to justice in Colchester and Tendring in May who have received substantial jail sentences at crown court.

Gazette:

A PERVERT sent dozens of vile sexual messages and photographs to a string of girls he believed were just 12 and 13-years-old.

Aaron Macdonald was talking to one supposed youngster he believed to be called Grace on Facebook for 15 months and bombarded her with depraved messages and images.

Despite thinking she was just 13, Macdonald quizzed her on her sexual appetite and experiences.

In fact, the profile had been set up by paedophile hunter group Innocent Voices.

Macdonald, 22, was confronted at his home in Bellfield Close, Brightlingsea.

He admitted four counts of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, and five counts of attempting to sexually communicate with a child and was jailed for 16 months.

Gazette: Gazette:

SHOTGUN toting robbers who fired at security staff were jailed for a total of 32 years.

Tony Turner and Karl Lawrence, who later changed his name to Thomas Knight, worse masks and threatened men who were depositing cash into an ATM at Tesco on the Brook Retail Park in Clacton.

Turner fired the sawn-off shotgun, but the bullets were blanks and the brave Loomis security staff managed to fight them off.

Both were convicted of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to do an indictable offence and attempted robbery.

The pair had planned to steal £124k.

Turner, 39, of no fixed address, and Lawrence, 33, of Walderslade Road, Chatham, were jailed for 18 and 14 years respectively.

Gazette:

A DRUG dealing student who tried to lure in addicts with cut price deals and offers on crack and heroin has been jailed for more than two years.

Troyhan Coleman was stopped by police in Colchester last month after a routine check on his Volkswagen Polo showed he had no insurance.

Officers spotted a large roll of cash in the console and arrested him.

When they arrived at Colchester Police Station, he was found with 34 wraps of heroin and 121 wraps on crack cocaine.

The 21-year-old of Lawn Terrace, London, admitted possession with intent to supply class A drugs and was jailed for two years and ten months.

Gazette:

A RAPIST who attacked a child three times has been put behind bars for nine years.

Thomas Eastwood, 28, of no fixed address, was arrested in Harwich in January.

His arrest followed an investigation into the alleged abuse between 2006 and 2011 involving one girl in Tendring.

He was charged with three counts of rape and two counts of assault by touching.

Eastwood was also charged with one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child after images depicting child abuse were found on his mobile phone by his offender manager in July 2018.

He admitted all of the charges during an appearance at Chelmsford Crown Court and was jailed for nine years.

Gazette:

A DRUG dealer dragged a police officer under his car leaving her so traumatised she had to quit the force.

Joshua Murray, 26, of Clifton Road, London, was spotted dealing drugs so police officers blocked his car in at a red light in Barrack Street, Colchester.

As two got out to approach him, he suddenly reversed knocking one to the floor and dragging one along the road.

She narrowly avoided going under the wheels.

Murray then led police on a chase where he hit 60mph on Mersea Road and overtook several cars.

He admitted possession with intent to supply class A drugs and dangerous driving and was jailed for four years.