South Londoners who were locked up in January 2025

Here are the names and faces of the men and women who are have been sentenced to prison time in January 2025.

Sutton mum whose boys died in fire while home alone

Deveca Rose, 30, was jailed after her four young boys died in a fire at their Wallington home after she left them home alone to go to Sainsbury’s.

Rose had left her two sets of twins, aged three and four, in the locked terraced house when the blaze broke out on the evening of December 16, 2021.

The 30-year-old defendant, who had split up with her partner and suffered from mental health problems, was found guilty of four counts of manslaughter following an Old Bailey trial.

Rose, who was on bail throughout her trial, sobbed with her head covered in the dock of Court One as she was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Judge Mark Lucraft KC.

Earlier, the boys’ father Dalton Hoath said losing his four sons – Leyton and Logan, aged three and four-year-olds Kyson and Bryson – was “the worst day of my life”.

In a statement read by a relative on his behalf, he said: “Their lives had just begun but were cut so short. It was every parent’s worst nightmare.

“I’m not a great talker but even if I was I could not put it in words. I simply want to join them.

“I will never recover from losing my funny, beautiful boys. I have to fight for all of us left behind and live with this massive pain in my heart before I meet them again.”

Great grandmother Sally Johnson wept in court and she told of the “horror” and “pain” of her loss.

She said: “The thought of them crying and screaming out will haunt me forever. My only comfort is they are now together forever and need never be alone again. I’m afraid I will never be able to forgive.”

Quoting her great grandsons’ favourite word, she said: “Why? Just why?”

Read the full story - Wallington mum gets 10 years after her four boys died in fire while home alone

Erith man's 'campaign of violence'

Maxwell Linnett, 23, of Rayleigh Close in Erith, carried out a “campaign of violence and harassment” against his ex-girlfriend which left her scared to leave her home.

Linnett was jailed for six months after a jury found him guilty of assaulting his then-girlfriend three times then stalking her after she left him as a result of the abuse.

The court heard the couple had been in an “on and off again relationship” for nearly a year but Linnett was paranoid that she was cheating on him.

In August and September he assaulted her three times - smashing her phone into her face, pulling her fingers back until she thought they would break, and slamming her against a door, Prosecutor Obi Mgbokwere explained.

She ended the relationship after the final assault but Linnett then began harassing her with 100s of texts and calls using unknown numbers.

He also stalked her in person, following her on a bus in Eltham and verbally abusing her in front of one of her young relatives, Woolwich Crown Court heard.

On another occasion Linnett was seen peering through her letter box until the victim’s mum shouted at him to leave, Mr Mgbokwere said.

The young woman said: “I can’t even leave my home without thinking he’s going to come after me.”

Read the full story - Erith stalker’s ‘campaign of violence and harassment’ against ex-girlfriend

Greenwich paedophile abused kids as young as 10

Artur Seberger, 53, formerly living in Greenwich, abused children as young as 10-years-old.

Between 2005 and 2022 the 53-year-old abused two children, who were known to him, between the ages of 10 and 16-years-old.

The two victims came forward to police in July 2024 and Seberger was arrested on July 9.

On July 22 he was re-arrested after breaking his bail conditions and harassing the victims.

At Woolwich Crown Court Seberger pleaded guilty to 15 counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual activity with a child, attempting to assault by penetration and causing a child to watch a sexual act.

He was jailed for 12-and-a-half years.

Read the full story - Greenwich paedophile abused children as young as 10 over the course of 17 years

Bexleyheath creep

Stephen Baughen, 43, from Bexleyheath, was jailed for six years after a jury found him guilty of attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 following grooming and multiple counts of engaging in sexual communication with children.

In August 2020 Baughen had sent sexual messages to the first 14-year-old girl on Instagram telling her he would buy her sexy underwear.

He later invited her shopping and told her he would “spoil her rotten”.

Around the same time, he was messaging another 14-year-old.

A court heard that over the course of several months he sent her sexual messages including a photo of an erect penis, presumed to be his.

Baughen was later arrested on suspicion of these offences but released under investigation.

In August 2023 he then went on to send sexual messages to another young girl, this time a 13-year-old.

The young girl responded by calling him a nonce.

Read the full story - Bexley dad tells girl, 14, he would buy her sexy underwear in creepy messages

Prison officer who had sex with inmate

Prison officer Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, was jailed for 15 months after a video of her having sex with an inmate at HMP Wandsworth went viral.

After the video emerged online, a police investigation was launched and the mother-of-one was arrested and pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office.

Sentencing, Judge Martin Edmunds KC told De Sousa Abreu: “You engaged in sexual activity with a prisoner. That compromised your role as an officer, and was misconduct which undermines discipline within the prison, and puts fellow officers at increased risk.

“You knew that conduct was forbidden and forbidden for good reason.”

The charge says that De Sousa Abreu “wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification misconducted yourself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder by engaging in a sexual act with a prisoner in a prison cell”.

Read the full story - HMP Wandsworth prison officer Linda De Sousa Abreu jailed

Sutton music teacher

Paedophile Andrew Wilson who worked as a music teacher at a Beddington church has been given another prison sentence after he was convicted of more abuse against young boys.

Over the course of 30 years Wilson groomed young boys by singling them out for special treatment then luring them into a sexual relationship with him.

In the 1980s he was abusing boys in Warnham, West Sussex, while he was a choirmaster at St Margaret’s Church in the village.

Then later he committed further abuse while he was a choirmaster and teacher at St Mary’s Church in Beddington.

In 2019, Andrew Wilson was locked up for 12 years after being found guilty 19 sex offences including gross indecency against boys aged between nine and 14.

This month Wilson, now aged 63, was given an additional 13 year prison sentence after being convicted of 11 more offences relating to the sexual abuse of young boys in Beddington.

Read the full story - Paedophile Beddington church music teacher groomed and abused young boys

Bexleyheath tip jar thief

Paul Stone, 43, terrorised shopkeepers on Bexleyheath Broadway.

Over the course of several months he brazenly nicked over £2,000 of goods and cash from shops in the area.

Stone, who had already been jailed multiple times for thefts in Bexleyheath, was sentenced to one year in prison on Monday (January 20) at Bromley Magistrates' Court.

His most recent crime spree began on December 7 when he entered The Tanning Shop and stole a till with £100 cash as well as tanning products to the value of £1,480.

Then on December 20 at Fade and Blade Barbers he stole another till, which was worth £300 and contained £100 of cash.

On Boxing Day the tip jar from Caffe Nero then on New Year’s Day he also trespassed at Wimpy with intent to steal but was unsuccessful.

Finally on January 4 he stole a till containing £250 of cash from Muffin Break.

Read the full story - Bexleyheath burglar terrorised Broadway shops brazenly nicking tills and tip jars

Bromley gym locker thief

Declan Murphy, 35, of Ryder Close, stole bank cards from lockers then used them for spending sprees.

On September 13 last year the 35-year-old watched as a man accessed his locker at a gym on Mark Lane near Fenchurch Street Station.

He then got access to the locker, stole the man’s bank card and drenched the victim’s phone with water until it now longer worked.

Murphy’s intention was to damage the phone so the man couldn’t access their banking app or see transactions notification, giving him a greater window of opportunity to use the bank card.

When the victim was eventually able to use his phone he saw he had a missed call from his bank, he phoned them back and was told that Murphy had phoned the bank pretending to be him and was given internet access to the bank accounts.

Murphy then spent £18 at a local shop, withdrew £500 from a cash machine and tried to purchase £5,400 of items from an Apple store – though thankfully the final transaction did not go through.

City of London Police are now warning people to not use the same PIN on their bank cards, phone and locks.

Murphy later pleaded guilty to three counts of theft and 11 counts of fraud by false representation, and was jailed for two years and three months.

Read the full story - Warning to gym-goers after prolific Bromley thief targets lockers

Creep who hid in darkness waiting for lone women

Aaron Black, who has 23 convictions for sexual offences, has been jailed again after he hid in Clapham Common until he spotted a lone woman to masturbate in front of.

The young woman was on her way home from a night out when 37-year-old Aaron Black jumped out from behind a bus stop and began “aggressively masturbating” while staring at her.

Black, described as a foot fetishist and porn addict, has been repeatedly committing similar offences since 2010 – racking up convictions for exposure, outraging public decency, sexual assault and breaching sexual harm prevention orders.

Much of his offending has taken place at bus stops and parks across London including in Lewisham, Shoreditch, Wimbledon, Clapham, and Elephant and Castle.

Black branded his latest offending “a slip” and insisted “I now look at females as my sisters”.

Judge Anne Brown jailed him for two years saying she feels women must be protected by having him behind bars.

Read the full story - Creep who committed 'obscene sexual acts' towards women in Catford jailed again

Streatham man tried to import gun

McNeil Colly, 48, from Streatham, attempted to import a pistol from Florida to south London.

The Taurus self-loading pistol was intercepted and seized by Border Force officers at Stansted Airport on July 27, 2023.

It was hidden inside the packaging for a metallic safe box, along with two empty 9mm magazines.

Colly worked with Keston Redhead, 35, an asylum seeker from Trinidad and Tobago.

They were both jailed for 17 years.

Read the full story - Streatham man attempted to import pistol gun from Florida

Bexley and Greenwich county lines dealers

Drug dealers from Bexley and Greenwich were jailed for their roles in a county lines network.

For months police investigated a network supplying crack cocaine and heroin into West Surrey and Hampshire from their base in Stratford.

In March 2023 raids were carried out at homes in London, Surrey and Hampshire resulting in nine arrests.

The investigation, involving teams from Surrey, Sussex and Met Police, has now resulted in sentences totalling 34 years.

Ross Bannister, 30, from Greenwich, was jailed for nine years and four months after he was convicted of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

Abraham Musoke, 29, from Bexley, was jailed for six years and nine months for acting as a courier in the network.

Jamie Smith, 31, from Greenwich, was a local controller and was jailed for three years and one month.

Read the full story - Bexley and Greenwich drug dealers jailed for county lines network

Pokémon cards thief

Nathan Carpenter, 37, of Queenstown Road in Wandsworth, stole £1,400 worth of Pokémon cards and £460 worth of Lego.

Since last May he has committed nine thefts across Merton, Lewisham and Kensington.

These included stealing £1,400 worth of Pokémon cards from Waterstones on Kensington High Street then £460 of Lego and a £500 dinner plate set from Peter Jones department store in Sloane Square.

Carpenter also stole £465 worth of clothes from TK Maxx in Lewisham and £480 worth of clothes from the same shop in Merton.

After pleading guilty to nine counts of theft and was handed a 10-month prison sentence.

Read the full story - South London thief steals £1,400 of Pokémon cards and £460 of Lego

Forest Hill drug dealer

Malachi Murray, 20, of Brockley Park, was involved in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin to Hampshire.

Police found three phone numbers which had been sending messages advertising the line and Murray was later identified as the line holder.

His home in Forest Hill was searched on July 8 last year and he was found to be in possession of the Felix county lines phone.

Murray pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin.

He was jailed for two years and six months.

Read the full story - Forest Hill county lines dealer who supplied heroin to Hampshire is jailed

Couple who stole over £48,000 of jewellery

Vadar-ghimes Agafitei and Zinca Agafitei, both 46, from South Norwood, stole over £48,000 of gold jewellery from shops across the country.

They distracted shop keepers before stealing thousands of pounds worth of stock at a time.

CCTV footage from one shop showed Mr Agafitei stuffing £15,000 worth of gold chains up his shirt at a shop in Norfolk before walking out.

On another occasion in Warwickshire the couple distracted the shop keeper by requesting to view a watch, before reaching over and stealing a Rolex worth £11,500 from a display cabinet.

Later in Wiltshire whilst Mrs Agafitei asked a staff member to help her try on bracelets her partner knocked over a display stand, allowing him to steal £20,000 worth of bracelets as the staff member tidied them up.

Their crime spree between May and July last year saw them steal from shops in Warwickshire, Sussex, Wiltshire, Suffolk and Norfolk.

Read the full story - South Norwood couple who stole £48,000 of jewellery jailed

They also stole £700 from a woman who was in her 80s.

The woman had travelled to Newmarket, Suffolk, to do some banking when Mrs Agafitei is seen on CCTV to be watching her before making a call and is joined by her partner.

He entered the bank and watched the victim enter her PIN at a cash machine then they both followed the victim into a shop and Mrs Agafitei showed the victim an item of clothing.

A short while later, Mr Agafitei used the victim’s card at a cash machine and made two withdrawals, totalling £700.

They were sentenced to two years and three months each.

Orpington man battered woman

Charlie Lee, 40, of Rookery Gardens in Orpington, left the mother of his children with a bleed on the brain after battering her with a piece of wood.

The incident took place on May 31 last year following an argument between Lee and the mother of his children, prosecutor Luke Bowyer told Croydon Crown Court.

The argument resulted in her driving to his house armed with a piece of wood.

A struggle began during which Lee got hold of the piece of wood and battered her with it, the court heard.

Lee left her with injuries including a bleed on the brain and a huge cut to her eye socket.

In a statement the victim said: “I feel numb as I cannot believe the father of my children has done this to me.”

Lee was given a nine month prison sentence for giving the woman what a judge described as “a real beating”.

However, he will be released from prison immediately having already spent eight months remanded in prison whilst awaiting the outcome of these proceedings.