HERE are the most serious criminals jailed in south Essex this week.

Ranging from child abusers, drug lords and robberes, the cases heard this week have been wide ranging.

Here is a rundown of the key cases heard this week.

Jason Wynne, Scott Breakwell and Rickie Kerry

Echo:

Jason Wynne

The victim of the Southend armed robbery by Jason Wynne was attacked while walking to the Penine Flats in Queensway, Southend, where the group demanded money before robbing him of his phone at knifepoint.

However, the victim managed to lead the police to the crooks through the Find My iPhone app.

Basildon Crown Court heard that Jason Wynne, Scott Breakwell and Rickie Kerry were in the Queensway area on November 25 at 11pm when the victim walked past.

Wynne was the one who was armed and robbed the man.

Read more here.

Kelsey Neave

Echo:

Neave was at a “low ebb” in her marriage when she began talking to the boy online.

The victim was under 16 at the time and conversations progressed to a graphic and sexual nature from February to July 2019.

Eventually, Neave, 31, was confronted over the phone by the boy’s mother.

Neave, of Devon Gardens, Rochford, later admitted inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and performing sexual activity in front of a child.

She was jailed for more than a year.

Vernon Pickett

Echo:

Vernon Pickett, 52 of Waldringfield, Basildon, tried to rape a girl and also forced her to perform a sex act on him, made indecent images of the child and sexually assaulted her.

Pickett was also found to have a huge stash of more than 3,000 indecent images on various devices.

He was jailed for 12 years.

Darren Bernard

Darren Bernard developed a gambling addiction after winning big on the lottery in 2013, spending almost all the winnings on failed bets.

As his addiction continued, the 29-year-old began to spend all his wages gambling.

In a bid to combat his money woes, he spent six months selling drugs in Southend, with cannabis linked to him totalling almost £3,000.

Read more here.

Daniel Chapman

Echo:

Chapman was the former head of Hilltop Infants School in Wickford, before being jailed for 30 months for a string of child sex offences.

The 38-year-old, who has since changed his name to Alexander Martin, was found to have dozens of indecent images of children when police raided his home in Meadgate Avenue, Chelmsford, including several in category A, the most serious kind.

Following his jail sentence of 30 months, this week he was barred from teaching for life.

Michael Cantwell

78-year-old Cantwell of Meadow Court, Wickford, had denied two counts against him but he was unanimously convicted by a jury of five men and seven women at Basildon Crown Court.

The victim, a girl aged under 13 at the time, told police that Cantwell made her perform a sex act on him and he performed sex acts on himself while she was in the room.

He was jailed for two years.