Here's our round up of the cases in crown court this week - from murder trials to aggravated burglaries - it's been another busy week.

A MURDER victim punched and hit a teenager with a metal pole in a dark alleyway before being stabbed to death, a court heard.

Dad James Gibbons, 34, died after being stabbed near his home in Iris Mews, Laindon on May 2.

A 16-year-old boy is standing trial accused of murdering him by stabbing him four times in the abdomen.

Yesterday Chelmsford Crown Court heard evidence from a teenage victim who claimed Mr Gibbons attacked the teenager after a row with other youths.

Echo:

A CARE home worker grabbed a woman’s waist and another woman’s breasts during a string of sexual assaults.

Jonathan Reyes, 54, of Ilfracombe Road, Southend left his victims feeling “stressed and uncomfortable” after giving them “unwanted attention” and touching them during the incident in 2019.

He appeared at Basildon Crown Court yesterday where he avoided jail after being charged with 10 incidents of sexual assault.

The crown court heard Reyes touched the women sexually without their consent.

 

TWO thugs threatened to stab their victim and pour boiling water over them in a series of violent break-ins. Julian Dumatey, 26, of London Road, Westcliff and Ashley Gibson, 31, of Burney Drive, Loughton, have both been jailed for more than eight years after targetting two flats in Palmerston Road, Westcliff. The pair visited two homes armed with knives claiming they were owed drug money. In the first break-in they threatened to slash the victims throat, before breaking into the neighbouring flat after claiming to be police officers. Gibson has racked up 42 convictions including attacking police officers.