March 2021

St Leonards men jailed for indecent images of children

Two men from St Leonards have been jailed after pleading guilty to making and distributing indecent images of children.

Michael Roe, 33, shook his premature daughter Holly to death and tried to cover up the blame during three murder trials.

Young mum Tiffany Tate, 22, turned a blind eye to his abuse at their home in Alderbrook Road, Crowborough and allowed Roe to kill their daughter.

They appeared together for sentence after being found guilty at Hove Crown Court.

Roe was told he will be jailed for life, to serve a minimum of 19 years before he can be considered for parole.

Tate was jailed for two years and nine months.

Neither showed any emotion as they were sent down.

Holly was born premature in July 2018 but had barely reached her natural due date before Roe’s pattern of abuse ended in her violent death in September that year.

Roe shook his baby daughter to death after watching porn and smoking a joint in his shed.

The jury decided mum Tiffany Tate turned a blind eye to his abuse and allowed him to kill their baby.

The court was told that eight-week-old Holly Roe who was born premature had suffered brain injuries at least three times leading up to her death in September 2018.

She had also sustained 12 fractures to her rib cage before ambulance paramedics were called to a report of her having breathing difficulties.

They found her cold and unresponsive and rushed her to Pembury Hospital, where she was sadly pronounced dead.

A post mortem showed that the cause of death was a traumatic head injury.

Mr Justice Edward Murray told Roe he had murdered his daughter by shaking, catastrophic impact or both.

He described Roe’s behaviour as shameful by trying to point the finger of suspicion at Tate.

He told him: “You knew you had seriously harmed her before you finally killed her.

“When you carried her upstairs she was already either dead or in a coma to die shortly afterwards.

“You hoped she would recover as she had before.”

The judge told Roe his clumsy and obvious lies had started before his daughter died and carried on through three trials, which were postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“You changed and added to your account with a view to casting suspicion on Tiffany Tate,” the judge said.

Holly was clearly suffering until she died, the judge said.

“You had the highest possible position of trust.

“I’m satisfied you intended to cause really serious harm and you knew you had seriously harmed your daughter,” he told Roe.

The judge accepted there was no evidence Tate had witnessed any of the abuse.

Tate was described as having mild learning difficulties.

“You never observed him shaking but knew he was potentially dangerous to Holly.

“You knew he had harmed Holly before she died.

“You deliberately disregarded her welfare because of your fear of being thrown out of his house.

“You did not take steps to protect her from physical harm. Had you not allowed it, baby Holly would not have been murdered.”

The couple appeared together in the dock at Hove to be sentenced after a harrowing retrial.

Tate and Roe never once looked at each other, Roe, wearing a white face mask and blue suit stared straight ahead, while Tate, wearing a black face mask, black lace top and blue leggings, fidgeted through the hearing.

March 2021

Crowborough baby killers face jail

A man who shook his baby to death has been convicted of her murder.

A jury found the baby’s mother guilty of allowing the death of a child. They will both be sentenced later today

Michael Roe, 33, of Alderbrook Close, Crowborough, faced a murder trial at Hove Crown Court after the initial trial in March 2020 was abandoned at the outbreak of the Covid virus and in November 2020 during the second trial, the jury was dismissed following an irregularity.

A third trial was scheduled. Proceedings opened on 3rd February 2021. 

The court was told that eight-week-old Holly Roe who was born premature  had suffered brain injuries at least three times leading up to her death in September 2018.

She had also sustained 12 fractures to her rib cage before ambulance paramedics were called to a report of her having breathing difficulties.

They found her cold and unresponsive and rushed her to Pembury Hospital, where she was sadly pronounced dead. A post mortem showed that the cause of death was a traumatic head injury.

The jury was told that the final head injuries would have left Holly unconscious, despite extreme pain caused by her fractured ribs.

Her mother Tiffany Tate, 22, along with Roe, faced a charge of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Tate was only 19 when Holly was born two months premature, and had only recently left care.

She had faced a charge of murder, but the trial judge in the second trial instructed a not guilty verdict be returned and the indictment was amended for the third trial.

The jury returned their verdict finding Roe guilty of murder.

They also found Tiffany Tate guilty of allowing the death of a child.

Both will be sentenced later today

When the baby cried, she became frustrated and panicked, Ms Howes said.

Roe took over night feeds as Tate had no patience with Holly.

March 2021

Ferris James admits possessing child sex images in Brighton

A teenager was found in possession of sickening child sex abuse images.

Ferris James, 18, admitted having 27 category A images in Brighton

Sex predator jailed for rape of unconscious man on Brighton beach

A man who was raped on the beach while unconscious says the incident has left him broken.

Off duty paramedics saw rapist Aynul Hoque with the man on Brighton beach.

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had been on a night out and went to sit on the beach after meeting friends.

But chef Hoque, 32, drank vodka with the man, and when he became “deeply unconscious” Hoque pulled down his trousers and raped him in a “truly horrific” attack.

It left the victim feeling so depressed that he felt suicidal and feared he had HIV.

He pleaded guilty to one count of rape when he appeared at Lewes Crown Court.

Hoque was positively identified by witnesses, and was found to be in possession of some items belonging to the victim.

He was also in possession of a black balaclava.

On the night in question, the man had been walking along the seafront after a night out with friends.

He had stopped and had friendly conversations with a number of people, before heading down to sit on the beach.

It was there that Hoque took advantage of the victim by raping him

At Brighton Crown Court Hoque was jailed for eight years for the sex attack.

Jennifer Gray, prosecuting, said the incident happened at about 5am on August 1 last year.

The victim was friendly and had talked with Hoque, but after passing out, Hoque raped him.

Ms Gray said Hoque had possessed a balaclava and condoms which suggested he may have been planning to commit a sex attack.

Off duty paramedics had got up early to see the sunset, and witnessed the horror unfold.

They helped bring the victim out of unconsciousness and called the police.

When officers arrived they found Hoque was still pleasuring himself next to the victim.

The victim said: “After this incident happened I felt confused. I was surrounded by police and ambulances, I felt shocked.

“It has made me feel really up and down. I worried about getting HIV. When I waited for test results I felt really bad about myself.

“I didn’t know how to deal with what happened, it broke me.”

Hoque arrived in the UK from Bangladesh in 2005 and had previously escaped an unhappy arranged marriage.

Her Honour Judge Laing QC said the incident was a “stranger rape” and said Hoque had taken advantage of the victim being friendly.

Hoque, of New England Road, Brighton, is now behind bars.