In a busy June for the county’s courts, here are five Hertfordshire criminals who have been convicted this month, including a "disturbed" murderer who killed a sex worker before burning her body.
1. Robert Brown
Robert Brown, 38, of Hitchin Road in Luton, killed Victoria Greenwood last November, and was sentenced to life behind bars at Luton Crown Court on June 7. He must also serve a minimum of 20 years.
The court heard that Victoria’s body was discovered in a remote car park in Hertfordshire on November 14 - three days after she was reported missing - when emergency services were called to reports of a fire.
CCTV footage captured Brown entering his flat with sex worker Victoria in the early hours of November 10, and later showed her attempt to escape before Brown pulled her back inside.
The same CCTV camera recorded him transporting a large furniture unit, containing Victoria’s body, to his car two days later, with further footage showing Brown getting a takeaway from a chicken shop just a couple of hours after he had disposed of her body.
During the trial, the court heard how Brown had sent text messages in the week leading up to the murder referencing a number of dark subjects, including demeaning sexual acts and death.
He also asked a friend, if they had "ever wanted to kill a person?", before admitting "I want to kill people".
2. Joshua Taylor
Joshua Taylor, previously from Letchworth, was found guilty of strangulation, false imprisonment, ABH and two assaults on police following a trial at St Albans Crown Court.
The 32-year-old met the woman in a Stevenage pub on July 30, 2022, and the pair shared a taxi.
Detective Constable Pippa Mason said: "Taylor insisted the woman came back to the Holiday Inn in St Georges Way, where he was staying.
"As soon as they reached his room, Taylor became aggressive towards the woman physically assaulting her and causing her to fear for her own life.
"When she tried to escape, he pulled her by her hair and put a mobile phone charger around her neck, so she was unable to breathe."
Eventually, she was able to escape by putting her fingers between the ligature and her neck and she got into a lift and got help from staff at the hotel.
Just two days before the attack, Taylor had been released from prison for a similar assault on a woman in Plymouth in 2021.
3. Elyass Benaziza
Elyass Benaziza, of Saturn Way, Hemel Hempstead, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison at Luton Crown Court, having pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled drug, being concerned in the supply of a controlled class A drug and possessing criminal property.
The 30-year-old ran the well-established 'Frank' drug line, supplying cocaine in the town between June 1 and November 10, 2022.
Hertfordshire Constabulary’s specialist county lines gangs team, Operation Mantis, arrested Benaziza in November 2022 on suspicion of an unrelated assault.
During the arrest officers seized 27 grams of heroin, with an estimated street value of £2,740. More than £35,000 cash and mobile phones were also seized, which upon investigation contained messages offering the sale of crack cocaine and heroin.
4. Dean Burton
Dean Bruton, 24, of Warwick Road, Stevenage, was sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison at St Albans Crown Court on June 10, for conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Timothy Alexander, 33, of Brendon Avenue, Luton was sentenced to six years and nine months behind bars, while Ryan Sherry, 22, Hockley Farm Road, Leicester, was sentenced to two years and seven months.
Hertfordshire Constabulary’s specialist county lines gangs team, Operation Mantis, conducted search warrants at addresses in Hemel Hempstead and Luton, seizing crack cocaine and cannabis with an estimated street value of around £3,000, and approximately £4,000 cash.
5. Michael Forbes
Michael Forbes, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to two years in prison, having been arrested after officers spotted him acting suspiciously in Elliot Close on Friday, November 17. During his arrest he assaulted a police officer.
Forbes pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a knife in a public place, assaulting an emergency worker and going equipped for theft.
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