News 4 February to 10 February
 Man jailed for sexual activity with child he groomed online
A man has been jailed for six years and will be monitored by police for life after admitting to sexual activity with a child he groomed on social media.
Lewis Plane had initially denied the offences but changed his plea at the start of his trial at Ipswich Crown Court in December last year.
Following detailed work by Essex Police’s Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) team Plane, of Prince Philip Road, Colchester, was arrested and interviewed. He refused to answer any questions.
The 33-year-old had messaged the victim on Snapchat in October 2023. Using a fake profile, he asked her to add him as a friend and told her he was 17 years old.
Knowing how old she was, Plane then sent the girl multiple inappropriate and sexualised messages, including videos of him performing indecent acts.
Shoplifter jailed following neighbourhood policing team investigation
A Colchester shoplifter has been jailed for 25 weeks following an investigation by the city’s neighbourhood policing team.
Craig Elliott, 38, of Arnold Drive, was arrested at his home on 1 February by a neighbourhood policing officer.
He was promptly charged with 15 shop thefts, committed between 6 & 23 January at East of England Co-op stores in Harwich Road, Hawthorn Avenue, Mersea Road and Wimpole Road, Colchester, and in The Avenue, Wivenhoe, involving goods valued at more than £1,405.40
Charges brought after targeted drug supply operation
Officers responding to issues linked to suspected drug dealing in Colchester have secured key charges against a man and remanded him in custody.
Operation Raptor – our dedicated drug enforcement team – have been building on an operation in response to concerns raised in the New Town area.
Detectives have been working alongside Neighbourhood Policing Team officers to tackle reports of frequent drug dealing and anti-social behaviour stemming from a specific property.
This culminated in the execution of a warrant at a property in Albion Grove on Tuesday 3 February.
A quantity of suspected drugs and a mobile phone were seized, and a man was arrested on suspicion of drug supply offences.
Alongside this warrant, Neighbourhood Policing officers carried out patrols in the area, speaking to residents to understand their concerns and build a clearer picture of problem hotspots.
Man jailed for persistent public order offences and assaulting a police officer
A man who persistently breached a criminal behaviour order in Chelmsford, Colchester and Maldon and then assaulted a police officer after he was arrested has been jailed for more than three years.
Keith Wright, 48, was arrested in Maldon High Street by neighbourhood policing officers following reports that he was aggressive and drunk, Chelmsford Crown Court was told on 29 January.
A five-year criminal behaviour order, or CBO, obtained at court by Chelmsford Neighbourhood Policing Team in November 2024 forbade him from doing either of these things in public.
After his latest arrest on 15 September 2025, Wright kicked a police officer while in custody, the court heard.
The court jailed him for a total of three years and six weeks after he was convicted for nine breaches of the CBO and six incidents of being threatening or abusive in Chelmsford – once on a ward at Broomfield Hospital – Colchester, Maldon and Heybridge.
Burglar jailed after electronic tag helped officers identify him at £100,000 home break-in
A burglar has been jailed for four years thanks to diligent work by detectives and our Integrated Offender Management Team, who track tagged offenders.
Alan Speed was arrested days after a burglary in Colchester he committed on his 40th birthday.
He had been wearing an electronic location tag at the time and our Integrated Offender Management (IOM) officers received an alert indicating he had been in the vicinity of the crime.
One of them then identified Speed from a CCTV still from the scene and efforts began to trace him and a vehicle known to be linked to him. Soon afterwards, Speed was arrested in St Osyth and charged.
Following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, Speed was found guilty of burgling the house in Church Lane and jailed for four years on 21 January.
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