A man carried out a knifepoint sex attack in 1988, a killer who stabbed a man three times and a serial shoplifter are just some of the east London and Essex criminals who were jailed in April.

Some of these men will spend most of the lives behind bars, others will be out in weeks.

Here are the names and faces of east Londoners who judges have put behind bars this month.

Bradley Thomas

Romford Recorder: Bradley ThomasBradley Thomas (Image: Met Police)Bradley Thomas, 37, of no fixed address, was jailed for 12 weeks after he repeatedly stole from shops in Harold Hill.

Thomas committed numerous shoplifting and burglary offences in 2021 and was banned from entering the Co-op and Boots shops in Farnham Road.

Farnham Road in Harold Hill has been regarded as a crime hot spot, deemed unsuitable for elderly people in October 2023.

After his arrest, Thomas was issued with a criminal behaviour order banning him from the stores and stopping him carrying any drugs or open bottles of alcohol.

But police said he breached the order, leading to his sentencing.

Read the full story - Serial shoplifter banned from Harold Hill Co-op and Boots is jailed

Lee Miles

Romford Recorder: Lee MilesLee Miles (Image: Essex Police)Lee Miles, 51, previously of Studley Road in Forest Gate, has been jailed for 18 years for sexually abusing a toddler.

In July 2021 Essex Police received a detailed report of several serious sexual assaults against a boy in Southend. 

Miles was arrested the following month and denied all allegations of the assaults which spanned more than four years. 

He was later charged with four counts of rape of a child under 13, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act, and two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13. 

After a week-long trial, Miles was found guilty of nine of these sexual offences, excluding one count of causing a child to watch a sexual act. 

Read the full story - 'Heinous' toddler sex abuse sees rapist jailed for 18 years

Gary Preston

Romford Recorder: Gary PrestonGary Preston (Image: ERSOU)Gary Preston, 65, was jailed for nine and a half years for sexually assaulting a woman at knifepoint in Rainham in 1988 and carrying out a terror hoax campaign across the country.

Schools, colleges, businesses and shopping centres across the country received mysterious envelopes containing an ominous white powder in 2013. 

Some of the envelopes contained letters with threats like as "if I was you I would hold my breath and run in the name of Allah”. 

Two primary schools and multiple shopping centres were evacuated over fears of a potential biological or chemical attack, though the white substance turned out to be talcum powder.  

DNA found on the letters was matched to an unidentified man who had carried out a horrific sex attack in a woman’s public toilet in Rainham in 1988.  

After an investigation which lasted almost a decade, Preston was identified as the perpetrator of both the terror hoax campaign and the indecent assault.

Read the full story - Sex attacker who was caught 35 years later due to bizarre terror hoax campaign jailed

Goher Ayub

Romford Recorder: Goher Ayub Goher Ayub (Image: Met Police)Goher Ayub, 43, of Bergholt Avenue in Redbridge, was jailed for six years for raping a woman.

He was found guilty of rape following a trial.

Read the full story - Rapist 'who abused woman over eight-year period' is jailed

Tanbir Ahmed

Romford Recorder: Tanbir AhmedTanbir Ahmed (Image: Met Police)Tanbir Ahmed, 37, of Lodge Avenue in Dagenham, was jailed for 15 years after he threatened to share explicit images of a woman he had raped to manipulate and control her.

The victim first alerted police about the sexual attacks in November 2021, telling them he had raped her on two occasions.

The victim said that Ahmed was also controlling and would threaten to share explicit images of her to family and friends.

Earlier this year Ahmed was found guilty of two counts of rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of criminal damage.

Judge Falk, who sentenced Ahmed, said: “Your charm was a front to your deeply concerning violent and coercive behaviour. You are a coward and a completely selfish, jealous and manipulative individual."

Read the full story - Abusive man threatened woman he raped that he'd send explicit images to her family

David Odunuga

Romford Recorder: David OdunugaDavid Odunuga (Image: Met Police)

David Odunuga, 33, of Rollason Way in Brentwood, was jailed for life with a minimum of 27 years for murdering a man.

He stabbed 53-year-old Brian Edwards three times during an argument near Finsbury Park.

Emergency services were called at 4am on the morning of September 19, 2023 when Brian was found injured outside his Tollington Park house, and died a short time later.

Two of Brian's friends, who had been at his house the night he was killed, said he had gone outside to meet a drug dealer and heard him shouting for help.

Neighbours told police there was arguing, the suspect was wearing a mask and had been rummaging in a silver vehicle which was at the scene.

Police linked the silver BMW to Odunuga and trawled CCTV footage to track his movements.

Read the full story - Murderer who fatally stabbed man three times after argument is jailed for life

Hafiz Ahmad

Romford Recorder: Hafiz AhmadHafiz Ahmad (Image: Met Police)Hafiz Ahmad, 29, from Redbridge, has been jailed for 11 years for raping and carrying out a "campaign of abuse" against a woman.

The woman told police about how she suffered a campaign of abuse which started in 2018. 

Sexual Offences Officer PC Emma Porter, east London police, said: "It hasn’t been easy for her as she received pressure from the defendant to withdraw her allegations."

Ahmad was convicted of rape and making threats to kill by a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

Read the full story - Serial rapist jailed after 'campaign of abuse' against woman

Arif Azad

Romford Recorder: Arif AzadArif Azad (Image: Met Police)Arif Azad, 21, from Newham, has been jailed for four years after he downloaded a manual on how to sexually abuse babies and accessed nearly 6,000 indecent images of children online.

Police began investigating him in March 2023 and found he had 6,000 indecent images, 3,500 which were found to be in the most extreme category.

And a number of the images had been sent to him by an unknown child who he was communicating with online.

As well as being jailed, Azad will be subject to Sex Offender Notification Requirements for life and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years.

Read the full story - Paedophile had manual on how to sexually abuse kids and viewed 6,000 indecent images

Ethan Veiro

Romford Recorder: Ethan VeiroEthan Veiro (Image: Met Police)Ethan Veiro, 26,  of Orsett Terrace in Woodford Green, was jailed for six years after he went on a burglary spree on Christmas Day.

He was arrested by police after a car chase across east London and into Essex.

Veiro had targeted a number of homes across Dagenham on Christmas Day morning 2022.

His burglary spree began in the early hours of the morning, when he stole a car from Wood Lane which was later found abandoned in Waterbeach Road.

Veiro went on to burgle various other homes across Dagenham, escaping with house keys, a bicycle, cash and a set of car keys, which he used to steal another car.

Met officers were able to locate the 26-year-old in a stolen car at midday in Redbridge, and a pursuit broke out when he failed to stop.

The chase began in Ilford, but Veiro eventually merged onto the M11 into Essex.

Dramatic footage released by police shows a police car ramming his car off the road and onto the motorway’s hard shoulder to stop it.

Read the full story - WATCH Stolen car rammed off motorway after Christmas Day burglary spree

Mohammed Litton Miah

Romford Recorder: Mohammed Litton MiahMohammed Litton Miah (Image: Met Police)Mohammed Litton Miah, 33, of Bethnal Green,, was jailed for eight years and three months for drug dealing.

He had been posing as a successful businessman but police seized more than £20,000 in crack cocaine and heroin from his home.

Police found Miah's drugs line was responsible for supplying large amounts of drugs across east London.

He pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs at Snaresbrook Crown Court on March 5 this year.

Read the full story - Jailed: The drug dealer who posed as successful luxury car businessman

Hasan Murad and Abdul Hussain Khan

Romford Recorder: Hasan Murad and Abdul KhanHasan Murad and Abdul Khan (Image: Met Police)Hasan Murad, 23, of Bethnal Green, and Abdul Hussain Khan, 24, of Whitechapel, were jailed for a total of 25 years after a violent home burglary in Stratford.

The pair had forced their way into a Stratford home and "viciously" attacked a man and a woman with metal poles.

Khan had stabbed the man in the armpit which caused an arterial bleed, police said, and the victims were both left with severe injuries.

Read the full story - Men jailed after 'brutal' attack using metal poles and knife

Murad and Khan then left and took items from the victims with them, including phones and a driving license.

Police responded with a manhunt and found the pair responsible.

Det Ch Insp Claudine Davie said: "This was a heinous attack that used brutal violence."

Murad received a 14 and a half year sentence, while Khan was given 11 years in prison.