In a busy Octoberfor the county’s courts, here are fiveHertfordshire criminals who have been convictedthis month, including a stalker obsessed with St Albans-based actress Mimi Keene.
1.Emilis Lupeikis
Emilis Lupeikis, of Ada Place, London, was jailed for 16 months after stalking Eastenders and Sex Education actress Mimi Keene.
St Albans Crown Courtheard how Miss Keene first encountered her stalker on March 3 this year, when the 33-year-old approached her at a club inLondon's Park Lane, as she celebrated her birthday in a VIP area.
He put his hand on her back and asked for her phone number but she declined, explaining she had a boyfriend before going back to dance with friends.
Lupeikis was then seen rummaging through her jacketand was kicked out ofthe bar, with Miss Keene later finding four business cardswith the words 'we will meet again' and 'I am going to take you on a date' written on them.
Actress Mimi Keene was stalked by Emilis Lupeikis. (Image: PA Images/PA Wire)
Then, on the morning of June 24, the 25-year-old actress found a bouquet of white flowers in the garden of her home.
Later that evening, she heard a knock on thedoor of her St Albans homeand sawLupeikis outside,holding another bouquet of flowers.
He told herthat he had also seen her walking in a nearby forest and in a London bar, as well as admitting "Mimi, I love you".
Miss Keene called the police, who found Lupeikis nearby and arrested him. He admitted to stalking Miss Keene and visiting her home on seven occasions.
He has also been handed a restraining order forbidding him from contacting his victim and entering the county of Hertfordshire.
2. Ben Morris
Ben Morris,of Heronswood Road,Welwyn Garden City,was sentenced to three years and four months imprisonment for being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin at St Albans Crown Court.
Morris had been arrested on Tuesday,September 5, in a police raid carried out on his address by officers from the constabulary’s Operation Scorpion and Operation Mantis, which tackle county lines drug dealing.
A phone and a bladed article were recovered from the address along with a quantity of cash and a high-value Rolex watch.
Detective Inspector Bianca Broadbent, from the Welwyn Hatfield Local Crime Unit, said: "We are determined to get drugs off the streets of Welwyn Hatfield."
3.Charandeep Ghuman
Charandeep Ghuman, of Swanland Road, Hatfield, was hit witha 12 month-community order and 100 hours of unpaid work, after stealing£26,000 from employer YO! Sushi to fund IVF treatment.
St Albans Crown Court heard that on November 8, 2020, Ghuman, who was employed by YO! as ajunior finance worker,amended the payment details of a PayPal transaction to transfer £26,700into his personal bank account, before switching it back to the original position.
The loss was not noticed by the retailer for the best part of a year, butan internal investigation revealed the missing money had been paid into his own account.
Ralph Pickering, defending, revealed that Ghuman's wife had just been ruled as ineligible for free IVF treatment through the NHS, and described his decision to steal the money as an "isolated offence", but "one of the worst decisions of his life".
Recorder Ed Butler showed sympathy for Ghuman, but that his action had to be punished.
"You would be surprised how many people from all walks of life have struggled with fertility.There are those who may think that with an offence of this nature involving a breach of trust you’re getting off lightly – you are not," he said.
4. Paul Fuller
Paul Fuller, of Stockbreach Close, Hatfield, was given a six-month sentence, suspended for 12 months, after sexually assaulting a woman at a pub.
St Albans Crown Courtheard that in July 2021, Fullerhad been drinking in The Harrier pub when he approached thevictim, asked her for a kiss and then rubbed the top of her leg near her crotch.
He then tried to buy her a drink, but the landlord refused to serve him and, when he failed to persuade the womanto accompany him to another pub, he left the scene.
Leon-Nathan Lynch, defending,said the offence was "entirely out of character", and occurred the day after the death of Fuller's best friend.
Recorder Ian Stern KC said: "Obviously sexual assault is a serious criminal offence, and fortunately it was witnessed by the manager and a customer."
5. Levi Mitchell
Levi Mitchell, who has links to Harpenden, has escaped from Hollesley Bay Prisonin Suffolk, along with fellow inmate Joshua Terry.
Joshua Terry (left) and Levi Mitchell. (Image: Suffolk Police)
The prisoners were reported missing just before 7pm on October 21, with Mitchell serving a sentence for multiple burglary offences.
He is described as 5ft 10install, with ginger hair and blue eyes. He is apparently of slight build with a goatee and has a birthmark on his left arm and hand.
Terry, who was serving a two-year-and-four-month sentence for multiple offences, is described as 5ft 10install, with ginger hair and blue eyes. He is apparently of slight build with a goatee and has a birthmark on his left arm and hand.
