A swimming coach who subjected boys to horrific sexual abuse, a persistent shoplifter, and a violent handyman who murdered two of his girlfriends in the space of 16 months are some of the south London criminals who have been jailed in July so far.
Some of them will spend their entire lives behind bars, others will be out in weeks.
Here's are the names and faces of south Londoners who judges have put behind bars this month.
Michael Drew
Former swimming coach Michael Drew, 78, subjected young boys to horrific sexual abuse under the pretence of improving their sporting performance.
He was an elite swimming coach who worked with boys across south London, east London and Essex for four decades.
He went on to become president of the British Swimming Coaches Association but was unmasked in 2000 when five boys came forward about abuse he’d subjected them to between 1969 and 1991.
Drew was jailed for six years in 2001, a sentence which sparked concern about the wider issue of child sexual abuse in the sport.
In 2022 a sixth historic victim approached police about abuse he had suffered at Drew’s hands in the 1970s.
He has now been jailed for a further two years and three months.
Read the full story - Bromley swimming coach sexually abused boys claiming it would help performance
Carl Cooper
Cooper stabbed 41-year-old Naomi Hunte to death at her Woolwich flat in February 2022, after she had made four complaints to police that he had been harassing her.
He was arrested on suspicion of murder but was released under investigation and went on to murder 48-year-old Fiona Holm who went missing from Hither Green 16 months later.
Fiona’s family remain “tortured” by the fact her body has never been found – a £20,000 reward has been offered for information which leads to her remains being located.
During the trial Cooper denied killing either woman and even suggested that Fiona might have been kidnapped by Hamas.
As he jailed Cooper for life Judge Justice Johnson told Cooper he still has a chance to tell police where Fiona’s body is to “give her family the chance to give her the funeral she deserves”.
Read the full story - 'Evil' Lewisham handyman who murdered two women 'likely to die behind bars'
Mohammed Basheeru
At around 11am two men wearing face coverings entered the Lloyds Bank branch on Sydenham High Street.
One of the men demanded the cashier open the till while his accomplice pointed a gun at her.
The men stole cash then ran away down Venner Road where they entered a car and left the area.
But enquiries led police officers to Mohammed Basheeru’s door.
He eventually pleaded guilty to robbery and was jailed for 12 years.
Read the full story - Masked robber threatened Sydenham bank cashier with gun
John Harris Bolton
He targeted the shop for over six months, taking meat, alcohol, and other products.
He was first arrested on February 4 and despite his initial charge and bail, he continued to steal.
He was then rearrested on March 13 pleaded guilty to 31 counts of theft.
In April he was jailed for 35 weeks and was banned from entering any south east London based BP store for the next five years.
On July 8 Bolton appeared at Bromley Magistrates’ Court again where he was given an addition two weeks on his sentence after he admitted eight more thefts from the same shop.
Read the full story - Persistent Greenwich shoplifter who stole £6,000 worth of goods jailed AGAIN
Anthony Darnley
The 61-year-old broke into a flat on Norbury Crescent on February 5.
But unfortunately for Darnley the break-in was witnessed by a member of the public who flagged down a nearby police car.
Darnley was arrested moments after the burglary began.
He has now been jailed for two years and five months.
Read the full story - Bungling Norbury burglar arrested moments after break-in
Aminan Rahman
Rahman throttled his young wife in front of her TikTok lover at their London flat on the night of April 29 last year.
The killing was witnessed by Ms Begum’s two children as well as her online boyfriend via a video call from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he was living.
Rahman then stuffed Ms Begum into a suitcase while she was either dead or unconscious and was caught on CCTV dumping it in the River Lea, which runs to the Thames.
The suitcase containing her decomposed body was found washed up in Thamesmead on the river bank by a mudlarker 10 days later.
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