TONY Burgess, 37, of Southey Walk, Tilbury, will be sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on Monday, 20 January 2020 after admitting carrying out a theft while serving a suspended sentence for previous offences.

Magistrates referred the matter to a higher court after hearing Burgess plead guilty to stealing five boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates from Tesco Express in Grays.

JUNIOR Darren Lee Jeffrey, 37, found himself back behind bars after admitting stealing items worth a total of £203.25 from a BP garage in Thurrock.

Jeffrey, of Mellow Purgess Close, Basildon, was jailed for six weeks by Basildon magistrates who heard he has committed the offence shortly after being released from prison and while subject to licence conditions. He has a record of previous similar offences.

Jeffrey was ordered to pay compensation of £100.

He was accompanied during the theft by Michelle Christina Kelly, of the same address, who admitted her complicity in the theft. She received a community order and must live under curfew conditions for six weeks with electronic monitoring.

Kelly was also ordered to pay £100 compensation.

A TILBURY man, Harry Smith, 28, of Feenan Highway, admitted two charges of assaulting Lucy Sparke.

For each offence he was ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid community work and he was given a restraining order stopping his from making contact with his victim, nor approaching her home in Leigh on Sea.

He was also ordered to undertake a rehabilitation programme and pay a victim services charge of £85 and costs of £145.

Magistrates decided not to award Ms Sparke any compensation as they deemed it would 'inflame the situation.'

BEN Alfie Turner, 20, of Third Avenue, Grays, was fined £40 at Basildon Magistrates' Court after admitting failing to comply with the requirements of a community order.

RYAN Hornsby Jones, 27, of Monks Haven, Stanford-le-Hope, appeared before Basildon magistrates and admitted a number of driving offences, including being under the influence of drugs.

He also admitted two charges of resisting arrest but two charges of assaulting two police officers, to which he had pleaded not guilty, were dismissed because of a lack of evidence.

Among the motoring offences he admitted were driving a motorbike without a licence or insurance, driving under the influence of a proportion of a controlled drug, Benzoylecgonine, and driving a car - also under the influence of drugs - without due care and attention.

He was given a series of community orders to attend rehabilitation activity and carry out unpaid community work and was disqualified from driving for 25 months.