Devon might statistically be one of the safest places to live in the country – but it has its fair share of dangerous criminals. The men in this list were all branded dangerous by judges at Exeter Crown Court.
They range from sick paedophiles given long extended sentences for rape to men who unleashed cruel violence for no apparent reason. Some of those sentenced may never be released due to the danger they pose while others were given relatively short terms.
In one the case the judge said the law needs changing to close glaring loopholes and make sure dangerous criminals get the sentences they deserve. Here are nine of Devon’s most dangerous men and the damning comments made by judges.
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Thomas Huang
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This schoolboy attacked two sleeping students and a teacher with hammers at a boarding school in Devon. Thomas Wei Huang carried out the homicidal attack at Blundell’s School and was jailed for life for attempted murder.
The judge, Mrs Justice Cutts, said experts were unable to say how long the defendant would pose a risk to the public and imposed a sentence of detention for life with a minimum term of 12 years.
“You planned your offences and used hammers you had bought as weapons,” she said. “You knew full well if you hit the boys multiple times with the hammers they would die.
“You are an intelligent boy and I am satisfied you knew the difference between right and wrong. In my view there remains a significant risk that you could behave in this way again. I consider that you pose a high level of danger to the public because of the nature of your offences.”
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Andrew Street
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This despicable child rapist was jailed for 30 years for abusing three children during a caampaign of depraved offending. Andrew Street used violence and issued threats to silence the children.
The girls feared they would not be believed and lived for decades trying to bury the memory of what happened to them. One said: “It was a stolen childhood and then a stolen voice.”
Street, aged 64, from Willand, was convicted of multiple serious sexual offences against children, including rape. The judge said he remains a “dangerous paedophile predator”.
“You are and have been for many years a sexual predator who took the opportunities as and when they arose to abuse young girls.” Street must serve two thirds of his sentence in prison before he is considered for release.
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Woody Spencer has been convicted
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This Exeter man streamed himself sexually abusing a child online and was given an extended sentence of 25 years. Woody Spencer, 34, received 20 years in jail with an extra five years on licence to manage the danger his presents to the public.
Judge James Adkin said: “You’re an exceptionally dangerous man. You present an imminent risk if you were to be at large.
“Even when you are released you will need the most careful scrutiny that can be provided to a defendant and supervision for many years to reduce the risk. You are clearly a dangerous offender.”
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Owen Rendall has been jailed for rape
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A dangerous sexual predator was jailed for 16 years for the rape and sexual abuse of three young women. Owen Rendall, 26, of Tiverton was found guilty of three rapes, sexual assault by penetration and two sexual assaults of a female.
The jury heard how in 2018 Rendall sexually assaulted a female under the age of 16 several times on the canal path at Tiverton whilst she was walking home. In February 2020, Rendall raped another teenage girl at an address in Sampford Peverell.
Following the sentencing, DC Caroline Robertson said: “Owen Rendall has demonstrated himself to be a dangerous sexual predator in his pursuit for sexual gratification. He has showed no remorse since his arrest.”
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Marcus Hill has been jailed
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A Jekyll and Hyde Paignton man subjected two women to a violent and terrifying attack after suddenly exploding into violence. Tattoo artist Marcus Hill “seemed really nice” before a switch turned him into a dangerous thug.
His violence left one woman unconscious with multiple broken bones and her friend covered in blood with a broken nose. The pair feared for their lives as Hill made a phone call saying he needed a car and cable ties to throw them into the sea.
Hill appeared at Exeter Crown Court to be sentenced for GBH and ABH, committed at his flat in Torquay Road in July of last year. The 37-year-old has multiple previous offences for violence and was locked up for three years and nine months.
The judge said: “I have no doubt whatsoever you are dangerous but have no previous qualifying conviction so I am not able to impose an extended sentence. This is, yet again, another case which points up the glaring absence to deal with someone who is dangerous in these sorts of circumstances.”
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Jason Leat
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Jason Leat was jailed for raping a woman after she had been out celebrating the end of the first Covid lockdown. He met the victim after they had been drinking in a pub in Crediton on the first night it had been open for more than three months.
He raped her after they went back to her home in the early hours of July 5, 2020. He was convicted of two rapes, sexual assault, and two assaults by penetration against one woman and a single sexual assault against a second.
The judge said he was somebody who “couldn’t care less” whether his victims consented or not.
DC Jon Stephens from the Public Protection Unit said: “I would like to praise the bravery of the victims in this case in reporting these crimes and for supporting police investigation. Their courage has brought a dangerous sexual predator to justice.”
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Drew Davey has been jailed for extreme violence
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A drunken thug launched a horrifying attack on two vulnerable men living in sheltered accommodation after they found him sleeping in a shed. Drew Davey pummelled his victims with a broken broom handle while shouting “Do you know who I am?”
When police arrived at the scene they found two men covered in blood on the floor. They both suffered brain injuries as a result of the severe unprovoked violence dished out by Davey at premises in Westward Ho!
The defendant, 26, of Greenbank Road, Barnstaple, was sentenced to 10 years. The judge imposed a further three years to be served on licence due to the danger he poses.
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Merwais Nasiri has been jailed
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A depraved sex predator was jailed for kidnapping a drunken student after she left an Exeter nightclub and taking her into an alleyway. Merwais Nasiri, 25, pretended he was helping the woman but his real motive was to commit a sexual offence, a court heard.
She was barely conscious when he lifted her into a rubbish-strewn alleyway just metres away from clubbers leaving Fever nightclub in Mary Arches Street. He then rolled bins across the entrance so nobody could see what he was about to do.
No sexual offence was committed but a judge at Exeter Crown Court said Nasiri’s intentions were clear.
“The one thing dominating your mind was sexual activity,” said the judge. Nasiri was jailed for five and a half years. He was found to be a dangerous offender and given an extra four years supervision to be served once he is released.
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Aaron Bennett from Chudleigh has been jailed for sex offences against children
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A child rapist was jailed for the sexual abuse of three girls. Aaron Bennett, 33, was convicted of eleven serious sexual offences at a trial.
Judge Stephen Climie imposed a 28-year sentence with an extension of eight years due to the danger he poses.
The judge said the offending had a significant psychological effect on the victims. He told Bennett: “This for you is the end of a chapter in your life and the beginning of your time in custody.
“Observing the evidence of the three victims in this case was a matter which caused significant upset among jurors who had to try this case.”
Judge Climie said he was satisfied that Bennett should be subject to an extended sentence due to the danger he poses. He will serve two thirds of the 28 years in prison before being considered for release. What remains of the full 36 years will be served on licence.