A man who was arrested at a holiday park in Camber has been sentenced following his involvement in violent offences in Bexhill. Connor Hyland-Whiting assaulted a man with a machete in the street following an earlier altercation in a town centre pub. The 25-year-old had also committed similar offences in the town.
Following a public appeal, he was located at a holiday park in Camber and was arrested and charged. At Lewes Crown Court on September 11 he admitted two counts of wounding with intent, attempted wounding with intent, two counts of possession of an offensive weapon, possession of a knife, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and affray. He was sentenced to a total of five years in prison, with an additional four years on his licence period.
Hyland-Whiting was arrested by officers from the Tactical Enforcement Unit on March 3 this year and was taken into custody.
His offences were deemed so serious that the court also imposed an extended sentence, as Hyland-Whiting is considered at risk of committing similar serious offences. This means he will not be automatically released half way through serving his sentence, but instead must serve a minimum of two-thirds of the term before he can then be considered for parole.
Speaking after the case, Chief Superintendent Adam Hays from Sussex Police said: “We understand these incidents caused concern among the local community, and I’d like to thank the public for the support they gave to our investigation. We are grateful for the information received by the public in order to locate Hyland-Whiting following a public appeal. Tackling knife crime and serious violence is one of our top priorities as we understand the devastating impact it can have on victims, and the wider public. So we are pleased that a dangerous offender has been taken off the streets.”
