It's been another busy month in the courts with a range of cases and offences being heard.

Here's our round up of the criminals jailed in south Essex

A GRANDMOTHER has revealed she struggles to sleep at night after she was burgled and her grandson fraudulently used her credit card.

Robert Sims, 29, was convicted at Basildon Crown Court after using his Canvey grandmother’s card without permission to buy cigarettes.

The the jury took just hours to return their verdict after retiring to consider their verdict on Friday morning.

The grandmother was burgled on December 17 last year but Sims of High Road, Fobbing was found not guilty in connection with the burglary.

He was jailed for six months at the hearing for one count of fraud.

A TEENAGER turned to dealing cocaine and heroin to repay a drug debt after being kicked out of his home at Christmas, a court heard.

Luke Lackenby, 20, of Quantock flats in Chichester Road, Southend was caught with four wraps of heroin and cocaine at the tower blocks.

He appeared in Basildon Crown Court charged with two counts of possessing a controlled drug of heroin and cocaine with intent to supply and possessing a controlled drug of weed.

The hearing was told he suffered a “particularly unhappy childhood” due to a history of drug abuse and violence with his parents.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

A MAN has been jailed for 12 years after a violent fight in the street “to settle an argument” which led to his victim dying of his injuries after a knock-out blow.

Radu Ciobanu, 24, was sentenced following the fight which led to the death of James Avis in Hainault Avenue, Westcliff, at around 10.35pm on Saturday, September 25.

Mr Avis, who was captured on video saying he didn’t want to fight, died after being repeatedly punched outside a friend’s house during the incident in September.

Ciobanu, of Kings Chase, Witham, appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Friday morning where he was jailed after admitting manslaughter last Monday.

They had spent the afternoon and evening drinking with a group of other people and during the afternoon 24 year-old Ciobanu and Mr Avis, who was 35, got into an argument and Ciobanu headbutted him.

The court heard they resolved their differences but got into another argument later on in the evening at which point Ciobanu suggested they settle the matter through a fight.

Shocking video footage showed in court on Friday depicted how Ciobanu attacked Mr Avis who was shouting that he didn’t want a fight.

He fell onto a vehicle before the final blow knocked him to the ground.

He was taken to hospital and Ciobanu was initially arrested on suspicion of causing GBH with intent.

Mr Avis later died and Ciobanu was arrested on suspicion of murder and later charged with manslaughter.

A WICKFORD man has been jailed for more than seven years for his role in a violent break-in at a drugs farm with an imitation firearm.

Kris Tiller, 39, of Meadow Lane, was one of the four-man gang that forced entry into a cannabis factory in Forest Gate, East London, armed with the weapon.

Police were called to reports of a disturbance in the early hours of January 14, 2020, after all four forced entry into the building and one of the gang threatened the sole occupant with an imitation firearm.

They then began stealing cannabis plants.

Tiller was handed seven years and two months in prison when he appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court for sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary.