Overview

• Ten teenagers were sentenced at Basildon Crown Court to a combined 34 years in custody for violent disorder, conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm and possession of a firearm.
• Essex Police are appealing for information on two suspects still at large and have released CCTV images to support their search.
• Prosecutors presented Snapchat messages and CCTV footage proving Newham’s Northside and Southside gangs orchestrated the July 2024 seafront ambush, including plans to hide knives and fire a converted starter pistol.
• Machetes and a handgun were brandished in broad daylight near Adventure Island and Forum library, leaving two youths with serious stab wounds and triggering 17 emergency calls as families fled.
• The sentences test new youth justice measures and underscore authorities’ efforts to combat escalating gang violence in popular coastal communities.