Revealed: The SHOCKING crimes committed in Sussex last year

We have taken a look back at some of the worst offenders who were sent to prison in 2021.

In the second of the two-part series we feature a mother who left her baby alone with tragic consequences, a cruel "care" worker and a perverted babysitter.

Verphy Kudi

A teenage mother whose baby died after she left her home alone for six days while she celebrated her birthday was sentenced to nine years in jail in August.

Verphy Kudi walked out on her 20-month-old daughter on the day she turned 18, partying for five days, 21 hours and 58 minutes, while the baby starved to death.

Her daughter was dead when she returned to the flat in Brighton, where she had been housed by social services.

Asiah had contracted influenza. A post mortem examination concluded she died from neglect.

Verphy Kudi

Kudi, 19, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in March and at Lewes Crown Court on August 6 she was sentenced to nine years imprisonment.

Asiah was born on March 22, 2018. She and her mother had been housed in a flat by social services since September 30, 2019.

A video released by police showed Kudi leaving the Islingword Road flat, on December 5, 2019, before videos of her partying at a 90s music event in Elephant and Castle in London.

Prosecutor Sally Howes QC said CCTV covering Kudi’s home showed that she had left Asiah alone for five days, 21 hours and 58 minutes.

Asiah was pronounced dead on arrival at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton.

When first interviewed by police, Kudi maintained that she had been with her child at the flat all the time, except for one visit she made to London.

But the court heard how the police investigation found from CCTV, phone and other evidence from people who knew her, that Kudi left the flat on her 18th birthday and didn’t return until December 11, leaving her child alone and uncared for throughout that time.

Kudi had gone first to London and then with friends to another's birthday party in Coventry, before returning to Brighton via London.

The senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Andy Wolstenholme said; "This was a particularly distressing case for my team and me to investigate, and has caused great sorrow amongst Verphy's family and the many agencies that have supported Verphy and Asiah."

Madelynne Rawle

Madelynne Rawle worked at Summerley Care Home in Bognor

Madelynne Rawle worked at Summerley Care Home in Bognor, a home for elderly residents with mental health difficulties, including dementia.

In June, the 61-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of being a carer ill-treating and wilfully neglecting two people without capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

She was later found guilty of the same offence against five more residents, and not guilty of one such offence.

Rawle was given a 30-month prison sentence at Portsmouth Crown Court.

All the offences took place at Summerley, where she was working in 2018. She had joined two years previously.

Police found she had slapped residents, pulled their hair, spat at them, sat on them, forced them to sit and was verbally abusive towards them.

The offences were conducted against seven people in her care – six women and one man.

Five of the seven victims have since died, for unrelated reasons.

Detective Constable Sarah Lallament said Rawle, of Northcliffe Road, Bognor, abused her victims over many months.

"Rawle's victims were vulnerable adults who all required support 24/7 for day-to-day activities including basic hygiene and getting dressed, and assistance with eating,” she said.

Robin James Elms

Perverted babysitter Robin James Elms was jailed for more than 20 years after he sexually abused vulnerable children in his care...Elms, 23, targeted children with special needs during a campaign of abuse in private homes where he worked as a freelance

A perverted babysitter was jailed for more than 20 years after he sexually abused vulnerable children in his care.

Robin James Elms, 23, targeted a child with special needs during a campaign of abuse in private homes where he worked as a freelance nanny and babysitter.

He picked on children he thought were too young to speak up or who had learning difficulties and autism, grooming entire families in order to commit his abuse.

The trainee teacher pleaded guilty to 20 offences including ten counts of sexual assault, five counts of taking indecent videos of children and four counts of voyeurism against nine children aged between two and 14 between 2018 and 2020.

He also admitted one sexual assault on an adult man in West Sussex.

Police said Elms worked in other non-residential child care settings, but said there was no evidence at all of his offending against any other children..

Elms got bookings as a nanny through online child care agencies.

He also worked in other non-residential child care jobs including nurseries.

Elms, of Hunston, near Chichester, abused seven children at three different households in West Sussex.

Two more children were from two households in East Kent.

Sentencing Elms at Portsmouth Crown Court, Judge Lance Ashworth told him: "You groomed the families, moving from home to home, beguiling them and making them feel sorry for you."

Elms was sentenced to 15 and a half years in prison with a five-year extended prison licence.