A gang of villains has been sentenced to a total of 34 years in jail.

They were convicted of off-

ences including drug-dealing and illegal gambling.

The men, who were trapped by a tiny listening device planted by police in their Hove headquarters, lived the high life with the proceeds of their crimes.

Reporting restrictions were lifted after court cases stretching over a year ended yesterday.

The police bug and camera footage taken of movements at the gang's HQ in Brunswick Road revealed a web of cocaine dealing, illegal gambling and an elaborate fencing operation involving valuables stolen by a team of shoplifters and burglars.

The ringleader was Terry Sansom, 39, a so-called racing tipster who lived luxuriously in a detached house in Goldstone Crescent, Hove, drove a Mercedes and enjoyed skiing holidays while claiming state benefits.

His office manager was Stanley Ross, 64, of Cranmer Avenue, Hove, who took illegal bets, held stashes of cash and cut and mixed cocaine.

Boasted

Sansom's right-hand man was his lifelong friend and convicted burglar Danny King, 39, of Eaton Gardens, Hove.

Keith Ingram, 35, of Palmeira Square, Hove, was also Sansom's long-time friend and his first office chief, but was replaced by Ross when he became unreliable.

They operated a gambling den, involving cards and racing, on the first floor of 1 Brunswick Road, on the corner of Western Road.

In one taped conversation, Sansom boasted: "I'm a bigger bookmaker than William Hill."

The arrest of one of Sansom's drug pedlars in 1997 triggered the Operation Newbarn inquiry by the Sussex Police crime and drug unit.

Police had raided a travel agents in Upper Market Street, Hove, close to Sansom's HQ, and seized 21g of cocaine.

Mitchell Alexander, 34, of Kendall Road, Hove, was charged with supplying and Daniel Sullivan, 30, of Livingstone Road, Hove, was charged with possession. Sullivan was later given community service.

Suspecting a connection with Sansom, police in October that year secretly installed their listening device in Sansom's gambling centre and spent months listening to damning conversations.

They heard details of a cocaine delivery and, in December, seized 125g of the drug at an address in Old Shoreham Road, Hove, where they arrested Anthony Peratikos. He later pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply and was jailed for four years.

Later that day they raided Ross's home and under the

the driver's seat of his car they found a kilo of high-purity cocaine valued at about £80,000.

King was arrested and bailed in January and was re-arrested with Sansom and Ross in April, 1998.

In March last year, a jury at Lewes Crown Court deliberated on the main charges after an eight-week trial.

Sansom and King were found guilty of conspiracy to supply and were each jailed for nine years. Ross was also convicted and was sentenced to five years. Sansom was cleared on two counts of supplying to individuals.

Orders

Judge Anthony Scott-Gall said the three were supplying a drug that "destroys lives, corrupts the young, tears families apart, and leads young people to commit crime against innocent, hard-working members of the public".

Yesterday, Sansom was sentenced to a further 12 months, to run consecutively, after pleading guilty to conspiracy with Ross to handle stolen property.

The court heard how he had placed orders for items with thieves who stole from shops and homes. The property was taken to Brunswick Road, where Sansom and Ross would pay one-fifth of the ticket price.

Profits

Sansom was given a further six months, to run concurrently, after pleading guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice by trying to get another person to carry the can for a motoring offence.

Sansom has also been ordered to pay nearly £50,000 in unpaid gaming duties and drug-trafficking profits.

Ingram pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to supply cannabis and handling stolen goods and received two and a half years.

Alexander also received two and a half years for supplying drugs.

Another man, David Reid, 34, of Essex Street, Brighton, was convicted of conspiracy to steal and was jailed for 15 months.

Judge Scott-Gall commended the police officers involved in the 18-month inquiry, Det Sgt Tony Pike and Det Cons Nigel Waller, Tim Reardon, Stuart Parsons, Gordon MacDonald and Brian Bulwer.

It was the first time Sussex Police had used a listening device and camera footage together, to help them identify who was saying what during private conversations.

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