LUKE SMITH OF BEXHILL-ON-SEA SENTENCED FOR CRUELTY AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMAN AND ANIMALS

Luke Smith, a man born around 1991 and known to have resided on Sidley Street in Bexhill and Silchester Road in St Leonards, has a troubling history of violent and criminal behavior that has spanned several years. His most notorious incident occurred on August 16, 2016, in Hastings, where he inflicted fatal injuries on a 12-week-old kitten named Luna. Smith was later convicted for this act of animal cruelty, which involved him violently throwing the defenseless kitten against a wall, resulting in severe head and neck injuries that led to Luna's euthanasia.

In January 2017, Smith pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to Luna during the incident. The court records indicate that he was given a community order as part of his sentence, along with a ban on keeping any animals for a period of three years. This ban was set to expire in January 2020, but the repercussions of his actions continued to follow him.

Despite the earlier conviction, Smith's violent tendencies persisted. In May 2018, he appeared once again before the court, this time to face charges of assaulting a woman by beating her at Hastings on April 18. During this hearing, he also admitted to breaching the terms of a suspended sentence previously imposed for the animal cruelty case. The breach involved his continued violent behavior, which was deemed a serious violation of court orders. Additionally, Smith was charged with burglary at a house in Hastings and a prior assault on a woman.

The magistrates, citing his persistent breaches of court orders and ongoing violent conduct, sentenced Smith to 16 weeks in prison. This custodial sentence reflected the court's concern over his repeated disregard for legal restrictions and his pattern of violent behavior.

Further compounding his criminal record, in July 2019, Luke Smith was convicted of rape and subsequently sentenced to 13 years in prison. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life, marking a significant and serious escalation in his criminal activities. Smith's case remains a stark reminder of the dangers posed by repeat offenders with a history of violence and cruelty, particularly in the communities of Bexhill-on-Sea, Hastings, and St Leonards.