Charlie Jeans: As killer is sentenced to 17 years for murder, his long criminal record can be revealed

Charlie Jeans has been a lifetime criminal.

As he was sentenced to 17 years in prison, it emerged that he has 26 convictions for 68 offences - and was 13 years old when he was first convicted.

Jeans was on the front page of the Havant and Waterlooville edition of The News in 2018, after he was jailed for 10 months after a racist attack on colleague.

At the time he was described in court as having “entrenched racist views” and was sacked after months of “bullying and intimidation”.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard that the then 23-year-old was working for Havant Borough Council contractor Norse South East. He used a racial slur towards his colleague and answered the work phone to his boss saying “white boys’ only”.

A shocked line manager reported the racism and Jeans was sacked. He ‘lost control’ when he saw the target of his racist abuse sitting in a works van with a colleague near the depot – and smashed the vehicle with a baton. Shards of glass flew from smashed windows of the van at the two occupants during the incident in Southmore Lane, Havant.

He was charged with having an offensive weapon, racially-aggravated common assault, assault, racially-aggravated criminal damage, criminal damage and racially-aggravated causing fear of violence.

In a preview of what would happen in his murder trial this week, Jeans admitted the racist offences only on the second day of his trial in May, after two people from the company had given evidence.

The judge was scathing about this change of plea, saying: “You chanced your arm in this case, you had an expectation that quite possibly work friends or colleagues would not turn up to give evidence – witness summonses had to be issued.

“When they did the decent thing it was clear to me that they were significantly embarrassed by your racism and bullying, intimidating behaviour towards the victim over the many months”

Damian Haye, for unemployed Jeans, said at the time: “This should be treated as an isolated incident, reflecting the loss of control and not a return to former ways.”