Drug dealers, a caravan conman and a homophobic man demanding a retrial were among the Merseyside criminals jailed last month.
Also locked up during March was a man who accidentally stabbed his mum in the heart as she intervened in a fight he was having with another man over a drug debt. Jamie Dempsey then hugged his fatally-wounded 55-year-old mum and fled the scene, and later asked a cousin to burn the clothes he was wearing and bought beers from an off-licence before handing himself into police.
Here are the faces of 40 criminals who were imprisoned in our region over the past few weeks:
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Vincent Morgan
A drug dealer told police "I'm f***ed and I'm going to jail" when they raided his house.
Vincent Morgan was caught storing thousands of pounds of heroin and crack cocaine for an "intimidating individual with a violent reputation". He admitted possession of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply and possession and possession of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine and was jailed for 28 months.
Pauline Wardrobe
A drunken woman remained at the scene after setting her friend’s flat alight.
Pauline Wardrobe, 56, of no fixed abode, failed to appear at Liverpool Crown Court and was sentenced to four years imprisonment plus an extended licence of four years in her absence. She was found guilty by a jury after a trial of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered, but did not attend the trial or her plea hearing.
Vaughan Lane
A man was caught "minding" a shotgun as police investigated a reported kidnapping.
Officers followed a trail of blood through the streets and located an injured Vaughan Lane, then discovered the firearm and ammunition stashed in a duffle bag in a "doss house".
Lane admitted possession of a firearm. He nodded as he was jailed for 28 months.
Aaron Pressdee
A chef subjected a woman to a sickening sexual assault.
"Extremely manipulative" Aaron Pressdee carried out the "humiliating" attack then called his victim a "dog", Liverpool Crown Court heard. The 37-year-old, of Frank Street in Widnes, was said to "not feel an ounce of remorse" over his vile crime.
Pressdee was found guilty of sexual assault after a trial. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for five years and handed an extended three-year licence period.
Thomas Beddow
A serial sex offender groomed a group of schoolchildren with vapes before exposing himself to the youngsters.
Thomas Beddow would answer the door naked to his victims and perform sex acts at his doorstep. The paedophile also sexually assaulted one young girl after subjected her to a string of vile comments, leaving her asking "why a grown man would do this".
Beddow admitted sexual assault and two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was imprisoned for five years and four months and handed an additional three years on licence.
Allan Mitchell
A 75-year-old paedophile who undertook a “campaign of sexual abuse” against his victims cried as he heard he may not live to see the end of his sentence. Allan Mitchell, of Washington Parade, Bootle, was sentenced to 18 years and three months imprisonment at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to more than 30 sexual offences against two victims.
Ben Jones, prosecuting, detailed that Mitchell groomed and repeatedly abused a young teenage girl over a period of five years, and assaulted another girl in the 1970s. He said the offending came to light after Mitchell took the first victim to a wooded area with the intention of making her sleep with other men.
After the allegations against Mitchell came to light, a second victim came forward stating that Mitchell sexually assaulted her when she was a young child, by touching her breasts over clothing. She described the defendant as being "creepy" and a "sleaze".
Neal Jackson
Neal Jackson, 42, of Arncliffe Road, Halewood broke into a city centre Greggs and Holland and Barrett on two separate occasions while drunk. Jackson and co-defendant Isaiah Gregory, 38, of no fixed abode, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on March 6 after the pair burgled a city centre Greggs on August 28 last year.
In the early hours the two men broke into the Greggs on Richmond Street, Liverpool, while the shop was empty. Jackson, who was drunk, and Gregory, attempted to access a safe in the office but failed. A charity box in the office was also emptied, but the amount stolen could not be confirmed.
Shortly after, a chase ensued as PC Bragg followed Jackson and he managed to get hold of his rucksack, however the defendant turned and punched him in the face, cutting his lip. Jackson continued to run, and in his attempt to flee, he collided with PC Norman.
On January 23 of this year, a security worker was securing the buildings in Liverpool One when he heard an alarm go off at the Holland and Barrett store, so called the police. The security officer spotted Jackson leaving the scene and when officers arrived, told them which way he went and the burglar was caught quickly.
Jackson was sentenced to two years imprisonment for both offences. Gregory was given a 12 month prison sentence suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 10 rehabilitation days, plus 150 hours of unpaid work.
Wayne Jones
Violent domestic abuser and convicted robber Wayne Jones, 34, of Arden Drive, Speke, appeared for sentence via video link at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, March 6 after he was found hiding in a cupboard after sending a naked picture of himself to an undercover police officer.
The paedophile tried to shift the blame onto his innocent partner who was in hospital at the time. He pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sexual communication with a child and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Kate Morley, prosecuting, told how Jones flew into a rage in Runcorn on March 25 last year when his then-partner, who the ECHO has chosen not to name, “confronted” him and "questioned his sexuality" over content she found on his phone.
In his then-partner's words Jones “flipped” and attacked her. Ms Morley said Jones “jumped on (his victim), kneeling on her legs, and shouted in her face – she couldn’t move”. In the ensuing struggle she grabbed his T-shirt and said she might have scratched him while “trying to escape”, and he elbowed her in the face, knocking her glasses off.
Judge David Potter sentenced Jones to two years and two months in prison and placed him on the sex offenders register with Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years in addition to a restraining order.
Leigh Dennis
Leigh Dennis, 24, of Palatine Road, Wallasey, conned one man she met on Facebook dating out of more than £30,000 of his inheritance money and another of almost £2,000. Rebecca Smith, prosecuting, detailed that Dennis used social media websites to commit “romance fraud”, conning Colt Candeias out of £33,672 between January and June 2021, and Aaron Carroll out of £1,940 between January and July 2021.
She pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation, and possession of extreme pornographic images. The mother-of-one was sentenced to 19 months imprisonment, and a restraining order barring her from contacting Mr Candeias for five years was implemented.
Katie Dalziel
Katie Dalziel, 31, stabbed her neighbour with a serrated kitchen knife and shouted “after my fella are you” in an unprovoked drunken rage. William Beardmore, prosecuting, detailed that on the evening of September 7, 2022, Laura Glannister was at her home on Clarendon Road, Anfield, when she heard “loud and inappropriate noises” coming from next door, where Dalziel was staying at her boyfriend’s home.
Dalziel, of St Marks Road, Huyton, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, and an indefinite restraining order barring her from contacting the victim was imposed. She pleaded guilty to one count of wounding with intent, and to one count of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
Jamie Dempsey
Jamie Dempsey accidentally stabbed his mum in the heart as she intervened in a fight he was having with another man over a drug debt.
Dempsey then hugged his fatally-wounded 55-year-old mum and fled the scene, and later asked a cousin to burn the clothes he was wearing and bought beers from an off-licence before handing himself into police. After a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, a jury cleared the 32-year-old, of Brechin Road, Kirkby, of murder but found him guilty of manslaughter, wounding with intent, and possession of a bladed article and he appeared on Wednesday to be sentenced.
During the trial, Peter Glenser KC outlined that the mother and son had arranged to meet in the pub on the evening of August 22 last year. Dempsey ran into Brian Flynn, whom he owed £2,000 and a fight ensued after Mr Flynn threw a glass at Dempsey inside.
The two men left through different doors, but began to fight outside, before Dempsey stabbed Mr Flynn five times causing serious injuries. As Kyaren Dempsey tried to intervene, a sixth blow struck her in the chest, leaving her with blood pouring down her chest, the knife having pierced her heart and liver.
Dempsey ran from the scene after hugging his mother, who was rushed to Aintree Hospital but pronounced dead at 9.45pm. He later handed himself in to Merseyside police, not knowing that his mother was dead.
Dempsey was sentenced to 19 years imprisonment for manslaughter, and told he will likely serve two thirds of that sentence. He was also handed a four year sentence for unlawful wounding, and three years for possession of a bladed article, which will be served concurrently.
Glen Gardner
Glen Gardner, of Folly Lane, Warrington, smashed the window of the victim's home, who the ECHO has chosen not to name, with a hammer to gain entry during the early hours on May 26, 2021.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on March 7 how Gardner "made threats" to the victim before grabbing a butter knife and "punching and headbutting" him. Gardner had accused the victim of a crime that he did not commit.
Prosecuting, Nardeen Nemat, said Gardner, who was convicted of burglary at a previous trial, entered the address via the living room window and the hammer was likely used to gain entry, meaning there had been "some degree of planning and organisation".
Gardner was given a custodial sentence of two and a half years, and a restraining order was also made not to contact the victim or enter a street in Warrington.
Gabriel Genesis
Gabriel Genesis, of Alexandra Park, ranted in court and demanded a "retrial" after hurling vile homophobic abuse towards his neighbour, making their life a "misery".
Liverpool Crown Court heard that after Genesis discovered his neighbour, who the ECHO has chosen not to name, was part of the LGBTQ community, he subjected him to several months of harassment in 2020. The court heard how he would often shout slurs and was said to have on one occasion made a "gun reference" and threatened to "jump on his head".
His Honour Judge David Swinnerton said Genesis made the victim's "life a misery" as he said: "I know you still deny it and you are still shaking your head as I speak". He added: "You came to discover he is gay, that was not a secret, you didn't like that because of your homophobic views." Genesis claimed he had "never spoken to him" as he shouted: "I never said those things, that is in God's words."
Genesis was given a custodial sentence of two and a half years as well as a 10 year restraining order as he repeatedly shouted: "I am entitled to a re-trial.". He added: "I'm not happy with this."
Michael Daniels
Michael Daniels, 33, of Centurion Row, Castlefields, Runcorn, kicked a man unconscious and continued to “rain” down blows as he lay motionless in what a judge described as a “sickening” attack. The father-of-six appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday, March 10 for sentence after pleading guilty to one count of Section 20 assault grievous bodily harm.
The charge related to a “prolonged and persistent” attack on another man, Jake O’Hare, in the early hours of May 7 last year in “retaliation” after Mr O’Hare saw Daniels, who “made a comment” about one of his friends and told Mr O’Hare “wait there, you’ve had it”.
Friends tried to stop him, but Daniels landed three more punches to the head. He then walked around and then as described by Mr King, referring to CCTV footage, “rains down a further seven blows to his face”. Judge Patrick Thompson sentenced Daniels to two years in prison and ordered him to pay a £156 victim surcharge.
Sean Aspinall
Sean Aspinall, 24, had a “fascination” with guns so modified them to look like a “hard-man”, after a relationship breakdown. He was convicted after trial of one count of conspiring to convert an imitation firearm into a weapon, and conspiracy to supply or transfer prohibited weapons.
Stella Hayden, prosecuting, detailed that Aspinall went online and bought blank firearms which he then passed onto Steven Shannon, who modified the weapons. She said that Aspinall purchased the weapons off the internet, and assisted with their conversion, of which there were at least six. He claimed he bought them to give to ground workers to scare away birds from a developing site that he shared with a friend.
Aspinall was sentenced to nine years imprisonment.
Adam Murphy
Adam Murphy, 40, from Liverpool, was given a two year suspended sentence in October 2022 for offences including burglary and cannabis possession, was given a three-month curfew, and was told to undergo 20 rehabilitation days and six months of drug testing and rehabilitation requirements.
The burglar repeatedly flouted the conditions of his release, including violating his curfew twice and failing to attend several appointments for alcohol treatment, which led to him being discharged from the programme. Murphy was sentenced to nine months in prison for the breach of his suspended sentence and one month for the breach of an order to run concurrently.
Cristian Miron
Cristian Miron, and his two co-defendants Robert Cristea and Albert Mihai, all appeared at Liverpool Crown Court. Miron previously pleaded guilty to eight counts of theft, amounting to £27,662 stolen between October 2021 and December 2022 from supermarkets across the country.
Miron’s first offence took place on October 20, 2021, at Tesco in Poole, where £5,000 worth of alcohol was stolen. On November 11, in Asda in Northwich Miron and unknown accomplices took £2494 worth of alcohol, and in Tesco, Folkestone, £6480 worth was taken.
In the same store on February 28, 2022, £7,700 worth of spirits were taken, and on April 10, in Tesco in Brackley, £420 worth, after which he was arrested. Despite being released under investigation, Miron continued to offend, and on April 29, in Asda in Northwich, took alcohol worth £2146. Finally, at Asda in Sefton, on December 10, 2022, all three defendants entered the store and stole almost £3,000 worth of alcohol using the same method.
Mihai, 35, and Cristea, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of theft in relation to this offence. Miron, of Ashton Road, Oldham, was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment.
Mihai, of Joan Road, Dagenham, was handed a six month prison sentence suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work plus 20 rehabilitation days. Cristea, of Eccles New Road, Salford was given a community order for 28 months, and must undertake 150 hours of unpaid work and complete 15 rehabilitation days.
Christopher Wade
Christopher Wade, of no fixed abode, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court after being found guilty at trial of one count of rape, one count of assault by penetration and a third count of sexual assault. A court heard that he drugged a vulnerable 13-year-old girl and took her to the woods to sexually abuse her, in August 2022, after spotting her on a bench and engaging in conversation.
The 55-year-old walked the girl to a wooded area, took the victim behind a bush and used a plastic bottle to create a device for inhaling heroin. Wade then proceeded to commit sexual acts on the girl and then rape her.
Wade was sentenced to 12 years in custody, and a sexual harm prevention order was implemented indefinitely. He will also be subject to notification requirements for the rest of his life.
Michael Shaw and Paul Shaw
Michael Shaw, 38, and Paul Shaw, 39, both of Aylward Place, Bootle, who stole £15,000 from gaming machines over the course of nine months appeared at Liverpool Crown Court.
The brothers’ committed 21 offences of fraud targeting gaming machines in pubs and bookies between September 5, 2017, and May 31, 2018, using an adapted banknote, usually to the value of £20, to create fraudulent credits on fixed odds gaming machines.
The note was modified and laminated with small parts of it cut away and had a handle attached to two corners which allowed it to be withdrawn once the machine had registered the £20 credit. They then played low value games to build the credit in the machine and then exchange the voucher printed off for cash at the counter.
Paul Shaw would also sometimes take a winning payout slip from one machine and use that value on a separate machine which could then be cashed. Mr Harris detailed that only the two defendants were identified using CCTV footage, but it was clear other accomplices shielded the Shaw's from the view of the staff and cameras.
In total, the two men stole £15,258.90. Hours after he left court after pleading guilty, Michael Shaw streamed a TikTok live bragging about his crime to over 70,000 followers.
Mr Harris said: “Within hours of his guilty plea, he boasted of his crime on social media and was quoted in the Liverpool Echo, and among other things he said ‘I have no shame’. He boasted to hundreds of people on social media that he “beat the bookies” hours after appearing in court.”
Paul Shaw was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and his brother Michael Shaw was handed 16 months imprisonment.
Jay Byrne and Joseph Byrne
Jay Byrne, 26, of Leyland Road in Southport and Joseph Byrne, 25, of no fixed abode, and a 15 year old boy who can't be named for legal reasons were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court.
Jay and Joseph Byrne pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Christopher Molloy, although both were cleared of murder after a trial. The schoolboy was convicted of murder by the jury after three hours and 41 minutes of deliberation.
The three defendants beat security guard Mr Molloy to death in an early hours gang attack near to Bootle Strand, at around 12.45am on July 12, last year. Mr Molloy was accused of "touching" the teenage defendant's girlfriend and Jay Byrne was said to have either punched or pushed the stranger, who then fled to the McDonald's opposite and sought assistance from staff.
The victim remained in the doorway of the fast food branch before walking away, at which point he was chased by Joseph Byrne and the then 14-year-old. CCTV footage showed the younger Byrne landing a punch that knocked Mr Molloy to the floor unconscious.
He "cracked his head on the pavement" but the teen was then seen repeatedly slapping him in the face, a total of eight times, as he lay helpless on the floor. Both attackers walked away in the direction of the Natwest bank, being caught on camera fist bumping as they did so.
The boy returned shortly afterwards alongside Jay Byrne, who kicked a still unconscious Mr Molloy to the head. The youth then delivered a second kick to the head, described as a "particularly ferocious kick, like kicking a football hard". The victim was taken to hospital but had suffered internal bleeding and fractures, and his life support was ultimately withdrawn. He died on July 19, 2022, a week after the assault.
The 15-year-old boy was sentenced to life with a minimum of eight years for murder, and will be on a life licence. Joseph Byrne was given a custodial sentence of nine years and nine months, plus an extended licence of four years, also to be served consecutively.
For the manslaughter of Christopher Molloy, Jay Byrne was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison.
Leon Smythe
Leon Smythe, 23, of no fixed abode, appeared before Liverpool Crown Court following coercive behaviour against his now ex-partner. A court heard that Smythe "lost his temper" after finding out someone had followed his girlfriend on Instagram.
Prosecuting Cheryl Mottram told the court that Smythe had stayed over at his ex-partner's home and "never left" as he gradually moved in his belongings after they began their relationship in November 2021. Ms Mottram said on the second day of their relationship, Smythe had been "violent", but the victim thought it was "a one off", however, throughout the course of their relationship he would be "abusive every day" and call her names like "fat slag" or "c**t".
The court was told that on March 10, the woman suffered bruising on her feet and a bite mark to her arm and she even gave up her job as a carer after consistently being told she "wasn't allowed to go to work dressed as she was." Smythe was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment and a restraining order was made.
Callum Kerr
Callum Kerr, 32, Partington Square, Sandymoor, had been “off his box” on Class As and booze for five days, and Rachel Bates, 38, of The Uplands, Palacefields, when they barricaded themselves in at Bates’s bungalow in Runcorn on Thursday, August 18 last year.
The drug-crazed criminal threatened to “blow up the street” and shoot his fake hostage in the head during a 10-hour stand-off with armed police. John Oates, prosecuting at Chester Crown Court, sitting in magistrates’ court, told how two officers had arrived at the bungalow at 1.10pm to arrest Kerr and Bates over an alleged robbery in Widnes earlier that day, only to find the windows boarded up and Bates shouting and Kerr inside.
The pair both pleaded guilty to affray and Kerr to assaulting an emergency worker over an incident during his interview on August 19 when he lifted a chair above his head and threw it at a wall causing the detective to fear for his safety. Kerr and Bates were both acquitted at trial over the alleged robbery in Widnes that morning and Bates additionally found not guilty for attempted robbery over an alleged incident in Widnes that morning. Judge Michael Leeming sentenced Kerr to 22 months in prison and Bates to 16 months, both to be served immediately.
Christopher Gorman
Christopher Gorman, of Denman Drive, Fairfield, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court in relation to three separate sets of offences. He waited outside a courtroom to threaten a Judge, and subjected his ex-partner and her mother to months of harassment, a court heard.
He previously pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour, breaching a non-molestation order, two counts of harassment, two counts of stalking, and two counts of intimidating a witness. The 37-year-old was found guilty after a trial conducted in his absence of harassment, breaching a restraining order, and threatening a witness.
A court heard that Gorman waited in St Helens city centre on Barrow Street after District Judge Robert Akers after he had been ejected from proceedings due to bad behaviour. He shouted: “Judge, Judge, did you make the order then or what?”, and the Judge told him firmly he must wait for the official notification to find out.
In his written statement to police, Judge Akers said Gorman was loud and acted aggressively, and he was concerned he may be violent. Gorman also subjected his former partner, Charlotte Karimi, and her mother, Christina Birney, to months of harassment and abuse. Gorman was sentenced to five years imprisonment.
Jan Luke Carmichael
Jan Luke Carmichael, 34, of Knowsley Lane, Huyton, was identified by detectives as using the EncroChat handle 'Lemonlager' after sending selfies and images of his own hands from which fingerprint evidence was obtained.
He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on March 23 after admitting conspiring to possess a firearm without a certificate, conspiring to supply Class A drugs cocaine and heroin), and conspiring to supply Class B drugs cannabis and ketamine.
Evidence showed that Carmichael worked mainly as a courier but also dealt drugs himself. He would routinely move multi-kilo quantities of Class A and B drugs, storing imported contraband and then distributing it to customers as required.
In total, Merseyside Police's Operation Aquarium showed Carmichael conspiring to supply 14kg of cocaine, 6kg of heroin and 145kg of cannabis. Carmichael was actively trying to secure an AR15, a fully automatic assault rifle, for onward sale.
The 34-year-old was sentenced to seven years for drug supply offences, five and a half years for conspiring to possess a firearm for sale or transfer. The sentences will run consecutively for a total of 12 and a half years.
John Bromilow, Paul Price, Chantae Campbell and Teigan Dutton
John Bromilow, a man with links to organised crime fired at the front door of a family home with an eight-year-old child inside as “frightener”.
Described by police as a 'dangerous individual', he was one of five people charged in connection with a shooting in Wallasey in 2021. The 28-year-old, of Whetstone Lane, Birkenhead, Paul Price, 43, of no fixed abode, Chantae Campbell, 21, of Bridge Street, Birkenhead, Teigan Dutton, of Alexandra Road, Birkenhead, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court to be sentenced.
Bromilow and Price pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and Campbell, Dutton and Sands pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess a shotgun without a certificate. Frank Dillon, prosecuting, told how a broken double-barrelled ‘over and under’ shotgun was fired at a house in Percy Street on October 20, 2021.
Bromilow visited the address of Jade Edwards while she was home with her husband and eight-year-old son and fired the shotgun at the front door, twice in quick succession, discharging both barrels.
Price who took him to the house in a white Volkswagen Golf then drove them both away from the scene. Dutton allowed the weapon to be stored at her address on Alexandra Road for eight days, and Campbell facilitated the arrangement.
Bromilow was jailed for six years and three months, Price for five years and 10 months, while Campbell and Dutton were both sentenced to 15 months each. A fifth defendant, Mark Sands, of Briardale Road, Oxton, failed to appear and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Lewis King
Lewis King, 19, of Waterside, Netherton, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court after he lured a vulnerable man to an alleyway and robbed him before standing by as he was stabbed seven times.
King pleaded guilty to one count of robbery on October 31, 2021, on the basis he did not stab the victim, another unknown male did. His co-defendant, Ella Balenski, 19, of Dawson Avenue, Southport, was found guilty of the same offence after a trial, but will be sentenced on a later date.
He also pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery in relation to attacks on Elijah Wood and Connor Price which took place on May 5, 2022, with an unknown male who has not been arrested. A court heard that Balenski and King were in a relationship, and lured Mr McCabe Watson to an alleyway under the guise of meeting Balenski whom he knew from college.
She led him to an underpass in Princess Way, Waterloo, where two males were waiting and were clearly familiar with Balenski.
The victim said he recalled stuttering as he was uncomfortable meeting new people. King, then 17, and an unknown male took Mr Watson-McCabe to an alleyway near Beach Road and Sandy Road, under the guise of wanting to roll a joint, where one of the males punched him in the face.
The robbers told the victim to hand over his North Face coat and his bag containing personal items including his phone. The other male then stabbed Mr Watson-McCabe seven times in the chest and leg causing him to pass out.
Mr Watson-McCabe suffered seven separate stab wounds, a punctured lung, a cut to the left side of his chest wall and significant wounds to his leg which “completely divided the nerves”.
Judge Denis Watson KC sentenced King to six years and four months for the robbery of Mr Watson-McCabe and a further two years for the other two robberies, totalling eight years and four months, in a young offender institute. A restraining order bans King from contacting Mr Watson-McCabe.
Jack Barr
Jack Barr, who was part of the Tommy Line drug crew, was caught with 65 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine.
The 22-year-old of Wheatear Close, Liverpool, appeared for sentence at Liverpool Crown Court having pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, acquiring criminal property namely cash, and simple possession of Class B cannabis. Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, told how police officers were on plain clothes duty in Widnes when they spotted Barr appear to take part in a drug deal with a user.
When the police identified themselves, Barr ran off and was seen to "discard a bag". Officers caught up with Barr and retrieved the jettisoned contraband, consisting of 33 wraps of crack cocaine and 32 of heroin in £10 deals. Barr had a "small amount" of cannabis on him, £220.85 in cash and a phone, which revealed messages believed to be requests for his stocks of drugs to be resupplied such as "bring both" and "come and sub", and another asking to be paid.
Recorder Michael Blakey sentenced Barr, who appeared via videolink, to three years and four months in prison for the crack and heroin dealing with no separate penalties for the cannabis and cash, and ordered a statutory surcharge.
He approved the destruction of the drugs and the forfeiture of the cash to be donated to charity.
Neil Gandy
Neil Gandy, 29, of East Millwood Road, Speke, pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and one breach of a non-molestation order. However he denied 17 other charges, including 16 counts of rape but was found guilty on all counts after trial.
A trial previously heard that Gandy first met the victim when she was under 16, and upon hearing her age ceased contact. However, he later resumed contact with her.
Over the course of years he regularly punched, kicked and spat at the victim, once leaving her with two black eyes. He also threatened her with a baseball bat on one occasion, and kicked her in the leg and gave her a black eye.
Gandy once told the victim if she did not have sex with him, he would kill her. The offences eventually came to light after the victim broke down and told police about the years of abuse she suffered.
In sentencing, Judge Anil Murray, said that in total Gandy committed 24 instances of rape, and that he used the age difference between himself and the victim to “impress her”. Gandy was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment, and the statutory victim surcharge applied.
Gonzalo De Freitas
Gonzalo De Freitas, of Lime Grove, Toxteth, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on March 27 to be sentenced. He pleaded guilty to nine offences in total, including eight counts of possession with intent to supply cocaine and heroin on four separate occasions, and one count of possession of criminal property, namely cash.
Iain Criddle, prosecuting, explained that the now 22-year-old was first stopped by officers on patrol on August 21, 2020, in the Toxteth area of Liverpool. After being spotted, the then 20-year-old ran from officers and threw a bag, but was found in a garden and the bag was recovered. Officers found £931 in cash, a phone, 4.4 grams of heroin, and 9.8 grams of cocaine, totalling a street value of £1550.
He was detained at around midday and admitted he had drugs in his possession. Police found 1.81 grams of heroin, split into 16 bags, and 4.81 grams of cocaine, split into 67 bags, with a street value of £830, plus £139 cash.
Three weeks later, on November 27, again in the Toxteth area, police spotted De Freitas talking to people with the appearance of drug users, and going in and out of a block of flats. At around 11.40am, he again ran from officers when they attempted to detain him, and threw an item over a fence during the pursuit.
Judge Aubrey sentenced him to 44 months imprisonment and said he hopes that he will “fulfil the potential that you clearly have”. A forfeiture order was also made in regards to the money seized and it will be donated to charity.
Gareth Culshaw and John O’Brien
Two paedophiles held a little boy down on a bed and abused him as he told them to let go.
Gareth Culshaw, 52, recently of HMP Altcourse, chatted briefly with accomplice John O’Brien, 67, of Stonelea, Windmill Hill, Runcorn, as they were reunited in disgrace in the dock at Chester Crown Court for sentence on March 24 . Culshaw had previously pleaded guilty to seven charges of sexual assault of a child under 13 relating to two young children – and one of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity in relation to one of the "defenceless and innocent" victims.
O’Brien was convicted at trial of one count of sexual assault of a child under 13 years of age relating to a joint offence with Culshaw and representing at least two instances of touching. On Friday at Chester, Myles Wilson, prosecuting, told how the vile abuse occurred during the 2010s.
Recorder Lawrence McDonald sentenced Culshaw to 11 years in prison, with two thirds to be served before consideration for parole, and O’Brien to four years and six months.
He said Culshaw had used the boy for his "own sexual gratification" and the abuse involved having "licked him", and in the joint offence Culshaw and O’Brien had "held him down on the bed and forcibly touched him".
Recorder Lawrence said: "This catalogue of sexual abuse of two very young children over a period of years displays the depths of depravity to which both of you sank."
Etmond Lika
Etmond Lika, 32, of no fixed abode, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court via video link after pleading guilty to one count of being concerned in the production of cannabis. Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, told the court that on February 24 this year, a locksmith was employed to change the front door lock at an address at Stanley Road, Kirkdale at around midday.
Later that afternoon, police searched the property, a large terraced house, and found that over the six rooms inside was a cannabis growing installation, of at least 200 plants, described as “plainly a sophisticated operation”. Police found evidence that someone had been living there, such as food etc, and said there was “no doubt that was this defendant”.
Lika attempted to evade police by climbing through a skylight and hiding on the roof of the property, but was eventually captured and arrested. Mr Hopkins said: “Lika had been employed by somebody to manage or run this installation whether that was tending to the plants or whatever else was required.”
Lika was sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment, and forfeiture and destruction of the drugs and paraphernalia was ordered. A victim surcharge applies.
Thomas Davies
Thomas Davies stabbed his neighbour with a carving knife over a noise dispute, a court heard. The 35-year-old, of no fixed abode, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court last Wednesday after pleading guilty to assault causing grievous bodily harm. He was found not guilty after trial of one count of wounding.
Gerald Baxter, prosecuting, detailed that on October 21, 2021, Gavin Gannon, had been in Liverpool City Centre with Beverly Morris and her daughter. A victim personal statement written by Mr Gannon was read to the court by the prosecution. It read: “Suffering the stab wound was a very traumatic experience."
Davies was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment and a restraining order barring the defendant from contacting the victim was implemented for five years.
Darren Cluff
A man kicked a stranger in the head and stole his phone after a drunken scuffle because he asked him for money, a court has heard.
Darren Cluff, 35, of no fixed abode, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court last Wednesday via video link after pleading guilty to one count of robbery and one count of assault causing actual bodily harm. Zahra Baqri, prosecuting, detailed that at around 12.30am on February 18 in the Paradise Street area of Liverpool One, a scuffle ensued after Cluff repeatedly asked Kerr McLernon for money.
She said that the victim had become annoyed at Cluff repeatedly asking him for money, as he had been “begging” in the area that night. CCTV of the incident was shown in court, and displayed Cluff following the victim, asking for money, before Mr McLernon pushed Cluff away from him. Mr McLernon can then be seen urinating and the defendant pushes him before the men grapple and fall to the floor.
In sentencing, Judge Brian Cummings KC said: "Once he finished urinating he turned away from the shop front, and he pushed you again but with some force that you fell, kicked you when you were on the ground, that then resulted in a scuffle.
“The victim then ended up on the ground, and this is where it gets really nasty because you are seen to kick him to the head and stamp on his head several times and on separate occasions, in the sense that you seem to kick and or stamp on him, move away a step or two and then come back and do it again, and that happens two or three times.”
Judge Cummings also highlighted the “distinct parallels with the present offence not least because it involved you stamping or kicking the victims head on a number of occasions”, to the 2016 assault. For assault causing actual bodily harm, Cluff was sentenced to two years imprisonment, and for robbery, he was sentenced to eight months, to be served consecutively.
Martin Jack
Police started looking into Martin Jack, 40, from Ellesmere Port, after they received information from a member of the public saying they were scammed. The Nantwich resident got in touch with Cheshire Police in November 2015 saying they ordered a caravan from Jack, putting down a £500 deposit.
After handing over the money the caravan never arrived and the victim was unable to contact the seller. An investigation was launched by detectives in Ellesmere Port who identified Jack as the main suspect in the case – he was then arrested in January 2016.
During further enquiries, detectives identified a total of 17 people across the UK who reported that they were also victims of Jack. Between them they had handed over £139,737 as deposits for caravans that never arrived. Martin Jack appeared at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday, March 29, where he was sentenced to six years and six months in prison.
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