11 notorious criminals jailed in the UK in September

A man who murdered and sexually assaulted his teenage sister in a ‘truly evil’ attack was among the worst offenders sent to jail in the UK in the last month.

Other criminals facing lengthy jail terms include a police officer who raped and sexually assaulted a child and a man who posed as a teenage girl on social media to get young boys to send him indecent pictures.

A banned driver who used his car as a weapon to mow down four people and a man who stabbed a young rap artist to death while wearing a skull mask were also locked up in September.

Lengthy sentences are handed to some of the worst offenders each month. These are some of the most shocking court cases that have been widely reported in the UK in recent weeks.

Glenn Poyner

Glenn Poyner, of Oxfordshire, pleaded guilty to eight offences, including rape of underage girls (Image: West Mercia Police)

A former RAF worker was locked up for raping a child and sexually assaulting another. Glenn Poyner, 35, formerly of RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, was sentenced for eight child sex offences, including four counts of rape, committed against two girls.

Poyner admitted the rapes as well as one count of assault by penetration, one of causing a child aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and two of sexual activity with a child. Judge Peter Barrie jailed him for 19-and-a half years with an extended licence period of four-and-a-half years.

One of the girls said she now suffers social anxiety and is “not confident when talking to people or trusting people”. In a statement, read out by prosecutor Mark Connor, she said: “I don’t sleep well any more … I have previously suffered nightmares about the things that he would do to me.”

The second victim said in a statement: “I still jump when I see a yellow car or a man with a beard, I want to run because I know he will come after me, I live in constant fear.” She added: “I know that my future has been affected, I could have done so much better without this.”

The judge told Poyner he considered him “dangerous”, adding: “I’m satisfied that there is a serious risk you may commit further … offences against young girls, teenage years and below.” The judge also made a sexual harm prevention order, banning him from contacting either victim directly or indirectly.

Connor Gibson

(Image: PA)

A man murdered and sexually assaulted his teenage sister in an attack described as “truly evil” by a judge.

Connor Gibson, 21, was found guilty of attacking his sister, Amber Gibson, in woodland, removing her clothes, sexually assaulting with the intention of raping her, inflicting blunt force trauma to her head and body, and strangling her following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

He was handed a life sentence and ordered to spend a minimum of 22 years behind bars before he can be considered for parole. Sentencing Gibson at the High Court in Livingston, judge Lord Mulholland said: “She was looking forward to seeing you the night she was murdered, she even posted a selfie of both of you on her Snapchat. The last person she saw alive was you, her brother, having strangled the life out of her after beating her up and trying to rape her.”

Following Gibson’s conviction, Lord Mulholland described the crime, which happened in woodland in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, on November 26 2021 as “depraved”. Amber, 16, was reported missing on the evening of November 26 and her body was discovered in Cadzow Glen in Hamilton two days later on November 28 at 10.10am.

Gibson was arrested three days later, on December 1, and, the day before his arrest, posted a chilling tribute to the sister he had murdered, writing on Facebook: “Amber, you will fly high for the rest of time. We will all miss you. Especially me. I love you ginger midget. GBFN (goodbye for now) X.”

During the trial, the court heard how evidence from forensic pathologists showed Amber had died as a result of compression of the neck.

Stephen Corrigan, 45, who was found guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice and breach of the peace by intimately touching and concealing Amber’s body after discovering her at some point in the following two days, instead of contacting the emergency services, was also sentenced. He was jailed for nine years.

Pawel Chmielecki

Pawel Chmielecki stabbed his estranged wife and later attempted to take his own life (Image: Northamtonshire Police/PA Wire)

Pawel Chmielecki stabbed his estranged wife more than 30 times, including 19 wounds to her face and neck, and then kept her body in his room for four days. Chmielecki attempted to take his own life after murdering Marta Chmielecka, 31, and was found with a knife protruding from his neck as police arrived.

Video footage released by Northamptonshire Police after Chmielecki was jailed showed the Polish national leaving home and “intercepting” his wife as she walked nearby, followed by a struggle between them and her coughing as she seemed unsteady on her feet. The footage also showed the killer visiting a shop to buy six cans of beer two days after the murder, and police breaking down the door of his room to arrest him and discover Marta’s body.

The 40-year-old, of Wood Street, Kettering, was assisted by an interpreter at Northampton Crown Court as Judge David Herbert KC said he believed the “terrifying” killing took place shortly after Marta entered the property on the night of Friday October 15 2021. After entering his rented room with his ex-partner at about 10.56pm, the evidence showed Chmielecki took an image of her around five minutes later, showing her on the floor.

A post-mortem examination found she had a total of 32 sharp force injuries, including defensive wounds to her right hand and others to her shoulders, upper arms and chest.

Passing sentence, Judge Herbert told Chmielecki the murder of Marta, a well-liked and popular figure in the local Polish community, had had a devastating effect of her family and friends. The court heard that the couple had separated about a year before and Marta formed a relationship with a work colleague. Chmielecki did not accept that the relationship was over and hassled her friends to find out where she was.

After listing three previous incidents in which Chmielecki had been violent towards his partner – in August 2020, at Easter 2021 and in September 2021 – the judge said: “It’s clear from the evidence that Marta did not feel safe with you and was concerned that you would end up killing her.”

Judge Herbert, who imposed a minimum term of 18 years and four months, told the court: “It was a sustained and ferocious attack born entirely out of anger and jealousy. Those last moments of her life would have been utterly terrifying.”

Stephen Hardy

Stephen Hardy was jailed for 26 years (Image: GMP)

A police officer was jailed for 26 years for 20 offences including multiple counts of rape and sexual assault on a child. Stephen Hardy, 46, a detective constable with Greater Manchester Police, used his teenage victim as a “puppet or sex object”, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones told a court.

Hardy was found guilty following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court of the offences, which included six counts of rape. The judge said: “You have never shown one iota of remorse for your behaviour. The indictment reflects a highly calculated and cynical course of grooming behaviour.” He described Hardy as having a “devious” personality with a “sinister streak”.

The judge said he considered the defendant to be dangerous and sentenced him to an extended licence period of six years.

Vanessa Thomson, prosecuting, said the victim, who sat in court with members of her family for the hearing, reported the abuse to police in 2020. She said: “The defendant was a controlling and manipulative man.” In a statement which was read to the court, the victim said she was not sure she would ever be able to fully trust members of law enforcement.

Laura Nash, defending, said Hardy, of Hyde Road, Mottram, continued to deny all the offences. She said he would “inevitably” find his prison sentence “harder than most” because he was a police officer. Following Hardy’s conviction in July, GMP said he was suspended from duty and would face disciplinary proceedings.

Anthony Ritchie and Steven Walters

Anthony Ritchie and Steven Walters

Two former police constables were jailed for misconduct after forming inappropriate sexual relationships or engaging in sexual activity with women they met on duty.

Former West Midlands Police officers Anthony Ritchie, 46, and Steven Walters, 55, in July were found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court of two counts of misconduct. Their 12-day trial was told they targeted the same victim, who has since experienced a “massive” impact on her mental health.

Ritchie, of East Meadway, Tile Cross, Birmingham, was jailed for four years by Judge Roderick Henderson. Walters, of Winster Green, Newhall, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, appeared in the dock alongside his former colleague and was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Walters previously served a four-year sentence for sexually assaulting two different women in 2015 whilst on duty, the court was told. The court was told one of the charges against Walters and another against Ritchie related to the same woman, whose victim impact statement said of the former: “I can’t understand how any decent human being could do what he did. He has absolutely ruined my life. He has changed the person I am.”

Evidence gathered by the IOPC indicated that Ritchie began an inappropriate sexual relationship with the woman in 2014 after he responded to a reported domestic violence incident. The inquiries indicated he sent her messages from his personal phone and they had sex after he arrested her partner, who was then remanded in custody.

During their relationship, she told him she had been pressured into oral sex by then-Pc Walters, who had gone to her home on his own to deal with alleged domestic abuse. In May 2021, another woman came forward to say she had a relationship with Ritchie in 2014 after he asked for a date, having gone to her home in a bid to arrest her son.

Commenting after the ex-officers were jailed, IOPC regional director Derrick Campbell said: “Abuse of position for a sexual purpose is a form of serious corruption, which has the potential to impact public confidence in policing. These now former officers would have been well aware of the vulnerability of the women they involved themselves with and yet they chose to exploit that for their own gain.”

Jay Lang

Jay Lang, 24, posed as a teenage girl on social media to get dozens of young boys to send him indecent pictures of themselves (Image: Essex Police)

A “predatory” man posed as a teenage girl on social media to get dozens of young boys to send him indecent pictures of themselves, before blackmailing them into sending more explicit images or demanding cash.

Jay Lang, 24, of Canvey Island, Essex, set up accounts on Snapchat and Instagram under a pseudonym, claiming to be a 16-year-old girl, Basildon Crown Court was told. Marc Brown, prosecuting, said Lang “would target young boys aged between 11 to 16″.

At first he would engage in “flirtatious conversation” which would turn into “more sexually-explicit conversation,” the court heard. Mr Brown said it would lead to Lang inciting the victims to send indecent videos and photos of themselves.

The prosecutor said that “unbeknown to each of the victims” the defendant was using a screen-recording app on his phone and would save the images, and later use them to blackmail the boys. Lang would reveal himself as a man and ask for further images or demand cash, threatening to publish the images the boys had already sent if they did not comply.

He sexually abused one of the boys in person after they felt they had no choice but to agree to his request to meet, the prosecutor said. Lang also blackmailed another boy into filming himself performing a sex act with a male friend, the court heard.

The offending spanned around three years, from 2019 to 2021. When police analysed Lang’s phone, they uncovered 540 videos and 140,000 images, with 220 potential victims identified.

Lang admitted at an earlier hearing to 46 offences, including causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, blackmail and causing or inciting child sexual exploitation. He also admitted to arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence and to causing or inciting child prostitution of pornography.

Judge Samantha Cohen jailed Lang for 21 years with an extended licence period of six years. Lang was also made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.

Jamie Evans

Jamie Evans, 30, was jailed for nine years (Image: PA)

A hit-and-run motorist killed a man left barefoot in the street by police three miles from his home.

Officers attended the home of father-of-six Gareth Roper, 35, in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2022 after his wife reported he was “acting in a strange manner”. Mr Roper was taken away to “prevent any further difficulties” but was de-arrested nine minutes later and left outside the Iceland store in Platt Bridge, Wigan, without any money or his mobile phone, Bolton Crown Court heard.

Twenty-four minutes later Mr Roper was struck by a Volvo V60 driven by Jamie Evans, 30, as he walked along the centre of the single carriageway in Lily Lane, Bamfurlong. He was later pronounced dead at the scene with head injuries.

Unlicenced Evans, who had been drinking strong lager and spirits, was speeding at 55mph in a 30mph zone and drove off before he later handed himself in to police later that day.

Has how now been jailed for nine years. Evans, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to causing the death of Mr Roper by dangerous driving, also received a 14-year driving ban.

Evans was released on bail after his arrest in January 2022 but four months later got behind the wheel again and sped away in a van from a pursuing police vehicle, the court was told. Evans, of no fixed address, was subsequently jailed for 26 weeks after he was convicted of dangerous driving, having no licence and failing to provide a specimen of breath.

Choudry Razaq

Choudry Razaq, 26, has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 20 years (Image: Metropolitan Police)

A banned driver mowed down four passers-by after being hit with a bottle during a fight outside a pub.

Choudry Razaq, 26, used a silver Chevrolet as a weapon in Kingsley Road, Hounslow, west London, on September 25 last year. The victims survived but were seriously hurt, with two suffering life-threatening injuries, the Old Bailey was told.

Razaq was cleared of their attempted murder but found guilty of alternative charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He has now been jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years and handed an extended driving disqualification of 21 years.

Razaq had got behind the wheel in a “rage” after being bottled over the head in a fight outside the White Bear pub in Hounslow earlier that evening, the court heard.

Gabriel Sjnevicius, Hanad Duhaut, Harris Koneswaran and Abdi Moallim had “stumbled across” the altercation in Kingsley Road but had not been involved. The friends had met for a night-out and had been walking past the White Bear on their way to watch a boxing match on television.

Rather than becoming embroiled in the fight, they carried on walking, unaware their lives were “about to change dramatically”. Razaq, who had suffered a head injury, mowed the victims down with the Chevrolet, leaving bodies “scattered across two driveways”, jurors were told.

The car was travelling at about 33mph at the time of the collision at 2.40am, with at least two of the pedestrians landing on the windscreen, the court was told. Jurors were shown police body-worn video footage of the victims lying among the debris of a collapsed wall as officers rushed to their aid.

After the crash, Razaq was treated in hospital, put his clothes in the wash and booked a flight to Pakistan, jurors were told. He was arrested at Heathrow Airport as he attempted to flee the country and declined to answer questions in a police interview.

The defendant, from Feltham in west London, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on three of the men and attempted actual bodily harm to a fourth but denied intent. He also admitted dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.

Timothy Adeoye

Timothy Adeoye stabbed a young rap artist to death while wearing a skull mask popularised by the Call Of Duty video games (Image: Metropolitan Police)

A killer was handed a life sentence in his absence for stabbing a young rap artist to death while wearing a skull mask popularised by the Call Of Duty video games.

Drug dealing “enforcer” Timothy Adeoye, 20, refused to attend the Old Bailey for his sentencing hearing. He was locked up for at least 23 years for murdering 18-year-old Donavan Allen.

Mr Allen, who was not the intended target, died after Adeoye plunged a large kitchen knife into his chest at a block of flats in Enfield, north London, on February 7 last year. Adeoye, known as T-Trapz, denied being the person behind the distinctive mask but he was found guilty of murder, having a knife and threatening another person with a blade following a trial.

The hearing, on September 4, came five days after the Ministry of Justice announced planned legislation to make defendants attend sentencing hearings, including by force if needed.

Judge Philip Katz KC said Adeoye’s decision not to attend his sentencing showed a “lack of empathy, and cowardice”.

He handed Adeoye a further 12 months’ detention for having the knife and 18 months for threatening a neighbour with the blade to run concurrently with his life sentence.

Roma Iqbal

Roma Iqbal, 23, was jailed for terrorism offences (Image: Thames Valley Police)

An “intelligent” woman shared documents supporting the terrorist group so-called Islamic State, after becoming infatuated with an American terror suspect.

Former Debenhams worker Roma Iqbal, 23, from Oxford, previously pleaded guilty to disseminating The Signs Of Al-Rahman In The Raid Of September and Ruling On Fighting Americans Outside Iraq, on December 10 2021.

Serena Gates, prosecuting, told Winchester Crown Court that the defendant helped set up a website called the People of Tawhid, to support the terrorist suspect Benjamin Carpenter, also known as Abu Hamza, who was arrested in Knoxville, in the US, in March 2021. He was arrested on suspicion of attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (Isis).

Ms Gates said that Iqbal would use a variety of social media platforms to discuss Isis, including Signal, WhatsApp, TikTok and Telegram, and used encrypted messaging on the sites to avoid detection. She said that the documents she shared “glorified” the 9/11 terror attacks in the US.

She said that communication between the defendant and Carpenter, including 25,000 Telegram messages, were intercepted by the FBI, in which “the predominant narrative is the mutual interest and admiration of Daesh or Isis”. In one message she said: “I told you I like to take risks, get locked up and convert the sisters inside, work our way outwards.”

Ms Gates said: “There was some degree of infatuation by the defendant about Abu Hamza, it doesn’t indicate that the defendant is exploited by Abu Hamza but does seek his approval. But clearly she is a bright articulate individual who knows what she is doing.”

Hossein Zahir, defending, said: “She was seeking approval of a group of older men in a cause she felt worthwhile. She clearly enjoyed their attention and in relation to Mr Carpenter, the position was even more nuanced with a degree of infatuation, she really has been drawn in but this is not a relationship of equals.”

Iqbal was sentenced to four and a half years in prison with an extra year on licence.

References

1. ^{^} Killer drivers, a prison officer and a sham parking boss among those jailed in Greater Manchester in September (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
2. ^{^} here. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
3. ^{^} ‘Evil’ man who sexually assaulted sister before murdering her jailed for life (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
4. ^{^} Remorseless GMP detective who repeatedly raped girl still says he’s innocent (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
5. ^{^} Man killed dad-of-six 45 minutes after police had arrested him at home (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)