Locked up in 2023: The 63 Plymouth criminals jailed this year

Plymouth’s courtrooms were no less busy in 2023 as in previous years with some of the city’s most shocking, disturbing and horrific crimes on the books being dealt with by judges. Among them were cases which saw violent attacks, sickening sexual assaults, and outrageous acts of criminality. Judges have had to abide by the Sentencing Guidelines, which determines the range of sentences available to them, depending on a number of factors, including guilty pleas, mitigating circumstances, good – or not so good – character as well as the potential harm caused by the offender and their level of culpability.

As a result, some sentences may seem odd when set against another sentence, particularly if the crime has led to the death of someone rather than serious injury. However, each case and each sentencing is done on the merits of that case alone, hence the different sentences throughout the last 12 months. Readers should keep in mind that behind each of these sentences a large, often staggeringly huge, amount of work has been carried out by local and regional police officers, detectives, crime scene investigators, analysts as well as diligent work by solicitors and barristers.

Each have been involved in the process by which a case is built and presented in court, allowing witnesses to give evidence, and juries to deliberate on their verdict before a judge makes the final sentencing decision. Readers should also keep in mind the victims, who have suffered the acts – on occasion, life-ending acts – from the criminals highlighted below.

Yuseab Woldeab – 18 years

Yoseab Woldeab has been jailed for 18 years for raping and kidnapping a young woman in April last year (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

28-year-old Woldeab brutally raped a gay woman who had been out drinking after tricking her into his car and kidnapping her off the pavement street in Union Street[1] – then claimed to police it was consensual sex. Yuseab Woldeab, a Eritrean refugee who has lived in this country for several years, was found guilty of one count of vaginal rape, one count of anal rape and one count of kidnap following a trial at Plymouth Crown Court.[2]

The jury heard during the four day trial how Woldeab, of Wilton Street, Millbridge had picked up the woman in Union Street on a night in April last year as she staggered home, following a night out with two of her friends. The woman, who is in her late 20s, had been to a number of venues and was under the influence of alcohol. Judge Peter Johnson told Woldeab that he proffered “bare faced lies” as his defence, adding that he had not shown “one scintilla of remorse” for what he had done.He began by telling the court how Woldeab had been a known ‘predator’ from 2016 and had been regularly seen “following” lone females “every Friday and Saturday night”.

On one occasion he was questioned by police who found money and condoms in his pockets.

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Gasps were heard from the public gallery when Judge Johnson also revealed that Woldeab had been warned over contacting girls under the age of 16. Taking these factors into account, Judge Johnson said that in order to “protect the public” a further five years would be added to his sentence. Read the full story here and here[3][4]

James Bishop and Benjamin Old – 40 months and 4 years

James Bishop and Benjamin Old – both jailed for robbery (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

James Bishop, aged 27 of Hornchurch Road, Ernesettle and 25-year-old Benjamin Old, of no fixed abode, were jailed following a robbery spree across the city.

Among a series of offences Bishop and Old targeted a vulnerable man near the George Hostel, stripping him of his T-shirt, jumper and trainers, assaulting him and taking GBP10 in cash from him last August. Read the full story here[5]

Luke Braun – 27 months

Luke Braun, 19, sexually assaulted a woman in Plymouth.

19-year-old Luke Braun walked into a woman’s house and sexually assaulted her but was caught after his mum threatened to call police and he threw a brick through her window. The court heard that the victim was in her home on March 17, 2022, when she heard a noise coming from her kitchen and discovered Braund, who was described as having bloodshot eyes and smelling of cannabis, inside.

She told her child to go into another room before Braund touched her, grabbed her breasts, and told her he would “pay her”. He then dropped his trousers and underwear and forced the woman to touch his genitals with her hands. She began to cry and begged him to stop, at which point he pulled up his trousers and was chased off the property by the woman.

Read the full story here[6]

Benjamin Parry, Thomas Pawley and Chad Brading – 12 years (increased on appeal to 15 years), 4 years and 4 years.

Chad Brading, Benjamin Parry and Thomas Pawley – all found guilty of manslaughter of David Crawford (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Benjamin Parry, aged 42 and Chad Brading, aged 36, both from Plymouth, along with Thomas Pawley, aged 32 from Ivybridge[7], were found guilty of manslaughter following the death of 59-year-old David Crawford, also from Ivybridge who was killed following a collision on the A38[8] earlier in 2022. Parry was jailed for 12 years, while Pawley and Brading were both jailed for four years each. During the trial in November at Plymouth Crown Court, the jury was shown footage of Crawford riding his black 2,000cc Kawasaki motorbike on the evening of 12 May, when it was stopped by Pawley and Brading in Pawley’s black Mercedes car on the St Budeaux[9] A38 on-slip.

As the bike was being obstructed by the Mercedes, Parry, who was driving his work Transit van, drove up behind Mr Crawford and ploughed into the rear of the motorbike. Mr Crawford was initially thrown up into the air before striking the bonnet of the Transit van. Dashcam footage from the van then showed Mr Crawford disappearing from view under the vehicle.

Parry did not stop after the collision and cab-cam footage showed his vehicle momentarily bump and lurch. Mr Crawford, who was a member of a bike club in Cornwall, had become pinned under the Transit as it drove on at speed onto and along the A38.

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Nearly one kilometre later, as Parry turned off the A38 at the Weston Mill/Devonport[10] off slip, Mr Crawford’s body was eventually dislodged. Cab-cam footage repeatedly shown to the jury again saw the vehicle lurch and bump as the vehicle rolled over Mr Crawford’s body, with Parry being thrown momentarily out of seat.

Read the full story here and here. Read the Judge comments as he slammed the ‘infantile world’ of biker gangs here[11][12][13] In April Parry had his sentence increased from 12 to 15 years following an appeal by the family of David Crawford.[14]

Zak Hardy – 8 years

Zak Hardy has been jailed for the rape of a woman in Plymouth (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

The 27-year-old was handed an eight year sentence for raping and coercively controlling[15] a woman in Plymouth.

Hardy, a tyre-fitter from Barton Brake, Wembury, denied the offences and gave evidence in his defence. During the trial the jury were told how Hardy was alleged to have driven at her in a vehicle, chased her on foot and made numerous calls to her as well as made verbal threats towards her. Hardy was described as being “dangerous” and acting as if he had a “sense of entitlement” by Judge Peter Johnson.

A pre-sentencing report said that Hardy was considered to be a high risk of committing further sexual assaults. Prosecutor Piers Norsworthy read an extract from a victim statement in which the woman said if she saw Hardy in the street, she would be afraid. She said the fear of constantly looking over her shoulder was having an impact on her mental health and therefore, a knock-on effect on her children.

Read the full story here[16]

Jason Mooney – 38 weeks

19-year-old Jason Mooney, of Norwich Avenue, Plymouth was arrested by police after he was pulled from a stolen Fiat 500 car which had eventually become stuck in mud following a long and at times high-speed chase through the city. Mooney pleaded guilty to receiving stolen goods, dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance and breaching a suspended sentence order. Officers called on the Fiat 500 to stop, but Mooney – who had a male passenger beside him – sped off through the city, driving at speed in narrow residential streets.

Within moments it was travelling along Wolseley Road, pursued by the police. It headed down St Levans Road, back up Sussex Road and through back streets of Keyham and over Wolseley Road through North Prospect and Pennycross, along Ham Drive and Honicknowle Lane, Ashridge Gardens, before heading onto Crownhill Road and into Budshead Road towards Whitleigh. Along the way the car went through a number of red lights, drove on the wrong side of the road, triggered speed cameras, consistently ignored the police sirens and blue lights, travelled well in excess of the 30mph speed limits, reaching speeds of more than 60mph in tightly packed residential areas.

The pursuing driver even requested the NPAS helicopter and a dog unit as well as more pursuit-trained officers in case a T-PAC manoeuvre was necessary. Read the full story here[17]

Paul Martin David Roberts – 39 months

Roberts had been drinking most of the day and had taken cocaine (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Paul Martin David Roberts initially pleaded not guilty[18] at Plymouth Crown Court to the charge of causing grievous bodily harm to the then 19-year-old Callum Turner in North Hill on the evening of July 17, 2021. In a savage attack Roberts left the teen – who had dreamed of becoming a police officer – suffering injuries so severe he would now have to be cared for for the rest of his life.

Just three weeks before his trial he finally changed his plea, resulting in a sentencing hearing which was attended by his victim, his victim’s family and friends all attending the court. Witnesses spoke of a group of ‘rowdy’ men on North Hill that night and that 32-year-old Roberts had been drinking most of the day and had taken cocaine. One witness told police Roberts was “particularly aggressive – pacing and shouting”.

Meanwhile Callum was walking up North Hill “minding his own business” when Roberts stopped him and said, “I’m in the f***ing mood for a fight” before punching Callum to the side of the head in an entirely unprovoked assault. The court heard that Callum fell back and cracked his head on the pavement with one witness saying they heard a “cracking sound”. Callum was taken to hospital were he underwent a CT scan and found to have a fractured skull and a bleed on the brain.

He remained in hospital but on July 22 he took a turn for the worse and became violently sick, unsteady on his feet and suffered multiple seizures. Another CT scan found a far worse bleed on the brain and he was put on a ventilator and given fluids intravenously. The following day he continued to suffer seizures and had to undergo life-saving surgery, with part of his skull and brain removed and a device to monitor cranial pressure inserted.

Callum Turner was ‘minding his own business’ when he was punched in the side of the head in an entirely unprovoked attack (Image: Family photo)

Judge William Hart said on that night Roberts was “spoiling for a fight” and had “picked on a wholly innocent man to satisfy that desire”.

He noted Callum’s mother who “bravely” read out her victim impact statement to the court which highlighted how the young man’s life “will never be the same again” adding “he – unlike you – was an admirable young man” Read the full story here[19]

Paul Brown – 1 year

Paul Brown – of Shell Close, aged 50. Sexual assaults by touching on two young girls.

Sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

A jury found Paul Brown, aged 50, guilty of five counts of sexually and intentionally touching a girl aged 14 and a further four counts of sexually and intentionally touching a girl aged between 13 and 16. The offences took place between June 2020 and September 2020. Sentencing Brown, of Shell Close, Leigham, Judge Robert Linford described the nature of the offences and the two young victims.

He said the effect of the sexual assaults on the girls had been “significant”, leaving them with “nightmares and flashbacks” and each of them now “struggling” with contact with others. He said Brown still denied the offence and that “remorse is noticeably absent”. Read the full story here[20]

Daniel Marshall – 4 years

Daniel Marshall – aka Daniel Wiles, aka Daniel Sperring (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Daniel Marshall – who also goes by the names Daniel Sperring and Daniel Wiles – appeared at Plymouth Crown Court after pleading guilty to the charge of robbery of Neswick Stores in Anstis Street and of possession of a bladed article in public.

Prosecutor Michael Brown said Marshall had been released from a indeterminate sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection January 2023, but on February 8 at around 1.45pm Marshall had a “relapse”, cut off his electronic tag, left his bail hostel in Paradise Road and headed to the store. Wearing a coat with his hood up to obscure his face, Marshall walked directly up to the till area, barging aside one of the female shop workers, before forcefully pushing in the perspex sheeting so that he could brandish the large kitchen knife at the young female shop-worker behind the counter. The court heard that Marshall said: “I don’t want to hurt you both but I will if I have to”.

He then demanded money from the till and the shop-worker handed over around GBP100 before he walked out. CCTV footage showed the entire incident lasted mere seconds. The court was told Marshall had 21 convictions for 64 offences including robbery in 2001 and possession of a bladed article in 2005.

However, in 2009 Marshall was handed an indeterminate sentence with a minimum of four years after he launched a terrifying knifepoint sex attack on two girls and a woman who went to their aid in the Tothill Park area. An indeterminate sentence – IPP – meant that while Marshall – then known as Daniel Wiles – was jailed for four years, he would not be granted release until the Parole Board was sure he was no longer a danger to the public.[21][22] Read the full story here[23]

Alexander Easby – 10 years

Alexander Easby (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Alexander Easby, aged 57, was handed a 10-year jail sentence after he was found guilty of two counts of buggery on a boy aged under 13 years during the early 1980s.

A jury at his trial found him guilty of two counts, but not guilty of a third offence, all of which took place between 1983 and 1985. Sentencing Easby, of Beacon Park Road, North Prospect, Judge Simon Carr said the victim did not have the protections one would expect for a child of his age, having been brought up in a “fairly rough and ready” environment. Read the full story here[24]

Nathan Walker – Two and a half years

Nathan Walker – jailed for brandishing authentic-looking handgun which turned out to be an unviable gas-powered BB gun (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Nathan Walker, aged 45 from King Street, Stonehouse[25] was jailed after he walked into a Union Street KFC restaurant brandishing a realistic-looking handgun with the aim of provoking police to react.

Despite the mitigation offered by his advocate, which saw Walker described as a man who was finding custody, alongside younger people including teens and in their 20s, “very difficult”, Judge Simon Carr noted that Walker had been before the court 25 times for 62 offences. He noted how Walker had brandished the gun on a roundabout – at the junction of Union Street and Octagon Street – and pointed it at cars “with the intention of provoking a reaction, probably from the police” Read the full story here[26]

Sam Evans – 14 years plus four on licence.

Sam Evans – Commando jailed for violent rape of woman in Devonport (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Sam Evans, aged 28, of Ker Street, Devonport, was found guilty of raping, strangling and beating a woman after a night out in Plymouth

The jury at Plymouth Crown Court found Evans, a Corporal in 29 Commando, Royal Artillery Regiment, guilty of vaginal rape by a 10 to 2 majority. They also found him guilty of assault by penetration using his fingers on a 10 to 2 majority, but not guilty of oral rape and not guilty of a second count of assault by penetration using his fingers. They found him guilty of assault by penetration using a vibrator, assault occasioning actual bodily harm – slapping her around the face and head – and intentional strangulation, all by unanimous verdict.

The jury heard how Evans[27] had taken the woman back to his Ker Street flat and despite others being in the main room of the property, and with a flatmate in the adjacent room, he had used a vibrator on her which he had taken from his chest of drawers. The court heard he had ordered her to take down her jeans and underwear before he raped her, placing his hands around her throat and choking her during the rape. During the woman’s evidence she also explained how Evans had spat into her face and eyes, and at one point urinated onto her.

Sam Evans, 28, pictured outside Plymouth Crown Court (Image: Plymouth Live)

The victim attended court to read out a statement from the witness stand, frequently turning to face Evans as he sat in the dock.

She told the court Evans “taunted and laughed at me” and that the assault “went on for hours”. She said she was “kept in a permanent state of fear”. She said that as she was repeatedly strangled and lost consciousness “I thought I was dying – I thought about my family and feared if I would ever see them again.

I feared my body would never be found”. Judge Robert Lindford said the combination of alcohol and violence had led to an “utterly savage attack – the stuff of nightmares”.

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As Evans cried in the dock, Judge Linford reminded the court of the “utter humiliation” he subjected the woman to, punching, slapping and strangling her to the point that she could not talk or breathe. Following the hearing, a detective who led the inquiry said Evans lived a ‘double life’[28] – on the one hand as an ‘impeccable’ serviceman and on the other as a ‘manipulative’ violent and abusive rapist

Read the full story here[29]

Nicholas Copeland – Five years and four months

Nicholas Copeland – also known as Tyler Taylor – of Alphington Road, Exeter, was jailed after he pleaded guilty to two counts of intentionally attempting to penetrate the anus of a boy under the the age of 13. One of the counts covered multiple attempts which took place at a property in Plymouth between 2008 and 2010. The man’s victim impact statement was read out by the investigating officer which revealed how the abuse had had a “lasting effect on me and my life”, resulting in a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis, anxiety and depression.

He had only come forward after attending a sexual abuse awareness training course where he broke down and revealed the abuse he had suffered as a young boy. Read the full story here[30]

Paul Leefson

Paul Leefson (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

A judge told Paul Leefson of Greenbank Avenue, Plymouth the indecent images of children he had collected “plumbed the very depths of depravity”. Leefson pleaded guilty to a total of nine charges.

The 35-year-old pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children – 59 still images and 39 movies – of category A (the most serious) between August 2019 and June 2021. He also pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children – 47 still images and 15 movies – of category B between August 2019 and June 2021 and making 135 still and three movies of category C. Leefson also pleaded guilty to distributing indecent images of children between June 8 2021 and June 12 2021 – namely five images of category A, four images of category B and four images of category C. He pleaded guilty to possessing an extreme pornographic images “which was grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character and portrayed in an explicit wand realist way a person performing an act of intercourse or oral sex with an animal, namely a dog”.

Leefson, a former crane operator, pleaded guilty to publishing an obscene article between June 8 2021 and June 12 2021 – namely “chat relating to sexual activity with children”. He also pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child under 16. The particulars were that on June 11 2021 “for the purpose of sexual gratification, intentionally attempted to communicate with a person under 16, namely 14 years of age” with the communication “being sexual, namely chat with [a named person] by way of Kik Messenger”.

Read the full story here[31]

Peter Turner – 11 and a half years

Peter Turner (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Peter Turner, originally of St Michael Avenue, Keyham[32] admitted to the sexual assault on a girl aged under 13 which happened during 2020. He also pleaded guilty to taking Category A – the most serious – images of a child, namely filming the sexual assault. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism and a further sexual assault of a child under the age of 14.

Turner, 39, also pleaded guilty to taking indecent images of a child in March 2021, and three further counts of taking indecent images of a child in 2021. The court was told that after the girl revealed the abuse she had suffered, she told police she was warned by Turner that if she said anything “she would be taken away”. The girl’s mother, in a victim impact statement, wrote how the girl was “terrified of police” when they came to her home “because she was afraid that they would take her away because of what [Turner] had told her”.

Judge Robert Linford told Turner: “These offences were absolutely abhorrent to all right thinking members of society”. Read the full story here[33]

Liam Connolly – 32 months

Liam Connolly (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Liam Connolly, aged 30, admitted shaking a baby “so violently that he became unconscious and unresponsive”. The emergency services were called and it was recognised that Connolly carried out CPR on the baby.

The child was taken to hospital were it was found to have suffered a bleed on the brain. Judge Linford said that the baby’s condition was considered “serious and life-threatening” but over the following months and years the child made what appeared to be a full recovery and an assessment in 2021 found that the child was “clinically well within normal development”. Read the full story here[34]

Vincent Angus Smith – Five years

Vincent Smith (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Vincent Smith, aged 63, and of Dumfries Avenue, Honicknowle, was jailed for the historic abuse of a boy, when Smith was himself 16 through to when he was over 18, between June 1975 and September 1979.

Mr Recorder Richard Stead noted that the charges, more than 40 years ago, included two counts of indecency with a child, four counts of indecent assault on a male, and one of attempted buggery. All the offences related to the same victim. Read the full story here[35]

Sully Tinknell, Jamie Birtwistle, Kyle McLaughin and Aaron Stephens – 16 years in total

Sully Tinknell (top left), Jamie Birtwistle (top right), Kyle McLaughin (bottom left) and Aaron Stephens (bottom right) have all been jailed (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Jamie Birtwistle, Aaron Stephens, Sully Tinknell and Kyle McLaughin conspired to carry out an armed robbery of a Plymouth couple, luring them to the city to buy a car.

Birtwistle, of Berkshire Drive, Plymouth admitted the offence back in January 2022[36] However, 27-year-old Tinknell, of Ivy Drive, Tamerton Foliot, 26-year-old Stephens of Chard Barton, Honicknowle and 23-year-old McLaughin of Bedford Street, Ford denied the offence and were found guilty following trial. The court heard how the couple were met not by car sellers but by four masked men, one of whom brandished a firearm. While the man with the gun – later revealed to be Birtwistle – demanded money of the male the other three suspects – Tinknell, Stephens and McLaughin – clambered into the truck where the man’s partner sat with their dog.

In the cab they spotted what they thought was a package containing the money – but transpired to be the dog’s lead wrapped up in a high-vis jacket. Police later learned that while the couple were meant to have brought around GBP500 they had actually sold a car earlier that day and were in possession of around GBP4,000. Read the full story here[37]

Daniel Pakeman – Eight and a half years

Daniel Pakeman (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Daniel Pakeman, aged 29 and of Peel Street in Stonehouse was jailed for one one count of rape and one count of attempted rape.

He was also put on the Sex Offenders Register for life. Police said the offences took place at a residential property in Plymouth and both attacks involved the same woman. Following the sentence the officer in charge of the inquiry, Det Con Andrea Dominik said: “Pakeman took the opportunity to commit these sexual offences which has caused a significant impact on the victim’s life, her health and her relationships and will continue to do so for the rest of her life.”

Read the full story here[38]

Fatjon and Fatmir Kurmekaj – 45 months each

Fatjon and Fatmir Kurmekaj have been jailed for producing cannabis in two Plymouth properties (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Albanian cousins Fatmir Kurmekaj, aged 34, of High Wycombe and Fatjon Kurmekaj, aged 36, of The Crescent, Plymouth, appeared at Plymouth Crown Court were sentenced for a number of offences, including driving without insurance, while Fatmir did not even have a driving licence. Officers found sets of keys on them which, upon investigation by Plymouth’s Proactive Policing Team, revealed two properties in Plymouth – Kingsley Road in Mutley and Warleigh Avenue in Keyham – which had been converted into “commercial cannabis growing operations.” Judge Robert Linford told the pair that they were engaged in a “commercial operation” which had intended to produce “industrial quantities of cannabis”[39] and the pair had “operational or management function within the chain”.

He noted that mobile phone records showed they were the point of contact for people involved and for those who required cannabis.

Large cannabis farms found at Kingsley Road in Mutley and Warleigh Avenue in Keyham (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

He went on to remark on Fatmir’s current resident status, noting he had: “somehow obtained a right to permanent residence in this country. I dare say that whoever made that decision [who] is made aware of this offence, may somewhat regret it.” Read the full story here[40]

Jake Pennington – Four years

Jake Pennington was jailed following an incident at Jesters nightclub (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Jake Pennington, aged 34 was jailed and banned from setting foot in Union Street nightspot Jesters for another five years after attacking two doormen with a knife.

Both men suffered psychological issues as a result of the assault. Judge Robert Linford told Pennington he had injured two men who “were doing nothing more than their duty to try to keep the people in that club safe”. The court heard how Pennington visited Jesters and was attacked inside the club by another man in the early hours of April 16, 2023.

The door staff intervened and were in the process of ejecting both men from the club when Pennington pulled the knife in the foyer at about 3.30am. The two doormen were then injured and Pennington fled the scene but was later identified by police who tracked him to a property in the city following a public appeal. Read the full story here[41]

Mark Wardle – Six and a half years

Mark Wardle – jailed for six and a half years (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Mark John Anthony Wardle, of Belmont Place, Plymouth was jailed for six-and-a-half years after he admitted a string of offences involving grooming and inciting young girls to sexually abuse their own bodies for his gratification.

The court heard how 59-year-old Wardle groomed four girls, aged between 10 and 13, after contacting them on KIK messenger and Snapchat, tricking them into believing he was a child of a similar age. However he then began to urge them to take part in perverse sexual acts including inserting pens into their private parts. The court heard how Wardle, aged 59, had also taken indecent photos and video of a young girl while she was washing herself.

Read the full story here[42]

Sammy-Jo Dillon – Four years and four months

Sammy-Jo Dillon (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Sammy-Jo Dillon, aged 39 and from Crozier Road, Plymouth deliberately targeted the elderly and vulnerable people, burgling and defrauding an elderly blind couple and stealing from an elderly man with Parkinson’s. The court was told Dillon cultivated a relationship with the first victim over a period of time and within mere days of leaving prison began to convince him to part with cash “consensually”. Mr Pawson-Pounds noted that even though the victim had read coverage of her previous offences on PlymouthLive[43] he continued to give her money and allowed repeated visits by her to his home in early April of this year.

Dillon went on to commit further offences, this time spotting a 78-year-old man in the street who the court heard was “clearly elderly, blind and had mobility issues”.

Sammy-Jo Dillon “helped” her blind 78-year-old home, carrying his shopping for him. She later stole two purses from his ex-wife’s home (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Mr Pawson-Pounds explained how on April 14 this year, the man was out shopping in town for groceries. He was approached by a woman – Dillon – who claimed she was a social worker and “she liked to help people”.

She took his shopping bag off him, interlinked her arm through his and walked him home. The prosecutor said Dillon continued this charade even when the man was on the phone to his care worker at his home. When he later went up the road to his former wife, Dillon accompanied him and when they arrived, she asked for a drink of water, which the court heard was a “distraction technique she has used before”.

While in the woman’s bedroom she stole two purses, bank cards and GBP55 cash. Dillon then fled the house. The elderly woman later realised something was wrong when she entered her bedroom and tripped over something Dillon had left on the floor as she had ransacked the room.

Dillon later wrote a letter apologising to the court over the damage she had caused her elderly victims, saying “I’m disgusted with myself for that”.

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In addition to the jail term, Recorder Jo Martin KC made Dillon the subject of a Criminal Behaviour Order which prohibited her from having any unsupervised contact with any person – male or female – over the age of 60 years. Recorder Martin KC said the order would be extended from five to seven years. Read the full story here[44]

Terrence McDonagh – 16 months

Terrence McDonagh – jailed for 16 months (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Terrence McDonagh, aged 46 of no fixed abode, helped to raid a family home, stealing jewellery of hugely sentimental value along with a large sum of cash, described in court as the family’s life savings.

The court heard he targeted a home close to Pennycomequick roundabout in Plymouth where he made off with cash and jewellery worth around GBP15,000. Police said the burglary fell under the operational name – Operation Merida – a specialist category where criminals, often part of organised crime gangs, specifically target the homes of Asian and Far Eastern families, where traditionally victims are believed to keep high values of sentimental gold. The specific targeting has taken place at properties not just in the South West but at homes across the country for a number of years and several forces across England and Wales work together in an effort to catch the offenders.

The money stolen – which amounted to GBP4,200 – was effectively the family’s life savings and the parents had “struggled to save that amount”. The court heard that McDonagh and his fellow criminals also stole the children’s savings and as a result of the incident they were left feeling “very scared”. The prosecutor revealed that some of the money was set aside for the children to learn how to drive and for their future university education[45].

Read the full story here[46]

Lloyd Herbert – Two years and six months

Lloyd Herbert – jailed after he was found with nearly half a kilo of cocaine (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Lloyd Michael Herbert admitted to having cocaine with street value of around GBP40,000 along with GBP6,890 in cash – which he claimed was from his dog breeding business and sale of a car. The 31-year-old from Hooe Road, Plymouth admitted dealing cocaine to pay off his drug debt. The court was told police found 491 grams of cocaine which had a purity of 93 percent – which the court prosecutor Herc Ashworth suggested meant it was “close to source”.

Mr Ashworth said the wholesale value of the cocaine was between GBP15,000 and GBP20,000 while as separate street deals it could amount to around GBP40,000. Herbert’s mobile phone was also seized but he refused to give his PIN to allow officers to interrogate it. A search of his property revealed GBP6,890 in cash, found in a couple of DVD cases as well as in a heat sealed bag.

Officers also found a cash-counting machine in Herbert’s loft, a heat-sealing machine and a “dealer’s list” in a kitchen drawer. In addition officers found a “Rambo-type knife under a pillow”, and a genuine TAG Heuer watch. The court heard the ‘dealer’s list’ suggested the sale of both cocaine and heroin.

Read the full story here[47]

Conor Redrobe and Craig Jackson – Three years and four months for Redrobe, Three years and nine months for Jackson

Conor Redrobe and Craig Jackson have both been jailed after they admitted conspiring to deal heroin and cocaine to Plymouth addicts (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Conor Redrobe aged 27 and Craig Jackson, aged 30 sent hundreds of heroin and cocaine users in Plymouth messages touting their illicit wares brought down from Liverpool. The pair were arrested by police following a lengthy inquiry by officers from Devon and Cornwall Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Investigation Team (SOCIT). were involved in the conspiracy, using what was known among Plymouth drug users as the “Franny” graft phone line – although police have said it was also known by other similar nicknames such as “Frannie”, “Franny N Jay” and “Fran”.

He said both Jackson, of Conrad Road, Manadon and Redrobe, of Winmarleigh Street, Warrington operated the graft phone and between August 2019 and April 2020 sent 319 bulk texts messages on that line. The court heard that 21 different phone numbers were identified during the investigation, all of which were operated by Jackson and Redrobe. In addition, the court heard that both were in charge of people ‘below them’ working as street dealers – but Jackson was the “overall operator” and Redrobe his “lieutenant”, who lived at a property in Sussex Road, Plymouth.

After pleading not guilty, Redrobe was granted bail but failed to attend his trial. Inquiries revealed that he had fled to Turkey. A warrant was issued and on February 16 this year he was traced to a property back in England and was found by police “hiding behind a sofa”.

Conor Redrobe at the Tesco in Transit Way, Plymouth (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Following the hearing, investigators told PlymouthLive that the pair had employed a number of other people to act as their street dealers, a number of whom have already been brought before the courts.

Jackson had taken on the role of street dealer after Redrobe moved back to Warrington, and it was during this time that officers, acting on intelligence, arrested him, searched him and his home and uncovered the full extent of the drug dealing operation. They learned that the cocaine and heroin would come from the Liverpool area before being sold on by the pair. They would send texts to hundreds of drug users in the city, advertising what was on offer and how much it would costs, before using their small army of street dealers to meet with customers.

Craig Jackson at the Tesco in Transit Way, Plymouth (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Investigators said that the “Franny” line was well-known by users in Plymouth and that the dealing undoubtedly went back further than 2019.

Read the full story here[48]

Christopher McCaffrey – Three years and four months

Christopher McCaffrey (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Christopher McCaffrey, aged 37, from Beacon Road, Bodmin appeared at Plymouth Crown Court after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm, non-fatal strangulation, assaulting an emergency worker and racially aggravated intentional harassment. The court heard he had strangled his former partner, bit her finger and punched her in the face before spitting in the face of one police officer and then calling a female custody sergeant a “foreign c***”. Officers had been called to a Plymouth property where he was suspected of assaulting his then girlfriend.

The woman was found by officers “unconscious and unresponsive” with “significant facial bruising”. When she came round she revealed that McCaffrey had also assaulted her a few days beforehand, grabbing her throat and “tried to snap it”. The court heard that at this point the woman began to vomit clotted blood and there were fears she had internal injuries.

She passed out again and she was rushed to Derriford Hospital[49] where she underwent scans. It was revealed she had suffered fractures to bones around her eye socket and fragments of bone had been displaced around her left cheek bone. There was also a fracture around her wrist.

Mr Bailey said that at the police station McCaffrey tried to wriggle out of his cuffs and then told on of the arresting officers that he would slash his throat before calling him “a little faggot”. He then spat at the officer, with the spittle hitting him in the face, neck and arms. On being arrested there and then for assaulting an emergency worker he replied “f*** yourself”.

He was restrained further whereupon the female custody sergeant, who the court heard was from the Czech Republic, began to read him his rights. McCaffrey interrupted her shouting “shut up you foreign c***, get an English person to speak to me”. As she continued he shouted “get f***ed” repeatedly, again telling her “shut up you foreign c***” before adding “f***ing Russian little p****”.

Read the full story here[50]

Anthony Doyle – Three years and nine months

A drug dealer from Plymouth has been jailed for more than three years following an investigation into County Lines drug dealing. Anthony Doyle, 37, of Adelaide Street in Plymouth pleaded guilty at Plymouth Crown Court on Wednesday

Anthony Doyle, 37, of Adelaide Street in Plymouth admitted supplying heroin and crack cocaine and driving while disqualified.

Detective Inspector Gary Stratton from Merseyside Police said Doyle was part of a county drug line between Liverpool and Plymouth. He said: “Doyle is originally from Liverpool and had embedded himself as a resident in Plymouth. However, a joint investigation showed that he was dealing drugs to local drug users in the Plymouth area.

The evidence put before the courts was so strong that he pleaded guilty to the charges.” Read the full story here[51]

Jerry Weeks – Four years

Jerry Weeks – jailed for four years after he was caught running large cannabis farm in a Roborough business unit (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Jerry Weeks, aged 41 and of Beverston Way, Widewell ran what police described as a “sophisticated cannabis operation” in a Roborough business unit. Weeks arrested by police following the discovery of the huge operation at the business park on Broadley Park Road, Roborough on Saturday, July 4, 2020.

Remarkably, the large scale growing scheme was only discovered by chance when officers involved in a separate inquiry attended the business unit. On arrival officers were

stunned to find up to 20 large hydroponic tents[52]

, each containing sophisticated growing equipment and a large number of cannabis plants at different growth stages.

A sticker, addressed to Jerry Weeks, was found at the Devonshire Meadows business park (Image: Erin Black)

At the time police revealed they found a large quantity of dried flowering bud at the business unit – approximately 350 plants of various sizes. It is understood during the course of inquiries officers seized mobile phones, cash, and documents from the property.

A number of officers, including Devon and Cornwall Police’s Force Support Group, were called in to assist with removing the large quantity of cannabis plants and associated equipment. Police later confirmed they spent from the day of discovery on the Saturday through to late on Tuesday evening clearing away the cannabis plants and equipment. Some of the plants were taken away for further examination to determine their potency and allow for an estimation of value of the entire haul, while the majority of the plants were removed and incinerated at an undisclosed location in Liskeard.

(Image: Erin Black/Plymouth Live)

Within the unit officers also located a small office area and on a desk officers found an electronic money counter, a coded safe and a digital microscope

which had a slide with a cannabis leaf set up for viewing.[53]

Plymouth Police’s Drugs Liaison Officer later carried out an examination of the plants and estimated the total potential street value of the 344 cannabis plants was GBP392,600.

With the ability to yield three harvests a year from the set-up, police said the potential street value could have been GBP1,177,800 a year.

(Image: Erin Black/Plymouth Live)

Read the full story here[54]

Michael Steward – Two years and eight months

Michael Steward – jailed after admitted to robbing teens (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Michael Steward, aged 19 of Alma Road, Plymouth, led a gang of young thugs who assaulted and robbed two teens. Steward and his compatriots approached a 17-year-old boy in the Royal Parade area and victim later told police that three males had kicked him to the floor before stealing his iPhone 12 mobile phone. The phone was later recovered from a girl at the Barbican[55] Leisure park.

The 17-year-old was left suffering cuts to his upper and lower lips and reddening to his left ear. Another incident saw a 16-year-old boy stopped by Steward and at least two other young males around the North Cross Roundabout underpass by the rail station on February 3. Steward threatened the boy and took GBP5 in cash, a vape, bus ticket and a pair of red and black Nike trainers, leaving the boy in just his socks.

Read the full story here[56]

Trevor Glover – Three years

Trevor Glover – jailed for three years for slew of burglaries and thefts (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Trevor Glover, aged 47 and of no fixed abode in Plymouth admitted a series of burglaries stealing a range of items, including an widower’s iPad which held photos of his recently deceased wife. Glover eventually pleaded guilty to a burglary of a Plymouth address, fraud by false representation and theft of a motor vehicle all in May of this year. In addition he admitted two more burglary of properties in June, two more thefts of motor vehicles from the properties he targeted and driving without insurance.

The widower later revealed that not only had Glover stolen the iPad but he had also swiped a charity box which collected money for CICRA – a charity which helps children suffering inflammatory bowel disease. The charity box was in place as the victim’s step-daughter suffered from the painful condition Crohn’s and they would raise money together for the charity. After nabbing Glover, investigators from the Plymouth’s Priority Crime Investigation Team travelled to London to secure evidence needed to secure a guilty plea from the prolific thief – and were able to retrieve the iPad and return it to the widower.

The victim later told PlymouthLive he had nothing but praise for the investigators, highlighting that many people criticise police for failing to investigate burglaries and thefts. He said: “I wrote them an email afterwards saying that they get a lot of bad press, but I couldn’t fault them, not for anything they’ve done. They kept me informed every step of the way, acted swiftly and even retrieved my iPad and the photos.

They were able to tie together three separate burglaries and car thefts committed by Glover. People have moaned about the police in front of me, saying they don’t investigate and I’ve told them I don’t agree. I think they’ve been very, very good.”

Read the full story here[57]

Gareth Treharne – Four and a half years

Gareth Treharne – jailed after burgling vulnerable victim three times in one night (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Gareth Treharne, aged 46 of George Place, Stonehouse[58], was arrested by police following what police said were a series of incidents at a property in Stoke. He admitted two counts of burglary with intent to steal, two counts of burglary, one count of taking a car without the owner’s consent and one count of possession of class A heroin. Prosecutor Katie Churcher told Plymouth Crown Court Treharne how the victim – who attended court in her wheelchair to see justice done – had woken up on the morning of June 27 to find her purse which held GBP430, medicine and car missing.

Checking her Ring doorbell footage she discovered that a man had entered her home on three occasions during the course of the previous night and early hours of the morning.[59]

Burglar Gareth Treharne was captured on camera as he entered his vulnerable victim’s Plymouth home (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

In a victim impact statement that the woman read out at a previous hearing, she said she was left feeling “like a prisoner in the one place I should feel safe”. She went on to remark how she now felt “incredibly nervous in my own home”, adding “I am now very reluctant to leave my house for anything except for my hospital appointments. I find myself checking and rechecking that everything is locked, barred, and bolted.”

The court heard that the 46-year-old had been before the court 34 times covering 90 offences, including burglary of homes and taking vehicles without consent. She said Treharne claimed that if he had known the woman was so severely disabled and vulnerable he would not have stolen from her, although Ms Churcher said it would have been “abundantly clear” of her disability by the objects in her car.

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Read the full story here[60]

Joshua May – 22 months

Joshua May was handed a 22-month jail sentence for his attack on former girlfriend Jade Weir in March 2022 in her own home (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Joshua May, aged 29-year-old from Duncombe Avenue, Plymouth was jailed after he was found guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend, who suffered a broken rib and nose. He was also made subject of a ten year restraining order.The victim, Jade Weir, told PlymouthLive she had only been with May for three months when he erupted in an unexpected fury and literally beat her black and blue.

“It was fine up until a week or two before the attack,” said Jade, claiming that May took a range of illicit substances and drank heavily. She said she later learned that May had been in trouble with the law in the past but she knew nothing at the time. She said that he had previously claimed that a past girlfriend had pushed him out of a window, but later learned that he had jumped out of a window while she was talking to police officers.

Jade Weir was left with severe bruising on both arms and face as well as broken rib and nose following the attack by Joshua May (Image: submtited)

Court records show May was jailed for four weeks in January 2016 for an assault on a woman the previous June.

He was was also handed a two-year restraining order at the time and ordered to pay her GBP100 compensation. He was then handed a five week prison sentence in October 2016 for an assault on a different woman in August 2016 and told to pay her GBP50 compensation. In September 2021 he was fined GBP200 for breaching a non-molestation order made in the family court by entering a family home he was prohibited from doing.

Jade told PlymouthLive that on the day of the assault “He just came in screaming and shouting. I’d gone to walk into the hallway and he pinned me against the door. He was screaming and shouting at me – I didn’t say anything back to him – and then he grabbed the back of my neck, threw me to the floor and began punching me.

Once he finished punching me he started kicking me, while wearing his steel-toe-capped work boots. “He was screaming at me to stand up – but by then he’d broken a rib and my left arm, the muscle was split. A doctor later described it being like a piece of chicken when you slice through it.

I couldn’t move or breathe so I couldn’t tell him that I couldn’t get up. “He dragged me up by my arm and in the pictures taken afterwards you can see every individual finger mark – the bruising was awful. “That kind of finished and I walked into the kitchen in shock.

He came in crying, saying he was sorry.” Read the full story here[61]

Bardh Kastrati – Three years

Bardh Kastrati – jailed for running a cannabis farm in Valletort Road, Stoke (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Albanian Bardh Kastrati, aged 30 from Stoke[62], had travelled to the UK in 2012 and had settled down with a partner but on May 17, 2021 he was stopped in a car by police in the city centre[63]. Kastrati was the driver and a search of the vehicle revealed GBP3,000 in cash in the glovebox.

Kastrati was searched and a further GBP420 in cash was found in his pocket. Also in his pocket was an envelope which held documents, including two false identity cards and a recent council tax bill for a property in Valletort Road in Stoke. The officers, from the Plymouth police’s Proactive Policing Team, also found a bunch of keys in the car which unlocked the front door of the property on the council tax bill.

There officers found a sophisticated commercial cannabis farm, covering five rooms of the property.

Police raid a property at Valletort Road, Plymouth, as cannabis is discovered.

May 18, 2021 (Image: Matt Gilley/PlymouthLive)

In all police seized 291 cannabis plants which Judge Davey KC said estimates by a Drugs Liaison Officer found to have a typical yield of GBP160,000 if sold wholesale and between GBP80,000 and GBP224,000 on the retail market. Read the full story here[64]

Joe Pearson – 19 years – extended to 26 years

Joe Pearson raped three young girls and had now been locked up (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Joe Pearson, of Victoria Place, Stoke, Plymouth was found guilty following trial of two counts of rape of a child under the age of 13 and one count of rape of a teenager. Pearson, aged 22, was also found guilty of three counts of penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged between 13 and 15.

The offences took place in different locations around Plymouth between March 2019 and October 2020. The court heard from prosecutor Peter Rouch KC who explained that all three girls had similar characteristics in that they were young and vulnerable, going through difficulties at home and school. He said Pearson met all three online and effectively groomed them.

He said the three girls were effectively targeted by Pearson because they were “young, vulnerable, troubled girls”. The court heard that Pearson forcibly raped his first victim, “overpowering her” despite her shouts and screams and kicking, having first led her to an isolated park. He then “took steps” to stop her reporting the rape, ordering her not to tell anyone or he would rape her again.

Victim impact statements were read out in court. The third victim said she had distanced herself from her family despite knowing they wanted to help her “but no-one can help me”. She said she did not know how to talk about how she now feels and it was easier to “keep it inside”.

She wrote how she cannot sleep well at night and lays awake thinking “horrible thoughts”. She said social services had tried to help but she wrote, ‘What’s the point? I still feel the pain’.

She wrote how she lost her friends and had got in with “a bad crowd”, leading her to take drugs, adding: “I liked it, because it helped with forgetting the pain”. While she had started to rebuild her relationship with her family she was unable to talk about the rapes. She wrote: “When I look in the mirror I hate what I see.

I feel worthless and didn’t see the point of living.” Sentencing Pearson Judge Peter Johnson said the offences all came within just 18 months and each of his victims were vulnerable. He noted how one of the rapes took place at West Hoe park.

He said Pearson threatened the girl, calling her a “bitch” and “slag” and as she tried to resist her he put his hands around her neck “causing her to see stars”. Judge Johnson said when Pearson had finished he turned around and “smirked at her”. Judge Peter Johnson also placed Pearson on the Sex Offenders Register “indefinitely” and prohibited him from ever working with vulnerable adults and children.

Read the full story here[65]

Sam Flanders and Jack Barker – 10 years for Flanders and six years and five months for Barker

Sam Flanders and Jack Barker – jailed for terrifying attack in Firkin Doghouse pub in Union Street in August 2022 (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Sam Flanders aged 35 of Claremont Street, Plymouth and Jack Barker, aged 21 of no fixed abode carried out the terrifying attack – along with a third unidentified man – in the Firkin Doghouse pub in Union Street The court heard that both men were “both wielding large machete style knives” and immediately launched an attack on their victims. The first victim, James Standish, saw them enter and ran behind the bar where a barmaid was working.

Mr Bailey said Barker vaulted over the bar and began to attack Standish with the weapon, striking him on his back with an “overarm downward strike”. A grapple ensued before a female customer managed to help stop the assault by picking up a walking stick and using it to hit Barker. She was joined by the barmaid who also stopped the attack, receiving a severe cut to her hand in the process.

Sam Flanders enters the front door of Firkin Doghouse public house on Union Street brandishing a machete (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Meanwhile, the unidentified approached another victim, Dwayne Hewitt, and knifed him in the stomach.

A male customer shouted at him and Mr Hewitt picked up a chair, causing the unidentified attacker to flee the pub. The court heard Flanders entered via the front door wielding a machete and he was chased out of the doorway by Mr Hewitt, still holding the chair. Then all three attackers fled into a waiting Nissan Qashqai car which was later seen heading towards Cornwall.

Jack Barker in front holding machete with unidentified man behind in Firkin Doghouse pub on Union Street (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Judge Robert Linford said he noted how in this conspiracy to cause harm both men had gone into a public space with the machetes where “grave injury must have been intended by the production and use of those weapons”.

Read the full story here[66]

Aaron Mannion – 42 weeks

Aaron Mannion aged 28 from Plymouth was jailed for 42 weeks after he admitted racially abusing a pub-goer, smeared faeces over two police cells, injured a woman by kicking a door in her face and spat in the eye of a police officer with an auto-immune disease. The 28-year-old entered the Swan public house in St Andrew Street which he had previously been banned from. He was told to leave but when he refused he was forcefully removed by a member of staff supported by a male customer.

However as he was being removed he repeatedly shouted the N word at the male customer. After being arrested for this offence Mannion was bailed by police but on May 6, whilst being arrested for another matter, he was taken to Charles Cross police station custody suite. During the trip he was abusive and threatening to officers saying “I will smash your head bro”, “I will stamp on your face” and calling the officers “c***s”.

While in the custody cell he banged his head on the door. An officer opened the door to ask him to stop and Mannion stuck his foot in the door to prevent it being closed, hurled abuse at the officer before spitting in the face of the officer, with spittle landing in the officer’s eye and ear. The officer was able to restrain Mannion and wipe the spittle from his face.

The officer later received treatment and Mr Rafati explained to the court that he was particularly concerned at the incident as had an auto-immune disease, making him more susceptible to infections. The court was told that Mannion then twice urinated on the floor of the cell before deliberately messing himself and smearing his excrement on the mattress and camera of the cell. He was moved to another cell with anti-harm clothing so that the first cell could be specially cleaned but he immediately smeared blood and faeces on the walls of the second cell, which also needed specialist cleaning, which costs a total of GBP321.

Read the full story here[67]

Thomas Hodge – 22 years

Thomas Hodge – jailed for 22 years for attempted murder (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Thomas Hodge, aged 47 from Park Avenue, Devonport was jailed for 22 years after he was found guilty of attempting to kill a woman who had taken pity on him over the death of his mother. The court heard police arrived at the Keyham[68] address to find the woman covered in blood. As officers moved towards Hodge he launched a ferocious kick to her head which the officer said was “as though he were kicking a football”.

He later ranted to police “I will admit I was going to kill her”, “f*** her”, “she woke me up in a really bad way, silly bitch”. He also told police “I wish I f***ing killed her… I was going to kill her”.

In the police custody suite he remarked that he “should’ve done it” and commented that he had “ruined my trainers”. He also claimed that Ms Bennett “killed two men and got away with it”. When Mr Beale remarked that police believed Hodge was under the influence and the bottom part of his trousers and shoes were covered in blood, Hodge called out from the dock “[it was] my blood” a number of times.

At this, Judge Johnson ordered the dock officers to remove Hodge and take him down to the court cells – but Judge Johnson said he wanted his comments transcribed and sent to 47-year-old’s prison cell. Read the full story here[69]

Luke Dann – 15 years

Police mugshot of Luke Dann who has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing David Kelly after a jury found him guilty of manslaughter (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Dann was jailed for 15 years – for the manslaughter of David Kelly. The court heard how Dann drove his heavy Range Rover over the body and head of 42-year-old Kelly following an altercation on Manor Park Drive.

The trial judge told 37-year-old Dann his “ego had a major part to play in the tragic events that were to follow” the altercation. He said Dann “deliberately drove towards him [David Kelly] using your car as a weapon”, leaving Mr Kelly with “catastrophic injuries”. Judge Peter Johnson told Dann he immediately began “constructing a way of evading responsibility”.

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He added: “Shamefully, you called 999 not to summon help for Mr Kelly but to lay the ground for a defence about being the victim of an attack – which you were but not in the circumstances you describe – and you driving off in panic.

I do not believe you felt under any kind of threat at that time. “I cannot imagine why you did not tell the operator that you had just driven over a person unless it was to preserve your position. “You were just thinking of yourself”.

Judge Johnson told Dann: “There has not been any expression of remorse for what you have done.” Read the full story here, here and here[70][71][72]

Craig McCormick – 18 years – extended four year licence

Craig McCormick has been jailed after being found guilty of raping two women (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Craig McCormick, aged 33 from Colsedown Hill, Plymouth was jailed for 18 years – with a four year extended licence – after he was found guilty of raping two women. The offences took place between 2012 and 2021 in the Torquay and Newton Abbot areas of Devon.

Read the full story here[73]

Rachel Braid – 146 days

Rachel Braid in 2010

Rachel Braid, aged 38 and from Plymouth was jailed for 146 days after taking knife to the Hoe and holding it to her own throat. The court heard the 39-year-old had called the First Response Mental Health Team saying she had a knife, alcohol and medication on her and was planning on harming herself somewhere in the city centre. They in turned called police who traced her to Plymouth Hoe[74].

When approached they found her to be holding a yellow Stanley knife and as they approached she raised the knife to her neck, causing a small cut. Read the full story here[75]

Josh Lamerton – Two and a half years

(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Josh Lamerton, aged 20 from Plymouth was just 19 when he attacked his grandmother and threatened to kill her. The court heard he had gone ‘ballistic’ after learning that grandparents Sandra and Rodney Lamerton were evicting his father from a house which they owned and rented to him and his family.

He armed himself with two hammers, a knife and a pair scissors and barged his way into their home in Furzehatt Avenue, Plymstock[76]. He was jailed for two and a half years. Read the full story here[77]

Guy Sullivan – 20 months

Guy Sullivan – jailed after admitting to a string of jewel-shop thefts (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Guy Sullivan aged 42 and of no fixed abode, left shop staff in tears and fearing for the future of their businesses after stealing around GBP25,000 of jewellery from stores across Devon and Cornwall.

Sullivan was eventually arrested after being found in the loft of a property in Eggbuckland Road, Plymouth. He admitted to targeting a number of stores and jewellery shops and was jailed for 20 months. Judge Peter Johnson said Sullivan had posed as a genuine customer before snatching the jewellery worth a total of GBP25,000 and none of the items were ever recovered.

He said Sullivan had left “a series of angry, distressed and fearful people who were duped by you” and who would feel the consequences of Sullivan’s actions “for many years to come”.

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Read the full story here[78]

Ambrose Reilly – One year

Ambrose Reilly (Image: Plymouth Live)

Sentencing judge told 48-year-old Reilly he showed little remorse after trying to get one elderly man to fork out GBP30,000 for a new roof – which he did not need. He was prosecuted after Trading Standards officers were alerted to his sharp practices which saw him target a vulnerable registered blind man. The court heard how Reilly – who had been jailed in 2015 for defrauding an elderly woman out of GBP12,000 – left one victim afraid to leave his home for fear that he and his compatriots would damage his property.

Read the full story here[79]

Mark Rodriguez – Three years

Mark Rodriguez has been locked up again for a burglary on September 11, 2023 (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Mark Rodriguez, aged 54 of Alma Road, Plymouth – who has more than 150 offences to his name – was jailed for three years after he was nabbed by police for burgling a woman’s home just a few houses away from where he was staying. The court heard how she encountered him hurrying out of her block of flats and she became suspicious enough to tail him until he realised he was being followed and ran off. Rodriguez explained that he only carried out the burglary to pay of a drugs debt, adding that he was no longer using drugs but the old debt still needed to be paid off.

Read the full story here[80]

Kieron Kelly and George White – Three years and five months for Kelly and Two years and one month for White

Kieron Kelly and George White – both jailed for the attack and robbery of an ex-submariner the night before Armed Forces Day (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Kieron Kelly aged 28, of no fixed abode, George White, aged 25 of Prince Maurice Road, Mutley targeted victim, a 62-year-old former submariner, was walking home after having a few drinks at the Clifton Inn, just ahead of the Armed Forces[81] Day celebrations in Plymouth. However, as he headed towards Mutley Kelly called out to him, asking if he had a cigarette. Kelly kicked the man knocking him to the ground whereupon he suffered what the victim later described to police was “a torrent of blows to the face” mostly from White.

The victim described White hitting him “with all of his force” a number of times. While on the ground the man’s car keys, wallet and phone were taken from his pockets before Kelly and White – and a woman they were with – fled the scene, leaving the victim to stagger home and call police. A short while later his bank card was used at the Sainsbury’s store on Mutley Plain[82] to buy around GBP70 of cigarettes.

Inquiries by police led to Kelly being identified from CCTV footage. The woman was also traced and confirmed she had been in the shop with Kelly and White. Sentencing the pair Mr Recorder James Bromige reminded them that their victim was a 62-year-old former submariner who had served for 20 years in the Royal Navy[83].

He said the victim had been out celebrating with others on the eve of Armed Forces Day and was evidently drunk and thus vulnerable. Read the full story here[84]

Mark Purdy – Two years and eight months

Mark Purdy – jailed for his latest burglary (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Mark Purdy of Stanhope Road, Plymouth, walked off with wallet containing a dad-of-two’s wages – having walked into the family home while they slept. Prosecutor Nigel Hall told the court that the victim, a father of two, was asleep on his sofa while his partner and children were asleep upstairs.

He was awoken in the early hours following a gust of cold air and found that the front door – which he had shut earlier – was wide open. He went to look outside and saw a man – Purdy – walking down the road, appearing to try and hide something underneath his hooded top. The victim checked on his partner and children – one of whom is autistic – but they were fortunately still asleep.

On searching the house he realised a pair of shorts, which contained his wallet, bank cards and cash, were missing. The court was told that the wallet held around GBP1,000 in cash, as he had just been paid his week’s wages. Police were called and a relative of the victim alerted police to a number of Ring-type doorbells on neighbouring properties.

Read the full story here[85]

Jay Louis Kingcombe – 20 monthsJay Kingcombe – jailed for coercive control of his former partner (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police) Jay Kingcombe, of Collin Close, St Budeaux[86], was sentenced for one count of coercive behaviour between November 2022 and February 2023 after pleading guilty on the morning of his trial. A second count of stalking was left to lie on file.

Prosecutor Ed Bailey told the court how 32-year-old Kingcombe had entered into a relationship with a 28-year-old woman in November last year but within five days of them meeting he asked her to move in with him. She said she was happy to stay over but did not want to feel rushed into living with him. However he kept asking her to move in, saying she could redecorate his place and – noting that he had become increasingly “clingy”- she eventually relented, which was “a decision she came to regret”.

Over the next few months Kingcombe “became increasingly possessive and manipulative towards her”, telling her what she could and could not do – including what kind of food she could eat. The court heard that Kingcombe had 16 previous convictions for 32 offences, including numerous offences of using threatening words and behaviour. He was also convicted of malicious communication and in 2021 was made subject of a community order for two year for the offence of stalking and malicious communication.

This related to a previous partner who was so in fear of him she fled to a women’s refuge in Plymouth. Kingcombe went on to send abusive texts to friends of hers asking for the woman’s whereabouts. When he eventually learned that she was at the refuge in Plymouth, he sent malicious communications to two other members of staff at the centre.

Read the full story here[87]

Plymouth teen – Four years A 17-yeear-old boy who lay in wait for his victim after claiming that he spoke ill of his much-loved grandmother was jailed for stabbing the man twice, leaving him with a punctured lung. The teen was originally arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the incident at 12.15am on May 21 in a lane which runs between Monmouth Gardens and Shrewsbury Road in Whitleigh.[88]

Judge Robert Linford, sentencing the boy noted that he had, through his solicitor, taken responsibility at the first opportunity for what he had done, adding that it was a “sensible and brave decision for you, being so young, to take”. He told him the offence he committed was “very serious and could so nearly have ended in the loss of a man’s life – and you would have had no defence at all to a charge of murder”. Judge Linford reminded the court of the evidence, stating that the boy had been drinking at the pub and the the drink “had to be taken from you” by the landlady”.

He said the victim was alleged by the boy to have made a comment about his grandmother to which he took great exception. The victim has claimed he made no such comment, although Judge Linford suggested that it mattered not whether any such comment was made. He noted how the dispute between them saw the boy go home, change his clothes and return to the scene where he “simply lay in wait for [the victim]”.

Read the full story here[89]

James Cannon – Six months

Dartmoor prisoner James Cannon, aged 32, admitted the single charge of being in possession of a specified item – namely a mobile phone and two chargers – without authority. Cannon had explained that it was used to contact his family because his mental health was suffering in prison. The court heard that Cannon had 13 convictions for 24 offences to his name and had been received a seven-year jail sentence in November 2022 for supplying class A drugs.

His current release date was March 2026. Judge Linford said he would a sentence of six months to run consecutively to his current sentence and the phone would be destroyed. His defence barrister told the court that Cannon had admitted the offence at interview with police and that the phone was found in his shorts which he was wearing at the time of the cell search.

She said that during his police interview he explained that he was attempting to contact his family, his solicitor and his friends “as the prison would not upload his details to his PIN”. According to the Prison Reform Trust a Personal Identification Number (PIN) should be given to all new inmates within 24 hours of arriving in prison to serve their sentences. The PIN has to be entered before dialling the number an inmate wants to call.

Read the full story here[90]

Tyler Wood – 56 months

Tyler Wood – jailed for robbing Norwich Stores in Whitleigh (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Tyler Wood of Warwick Avenue, Plymouth entering the Norwich Stores in Norwich Avenue, Whitleigh[91] on August 23 this year and demanding cash. The middle-aged shop worker was on her own serving customers when Wood, of Warwick Avenue, entered the store. He went to the aisles while another customer and then two children went to the counter to purchase items.

The court was told Wood watched and waited for the last of the children to leave the store before he approached the counter and asked the woman if he could purchase a cheap bottle of vodka. However as she turned her back Wood went around the counter and pulled out a knife which she later described as being a large silver knife 30cm in length. He held the knife out and pointed it at the woman, telling her “Open the f***ing till and give me the money”, before adding “I’m sorry, I’m not going to hurt you, I just want the money.”

Before the victim had a chance to reply he said: “Look, I’m sorry, this is what happens when you owe money. I need money to pay for drugs.”

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At the time of the robbery Wood was still on a suspended sentence for attacking his former girlfriend at a Whitleigh public house and then smashing a number of its windows.[92] A judge at Plymouth Crown Court, when sentencing him, decided that he must activate the 20 month suspended sentence. He dished out a further 36 months in prison for the robbery and possession of a knife in public, totalling 56 months.

Read the full story here[93]

Tyler Hurst – Three years

Tyler Hurst – jailed for three years for night-time robbery of female student (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Tyler Hurst, aged 27 from Salisbury Road, Plymouth was jailed for his part in the robbery of a female student. Prosecutors explained how Hurst’s victim had been heading home after studying with a friend on the evening of September 25 last year. At around 11.30pm the 19-year-old was walking up the path of her student accommodation in Ford Park Road, Mutley, with her laptop in one hand and her mobile phone in the other.

The student later told police that as she got to the front door she heard male voices and sensed there was someone behind her, believing they were nearby. She got her keys out and attempted to unlock the door using her right hand, holding her laptop case by the handles in her left hand along with her mobile phone. As she opened the door, she had her left arm across her stomach meaning the laptop was at her left side.

She immediately felt felt someone pull on the laptop case which caused her to spin round. She held tightly on to the case and saw a man trying to pull the laptop off her. She refused to let it go and pulled it back.

She later told police that the “tug of war” went on for about 10 to 15 seconds, during which she kicked out at the man, striking kicking his stomach at least twice. The man kept pulling, even dragging her along the pavement, where she saw a second, younger man, hiding behind a bush. Hurst was later traced by police and charged with a number of offences.

He was later found guilty of robbery of a silver Dell laptop and case, notebook, and other personal items and handling stolen goods – namely another laptop which had been stolen from a woman the previous month. Read the full story here[94]

Talon Snelson – Three years

Talon Snelson , aged 34, and of no fixed abode had only just been released from prison when he entered the Premier Store on Embankment Road, Prince Rock initially saying he was going to buy chocolate. However, he made out he had no money and left the store, only to return a short while later wearing a hoody, despite the hot weather[95].

He approached the counter and demanded cash. The worker behind the counter ignored him and slammed the register shut as he tried to grab the money while shouting “give me the f***ing money”. Police arrested Snelson a few minutes later in Billacombe Road, heading towards Plymstock[96], wearing a different set of clothes – but still with the hypodermic needles in his pocket of his trousers.

Snelson admitted he initially entered the store to steal beer to sell but after seeing the money decided to make a grab for it. He recalled hurling the woman off his back, but claimed this was because he wanted to get away. He denied threatening the women with the needle but said it was on him because he was an addict.

Read the full story here[97]

Where to get help if you’ve experienced crime

The Devon and Cornwall Victim Care Unit gives information and advice to anyone who has experienced crime in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The unit works with people who have experienced a crime and who have reported it to the police, or who want to report something to the police. You can call the Victim Care Unit on 01392 475900.

Textphone/Minicom Number: 18001 01392 475900 SMS/Text number: 67101 (for Deaf, hard of hearing, speech impaired only) If you want information and advice without getting the police involved, help and support is still available.

You can contact Victim Support who are a charity and not part of the police on their 24/7 helpline: 0808 1689111, or live webchat at www.victimsupport.org.uk[98]

Help and advice after sexual abuse

Devon and Cornwall SARC helpline: 0300 3034626 Devon and Cornwall SARC’s website can be found here[99] Self-referrals to SARC can be made here[100]

NHS website offers advice here[101] Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services: 01392 204 174 NSPCC: Anyone concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline for advice: 0808 800 5000.

Adult victims of non-recent sexual abuse can also get in touch with NSPCC for support.

Childline is available for young people: 0800 1111

Childline’s website can be found here[102]

Speak out about sexual abuse

There are a number of ways to report a rape or sexual assault

• If you require immediate assistance, call police on 999
• Alternatively, you can call police on the non-emergency number, 101
• You can visit your local police station[103]
• You can contact the NSPCC for help and advice by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing [email protected][104]
• Or contact Childline on 0800 1111 or via www.childline.org.uk[105]

References

1. ^ Union Street (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
2. ^ following a trial at Plymouth Crown Court. (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
3. ^ full story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
4. ^ here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
5. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
6. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
7. ^ Ivybridge (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
8. ^ A38 (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
9. ^ St Budeaux (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
10. ^ Devonport (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
11. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
12. ^ here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
13. ^ he slammed the ‘infantile world’ of biker gangs here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
14. ^ following an appeal by the family of David Crawford. (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
15. ^ raping and coercively controlling (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
16. ^ here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
17. ^ full story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
18. ^ Paul Martin David Roberts initially pleaded not guilty (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
19. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
20. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
21. ^ 2009 Marshall was handed an indeterminate sentence (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
22. ^ was jailed for four years, he would not be granted release until the Parole Board was sure he was no longer a danger to the public. (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
23. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
24. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
25. ^ Stonehouse (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
26. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
27. ^ jury heard how Evans (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
28. ^ a detective who led the inquiry said Evans lived a ‘double life’ (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
29. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
30. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
31. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
32. ^ Keyham (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
33. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
34. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
35. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
36. ^ back in January 2022 (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
37. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
38. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
39. ^ “industrial quantities of cannabis” (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
40. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
41. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
42. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
43. ^ even though the victim had read coverage of her previous offences on PlymouthLive (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
44. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
45. ^ education (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
46. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
47. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
48. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
49. ^ Derriford Hospital (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
50. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
51. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
52. ^ stunned to find up to 20 large hydroponic tents (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
53. ^ which had a slide with a cannabis leaf set up for viewing. (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
54. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
55. ^ Barbican (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
56. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
57. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
58. ^ Stonehouse (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
59. ^ Ring doorbell (en-uk.ring.com)
60. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
61. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
62. ^ Stoke (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
63. ^ but on May 17, 2021 he was stopped in a car by police in the city centre (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
64. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
65. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
66. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
67. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
68. ^ Keyham (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
69. ^ full story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
70. ^ here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
71. ^ here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
72. ^ here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
73. ^ full story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
74. ^ Plymouth Hoe (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
75. ^ full story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
76. ^ Plymstock (www.plymouthlive.com)
77. ^ the full story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
78. ^ full story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
79. ^ full story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
80. ^ full story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
81. ^ Armed Forces (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
82. ^ Mutley Plain (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
83. ^ Royal Navy (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
84. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
85. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
86. ^ St Budeaux (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
87. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
88. ^ on May 21 in a lane which runs between Monmouth Gardens and Shrewsbury Road in Whitleigh. (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
89. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
90. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
91. ^ Whitleigh (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
92. ^ a suspended sentence for attacking his former girlfriend at a Whitleigh public house and then smashing a number of its windows. (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
93. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
94. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
95. ^ weather (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
96. ^ Plymstock (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
97. ^ story here (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
98. ^ www.victimsupport.org.uk (www.victimsupport.org.uk)
99. ^ here (sarchelp.co.uk)
100. ^ here (sarchelp.co.uk)
101. ^ here (www.nhs.uk)
102. ^ here (www.childline.org.uk)
103. ^ local police station (www.devon-cornwall.police.uk)
104. ^ [email protected] (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
105. ^ www.childline.org.uk (www.childline.org.uk)