The 23 criminals handed longest jail sentences in North Staffordshire in 2023

From petty thieves to drug dealers and murderers, many criminals have been locked up in Stoke-on-Trent over the past year. The longest sentence a court can impose is life in jail. A range of other powers are also open to judges including extended sentences and Sexual Harm Prevention Orders for criminals who pose an ongoing danger to the public.

Usually a defendant must, by law, serve only half of the sentence in jail and the rest on licence. In the most serious cases the defendant must serve two thirds inside before considered for release. Here we take a look at some of the very worst offenders across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire in 2023.

Topping our list is Constantin, who set his wife on Valentina on fire in her home. Lower down we have thieves, burglars, and arsonists. They have all been jailed for at least four years.

Georgian Constantin

Vile killer Georgian Constantin[1] was jailed for life after being found guilty of murdering his estranged wife by dousing her with petrol and setting her on fire.

The dad was handed a minimum 28-year sentence for the horrific fireball attack in Stoke[2] which left Valentina Cozma dead. The 42-year-old had pleaded not guilty to murder but a jury saw through his lies[3]. Stafford Crown Court[4] heard Constantin poured petrol over Valentina, 40, and set her alight in the kitchen of her home in Campbell Road on February 9 this year. A post mortem established that she died due to the effects of fire.

Police launched a manhunt after he admitted to the attack in a Facebook post he later deleted. He was arrested 150 miles away at an address in London five days later. The court heard Constantin was out for revenge on his former wife for ending their relationship and beginning a new one.

He was also convicted of making threats to kill Valentina's new boyfriend after he used her phone to tell him he'd 'sorted her out and was coming for him'. Constantin has been jailed for two concurrent years for threatening to kill Dita Costell. Read the full story here[5]

Nathan Miotk

Murderer Nathan Miotk was jailed for life after stabbing a neighbour to death - in a row over a mobile phone.

The 45-year-old must serve at least 22 years behind bars for the murder of 37-year-old Florin-Dumitru Ciurar last August. The two men had been neighbours in Cromwell Court, on Stafford Street, in Hanley[6]. But Miotk had been kicked out of the address after stealing Mr Ciurar's mobile phone.

Miotk was later confronted by his victim. Mr Ciurar was found dead at his home. He had been murdered by a 'frenzied' Miotk.

Read the full story here[7]

Lukasz Przybla

Twisted killer Lukasz Przybla took photos of his housemate as he lay dying from a savage beating. Przybla was found guilty of the murder[8] of Bartlomiej Sobon following a three-week trial. The court heard Przybla repeatedly kicked and punched Bartlomiej - known as Bartek - at their address in Lime Street, Stoke[9], in the early hours of February 20, 2021.

The 34-year-old even snapped pictures of his victim as he lay suffering from his horrific injuries to his head, face and torso. Paramedics were not called until shortly after 9pm later that day and by that time, Bartek, 34, would have been dead for several hours. His death was caused by a bleed on the brain due to blunt force trauma.

The court heard the victim's blood was found on the defendant's footwear and a t-shirt he had worn during the attack. Przybla was jailed for 16 years and two months.

Gregory Twigg

Thug Gregory Twigg left an Army veteran permanently brain damaged after launching an unprovoked attack in a cocaine-fuelled rage outside a Stoke-on-Trent pub. The 29-year-old repeatedly punched his victim who had just left the Liquor Vaults in Stoke with his fiancee.

CCTV captured Twigg - who was a complete stranger - rounding on his victim twice more, hitting him again to the face. After the third punch, the victim was left prone on the floor and paramedics were called. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court[10] heard at the time the 38-year-old victim remains at the Royal Stoke University Hospital[11] on the neurology high-dependency ward, where has has since undergone eight surgeries since the assault on June 24.

If he is able to leave hospital, he will need around the clock care in a nursing home as he is unable to talk, feed himself, or move independently. Twigg, of Meaford Drive, Blurton[12], was jailed for 11 years after pleading guilty to GBH with intent and common assault at the plea and trial preparation. Read the full story here.[13]

Rais Ali

Husband and wife Rais Ali and Tiffany Davies doubled up as a drug dealing duo to move the drugs from the Potteries to the Black Country.

They were caught when police stopped a vehicle near the M5 in Sandwell and found Davies inside. A huge stash of heroin worth up to GBP90,000, along with thousands of pounds of cash, was found in the 26-year-old Davies' handbag. Officers decided to pull over the vehicle over after acting on intelligence. said.

West Midlands Police later discovered Davies commuted from Stoke-on-Trent to Smethwick. Investigations by the Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) found that Ali had co-ordinated the journey in December 2018. Phone records also showed 34-year-old Ali made three journeys from Staffordshire to Smethwick in November and December that year.

The couple, of Josiah Wedgwood Street, Etruria, were convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Ali was jailed for 10 years, while Davies was handed four years and four months behind bars.

Zain Kabir and Usama Wajid

Two violent thugs were jailed for their part in a city centre street attack that saw a man stabbed multiple times. Their victim was backing away when Zain Kabir punched him, knocking him to the floor close to Pink nightclub in Hanley.[14]

As Kabir rained kicks and punches down on him, co-defendant Usama Wajid smashed a bottle and then repeatedly stabbed him in the back and neck. The pair then fled the scene, leaving their victim for dead in the street. When paramedics arrived, he begged them not to let him die.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard he needed a total of 44 stitches and partially lost the use of one arm, which has for now ended his career as a joiner. Wajid and Kabir were locked up for a total of nine years. Wajid was sentenced to five years and three months and Kabir was sentenced to four years and six months.

Full story here[15]

Sheraz Hussain

Drug dealer Sheraz Hussain was caught with two prohibited firearms and ammunition. The 27-year-old was jailed for possession with intent to supply heroin and cocaine in 2020. He was released on licence after serving half the three year term but went back to supplying class A drugs as he had a large debt to repay.

And when police searched his home they found two handguns and cartridges along with thousands of pounds worth of heroin and crack cocaine in a garage. Hussain was jailed for eight years and seven months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court[16]. Get the full story here[17]

Stephanie Bartlett and Kevin Davies

A gun-toting pair deliberately shot a woman in a terrifying Stoke-on-Trent robbery.

Stephanie Bartlett launched the savage attack on the victim who had turned up at an address in Shelton[18]. The 25-year-old kicked the women in the stomach and face before stealing her jewellery, phone, cash and a notebook. At one point, she hit the women over the head with a bong, causing it to break.

Kevin Davies, aged 32, then joined in the brutal assault and used a shard of the broken bong to stab the woman to her thigh and shoulder. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court[19] heard the defendants then pulled out pellet guns and fired shots at the woman with one pellet lodging in her head. In a final act of evil, they threatened to inject her with an overdose of heroin and put her under a patio.

Davies was jailed for seven years and two months, and Bartlett was sentenced to five years and four months. Get the full story here[20]

Daniel Adams

Brave garage workers helped to prevent a major disaster when a drunken man tried to blow up a petrol station pump. Daniel Adams had been drinking 'frightening levels' of alcohol when went to the Esso Garage on the A34[21] at Chesterton[22].

The 30-year-old bought a cigarette lighter after filling up an empty beer can with petrol which he then set fire to, poured on the forecourt and tried to kick towards a pump. The defendant then had a fight with a member of the public who tried to intervene before he held a nozzle in one hand and the lighter in the other. He tried to squirt petrol in a line and flick the lighter but a quick-thinking cashier had switched off the pumps.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard he ran off when he saw police but was soon detained. Adams was handed an extended sentence of seven years and eight months, which was made up of four years, eight months custody and three years extended licence. He must serve two thirds of the custodial term before he can be considered for release by the parole board.

Read the full story here.[23]

Connor Johnson

Teenage menace Connor Johnson was locked up for more than six years. The 19-year-old burst into a Chesterton house demanding money, attacked a cannabis dealer, used a stolen bank card, and was caught dealing heroin and cocaine. The teenager teamed up with Ethan Sullivan for the Chesterton[24] raid and cannabis dealer attack, used the bank card stolen by Owen Boon, and dealt heroin and cocaine with Kalaab Stratford.

Johnson, of Fletcher Road, Stoke[25], was jailed for six years and three months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. He admitted charges of aggravated burglary, assault, drug-dealing and fraud.

Aiden Ryan

Three friends were sentenced for their parts in a terrifying robbery on a taxi driver who was just doing his job. Joshua Robinson Collier, Aiden Ryan and Ryan Wibberley were jailed following the late-night attack in Sandyford.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court[26] heard Wibberley had ordered a Lucky Seven cab to take them to Meir shortly after midnight. But after the driver pulled up he was grabbed by the throat before being punched. Despite fleeing the scene, the police arrested the trio later that night.

The court heard that Collier and Ryan were also involved in a robbery on a different Lucky Seven driver just hours earlier where they tried to steal the car keys. Ryan, 28, of South Walk, Meir, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and two of robbery. Jailing him for six years and four months, Judge Smith told Ryan: "Your mitigation is in your mental health issues.

Your aggravating features are your previous convictions." Read the full story here.[27]

Rachael Boardman

A Stoke-on-Trent mum-of-five was high on drink and drugs when she crashed into a tree - killing one man and seriously injuring another. Rachael Boardman - who had left the Potteries to start a better life in Derbyshire - was sentenced to six years behind bars following the death of Dominic Fryer, 51, who was a back-seat passenger in the car.

Derby Crown Court[28] heard Boardman, 43, was drinking at a party with a group of people during the evening of September 9 2022. But despite being told by a friend not to drive and a taxi being booked, she decided to get behind the wheel of her Peugeot 206. She was speeding when she lost control of the vehicle in Lullington Road, Overseal, at 4.30am on September 10, 2022.

Dad Mr Fryer - who was not wearing a seatbelt - died at the scene, while Boardman's friend Michael Osborne, the front-seat passenger, suffered serious injuries including a fractured hip. Tests revealed Boardman had alcohol, cocaine and cannabis in her system at the time of the crash. After the crash, Boardman was left trapped in the driver's seat before being taken to hospital where she remained in a coma for three weeks.

She was subsequently charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing injury by dangerous driving. Full story here[29]

Jatinder Bains

The boss of an international tobacco smuggling ring was jailed after bringing more than 20 million illegal cigarettes into the UK. Jatinder Bains, of Butterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, funded his lavish lifestyle including multiple trips abroad and buying expensive cars through his ill-gotten gains, according to revenue and customs bosses.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court[30] heard the 52-year-old worked with an organised crime group in Holland to use a network of haulage firms, drivers and trucks to import the cigarettes. In total, Bains evaded GBP4.5 million in duty. He was sentenced to six years in prison.

Full story here[31]

Yonis Abdillaha

Teenage inmate Yonis Abdillaha stabbed a prison officer multiple times with an improvised weapon in a horrific attach. The 18-year-old was serving a sentence at Werrington Young Offenders' Institution[32] when he 'lost it' and reached in his waistband and pulled out a marker pen with a screw attached to it. He lunged towards the officer and jabbed the weapon towards his neck.

He went on to stab him several times to various parts of his body. A struggle ensued and other prison officers helped to detain the teenager. He headbutted one to his lip but that officer was not seriously injured.

The wounded officer went to the Haywood Hospital, Burslem[33], where the puncture wound to his throat was glued. He had other puncture wounds to his upper arm, right elbow and the top of his leg. He has since been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and epilepsy and was dismissed by the prison service on health grounds.

Abdillaha was handed an extended nine-year sentence made up of six years custody and an extended licence period of three years at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court[34]. Get the full story here[35]

Diljot Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Simranjit Singh

Three men were jailed for a total of more than 16 years after they carried out a terrifying robbery of a delivery driver in a Stoke-on-Trent cul de sac. Diljot Singh, aged 22, Karanpreet Singh, aged 23, and Simranjit Singh, aged 19, covered their faces and wielded baseball bats as they targeted a DHL driver in Bullrushes Close, Etruria[36].

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court[37] heard the driver tried to run off but was caught and attacked with weapons. He bravely tried to stop the men making off with his Mercedes van by jumping on the bonnet and holding on to the windscreen wipers. But the gang escaped.

They stole six brand new laptops and some mobile phones and discarded the rest of the load and abandoning the van. They were arrested within the hour after being stopped near junction one of the M5. Diljot Singh was jailed for six years and the other two men were locked up for five years and two months.

Get the full story here[38]

Shenton York

Drug dealer Shenton York was jailed after GBP40,000 of cocaine was seized. York did a runner after police carried out a raid on an address on Best Street, Fenton[39]. But officers discovered his passport, as well as a huge stash of cocaine and crack cocaine. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court[40] heard the 27-year-old had been preparing the drugs for others to sell in return for money and drugs to fund his own habit.

York was jailed for four years and nine months. Get the full story here[41]

Kashif Ahmed

Kashif Ahmed was jailed after more than GBP4,000 of cocaine and heroin was found inside an address in Stoke-on-Trent. Ahmed, aged 22, was sentenced to four years and five months behind bars after admitting importing a class B drug; possession with intent to supply cocaine and heroin; possessing criminal property and possession with intent to supply crack cocaine at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court[42].

The court heard officers completed a warrant at an address in Normacot[43] in March last year. Ahmed was upstairs and two mobile phones were thrown out of the window when officers made their way inside. He was detained and the phones were seized for examination.

The total estimated value of the drugs seized was GBP4,500. Get the full story here[44]

Daniel Preston

A drug dealer rammed his van into three of his ex-girlfriends' homes and deliberately hit a car being driven by one of them during a cocaine-fuelled rampage. Daniel Preston was under the influence when he rammed a car being driven by the mother of his child, who he had just told he wanted to 'work things out with'.

As she fled the scene in terror, he also struck the front wall outside her house. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court[45] heard Preston then drove to the addresses of two other exes - in Spode Street, Stoke, and then Wakefield Road, Oakhill - and rammed into their houses too. Those incidents happened a year after he was caught for his part in a large-scale cannabis operation. He was sentenced to six years in jail.

Read the full story here.[46]

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