‘Sugar daddy’ murderers and Facebook ‘bigot’ among criminals jailed in North Wales in August
Two murderers who killed a much-loved grandfather, a Facebook user who stirred up racial hatred and a thug who punched a man causing brain damage were among criminals jailed in North Wales in August. Lauren Harris and David Webster killed Mark Wilcox in his flat after Harris failed to get money from the “sugar daddy’s” bank account.
There was also Daniel Kingsley, who posted online amid widespread unrest after the killings of three girls in Southport. In another case a thug punched a man while holding a metal dog lead.
Judges felt the guidelines meant they had no choice but to put these defendants behind bars. Here we look at summaries of their cases. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here[1]
Gary Williams
Gary Williams, 42, of Traffwll Road, Caergeiliog, Holyhead, was jailed for 19 months for intentional strangulation, six months for possession of a bladed article and two months for assaulting an emergency worker. (Image: North Wales Police)
A man strangled his former partner in her own home before he collected a weapon she didn’t even know was there. Gary Williams, 42, put his hands around the woman’s neck then picked up a crossbow from a cupboard.
He admitted intentional strangulation, possession of three crossbow bolts, and assaulting an emergency worker[4]. A judge jailed him for a total of 27 months.
Mold Crown Court heard Williams had been in a relationship with Dawn Horrigan for three years. But it deteriorated and he moved out of their home in April this year, said prosecutor Paulinus Barnes.
Hannah Lesley Roberts
Hannah Lesley Roberts who was jailed (Image: North Wales Police)
A woman has been jailed after admitting assaulting an emergency worker. Hannah Lesley Roberts, 28, of Parc Afon Bach, Llanrwst[5] was jailed for 20 weeks, having pleaded guilty to charges of S39 Assault, and also Assaulting an Emergency Worker.
Speaking after the sentencing, local Inspector Nathan Harvey, of North Wales Police, added: “I welcome this sentence and hope it brings the local community some comfort. Roberts has been a persistent drain on our resources[6] and we will not tolerate violent or anti-social behaviour.
“Law abiding citizens rightly have an expectation to feel safe in their locality, and this sentence will bring them some welcome respite.”
Steven Warburton
Steven Warburton, who was jailed (Image: North Wales Police)
A man found to be disqualified from driving after police were called to a fuel station “commotion” has been jailed. Steven Warburton, 39, of Lon yr Orsaf, Mold, was arrested after police were called to the Esso garage in Ruabon, Wrexham, at 7.50am.
A North Wales Police statement said: “When officers arrived, checks revealed he was disqualified from driving in June for a total of 30 months. Warburton was arrested and subsequently charged and remanded into custody to appear before Wrexham Magistrates Court later that morning.
“He admitted a charge of driving whilst being disqualified and driving with no insurance[7]. He had committed the offences whilst serving a suspended prison sentence.” Warburton was jailed for 42 weeks, banned from driving for three years and five months and fined £239.
Mark Harrison
Mark Peter Harrison, 37, now of City Road, Chester but originally from Wrexham, was jailed for 27 months for causing actual bodily harm to his former partner (Image: North Wales Police)
A man, banned from seeing his ex after he torched her front door, beat her up in a “vicious and sickening” attack. Mark Harrison had been made subject to a restraining order after the fire incident but hid in a garden and set upon his victim in the street.
Harrison, originally from Wrexham, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and breaching a restraining order at Mold Crown Court. He was jailed for 27 months for the ABH offence and handed a concurrent, nine-month jail term for the breach.
Prosecutor Myles Wilson told the court the defendant had previously set a fire outside his former partner’s front door[8]. For the ABH he was jailed and given a five-year restraining order not to contact his victim.
Darrell Roberts
Darrell Roberts who was jailed (Image: North Wales Police)
A thug attacked a man over a debt, who was then bitten by a dog. Police were unable to find a suspected XL Bully dog which had bitten the victim’s leg during an attack by Darrell Roberts who was walking it, a court heard.
Roberts, 33, of Tyr Llwyn, Rhos, Wrexham, was jailed for 18 months and banned from owning dogs for ten years. He admitted grievous bodily harm and being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control.[9][10][11]
Mold[12] Crown Court heard Roberts had two dogs in Market Street, Rhos, which his victim believed were of the XL Bully type. But prosecutor Maria Masselis said, when police arrested Roberts in May, he no longer had them.
Callum Williams
Callum Williams, of Coed Efa, New Broughton was jailed for eight months for intentionally strangling a police officer (Image: North Wales Police)
A Wrexham[13] man strangled a female North Wales Policer officer when she tried to conduct a welfare check on a child. Callum Williams, of Coed Efa, New Broughton[14] became aggressive and following an altercation, he put his arm around an officer’s neck, gripping tightly.
Williams was sentenced to 10 months in prison at Mold Crown Court. He admitted a charge of intentional strangulation[15] following an incident on March 16 this year.
At the time of the incident, Williams was serving a suspended sentence order following an earlier motoring offence from February 2024. It was activated for two months, with an additional eight months for the strangulation.
Richard David Williams
Richard David Williams, 34, of Ewloe, Flintshire pleaded guilty to sending malicious communications during the riots that swept the UK (Image: North Wales Police)
A North Wales man has been jailed for taking to Facebook to incite a riot. Richard David Williams, 34, from Ewloe, Flintshire[16] enthusiastically posted about participating in a riot and shared a derogatory meme about migrants in a local Facebook[17] group dedicated to protests.
Williams, who works in a foundry, become the first person within North Wales to be convicted in relation to the violence and disorder[18] which swept across England and Northern Ireland following the killing of three young girls in Southport, Merseyside at the end of last month.
He pleaded guilty to one count of sending menacing messages via a public communication network at Mold[19] Magistrates’ Court. Williams was arrested after police officers identified him as the man behind the online activity, and he was arrested on Wednesday August 7, 2024.
Lauren Harris
Lauren Harris, 29, of no fixed abode but originally from the Llandudno area, was jailed for life for the murder of Mark Wilcox, 65. (Image: North Wales Police)
David Webster
David Webster, 43, of Lacey Street, Widnes, was jailed for life for the murder of Mark Wilcox, 65. (Image: North Wales Police)
A man and woman have been jailed for at least 48 years in total for the “brutal and senseless” murder of a much-loved grandfather. Lauren Harris plunged a knife into the man she called her “sugar daddy”, David Mark Wilcox, before David Webster smashed him on the head with a vodka bottle causing serious injuries.
Both then kicked their 65-year-old victim as he bravely tried to defend himself before he lost consciousness and died. A judge at Mold[20] Crown Court heard Harris, 29, had a leading role although Webster, 43, was a “willing accomplice”.
As they were led out of the dock to the cells, Webster shouted: “F****** psychopathic bitch” and “I hope you f****** burn in Hell, Lauren”[21]. The judge jailed them both for life for the murder of retired IT worker Mr Wilcox, with Harris handed a minimum term of 25 years and Webster 23 years before they are eligible to apply for parole.
Benjamin Crofts
Benjamin Crofts, 27, of Tan-y-Bryn Road, Maesgeirchen, Bangor, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to a man after an incident in the city (Image: North Wales Police)
A thug with “severe” anger issues punched a man in the street causing brain damage. Benjamin Crofts confronted his victim outside a Bangor[22] takeaway and could have killed him, a judge said.
The victim John Morgan Williams can’t remember much about the assault until he woke up in hospital[23] with police at his bedside. Crofts, 27, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm on Holyhead[24] Road on May 1.
A judge at Caernarfon[25] Crown Court[26] jailed Crofts, of Tan-y-Bryn Road, Maesgeirchen, Bangor, for 23 months with another month for failing to surrender to bail.
Daniel Kingsley
Daniel Kingsley, 33, of Plough Lane, Aston, was jailed for 21 months for distributing racial material to stir up racial hatred. (Image: North Wales Police)
A North Wales man who stirred up racial hatred on Facebook[27] in the wake of the killing of three girls in Southport has been jailed. Daniel Kingsley, 33, of Plough Lane Aston, Flintshire[28] wrote two posts.
The dad-of-eight admitted distributing written material to stir up racial hatred[29] at Llandudno[30] Magistrates Court[31] and was jailed just 24 hours later at Mold[32] Crown Court.
A judge, who praised the police and Crown Prosecution Service for acting swiftly, told Kingsley he was a “bigot” who had committed his crime from the “comfort” of his home although he had not been physically involved. The defendant, who is a plasterer, was jailed for 21 months.
Adam Banaszkiewicz
Adam Banaszkiewicz, 26, of Holt Road, Wrexham, was jailed for 14 months for dangerous driving and two more months for using threatening words or behaviour. (Image: North Wales Police)
A dangerous driver mounted a kerb to avoid a HGV and jumped a red light during a police chase through Flintshire[33]. Adam Banaszkiewicz eventually ran off in the Flint[34] area but was arrested.
He was taken to hospital but became aggressive, Mold Crown Court heard. Officers warned him he could be Tasered and it took several of them to restrain him.[35][36]
Adam Banaszkiewicz, 26, of Holt Road, Wrexham[37], was jailed for 14 months for driving a vehicle dangerously and two more months for using threatening words or behaviour. He was also disqualified from driving for 38 months.
David Ellis Jones
David Ellis Jones drove while banned (Image: North Wales Police)
A disqualified motorist caught drink-driving on the A55 was back behind the wheel less than 24 hours after getting a suspended prison sentence. Disbelieving traffic officers pulled him over on the A487 in Llanwnda, Gwynedd[38], the day after he appeared in court in Caernarfon[39].
North Wales Police[40] (NWP) branded his actions “selfish, dangerous and irresponsible”[41]. David Ellis Jones of Egremont, Cumbria, was this week jailed for a total of 28 weeks.
On July 22, the 61-year-old was stopped after being spotted driving erratically on the A55[42] before coming off at junction 10 and heading towards Caernarfon. Jones was arrested and provided a reading of 97 mg/ml, well over the legal limit of 35.
Paula Clutton
Paula Clutton, 42, of Stanley Street, Beaumaris, was jailed for eight months for breaching a criminal behaviour order (Image: North Wales Police)
An intoxicated woman who tried to get served at an Anglesey[43] pub three times used abusive language – breaching a court order. Paula Clutton had to be “ushered” out of pub by an electrician on one of her visits.
The 42-year-old had been subjected to a criminal behaviour order (CBO) prohibiting her from using threatening or abusive words or behaviour. But she swore during her trips to The Bull’s Head in Beaumaris[44], Caernarfon[45] Crown Court[46] heard.
She admitted breaching the order and was jailed for eight months. A judge told her if she continued to offend her jail terms would get longer.
Stephen McCouid
Stephen McCouid, 41, of no fixed address but originally from Liverpool, damaged five police cars outside Caernarfon Police Station (Image: North Wales Police)
A 41-year-old man who damaged five police cars in a “mindless and unwarranted” act has been jailed. Stephen McCouid targeted the vehicles outside Caernarfon Police Station.
McCouid, of no fixed abode, but originally from the Liverpool area, pleaded guilty to five counts of criminal damage at Llandudno Magistrates Court.
During the evening of Monday, August 12, McCouid used a stone to smash the windscreens and windows of the five police cars[47]. He was jailed for ten weeks
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References
- ^ latest court stories here (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ A note left in floral tribute for three killed in crash speaks for us all (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Police issue statement over Wrexham ‘arson attacks’ (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ intentional strangulation, possession of three crossbow bolts, and assaulting an emergency worker (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Llanrwst (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Roberts has been a persistent drain on our resources (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ admitted a charge of driving whilst being disqualified and driving with no insurance (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ previously set a fire outside his former partner’s front door (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Rhos (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Wrexham (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ grievous bodily harm and being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control. (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Mold (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Wrexham (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Broughton (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ He admitted a charge of intentional strangulation (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Flintshire (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Facebook (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ first person within North Wales to be convicted in relation to the violence and disorder (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Mold (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Mold (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Webster shouted: “F****** psychopathic bitch” and “I hope you f****** burn in Hell, Lauren” (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Bangor (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ can’t remember much about the assault until he woke up in hospital (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Holyhead (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Caernarfon (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Court (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Facebook (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Flintshire (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ distributing written material to stir up racial hatred (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Llandudno (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Court (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Mold (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Flintshire (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Flint (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Mold (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ warned him he could be Tasered and it took several of them to restrain him. (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Wrexham (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Gwynedd (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Caernarfon (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ North Wales Police (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ “selfish, dangerous and irresponsible” (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ A55 (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Anglesey (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ But she swore during her trips to The Bull’s Head in Beaumaris (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Caernarfon (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Court (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ McCouid used a stone to smash the windscreens and windows of the five police cars (www.dailypost.co.uk)