Somerset criminals jailed in February include murderers and rapists

There are a whole raft of criminals who have been put behind bars this month. Judges at Crown Courts have been dispending justice to those who have broken the law and dishing out prison sentences The latest tranche of criminals includes a dangerous man who tried to rob a hotel using a a toy gun, a "cowardly" man who raped a 14-year-old, and two men who have been jailed for life for killing a man in a merciless attack at a block of flats in Yeovil.

Here SomersetLive looks at some of the criminals jailed in February AMANDA HICKLING A 61-year-old woman has been jailed for driving while disqualified[1] despite having a staggering 24 points on her licence.

Amanda Gail Hickling of Main Road, Cherhill, Wiltshire, was banned from driving until April 2026 but was recently caught behind the wheel of her Nissan Qashqai. She now has 36 penalty points on her licence. Hickling was caught by a Roads Policing officer on the A4361 at Broad Hinton last Friday, February 21.

A subsequent ANPR check revealed she had 24 penalty points and no car insurance. Following her arrest, Hickling was charged and remanded in custody to appear at Swindon Magistrates' Court[2] the next morning, where she pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and without third-party insurance. Hickling was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison and disqualified from driving for an additional 18 months, bringing her total licence points to 36.

Her recent arrest comes after Hickling was caught committing the same offence on Westbrook Road, in Calne, just over a month ago, for which she spent four weeks in prison.

EDWARD BLACKMORE A man who scammed his wife's family and a loan company out of GBP3million has been jailed. Edward Blackmore, 45, claimed his company OGC Sport Investments had agreed a multi-million pound services contract with football club Paris Saint-Germain and used this lie to secure millions of pounds from a loan company and his in-laws, who were planning their retirement.

Blackmore forged a stamp and signature of a lawyer to make his con believable. He then used the false 'contract' to secure an interest-free loan from his in-laws of GBP1.8m in order to purchase Beechwood House, a Grade II-listed house in Widcombe, Bath, assuring them the loan would be repaid "shortly". At the same time in August 2018, Blackmore, from Holt in Wiltshire, took out a short-term bridging loan of GBP1.68m from a finance company, again using the PSG 'contract' as assurance of income, as well as forging his then wife's signature on an associated tenancy agreement, to purchase the house.

In a hearing at Swindon Crown Court on Friday, February 21, he was jailed for six years and eight months.

Edward Blackmore (Image: Wiltshire Police)

TIMOTHY COOPER A dangerous man who tried to rob a hotel using a a toy gun has been jailed. Timothy Cooper, 42, tried to rob two businesses in Devizes, Wiltshire[3], last year using concealed weapons which included a plastic pink bubble gun, pictured below, and a bread knife.

Cooper, of Flax Mill Park, entered Castle Hotel, in Devizes, at around 10pm on Friday, February 18, 2024, wearing a face mask and demanding money. Though Cooper pointed an object hidden inside a tote bag at the victim, he refused to hand over any money and fought back as Cooper put him in a headlock and held the item to his knee. Cooper then fled the scene and left the concealed object behind, which the victim quickly discovered to be a pink plastic toy bubble gun.

Then, six months later, Cooper attempted another robbery[4] with a similar strategy with a similar lack of success. Following a five-day trial at Winchester Crown Court[5], on February 14 Cooper, 42, received a prison sentence of six years and three months.

Timothy Cooper (Image: Wiltshire Police)

ETHAN BAILY A "cowardly" man from Chippenham who raped a 14-year-old during a night out has been jailed.

Ethan Baily, 20, of Hill Rise, has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty by trial in October 2024. The incident took place on October, 14, 2021 when Baily was 17. He raped a 14-year-old during a night out on a footpath by the golf course that leads to Monkton Park.

As well as the sentence, Baily will also be on the Sex Offenders Register for life. He was also issued a lifetime restraining order from the victim.

Ethan Baily (Image: Wiltshire Police)

GEORGE GALE A man has been jailed for 14 years for a horrific aggravated burglary, in which he threatened his elderly victim at knifepoint saying he would kill her and her pets if she called the police[6].

George Gale, 27, forced his way into a property on August 12, 2024, at around 10.30pm, through the front door, knocking his victim to the floor. He then held a large knife to the woman in her 70s, demanding money and jewellery, and repeatedly told her that if she called the police, he would kill her and her animals. Gale, of Doveys Terrace in Kington Langley, Chippenham, pleaded guilty in November to aggravated burglary, and was sentenced on Monday, February 17, at Swindon Crown Court[7], to 14 years in prison.

He must serve at least two-thirds of his sentence.

George Gale has been jailed for aggravated burglary at knifepoint (Image: Wiltshire Police)

MARK SOTHCOTT AND MARTIN CARTY Two men have been jailed for life for killing a man in a merciless attack at a block of flats in Yeovil. Mark Sothcott, 56, and Martin Carty, 56, murdered 68-year-old Franklin Ingram on June 22 last year.[8]

They attacked him at Carty's flat in Raglan Terrace shortly after 11pm. Carty then waited 18 hours before calling the emergency services, at which point he falsely claimed to have found Mr Ingram dead on a sofa. Carty was arrested on the same day before Sothcott, of Stiby Road, was arrested on June 24.

His arrest came after key witnesses reported comments he made to people after leaving Raglan Terrace on the night of the murder. A CCTV recording was played during the trial in which Mr Ingram later described Carty as an "idiot" to another individual, stating he was going to contact the housing association responsible for the flats. However, shortly before 11pm that night, an "angry" Mr Ingram went up to Carty's flat with a hammer, the prosecution heard.

Both Carty and Sothcott were inside the address. The court was told that Mr Ingram and Carty became involved in a row, before a fight between the three men ensued, in which the victim was headbutted and struck with the hammer. A subsequent pathology report revealed Mr Ingram had sustained injuries to his face, head, torso, arms and legs.

Carty was given a life sentence, with a minimum of 13 years, at Bristol Crown Court today, Friday, February 14, while Sothcott was given life with a minimum of eight years. His Honour Judge Peter Blair said that Carty 'mercilessly' attacked Mr Ingram and inflicted the fatal blow, and that Sothcott encouraged it.

Mark Sothcott and Martin Carty (Image: Avon and Somerset Police)

BENJAMIN VIVIAN-HUCKER A man from Gloucestershire has been jailed for raping a teenage child and sexually assaulting a young woman.

Benjamin Vivian-Hucker, aged 22 and from Dursley, met his victims online and carried out his attacks in Bristol and Bath. He was found guilty of 11 crimes in September last year and was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court last Friday (February 7). The judge said Vivian Hucker "poses a danger to young girls and women" and jailed him for 13-and-a-half years.

The jury found him guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of rape, one count of assault by penetration, two counts of breaching an interim sexual risk order, and four counts of the possession of indecent images.

Benjamin Vivian-Hucker (Image: Avon and Somerset Police)

MATTHEW REYLAND A man drove a Mitsubishi pick-up into officers and cars in an attempt to get away from police in Somerset. Matthew Reyland, 38, has been jailed for 16 months and disqualified from driving for two years and eight months.

Avon and Somerset Police were called to a home to carry out unrelated enquiries into a missing person in Seavington St Michael, a village located three miles east of Ilminster, during the early hours of Sunday, October 6 last year. Reyland was subject of a warrant at the time and tried to flee the scene in a Mitsubishi pick-up. One officer was hit by a wing mirror while trying to turn the ignition off through an open window.

JOSHUA MITCHELL

A 22-year-old man who ran and controlled a drugs line in Weston-super-Mare has been jailed for five years and 10 months. Joshua Michael Mitchell, of Stanley Road, Weston-super-Mare, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday (January 30), after admitting charges of being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine, possession of the same two drugs with intent to supply, and possession of criminal property. Following a police operation, Mitchell, who ran the BIZ drugs line, was arrested on Sunday 17 November and found to be in possession of 48 grams of heroin and 66 grams of crack cocaine, worth a combined total of GBP11,000.

Mitchell was also found with more than GBP13,000 in cash, as well as a Mercedes and a Sur-Ron bike, which were also seized as proceeds of crime.

(Image: Avon and Somerset Police)

ANGELO REGIS A carer who sexually assaulted a woman in her home has been jailed. Angelo Regis, 37, admitted attempting to rape and sexually assault a woman in her 80s who he was supposed to looking after at her home last June.

Regis, of Bridport, was a care assistant when, on Monday, June 2, 2024, he visited the victim's home as part of her care package. While she was in the bathroom, he locked her front door and followed her. Regis sexually assaulted her in the bathroom before he attempted to rape her in her bedroom.

The victim reported the matter to police two days later and Regis was arrested on Thursday, June 6. He denied the offences initially but detectives subsequently obtained DNA evidence linking him to the incident. He was charged the following day.

Regis was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday, January 31, to 12 years in prison. He has been placed on the sex offenders' register for an indefinite period.

Angelo Regis, aged 37 and of Bridport (Image: Dorset Police)

CHRISTOPHER BURDEN A drunk driver who hit a mum and her two children with his car has been jailed.

Christopher Burden, while over the drink drive limit, sped along the A30 on November 17, 2023 and overtook a vehicle on a blind bend, crashing into the victim's family's car. Just 10 minutes before that crash, 46-year-old Burden had already crashed his motorcycle into a parked car near his former address in Shaftesbury, Dorset. He was helped by bystanders - who suspected he was drunk - but he returned home and drove off in his BMW, which he then crashed at Donhead St Mary, Wiltshire.

By the time police had received a call from the bystanders concerned about Burden's fitness to drive he had already caused a serious crash. A mum, who was involved in the crash along with her two children, said her daughter, just 10 at the time, suffered psychological trauma and nightmares after the incident. Burden, of Weaveland Road, Tisbury, previously pleaded guilty to three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court last Friday, February 7.

STEPHEN MINTON A man from Somerset has been jailed for sexually abusing a child over a four year period. Stephen Minton, 70, carried out a number of crimes between 2004 and 2008.

The victim reported the sexual abuse they had suffered to police in 2020. An investigation was launched and Minton, of Bishop's Hull, Taunton, was arrested and later charged. He was jailed for eight years at Taunton Crown Court, sitting at North Somerset Courthouse, last Friday (February 7).

The 70-year-old was convicted of having sexual activity with a child, two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

ROY KING A teenager was sexually assaulted twice in the first few days after starting a job on a farm. Roy King, 60, was jailed for 46 weeks at Winchester Crown Court on Monday, February 3.

The 18-year-old victim reported that he had been touched inappropriately by an older man whilst at work on a farm in Wiltshire on August 5 last year. King, of Cley Hill Lane, Corsley, in Warminster, was arrested and pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a male colleague. As well as his prison sentence, he was issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The probation service will also ensure appropriate safeguards are in place when he is released from prison.

BEX MCCULLGH A sex offender has been jailed after a sting operation caught her trying to meet what she thought was a child for sex. Bex McCullgh, from Backwell, North Somerset, travelled to Bristol in October 2024 to meet up with the child for sex, but was instead arrested by undercover officers from South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).

On Monday, February 10, McCullgh pleaded guilty at Bristol Crown Court to to arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity. The judge sentenced McCullgh, from Backwell, to an extended prison sentence of eight years, comprising four years' custody and four years on extended licence.

Bex McCullgh (Image: SWROCU)

DRUGS GANG A drug gang that shipped over 70kg of cocaine across the South West[9] has been jailed.

A 12-week trial at Winchester Crown Court heard how the gang operated for more than four years, bringing huge quantities of cocaine into the region. The eight people involved, from Wiltshire[10], Bristol and Albania, have now been put behind bars for a combined total of 82 years. The gang was led by brothers Warren Allison, 36, and 41-year-old Kelroy Allison.

They ran the operation for four-and-a-half years, supplying around GBP7m worth of cocaine across the region. Richard Cowell, 57, was recruited as a trusted driver. He used a specially modified vehicle provided by the Allison brothers, containing a purpose-built compartment used to covertly and securely courier huge quantities of Class A drugs and cash across the South West.

Cowell used an EncroChat phone with the handle name SouthKangaroo. During the trial, he also admitted couriering cash and drugs on behalf of other organised crime groups. Meanwhile, Porcia Densley, 38, acted as the gang's finance manager.

The court heard how she was in a romantic relationship with Warren Allison and her role allowed him to run the drug business smoothly. She delivered and collected cash from customers and couriers, transferring money to various people on Warren's instruction. She also managed the vast amount of cash generated as part of their drug operation.

• Warren Allison, 36, of Sherford Road, Haydon Wick, Swindon, for two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine: 23 YEARS
• Kelroy Allison, 41 of Moyle Park, Hilperton, for one count of conspiracy to supply cocaine: 16.5 YEARS
• Richard Cowell, 57, of Godolphin Close, Freshbrook, for one count of conspiracy to supply cocaine: 9 YEARS
• Porcia Densley, 38, of Burnet Close, Melksham, for one count of conspiracy to supply cocaine: 8 YEARS
• Anthony Burke, 34, of Pennyroyal Grove, Bristol, for one count of conspiracy to supply cocaine: 8 YEARS
• Ledian Hoxha, 38, for one count of conspiracy to supply cocaine: 7 YEARS 4 MONTHS
• Pjeter Pisha, 37, for one count of conspiracy to supply cocaine: 6 YEARS 8 MONTHS
• Enid Aliko, 28, for one count of conspiracy to supply cocaine: 4 YEARS

The gang has been jailed for over 80 years (Image: Wiltshire Police)

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References

1. ^ driving while disqualified (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
2. ^ Swindon Magistrates' Court (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
3. ^ Devizes, Wiltshire (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
4. ^ attempted another robbery (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
5. ^ Winchester Crown Court (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
6. ^ called the police (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
7. ^ Swindon Crown Court (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
8. ^ murdered 68-year-old Franklin Ingram on June 22 last year. (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
9. ^ over 70kg of cocaine across the South West (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
10. ^ from Wiltshire (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
11. ^ Somerset Live (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
12. ^ click this link and select 'Join Community'. (chat.whatsapp.com)
13. ^ Somerset Live (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
14. ^ Privacy Notice. (www.reachplc.com)
15. ^ Click here to join our WhatsApp community. (chat.whatsapp.com)