The criminals locked up at Truro Crown Court between January and June 2025
Every year hundreds of people are sentenced by Truro Crown Court to lengthy prison sentences for a variety of crimes ranging from drug dealing, to violence, sexual assaults and rapes to murder.
This year has been no different. Here we look back at all the criminals who were put behind bars Between January and June 2025.
January
Daniel Thomas
Daniel Thomas was sentenced at Truro Crown Court -Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A woman has detailed the psychological distress she has experienced after a man from Cornwall attempted to rape her and sexually assaulted her. The victim said she has suffered greatly as a result of 31-year-old Daniel Thomas' actions.
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Thomas, of Thornton Close, Roche, appeared at Truro[1] Crown Court for sentencing on January 3 after he was found guilty by a jury at a trial to one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault.
In sentencing the case, Judge Simon Carr described how the victim had told Thomas that she did not want to have sex with him but he "totally ignored this" because at the time "you only cared about your gratification and didn't care about the harm you caused".
In a victim impact statement read out to the court, the victim described how Thomas' actions have left her "scarred" physically and mentally. Since the assault by Thomas, she said her self-harming has increased.
She added: "[Self harming] has become a protective blanket. If men see me like this, they won't find me attractive.
I know there is nothing to be ashamed of and discussing mental health is important but one day I will have to explain to my children why I look like this." Advertisement Advertisement
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The victim also said in her statement that she had to "relive my abuse all over again" during the trial which made her "feel sick".
Judge Carr said the effect Thomas' actions have had on the victim and those around her have been "devastating". He added that while she is trying to move on with her life, the "psychological damage" on her is clear.
Thomas was sentenced to a total of six years imprisonment.
He will also be placed on the sex offenders register for life and will be made subject to a restraining order.
Cory Middleton
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A man who was so badly beaten up in the street by a violent drunk now has to wear a protective helmet because his skull is too fragile. Cory Middleton was walking down the road with a friend when, for no apparent reason, they turned on a complete stranger and attacked him. Advertisement
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At a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[2] on Friday, January 10, it was heard that the attack was so violent and severe that Middleton's victim fell unconscious to the ground and suffered life-threatening injuries.
The attack happened at 3.30am on June 16 last year in Penzance[3].
Security CCTV footage from a shop outside which the attack took place shows Middleton punching his victim until he falls to the ground.
The video shown in court also shows Middleton, 23, from Richmond Street, Heamoor, Penzance, returning to the scene where his victim lay prone in the street, then making some celebratory fist-bumping with his friend before the pair hug and disappear from view.
He returns one more time to check on his victim, then leaves again. Advertisement Advertisement
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Francesca Whebell, prosecuting, said paramedics were called, and Middleton's victim was then taken to hospital because of the severity of his injuries. She told the court that the victim, a male, and keen musician, had to be put in a medically-induced coma as he had a bleed on the brain, several facial and skull fractures as well as a bleed on the lungs.
He remained in hospital for more than three and a half weeks.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, Middleton's victim said that not only had the attack left him terrified to go out for fear that he might be attacked randomly for no reason again, but he has lost some of his hearing which is impacting his passion as a musician and means he has not been able to return to work. Read the full story, here.[4]
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Harry Hallett
Harry Hallett, 19, from Truro has been sentenced to 13 months in prison for controlling behaviour and possession of a zombie knife -Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A teenager who was too immature to deal with his own problems and that of his partner became a control freak who wouldn't even let her go out to see her own brother or her friends without checking in on her, a court has heard.
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Harry Hallett had been in a relationship with his girlfriend since there were both 15 and at first it was all rosy. However a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[6] on Friday, January 24, was told that over time the 19-year-old from Rosva Nansavalen, Truro[7], became increasingly coercive and controlling.
Ramsay Quaife, prosecuting, told the court that Hallett soon controlled who his partner was allowed to see, what she was allowed to wear, who she was in contact with and even checked her mobile phone on a regular basis.
It came to the boil on June 26 last year when the couple, who have a young son together, had an argument and he verbally and physically abused her.
At one point Hallett even grabbed a kitchen knife and held it a foot away from her throat and threatened to kill her and slit her throat "to make his life easier". Advertisement
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His victim managed to push him away and when Hallett fled the property she called the police.
Officers from Devon and Cornwall Police[8] attended the property and also discovered a collection of knives including an illegal zombie knife.
Hallett, who was previously of good behaviour, was later arrested but denied any intimidating behaviour in police interview. He later pleaded guilty to one charge possessing a zombie knife and another of engage in controlling/coercive behaviour in an intimate/family relationship. Read the full story, here.[9]
Caleb Empett
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A man with anger issues battered his partner "black and blue" and even stamped on her with steel toe cap boots during a brutal hour-long attack. Advertisement
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Caleb Empett, 24, had started trashing the flat he shared with his partner in Troon when she came home with an Indian takeaway before taking his anger out on her beating her senseless.
During a sentencing hearing at Truro[10] Crown Court on Friday, January 24, Edward Bailey, prosecuting, told the court that on that evening on June 17, 2023, his partner came home to find pictures that would normally have been on the walls strewn about the place and a knife protruding from the mattress of the bed.
Empett was angry and turned his anger to her and started throwing stuff at her.
Mr Bailey said during the violence that lasted for an hour, Empett punched his partner in the head and all over he body, grabbed her by the throat until she struggled to breathe and kicked her and stamped on her while wearing steel toe cap boots. Read the full story, here.[11]
Daniel Blake
Daniel Blake from Bodmin has been sent to prison for 19 weeks by Bodmin Magistrates and has a three-year ban from entering certain areas of the town and other anti social behaviour orders imposed on him -Credit:Bodmin Police
A nuisance criminal has been banned from entering a town centre. Daniel Blake is currently in prison serving a 19-week custodial sentence. However what police in Bodmin[12] are celebrating are the conditions attached to his sentence, which they say will make the lives of residents and businesses in the north Cornwall town easier for weeks and months to come.
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As part of his sentence, Blake received a criminal behaviour order for three years with three conditions attached. He could be arrested if he refuses to leave any commercial/private premises when requested to leave by the premises owner, staff member or police officer.
Again, police [13]could be called again if he enters or loiters outside any store that he has been formally banned from that is a member of the Bodmin Shopwatch Scheme.
And finally if he enters a large area of Bodmin which includes the town centre he could be recalled to prison.
In a post on their Facebook[14] page, Bodmin Police wrote: "This week Bodmin Neighbourhood have secured some fantastic results at court to safeguard the community. If he breaches any of these conditions, he commits an offence and is arrestable.
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"We strongly feel this will greatly improve Bodmin town centre."
Jonathan Bates
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A military man who served his country with distinction put four women through hell, a court heard. For many years, veteran Jonathan Bates created fake pornographic accounts for two women he had worked with after leaving the Armed Forces because he wanted to 'punish them for not supporting him'.
Bates even put a total stranger whom he had met for a few minutes at a funeral through the same ordeal for his own gratification.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[15] on Thursday, January 2, heard how the 54-year-old dad-of-one would trawl through his victims' Facebook[16] and Instagram accounts and steal their photographs before putting their faces on the bodies of naked women on pornographic and swingers' online sites. Advertisement
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Bates, from RAF St Mawgan near Newquay[17], also searched for any information he could glean about his victims from professional platforms such as LinkedIn and added as many personal details as he could about them to the porn sites and other fake social media pages he created for them.
The court heard how Bates pleaded guilty to four counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress between 2017 and 2022.
He also pleaded guilty to a fifth count of disclosing or threatening to disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress with regards to one of the women involved.
The court heard how his stalking was sophisticated and methodical. It had required considerable skills and planning and was done to "maximise the level of fear and humiliation" he wanted to inflict on his victims with a view to destroying their lives.
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said this was one of the worst cases of stalking he had ever had the displeasure of dealing with in his career. Advertisement
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Stuart Allen, prosecuting, told the court that Bates' modus operandi involved befriending his victims and then going through their personal details, especially photographs on Facebook, and using those pictures to create fake webpages or accounts on porn sites with lurid information about the free or paid for sexual services his victims would provide anyone accessing these sites.
On one occasion, one of the four women stalked by Bates received a visit from a total stranger at her home address, who berated her for not turning up at the pub the night before as seemingly arranged.
Another of Bates' victims was even approached by people inquiring about the sexual acts she advertised online after putting posters up of her missing cat.
The court was also told how Bates even advised one of his victims to take it up with the police after her suspicions were raised when she realised that he might be the perpetrator of the years of online stalking she had been a victim of.
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Police in Kent and in Cornwall, where Bates returned to in 2015, investigated the cases of stalking but could not link him to the fake accounts and social media pages.
It was only when one of his victims realised that all the victims had one Facebook friend in common - Bates - that she started to connect the dots and was able to go to the police with more information.
Mr Allen told the court that when one victim Bates targeted confronted him, he was able to gaslight her into thinking that his computer must have been hacked. However, nine USB sticks were later discovered belonging to Bates, which contained the personal details and photographs of hundreds and hundreds of women.
"Putting faces on other naked women's bodies with disgusting and explicit language commentary on fake accounts was very much Bates' MO," Mr Allen told the court.
Mr Allen said that despite efforts to have their images and fake account profiles taken down by the various porn sites Bates had created on their behalf, his victims feared that what he had done was just the tip of the iceberg of what probably circulated online.
One of his victims said her life and professional career had been ruined as a result of Bates' making out she was an escort or a swinger. In a victim impact statement read out in court, she said: "The effect on my life and my career has been profound.
He created a persona for me that is very different from me. It's the first thing I think of when I get up in the morning and the last thing I think of at night as I go to bed. I have lost such valuable time with my daughter that I will never get back.
It affected my relationship with my husband, my family and my colleagues. I have felt too scared to leave my house and I now carry a personal alarm with me."
She added: "I am scared of him and that people may think it is really me. My reputation has been put into question.
In my role, reputation is my everything. I fear I will now lose out on future roles because of the defamation of my character."
Another of Bates' victims added: "It's just the tip of the iceberg. I dread that it will come to light again in years to come.
I'm sick and tired of this."
A third victim said the stalking had left her in a heightened state of distress, adding: "I do not know what I have ever done to make him ruin my life. I had to leave my job and my career. My professional reputation has been tarnished.
This has taken a huge emotional and psychological toll on me."
She said she now has trust issues and is paranoid about the people she meets and suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. In her victim impact statement, she said: "I have had therapy over the last seven years to try to regain who I was before. I am in fear of leaving my house.
My life is in shambles."
Another of Bates' victims said she now fears people will randomly turn up at her address thinking she works in the sex trade or is some sort of escort. Another victim said Bates' betrayal had been worse as he had been someone she trusted, but discovering pictures of herself on fake porn sites had left her feeling humiliated.
In mitigation, Deni Mathews said Bates had served his country with distinction and had done several tours of war zones, as a result of which he suffered from PTSD. He said that his years in the Armed Forces and seeing the things he had seen during conflicts may have made Bates less sensitive to the impact of this type of offending than other people in other lines of work.
"His career in the military has now certainly come to an end.
This has cost him his marriage. He has lost contact with his daughter. It will have a financial impact on him too and he will certainly lose his MoD accommodation and the life and stability that he has enjoyed through his military career."
Mr Mathews said Bates had not reoffended since 2022, adding: "He does now appreciate the consequences of his actions and has shown genuine remorse."
Judge Carr said being a veteran who served his country with distinction was something people would have much sympathy for, but the stalking of these four women was one of the worst he had seen in his legal career.
Sentencing Bates to five years in prison, Judge Carr said Bates had enjoyed humiliating his victims and instilling fear in them for his own pleasure, adding: "You didn't do it face-to-face but via the internet.
You wanted to punish (the victims) because you felt they had not helped you and so they required punishment, the reason for it being only known to you." Read his full remarks and the full story, here.[18]
Scott Andrew Murray
-Credit:submitted
Dozens of families have been put through hell by a rogue landscaper who ran a Ponzi scheme for years, took their money and left their homes and gardens in such a shoddy and dangerous state they became dangerous health hazards. Between July 2018 and March 2023, Scott Andrew Murray took on landscaping work all over Cornwall from Newquay to Looe[19], Truro[20] to Helston[21], but never completed any of it to the high standard he promised, if at all.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[22] on Thursday, January 9, heard how the 35-year-old from Helston, who pleaded guilty to two counts of fraudulent trading at an earlier hearing, ran Icon Landscaping Ltd, doing jobs for couples and families, businesses and other landscape gardeners, taking payment for items that never materialised. On many occasions, he would promise start dates that were delayed with no explanation, promised high standards of work, and agreed completion dates with his customers but again these were continually delayed.
One of his customers, who had paid more than GBP100,000 for a complete garden revamp, including a swimming pool, ended up having to have the work pulled up and redone by another builder when the pool collapsed.
Others had walls built on tiles rather than proper foundations while some customers ended up with muddy quagmires for gardens and paths and patios that weren't straight, had no grouting, or substandard materials were used instead of what was paid for.
One of Murray's victim was Dan Townley who has spent the last four years extending and renovating his family home in Lusty Glaze, Newquay[23].
He told CornwallLive after the hearing how he had contracted Murray and Icon Landscaping to carry out a GBP40,000 landscaping project which was supposed to include a porcelain tiled patio, shed, outdoor kitchen, sunken seating area, new fencing, planting and a new driveway.
He said that after paying an initial deposit, they had delay after delay due to a number of excuses. When the work began, it was based around a weekly payment plan, with the job scheduled to last for eight weeks.
However, four weeks into the project, Murray had taken more than GBP20,000 and GBP12,000 in materials from the Townleys, but the job had barely started.
Dan said that six months on, the family's entire garden, pathways, and driveway were left completely ruined, along with all the materials. He said, "The work was dangerous and so poor; it's unbelievable."
When Dan contacted Trading Standards at Cornwall Council[24] and posted about Murray and his shoddy work on social media out of frustration, he was inundated with calls and messages from other homeowners, businesses, and landscapers who had fallen victim to Murray, too.
Some 18 people and businesses contacted Trading Standards as a result and a case was brought against Murray.
Dan added: "It was the same tactics with everyone. Shoddy dangerous work and excuses. We are in a total debt of well over GBP40,000 now and still have a mess of a garden and driveway. Read the full story, here.[25]
William Counter
William Counter, from Bodmin has been sentenced to two years in prison for drug possession and drug supply offences -Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A drug dealer threw a bag of crack cocaine out the window when officers turned up at his home to arrest him.
William Counter was first arrested in September last year following a police raid on a property in Bodmin[26]. All the paraphernalia of drug dealing were found, including cannabis, scales, mobile phones and GBP2,900 in cash.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[27] on Monday, January 13, heard how the four people present were taken away. Counter, 28, from Rock Lane in Bodmin, was bailed to attend a police interview but failed to turn up.
As a result, officers from Devon and Cornwall Police[28] went to his address again - the same one which had been raided a few weeks earlier - and saw Counter throw a blue package out of the first-floor window as they approached the property.
Counter was arrested again and the blue package was found to contain 14g of crack cocaine.
In interviews, he denied throwing the bag of drugs out of the window or being involved in the drug trade at all and the supply of class A and B drugs. The court was told that Counter was interviewed a second time by police, and he then admitted possession of the class A drug, saying he did throw it out the window as he didn't want to be in possession as police were about to come into his home.
He later pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of cannabis, one count of supply of cannabis, one count of possession of class A drugs and another of supply of class A drugs. The court heard how Counter has five previous convictions for nine offences including for the supply of heroin and other drug offences relating to his own addiction.
Ryan Murray, defending, said Counter was a young man who had not had the most pleasant experience in prison whilst on remand and whose involvement in the drug world had been that of a lesser role.
He said Counter had been exposed to drugs from a young age as his mother was an addict and he was taken into the care system.
He became an addict himself and fell prey to dangerous dealers who enlisted him as a runner and supplier as a way for him to pay off his drug debts to them.
Mr Murray said: "He has felt the full force of the weapons these people have. He has lost much of the functions of his right hand as a result. He knows the score that people who buy drugs get pulled into that world.
"When he has stability he can be productive and can keep away from substances.
The penny has dropped in his case. He told me that being in prison had been the best thing that happened to him as it allowed him to sort his life out, or he would have ended up as another statistic, either on drugs or dead."
Mr Murray said there were several mitigating factors in Counter's defence, including his minor role in the drug trade, his involvement due to pressure from others, his own addiction to the drugs he was supplying as well as genuine heartfelt remorse, his "determination to address his offending behaviour" and a deprived background.
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said sadly Counter had already run out of chances when he had been given a suspended sentence for the supply of class A drugs in the past but had not used that chance to turn his life around.
Sentencing him to two years in prison, Judge Carr told Counter: "Drug dealers prey on people like you who have to pay off drug debts by supplying drugs to others at the bottom of the chain. I note your lesser role in this but you have done this before when you supplied class A drugs.
"At the time it was deemed exceptional and you were given a community treatment to address your problems.
It would have been your last chance but you fell back into this world afterwards and continued to supply drugs and the misery they inflict on others."
Counter will serve 40 per cent of his sentence before being released on licence for a year.
Mark James
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A serial burglar who steals as a way to fund a drug addiction has been locked up again. Mark James has been locked up for several years in connection with two burglaries that left the house occupants feeling terrified and violated.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[29] on Wednesday, January 15, head how James, 46, from Porthoustock, St Keverne on the Lizard peninsula, broke into a 92-year-old man's house in Penzance[30] on April 1, 2022, stole jewellery worth GBP100 and left the house in a mess.
Zoe Kuyken, prosecuting, said that when the elderly gentleman occupier had returned to his home that day he discovered that two windows had been broken, and an untidy search of his home had been carried out. He also found a chisel that didn't belong to him within the premises.
The occupier also found blood in a drawer which was later and DNA matched to James.
On May 17 that year, James also broke into a house in a cul-de-sac also in Penzance, after driving there and leaving his own car outside.
The occupier returned and, finding the car in his driveway and windows and a patio door open, went in and heard someone rummaging around. Thinking it may have been his son, he called out but when no-one answered and he could still hear someone in the house, he decided not to confront any intruder for fear of violence.
James quickly left the property and drove off without being seen and police were called. Tools that didn't belong to the house owner were discovered inside the property.
A rough search had also been conducted and James stole a passport and a mobile phone to the value of GBP375.
On June 8, 2022, police tried to stop his car in Leskinnick Street, Penzance, but as he tried to evade them he rammed the officers' car and also rammed a member of the public's car to such an extent that it was a write-off.
Officers from Devon and Cornwall Police[31] eventually Tasered and arrested James and while doing so found a knife on his person. He was returned to prison to complete his previous sentence and came out in 2024.
Ms Kuyken said the four offences - two for burglary, one for dangerous driving and one for possession of a knife which James later pleaded guilty to - had been committed while he had been out on licence. The court heard that James returned to his old lifestyle of homelessness and drugs and offended again as a way to fund his habit as soon as he was out.
Reading two victim impact statements, Ms Kuyken said James' 92-year-old victim was now frightened to be alone in his home as he was scared other burglars would return.
He said: "I have had a string of heart attacks and this incident has not helped my health."
James' other victim said: "I feel shocked that my home was violated in this way."
The court was told that James is a serial offender with 41 convictions to his name for 167 offences, including eight convictions for burglary and another eight for dangerous driving.
Ms Kuyken said both burglaries in 2022 had involved an element of planning, James had gone equipped at the properties and both offences were committed while on licence. She said another aggravating factor was the age of one of his victims.
Ryan Murray, defending, said drugs had blighted James' life for years and he fell back into a lifestyle of criminality when he was released from prison as he had nowhere to go and started taking drugs again which then led to more offending.
He told the court: "He has reached a point in his life where he has had enough of prison. It holds no mystery for him as he has spent most of his adult life there.
He is an institutionalised young man but he wants to be rid of his drug habit. He has accommodation lined up and will be working with We Are With You.
"He has shown remorse, and a determination to address his drug habit. He has had a difficult background."
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said there was no way James would receive a suspended sentence as he was past the three-strike rule for burglaries "by a considerable distance".
Judge Carr said that while James had made some progress addressing his addiction and turning his life around, he had also gone back to offending as soon as he was out of prison last year, adding: "I fear it will happen again."
James was sentenced to a total of five years and three months in prison for the four offences.
He was also disqualified from driving for four and a half years, including two years when he is out of prison and he will need to take an extended driving test before reapplying for a licence.
Nicholas Turner
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A man who was arrested near a boating lake with Class A and Class B drugs, retail drug bags and GBP400 in cash in his car was so candid about drug dealing it was described as "naive and depressing". Nicholas Turner also had a knife when he was stopped by Devon and Cornwall Police[32] officers on Trevemper Road in Newquay[33] on December 16.
When they searched his vehicle they found cannabis, a Class B drug, as well as cocaine, a Class A drug. Cash and coins were also found and when Turner's car was searched more thoroughly, a lock knife was also discovered.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[34] on Thursday, January 16, heard how Turner, 44, of Perranporth[35], told officers at the scene that while he does sell drugs he wasn't dealing on that day.
About the knife found in his car, he also candidly told officers: "You found it. I had been looking for it."
In further police interviews, he full admitted being a drug dealer but denied that the cash found in his car was from drug dealing saying instead that it was from his benefits for Christmas[36] shopping and again said that he was not by the boating lake in Newquay to deal drugs that day.
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said Turner's admission for selling drugs had been "as candid as it is depressing".
Turner was later charged with one count of being concerned in the supply of Class A drug, one of possession of Class B with intent to supply, another of being concerned in the supply of Class B drug and a final count of possession of a knife. He pleaded guilty to all counts at the first opportunity when he appeared before the magistrates' court.
In mitigation, Turner's barrister told the court there had been a "naivety" in Turner's admission.
He said Turner had admitted becoming involved in the supply of illegal drugs as a way to make money and solve his personal financial problems.
His barrister said: "There was some naivety in his responses to the police and he has no real appreciation of the nature of what he was getting involved with. He has no relevant previous conviction. He is in a relationship with his partner who has a long term health condition.
He lives with her and her son and there would be a profound negative impact on the family if he were to be sent to prison."
Judge Carr said the most interesting feature of the pre-sentence report prepared ahead of the sentencing hearing was the "complete candour" as to how he got involved. He added: "You got into debts and you thought making money from drug dealing was the solution to your personal financial problems.
"You are a man of previously good character and have the responsibility for your partner who will find it challenging if you go away, but this was a deliberate supply of class A and Class B drugs which kill people."
Turner was sentenced to two and a half years in prison of which he will serve 40 per cent before being released on licence.
February
Andrew Paull
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A career criminal who was spared prison a few months ago is in jail for committing yet more crimes while serving a suspended sentence. Andrew Paull received a suspended sentence at Truro Crown Court [37]in November but was back before the court less than two weeks later for a series of fraud and shoplifting offences[38] in the Par, Roche and St Blazey area.
At a sentencing hearing at Truro[39] Crown Court on Thursday, February 6, it was heard that in November last year Paull, 47, of no fixed abode, took a bank card from a car in Par and bought GBP159 worth of goods from shops.
He tried the card again at other places but it was eventually declined.
Over the next few days, Paull also shoplifted from the Co-op shop in Par, the Co-op in Roche near St Austell[40] and again the Co-op in St Blazey.
The court was told that he took meat and fish and other items worth about GBP300 to fund a drug addiction, with all five offences having been committed while serving his suspended sentence for similar offences.
Paull was arrested and charged with one count of fraud by false representation in connection with the bank card and four counts of shoplifting. He pleaded guilty to all charges when he appeared before magistrates' court in January.
Ryan Murray, defending, said it was a "depressing statistic" that Paull had been back before the courts 12 days after his release. He said: "He has battled a drug addiction for the best part of his life.
He had been in prison and when he came out the reality hit home that he had nowhere to go and only had accommodation with a friend for five days.
"Then the reality bit that without a stable address he couldn't have a bank account and it went downhill from there and out of his control. He was released from prison without the factors that would have helped such as stable accommodation and a stable [prescription]. He has spent his time in prison constructively and was a valued member of the kitchen team.
"When he has structure in his life and has a roof over his head he can be a constructive member of society."
Mr Murray said that should the court be inclined to suspend his prison sentence, Paull, who has 79 past convictions, mainly for dishonesty offences, could reside with his mother in the St Blazey area.
He added: "He tells me that depressingly, the last time he had a stable address was 15 years ago."
Recorder Christopher Quinlan, KC, told Paull, who has an addiction to Class A drugs, that only a prison sentence would do as the latest offences had been committed during a suspended sentence which he had no choice but to activate.
He said: "You breached a suspended sentence order. You have a substantial criminal record with 79 convictions, mainly for dishonesty and stealing from shops over decades. Class A drugs have blighted your life.
You are prepared to take up the challenge to beat your addiction but so far it has failed you."
Paull was sentenced to a total of 24 weeks in prison. He will serve half before being released on licence for a year.
Glenn Bennett
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A grandad who was kicked out of a pub by fellow punters during New Year's Eve celebrations after threatening[41] to kill a woman's baby went home to pick up a knife and stabbed the man who had taken him outside.
Glenn Bennett not only stabbed the man who had manhandled him out of the Liberal Club in Camelford on January 1, 2022, as he enjoyed a cigarette outside, but he also threatened people in the town with an imitation firearm a few months later while on bail.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court [42]on Thursday, February 12, heard that it had been just after midnight when Bennett was involved in an altercation with a woman near the bar. A group of friends heard him make threats towards the woman and, not liking what they heard and saw, decided to remove him from the premises.
Tom Bradnock, prosecuting, said Bennett, 46, from Market Place in Camelford[43], walked off but shouted that he would be back.
As the patrons went back in, Bennett returned with a knife in his hand and made a beeline for the man who had kicked him out of the pub who was still outside.
A scuffle followed and during the exchange, his victim was stabbed to the side of his chest and lost half a pint of blood. Punters intervened and the knife was removed and handed in later to the police. Paramedics were called and took his victim to hospital while another ambulance crew also attended to him.
Mr Bradnock told the court that it was while he was being looked at by paramedics that Bennett admitted stabbing the other man adding that he had been "silly" but had been set upon by people who kicked the hell out of him.
He was arrested and interviewed.
While on police bail, Bennett was involved in another incident during Camelford's Music in the Park event in June 2023 when he was seen pointing a gun at people, including his victim from the first incident who was outside the Liberal Club.
When he was approached by two concerned women he waved the gun at them and they took fright. A police officer later confronted him and an orange plastic BB gun hidden in a sock and a knife were recovered from his bag.
An expert said the gun was made to look like a Glock pistol but was classed as an "unrealistic" imitation firearm due to being made of plastic and being painted orange.
Bennett was eventually charged with one count of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, possession of a knife in a public place and a third count of possession of an imitation firearm in public. He pleaded guilty to all three.
Ryan Murray, defending, said this was a "depressing case on a number of levels".
He told the court that Bennett had had an unremarkable life in terms of appearing before the courts until the incident three years ago.
"This was no gratuitous violence," he said, "but as a response. This was not someone spoiling for a fight." About the gun incident Mr Murray said the pistol had been orange and obviously fake, with no BB pellets inside and no capability to fire them either and was totally "unthreatening".
He added: "He accepts that he has harmed another human being and frightened other people. He has expressed remorse for his actions.
There had been a degree of provocation throughout the incident that led him to be wound up. Alcohol was also involved. Following the second incident some 18 months later he has identified his relationship with alcohol is not healthy and has remained sober since."
Mr Murray said Bennett has suffered an industrial accident at the dairy farm where he worked in his 20s which has reduced his mobility and reduced his employment prospects and would also make any time in prison an even more unpleasant experience should he be sent to jail.
He said Bennett had been a good dad and grandad and had accepted he had behaved "atrociously" but insisted that the first incident had happened as a result of people making comments about his daughter and being an over protective father.
His Honour Judge Robert Linford said Bennett had deliberately gone home to pick up a knife and sought out his victim.
He said that the BB gun incident had led to members of the public being terrified of what he might do while brandishing the gun around.
He said: "People around you were concerned the gun may be real when you pointed it at people and made threats. People at the scene didn't know it was an unrealistic BB gun."
Judge Linford said Bennett had had a strong work ethic until his accident and noted his reduced mobility as a result and how Bennett had taken to "drinking in a big way" to cope with everything going on in his life. However he warned him that the offences were too serious and despite some elements of mitigation, a prison sentence was justified.
Bennett was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and was told he will serve 40 per cent before being released on licence.
Jonathan Rowe
-Credit:submitted
A volunteer treasurer of one of Cornwall's oldest rugby clubs has been jailed after siphoning off more than GBP185,000 into his own bank accounts.
Jonathan Rowe's crimes were fueled by "misplaced toxic masculinity" after he fraudulently took the cash to pay for a better life for his family and to fund online gambling.[44]
Rowe had been the voluntary treasurer of the Hayle[45] Rugby Football Club since the late 1990s, but in 2016 and for more than six years, he started pouring some of the club's cash into his own bank account as part of a deception that nearly bankrupted the community club.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[46] on Tuesday, February 18 heard how the former club player, who went on to play for Cornwall, had been a well-regarded member for decades.
However, his fraud came to light when he was replaced as treasurer by Sally Thomas at an AGM, as she soon realised the numbers did not stack up. Ms Thomas, a qualified accountant, became concerned that a number of payments had left the club's bank accounts. When the sums were traced by the financial authorities, it turned out that the money had landed in Rowe's personal bank account.
The court was told that Rowe, 56, from Bay View in Hayle[47], had always brushed off the club's financial difficulties when asked about them, and because of his position of trust within the club for so many years it was not questioned further.
It emerged that Rowe defrauded the club of GBP185,535.80.
Some of the transactions were unexplained while other payments to himself were labelled as 'coaching'. He even told the chairman of the club Edward Jenkin that a GBP21,000 gap in the club's finances was to pay a fine to HMRC, which turned out to be a lie.
The court was told that Rowe spent GBP17,000 of the club's money to repay a personal loan, GBP65,000 to pay off his credit card debts, and GBP31,000 on online gambling.
When his fraud was eventually discovered and reported to the police, Rowe failed to provide all the paperwork for the fraudulent transactions, meaning the club had not been able to see the full extent of the deception.
It was only in January this year that Rowe, a dad of two, step-dad of two and grandad of six, appeared before Truro[48] Magistrates' Court where he pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by abuse of position under the Fraud Act 2006.
In mitigation, Hollie Gilbery, said Rowe claimed not to be an online gambling addict but was playing to "support his mental health". In a victim impact statement read out in court, Mr Jenkin, the club chairman, said the club never made much money and all the cash raised through events and workshops was always poured back into the club.
He explained the club has been a community asset for nearly 150 years, but now it had been on the brink of disappearing for good because of Rowe's fraudulent actions.
Mr Jenkin said that on several occasions he wondered if the club might not have to be closed down for good as there never seemed to be any money in its coffers, something which would have been devastating for the whole community.
"The club has now improved and is in a much stronger financial situation," Mr Jenkin said. "We will be able to improve our facilities, something which was always held back because funds were always low."
Mr Jenkin said there is now money for a physio and the club is moving up the league.
He added that the club's finances are now on a much sounder footing.
Ms Gilbery said Rowe was a man of previously good character and has shown great remorse for his actions. She said Rowe was the treasurer for 30 years, 24 years without any problems.
"His mental health played some role in his offending. And through his own fault and actions, he has lost the long-standing relationship he has had with the club that was dear to him.
He played for the club from the age of seven and represented Cornwall until his 30s. It was important to him because his own father played an active role with the club.
"He knows he will never be forgiven by anyone at the club. This was not fraud to fund a high life." She said it was "misplaced toxic masculinity" that led him to take the money to project a more successful image with his family.
She added that he still retained the support of his current employer, an accountancy firm in Hayle and added that should he be sent to prison there would be fewer opportunities for Rowe to be able to work and repay what he has stolen.
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said clubs like Hayle RFC are central to their communities and can only survive through the hard work of volunteers, with people giving their time and money because of their love of rugby and the club.
"Everything is run on a shoestring," he told Rowe. "There is often not enough money to do what they want and do what they need. They have to put their faith in the treasurer to control the finances properly. You exploited that trust in the worst possible way."
Judge Carr said Rowe had defrauded the club through lies, deceit and forgeries to set up bank accounts in his name and came up with excuses when people queried why there never seemed to be any money in the club's account.
"You had been with the club for so long that people trusted you and couldn't believe that you would defraud the club," Judge Carr added. "It became obvious to the new treasurer that the accounts did not tie up.
You tried to hide your fraud. You didn't provide the paperwork so the club has only a partial picture of your fraud.
"The club was teetering on the point of bankruptcy. One of the oldest rugby clubs in the county was on the brink of closure in part because of your fraud."
Judge Carr said Rowe funded his online gambling habit from the rugby club as it was struggling so he could "give a picture of being more successful than you were to your family".
He added: "The effect on the club was nearly devastating and terminal."
Rowe was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He will serve 40 per cent before being released on licence. In May, a Proceeds of Crime hearing will take place at Truro Crown Court[49] to see what assets can be recovered from Rowe to repay what he took from the club.
Jack Tyler
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A sick and sadistic pervert filmed himself raping and abusing dogs after "being lost in the darkest corner of the internet".
For many years Jack Tyler anally raped, beat up and strangled a black spaniel and a jack terrier to such an extent that the dogs gave up their ability to fight back from the extreme abuse they received, a court heard. [50]
One of the dogs had to be put down while the other was removed from the home by veterinary services and later died. At a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court [51]on Friday, February 21, it was heard that the National Crime Agency were alerted to indecent images of children being uploaded to the internet from an address in Bodmin[52].
A search warrant was executed on Tyler's address in the town and electronic devices were found and later analysed. Lewis Aldous, prosecuting told the court that after being examined, a computer and a mobile phone yielded hundreds of indecent images and videos of children being raped and abused, some newborn babies or as young as three to five years old.
In total, more than 3,000 still images and films of all categories were found as well as prohibited and extreme pornographic images.
There was also evidence that some images had been distributed on the Telegram social network, including images of abuse of babies.
Officers from Devon and Cornwall Police[53] also found eight files containing videos of Tyler, 23, now from Tyn Celyn Fedw, Carrog, Corwen in Wales, sexually abusing the family dogs, including by raping them with his penis and with sex toys, beating them and strangling them into submission when they wouldn't comply.
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said this was one of the worst cases of animal abuse and cruelty he had ever had to deal with.
Mr Aldous said that a vet report concluded that the two dogs had suffered so much physically, mentally and sexually that they had lost their fight-or-flight ability. He said Tyler's behaviour had been sadistic and prolonged with no care for the welfare of the animals[54] and for the impact the indecent images in his possession have on children.
The court was told that Tyler was arrested in October 2021 in relation to the images found on his devices, but when the NCA discovered that more indecent images were being uploaded to the internet from an address linked to him, police searched his house and discovered more devices included phones that he had been using.
Mr Aldous said he had been given the new devices by his parents without any parental control on them. Tyler was charged with one count of possession of extreme pornographic images, causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, three counts of possession of indecent images of children (covering categories A, B and C) two counts of distributing indecent images of children, two counts of sexual abuse of a dog.
He pleaded guilty to all charges at Bodmin Magistrates' Court last year.
In mitigation, Chris Cuddihee, said Tyler was a young man with no previous convictions, who was crying out for psychological help and support. He said the 23-year-old had lived a virtual existence in isolation from the real world, and had not had any coherent support for his autism and compulsive behaviour.
He said Tyler had been "remarkably open, atypically open, about his thoughts and his future", adding that with the right help he would be a realistic prospect for rehabilitation and had become "desensitised" to what he sees on the internet, adding: "There is a long journey for this young man to return from the very dark place he had ended up in to become a functioning member of society. He wants to do that.
"It is a grim modern tale of a young person being lost in the darkest corners of the internet.
He doesn't seem to engage with the real world and real people. He has lived in isolation from people in Cornwall and in North Wales. He has become utterly lost."
He added: "This young man needs treatment and therapy which will not be available to him in prison.
He is vulnerable and would become even more vulnerable if he went to prison."
Judge Carr said this was the most disturbing list of sexual offences he had to sentence someone for. He said the abuse the dogs had received had been the most "horrific" he had seen.
"It's as bad a case of animal cruelty and bestiality you can imagine. There is only one reason for recording the offences, that is so you could watch and relive and masturbate over the images again and again, impervious to the pain the animals were experiencing."
He said Tyler had shown no empathy for any of the animals and children being abused in the photographs and videos found on his computers.
He added: "You have no empathy or remorse or understanding of the harm that you have caused."
Judge Carr said Tyler presents a great risk of reoffending if left out of prison and would pose a risk of harm to other people and animals. "It's clear that you understand how others see what you did as wrong, "Judge Carr told him. "But in truth you do not think that what you have done is wrong. You do not think you need help."
Despite taking into consideration the fact that Tyler would certainly be at risk of falling prey to others in prison, Judge Carr sentenced him to three years in prison. Tyler is also banned from having animals for life with a minimum of 10 years.
He will be on the sex offenders' register for life and has a 10-year order ban on accessing the internet imposed on him.
William Long
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A schizophrenic teenager raped a woman who had helped him with his mental health issues, a court heard. William Long, now 22, was 17 when he befriended a woman on social media.[55]
As the friendship progressed to the physical realm, his victim invited him to stay a couple of nights at her house in Cornwall. During a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[56] on Friday, February 21, it was heard how on the second night, as his victim was curled up on the sofa and was on the point of falling asleep, she found Long, of no fixed abode from the St Austell[57] area, on top of her undressing her.
He then raped her.
Despite being told to stop, Long continued to sexually assault his victim, who finally managed to free herself from him and flee upstairs to her brother's room.
Police were called straight away and Long was quickly arrested. He was charged with one count of rape in connection with the attack in June 2021 and another of sexual assault. He was found guilty on all counts by jury during a trial in December last year.
The court was told that when he was diagnosed as schizophrenic, Long was detained in a psychiatric hospital under the Mental Health Act for two years until he was deemed mentally fit enough to stand trial.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, Long's victim said the last four years had completely changed her outlook on life.
She said Long had "abused every bit of her physically and emotionally and had crossed the boundaries that no friend should ever cross".
She said she was fortunate to have a tight circle of friends and family supporting her but finds it difficult to be near new people as she is "constantly waiting to be betrayed" because of what happened to her. She said she suffers from panic attacks and anxiety and has flashbacks of the incident.
She also said that what happened to her had put a strain on her new relationship with her partner, with having to come to court to give her testimony being one of the hardest things she'd done in her life.
She said she found the experience traumatising and felt that she had to "convince strangers of the abuse she had suffered". She also said that while she had felt a sense of relief at the guilty verdict she is "feeling exhausted by everything and needs time and space to deal with it all".
Long's barrister said this was a very depressing history of what he had been going through at the time when he was just one month shy of his 18th birthday.
He said that while Long was under no illusion that he would go to prison, he needed to be sentenced as a juvenile.
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said Long had repaid the generosity and support from the woman who helped him by raping her. He said Long had denied all matters and shown "no remorse or insight for the harm he has caused".
He said that while Long had nearly been 18 at the time of the offence he was very immature for his age. He noted the challenges he had faced growing up and his mental illness and issues but said there was no room at the psychiatric hospital where he had been staying as he had been deemed fit to stand trial and this was now a criminal justice matter and no longer a health matter.
Judge Carr sentenced him to three years in prison.
Long will also be on the sex offenders' register for life.
Kyle Campbell
Kyle Campbell, 29, has been sent to 21 months in prison for a series of assaults again his partner at her home in Camborne -Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A violent boyfriend terrorised his partner's toddler after beating the boy's pregnant mum during a series of domestic incidents. Kyle Campbell started insulting the autistic three-year-old while staying at his partner's home when the boy, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, sprinkled too much garlic salt on the potatoes they were having for dinner.
When his partner told him he should not speak to her son like that, Campbell threw the glass bottle containing the condiment at her and hit her square in the mouth, damaging some of her teeth. He then blamed her for it for "not ducking".
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court [58]on Friday, February 21, heard how after the incident in August last year, Campbell's partner didn't call the police despite it being the second bout of violence against her in two months.
Instead she thought it would remain an isolated case and Campbell "would change his ways".
However a month later, as his partner had just got back to her home on the Pengegon estate in Camborne[59] with her son, Campbell walked out of the house and sulked outside for a couple of hours.
After she put her son to bed, Campbell, 29, from Octavia Close, Mitcham in Surrey, stormed back into the house and accused his partner of not giving him any money so he could go on holiday with his dad to Weymouth. He started becoming aggressive and verbally abusive and whinging that "nobody loves him and nobody cares about him".
The incident escalated when he mocked her weight and, as she tried to remove a bottle of beer from his hand as he was drunk, he poured the rest of the beer over her head and smeared it onto her face calling her a "fat slag" and a "pig".
It was then that Campbell proceeded to smash up his partner's place, damaging items in the kitchen, like her kettle, ripping a school portrait of her son and pouring milk over a pile of clothes.
The court was told that he then grabbed her by the hair and dragged her along the floor into the hallway. He put his partner, who has since had a miscarriage, into a chokehold with his arm and she lost consciousness for a few seconds.
When she managed to wriggle free, Campbell got on top of her and grabbed her by the throat with one hand and punched her face with the other.
She managed to free herself but Campbell grabbed her again by the hair accusing her of "getting pregnant on purpose".
His victim went to pick up her son from his bedroom and as both were in tears Campbell shouted at the terrified boy. The court was told that as she was leaving her own home he kicked her in the back causing her and her son to fall down some concrete steps. He kicked her once more as she was on the ground.
Finally his victim and her son were able to flee to a friend's house who called the police.
The court was told that the most serious incident had gone on for an hour and had left the boy and his mum in terror of Campbell.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, she said she has suffered from anxiety as a result and her son is now scared and won't sleep in his room without the door being left open because he is too worried anything like this will happen again.
She said she had to have extra support put in place for him at school after he witnessed the domestic abuse. She added: "The impact on my son has been astronomical. He keeps talking about Kyle kicking mummy."
Campbell was arrested in September after the latest bout of violence and assaulted his arresting police officer in the process by headbutting him.
He blamed his partner for everything in police interviews even saying the injuries he inflicted must have been received at her work in a sweet shop.
He was later charged with one count of causing actual bodily harm, two counts of assault by beating, one count of criminal damage, one count of assaulting an emergency worker and one count of intentional strangulation. He pleaded guilty to all charges when he appeared before Bodmin[60] Magistrates' Court in December last year.
The court was told that Campbell had 11 previous convictions for 14 offences including four offences against the person such as common assault and battery on an ex partner.
His barrister said it had been alcohol that had made him behave in such a terrible way, adding that he had not committed any other offences since last September and he had stopped smoking cannabis and drinking. He added: "He will go to prison.
He understands that."
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said Campbell had assaulted his partner for no reason through drinking too much and had lost his temper. He said: "This was not an isolated incident. The latest incident was a sustained assault on your partner.
You struck her and grabbed her by the hair and choked her and pushed her down concrete steps. You headbutted the police officer who was trying to arrest you.
"You have a terrible record for violence."
He sentenced Campbell to 21 months in prison. He will serve 40 per cent before being released on licence.
He also imposed a restraining order on him for 10 years not to contact his former partner.
Nelson Crocker
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A sicko who abused several boys and girls over two decades and ruined their lives has been jailed for a minimum of just over nine years. Nelson Crocker, 26, appeared at Truro[61] Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday, February 27, having been convicted of sexually assaulting and raping children throughout his childhood and into adulthood.
He was found guilty by a jury of 27 charges after denying having ever committed any of the crimes and accusing his victims of lying. Crocker, of Penmare Terrace in Hayle[62], appeared before a packed court with at least five of his victims present, all of whom read emotional victim impact statements, some through tears, as they spoke of how they "felt like I didn't fit in" and feel "everybody is out to get me, to hurt me" as a lasting result of the abuse.
The prolific abuser was accused of taking advantage of his victims in two Cornish towns.
One of the charges related to his raping a 16-year-old while he was in his early 20s among the many more assaults on children spanning over a decade.
Throughout the two-week trial in January he denied all charges against him and insisted that his victims had made it all up and were out to make his life hell, forcing them to relive everything they went through.
It took the jury just over half a day to find Crocker guilty on nearly every count. The jury found him not guilty of two out of the 29 original counts.
One of his victims sobbed during the hearing as she told how Crocker's abuse had irreparably changed and ruined her life. "I have these moments quite often where it feels like he's going to break into my house and do it all again," she said.
"I'm still trying to grasp why this happened to me and why he did this to me. This has ruined my life."
A second victim told how he has suffered emotional disconnect and struggles to form any meaningful connections with family and people he forms new relationships with after what Crocker did to him. "I struggle to express my emotions and to talk to people."
Of the court process, he said: "This has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life.
Nelson knew what he had done and chose to make us all stand in court."
He said he "can't express how difficult and painful this has been" to go through and to relive. A third victim said opening up about what happened to him for the first time four years ago during a police interview "truly scarred me". Read the full story, here.[63]
Herbert Peters
Herbert Peters from Redruth has been sent to prison for 15 years for raping a boy and sexually assaulting him and another in the late 70s and early 80s over four years -Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
An ex-miner raped a young boy on more than one occasion and threatened to kill him if he said anything, a court heard. Decades ago Herbert Peters buggered a boy who was aged under 10 and sexually assaulted him on several more occasions at an address in mid-Cornwall.
At a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[64] on Friday, February 28, it was heard how the 73-year-old, who is in extremely poor health, sexually abused the young boy and another while they were under 13.
The court was told that Peters' actions had shattered his victims' lives while he got on with his own.
The sexual abuse and rape were reported in 2021 when his victims plucked up the courage to speak out after more than 40 years of traumatic silence.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, one of his victims said that what Peters did to him was like "waking up with a stone in my shoe. Every day I feel it and every day it hurts."
His victim said he had been feeling shame and had led an isolated life for decades only wanting to protect his family as he does not trust anyone.
He said: "This has obliterated any memory of my childhood I might have had. I have been traumatised.
I struggle to talk about and relive what happened. I feel vulnerable."
He added: "The best way to describe the last 47 years is that it feels like I have been walking every day with stones in my shoes. Every day I feel them and every day it hurts.
Some days it hurts more than others and I never know when those days are going to be.
"I have always been praying for one day when someone will help me to take them out." Read the full story, here.[65]
Michael James Hutton
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A woman who was raped and sexually abused repeatedly turned to alcohol and drugs as a way to cope with her horrific ordeal when no-one believed her, a court heard. Michael James Hutton abused his victim over a period of four years at the end of the eighties and early nineties in the north Cornwall area, leading her to run away from home as a teenager.
A sentencing hearing at Truro[66] Crown Court on Friday (February 28), was told how the woman felt a sense of betrayal when no-one believed her including the authorities she spoke to who refused to get involved. His Honour Judge Simon Carr said Hutton's victim had been "woefully let down by the authorities" and her life had been shattered.
The court was told that Hutton, 50, from St Mary's Crescent in Bodmin[67], only stopped abusing his victim when an investigation was launched but all that was "swept under the carpet" by all involved until recently.
Judge Carr said the effect not being believed had on Hutton's victim had been devastating and led her to spiral down with the abuse of alcohol and drugs coming as a result.
He said that for 35 years she was not believed.
Hutton was convicted of seven counts of sexual abuse and rape by a jury following a trial earlier this year. In a victim impact statement read out in court, his victim said it took her a very long time to get better, which she did all by herself without the support of anyone as everyone had abandoned her. Read the full story, here.[68]
Shaun McCormick
Shaun McCormick, 54, NFA from Newquay, has been sent to six years in prison for violence and arson against his ex partner when he burnt her caravan down near Truro in December 2024 -Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A woman who led an off-grid lifestyle ran through the fields naked to try to escape her abusive partner who then burnt her caravan down with everything she owned in it - including one of her cats. Violent alcoholic Shaun McCormick subjected Kathryn Wills, 44, to a series of domestic violence incidents including strangulation and beatings over several months.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[69] on Friday (February 28) heard how the 54-year-old who served in the Army in South Africa never did anything to address his alcohol problems nor to keep his drunken rage in check - which in turn got worse and worse.
The court was told that almost immediately after becoming involved romantically with Ms Wills, he started becoming violent towards her.
Ms Wills lived an off-grid lifestyle in a caravan in Trispen outside Truro[70] with her son, two cats, some chicken and some geese. McCormick would drink to excess then attack her as he did with emergency workers on previous occasions also when drunk.
The court was told that in November and December last year he attacked and beat up Ms Wills and put his hands around her neck and strangled her to the point that she nearly lost consciousness. On one occasion, fearing for her life, she escaped from her caravan and ran away across the fields completely naked to her neighbour's house.
While on police bail and subject to a domestic violence prevention order, McCormick continued to be violent towards Ms Wills.
The court was told that as she felt worried for him, she allowed him in her caravan one more time so he could pick up some of his belongings but he threatened to kill and rape her and burn her caravan down if she didn't drop the charges for violence against him.
It culminated in an incident on December 29 when McCormick returned to his ex's caravan with a view to "just burn a hole in the side" by pouring chainsaw petrol all over it. The court was told that he then set the caravan on fire and it burnt to the ground [71]with everything Ms Wills and her four-year-old son Leon had ever owed inside. She spoke to CornwallLive about the devastating effects of the blaze[72].
Jason Beal, prosecuting said everything was destroyed in the arson including Christmas[73] presents her son had been given a few days earlier, and everything she had worked hard to buy.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, Ms Wills said she had been unable to find one of her two cats after the fire and suspected he had died in the blaze.
She said she and her son had been lucky not to be in the caravan at the time, and while grateful to still be alive, they had been left with absolutely nothing.
The court was told that when Devon and Cornwall Police[74] were called to the fire McCormick, who was drunk, admitted it it in full, saying he was "sorry for setting the place alight".
He was arrested and charged with a string of offences including intentional strangulation, arson, arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered, assault on a person thereby occasioning them actual bodily harm, criminal damage, intimidation of a witness, and making death threats.
McCormick who is of no fixed abode but from the Newquay [75]area, pleaded guilty to all charges.
In his defence, Philippa Harper, said the tree surgeon had been suffering from post traumatic stress disroder (PTSD) and a childhood trauma had shaped his behaviour and relationship to alcohol, adding that he can be a functioning member of society when away from alcohol.
Ms Harper said McCormick had grown up in a family where drinking heavily was the norm and he started experimenting with booze form the age of 15. She said that he had a tough upbringing and his mental health suffered when he was sent to a boarding school as a child.
She told the court that should McCormick avoid prison he would put distance between himself and his ex partner and would move up north, adding that he had so far used his time on remand well and was engaging well with the mental health and alcohol services.
"He has no money but he is keen to make amends," she added. "He has asked for a friend to set up a GoFundMe to help his ex partner."
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said that at the core of McCormick's life and problems was drinking alcohol in excess. "The next day after you attacked her," he said. "She returned to her caravan burnt to the ground. Every picture, every book, every child memory was destroyed.
One of her cats died in that fire. You did all this to hurt her as much as you could. You attacked her and destroyed her property.
"You admitted in police interview that your poured petrol on her caravan.
That you would just do minimal damage is simply not credible. I accept you have had some difficulties in life and you have shown some degree of remorse now you are sober, but nothing you do can put back what you did. Everything in her life has been taken away and she will have to start over from nothing because of you."
McCormick was sentenced to six years in prison for which he will serve two thirds before being released on licence.
A restraining order was also imposed on him until further notice.
March
Sharon Elizabeth Wood
-Credit:CornwallLive
A cruel woman left her pet suffering and in pain for months, a court has heard. Sharon Elizabeth Wood, 53, of Polmeere Road, Penzance[76], caused unnecessary suffering to a 17-year-old cat called Tigger when she did not get him medical attention, despite him not being able to use his back legs.
The cat had severe hind leg paresis and was unable to coordinate the limbs of both hind legs. Following an investigation from the RSPCA, the cat saw a vet, who said Tigger would have been suffering.
The report from the vet said: "He was presented in need of veterinary attention, and this should have been sought as soon as his symptoms appeared.
He would have been suffering without medical intervention and suitable management.
"He had severe hindleg paresis with reduced motor function and weakness and ataxia, and inability to coordinate the limbs of both hind legs. He has required ongoing management for pain, and medicines to help him urinate properly."
Wood admitted to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal between February 7, 2024 and March 20, 2024 at her home. She also pleaded guilty to breaching the lifetime ban imposed on her after her previous conviction in 2018 and of breaching her suspended sentence.
Wood and her son, Ashley, appeared in court in 2018,[77] after causing unnecessary suffering to their Staffordshire bull terrier type dog, Dexter.
Dexter was found covered in sores with barely any fur.
He was chronically underweight and his ribs and back bones were exposed with no fat on his body. The court heard that Dexter belonged to Ashley but his mother was also responsible for the pet, which at the time lived at her home.
The Woods were both sentenced to 12 weeks in prison suspended for two years and were told they could not keep any animals[78]. Despite this, Sharon Wood went on to keep Tigger in her home.
Sharon Wood was sentenced to 17 weeks in prison at Truro[79] Magistrates' Court[80] on February 11 and was given a lifetime animal ban, which she can not appeal for 15 years.
She was also ordered to pay GBP600 and a GBP154 victim surcharge.
RSPCA Inspector Jo Pearson, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said: "Tigger needed care and attention from a vet. He was in pain and needed help but instead was left to suffer for a prolonged period."
Tigger, who regained the use of his back legs, was signed over to RSPCA care and has since been adopted.
Aiden Cashley
Cornish townsfolk on a night out caught and restrained a man who fired a BB gun into a group of people, causing serious injuries. Aiden Cashley hid the imitation weapon in his clothes before pulling out and firing multiple times in Launceston[81] town centre, after getting into a row on the night of Saturday, December 28 last year.
Cashley became involved in an altercation with the unknown group.
During the incident, he told the group he had "to get something" and, when he returned, pulled out an imitation firearm that he had hidden in his clothing and fired it multiple times at around 11pm that night.
One man suffered serious injuries after he was repeatedly hit in the arm. He later required surgery. Cashley fled but was caught and detained by members of the public nearby until officers arrived to arrest him and seize the weapon.
He was charged with possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and assault causing actual bodily harm.
Cashley, of Budshead Road in Plymouth[82], pleaded guilty to the offences and was sentenced to three years and one month by the judge at Truro[83] Crown Court on Tuesday, March 4. The weapon will also be destroyed.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Hannah Ackford, from Devon and Cornwall Police[84], said: "We welcome the sentence given to Cashley, who carried out this random and serious attack on a group of people who were not known to him. There are so many risks associated with possessing weapons and no good can come from it."
Oliver Haisman
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A violent drinker attacked his girlfriend with a bag of beer cans when she dumped him for drinking too much.
Oliver Haisman, 28, and his now ex-girlfriend had been drinking in a pub in Saltash when she called an end to their relationship.
Haisman followed her out and caught up with her down the street, grabbed her by the throat and hit her with a bag of beer cans, shouting threats to kill her as he did so. Witnesses to the assault called the police and when officers arrived Haisman continued to be violent, spitting at a female officer.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[85] on Tuesday, March 11, heard that the victim was struggling to get free as Haisman also shouted aggressively at her and threatened to kill her. His victim later reported that Haisman had shouted: "I could kill you right here, right now."
When police turned up, Haisman, who has nine previous convictions for 29 offences including causing actual bodily harm, violence and assaulting a police constable, turned his violence towards the officers who tried to arrest him.
The court was told that he continued to be "volatile" after being arrested and kept "thrashing around".
During his arrest he assaulted one of the officers.
He was later charged with assaulting a person thereby occasioning them actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation, assault by beating of an emergency worker, and possession of cannabis.
He pleaded guilty to all charges at the first opportunity. In mitigation, his barrister read out a letter Haisman sent His Honour Judge Simon Carr ahead of his sentencing, in which he expressed remorse for his action.
In it, Haisman said: "If I could turn back the clock, I would. There is no justification for what took place.
Since being back in custody I have had time to reflect on my actions and I am sorry for the distress I have caused. I am now engaging with the mental health team to help defuse situations rather than take action."
His barrister said Haisman had been drinking and had lost control as a result of drinking too much. She added: "He has accepted it.
His problems go back to 2016 when he was the passenger in a car and had a bad crash. As a result he had a bleed on the brain which has led to his mental health problems. Now that he is in custody his problems are being addressed properly.
He has accepted that he needs to change."
Judge Carr said Haisman had found it hard when his girlfriend ended the relationship. He added: "You hit her with a bag containing cans of lager then grabbed her by the throat. When police arrived you were aggressive towards an officer, spit at her then kicked her.
You have shown remorse and have realised that you have to address your drinking problem.
"You have an appalling record for violence against individuals and police officers and sentences are getting longer each time."
He sentenced Haisman to 14 months in prison where he will serve 40 per cent before being released on licence. A restraining order for three years not to contact his ex was also imposed.
Daniel Catlin
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A convicted paedophile who did not learn his lesson and lied to probation officers and shrugged off his sick offences wanted to be a teenage girl's sexual teacher. Daniel Catlin was first convicted of a series of offences in connection with downloading indecent images of children in 2013.
He tried to cooperate with various services to address his sexual interest in children.
However, as a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[86] on Thursday, March 13, heard, despite help and support, the 32-year-old continued to deliberately target young people online for his own sexual gratification. The court was told that between January 23 and January 26 last year, Catlin contacted two girls aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activities after he contacted them through Facebook[87].
On the two occasions, Catlin asked the girls to masturbate for him and discussed teaching them about sex. Unbeknownst to him, the two Facebook pages had in fact been set up by officers from Devon and Cornwall Police[88].
The court heard that despite knowing the girls he thought he was chatting to were underage, his behaviour escalated from "gentle grooming" to highly sexualised conversations where he asked for pictures of the girls.
His IP address was tracked to an address in Bodmin [89]and Catlin was arrested.
He was later charged with two counts of attempting to cause / incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child. He pleaded guilty to all four charges.
Feleena Grosvenor, defending, said Catlin's misuse of alcohol and cannabis had been high at the time of the offences in January 2024 and his mental health was low.
She said that while his behaviour was "unhealthy", Catlin, now from Bread Street in Penzance[90], had received a "harsh warning". Ms Grosvenor added: "He has lost his job.
He suffers from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) from a childhood trauma and he is still being harassed by paedophile hunters. He needed support that had not been offered before. But he is making progress and that support would stop if he went to prison.
"He is now getting the help that should have been sorted for him many years ago.
Long-term rehabilitation would be better than immediate incarceration."
His Honour Judge Simon Carr did not see it that way and said Catlin's most recent offending had been an escalation since his last offences a decade or so ago.
He said Catlin's actions had been deliberate in targeting children. He added: "You started with some gentle grooming to gain their confidence but this turned to highly sexualised conversations. You wanted to be their teacher.
You asked for pictures of them masturbating and of their underwear.
"Had you not been caught by the police you would have continued. This was a significant escalation from your offending in 2013."
Judge Carr added: "To your credit you sought help from various agencies to assist with your issues of mental health, alcohol and a sexual interest in children but you didn't seek out that help at the time when you were first offending. You have been trying to manipulate the situation.
"You were caught out lying to very experienced probation officers.
Your version of events was not true and when this was pointed out you simply shrugged your shoulders and tried to move on. You tried to get away with it. The probation officers has real concerns about working with you.
"You have an entrenched sexual interest in children.
You represent a high risk of serious harm to children."
Judge Carr sentenced Catlin to three years in prison. He will serve 40 per cent before being released on licence. A sexual harm prevention order was also imposed for 10 years.
Catlin will be on the sex offenders register for life.
Stuart Lee
Police want to trace Stuart Charles Lee
A woman was left with severe chest pain and coughed up blood for weeks after being brutally assaulted by her ex. Violent recovering heroin addict Stuart Lee attacked the woman at her own address while on police bail with a condition not to contact her.
The 48-year-old from Meneage Parc in Helston[91] and his former on-off partner had an argument over something trivial and it was during that altercation that he grabbed her by her clothes and pushed her violently into a shelving unit in the kitchen of her home. She fell to the floor and landed on her neck and chest and was unable to move, being in so much pain.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[92] on Thursday, March 13, heard how Lee's victim suffered from chest pain for some time and coughed up blood for weeks after.
On December 17 last year, some three weeks after the first incident, Lee went back to her address in Hayle[93] and forced his way in despite her repeated attempts to keep him out.
He again grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and headbutted her in the face causing injuries to her nose. She only managed to free herself from him when she punched him and he left. The court was told that she was on the floor crying for an hour being in so much pain.
Lee was later arrested and taken to Camborne[94] police station where in interviews he denied any involvement in the two incidents or that he had even seen his ex partner.
He was later charged with two offences of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and pleaded guilty to them.
In July last year, Devon and Cornwall Police[95] launched a public appeal to find him after he went on the run and was wanted in connections with reports of stalking, harassment and assault.
In a victim personal statement read out in court, his ex partner said: "There have been ongoing issues with him for many years but I can't put up with the abuse any longer. I feel worthless. I feel I can't go on.
He has taken everything from me. I have nothing left to give. I can't cope with the abuse any longer.
I want him out of my life and stay out of my life."
The court was told that after the latest abuse, his victim had tried to take her own life. Lee has 18 previous convictions for 47 offences including domestic violence and battery on previous partners and breaches of protection orders.
In mitigation, barrister Ramsay Quaife said Lee is a recovering heroin addict on a reduced methadone prescription. He said he has got some accommodation lined up for six months which could be lost if he were to be sent to prison.
Mr Quaife said Lee has been engaging with the addiction services at We Are With You and has managed to sober up while on remand since December.
He said: "Taking in consideration his physical and mental health, this man needs help to keep him out of trouble and on the straight and narrow."
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said the offences had happened when Lee was under an order not to make contact with his ex at any cost, something he had ignored.
He said: "A minor argument developed but you lost your temper and attacked her and caused such injuries that she had considerable pain in her chest and coughed up blood. A few weeks later you returned to her address when she didn't want you in her house. You forced your way in and headbutted her in the face before leaving her cold and crying on the floor.
I note the challenges you face and the attempt you have made to challenge your addiction."
Judge Carr said that because of the nature of the attacks on two separate occasions which were carried out while on police bail, Lee's previous convictions and the domestic incident setting, only a custodial sentence would do.
He sentenced Lee to 10 months in prison. He will serve 40 per cent before being released on licence. A restraining order for five years was also imposed on him.
Stephen Wills and Leum Barrett
-Credit:Devon & Cornwall Police
-Credit:Devon & Cornwall Police
Two members of an organised crime gang that connected London and Cornwall have been jailed.
Stephen Wills and Leum Barrett helped traffic tens of thousands of pounds-worth of cocaine into the South West.
Exeter Crown Court heard that between July and November 2019, Wills and Barrett were involved in an organised crime gang's operation to deliver high-purity drugs from London to dealers in the Exeter area.
Other members of the gang, Adi Lleshi, Mark Vasija and Richard Armitage, are already behind bars, having been convicted at previous trials for their roles in supplying cocaine to towns across the South West.
Lleshi delivered cocaine to the Exeter-based conspirators. On one of these occasions, he drove to a property in Chagford. Whilst he was in there, Barrett was seen outside the address and appeared to be waiting for someone.
Shortly after, Wills made phone calls to Barrett and Armitage who arrived at the property and entered before Lleshi left with a bag, having received payment for the drugs.
All parties left the address at the same time. Lleshi went on to deliver cocaine elsewhere in the South West. Barrett and Wills were in significant telephone contact with each other that evening.
Subsequent enquiries found that this property was rented to Armitage who paid the bills.
The gang thought it was a safe house and was unaware that it was under surveillance by law enforcement agencies, led by Devon & Cornwall Police.
During the course of the investigation, searches were carried out at all the suspects' addresses, and more than a quarter of a kilogram of cocaine was found at the home addresses of Wills and Barrett. These seizures had a total street value of GBP40,000 and the evidence suggested the Exeter-based dealers still had the ability to buy and sell large amounts of cocaine.
The group also used mobile phones which had the highest level of encryption. Following interviews of all the suspects, a full file was submitted to the Complex Case Unit of the Crown Prosecution Service and charges were made.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Ben Davies said: "This was a substantial and complex investigation in which large quantities of Class-A drugs destined for the streets of Plymouth[96], Bristol, Torquay and Penzance[97] were seized.
"The large quantities of criminal money also recovered demonstrated the extent of the drugs empire and its foothold in the South West of England."
Wills and Barrett were both found guilty of conspiring to supply cocaine and possession with intent to supply cocaine at a trial which concluded on Friday 6 December.
John Brewster, 35, of Dixon Way, Calne, was found not guilty of conspiring to supply a Class A drug at the same trial.
Wills and Barrett were jailed for a combined total of 14 years by Judge Stephen Climie at a hearing at Exeter[98] Crown Court on Thursday, March 13.
Wills, aged 36, of Bridford, Exeter, was sentenced to nine years in jail for a catalogue of offences including conspiring to supply cocaine and possession with intent to supply cocaine. He was also sentenced on three separate charges to which he had previously pleaded guilty. He was convicted of conspiring to supply a class A drug, conspiring to supply a class B drug and for possession of a prohibited firearm.
Barrett, 35, of Newton Poppleford, was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to supply a class A drug and three-and-a-half years for possession with intent to supply cocaine to be served concurrently.
The convictions are the result of a large-scale investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police[99]'s Serious and Organised Crime Branch, aided by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit.
DSupt Davies added: "Sentences handed out today send a clear message to those who feel that they can transport drugs into our communities, set up and sell them.
"The judge was very clear that this group of criminals were sophisticated, organised and operating across the region.
I commend the professionalism and dedication of our Serious and Organised Crime Investigation Team supported by the Regional Organised Crime Unit for the lengths they have gone to ensuring that the organised crime group were identified, arrested and convicted.
"This complex investigation took place during the national pandemic which brought challenging conditions to both the teams and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Working together ensures that those who commit serious organised crime will be dealt with robustly by the police and CPS.
"I thank the CPS and those that work within it for their continued support in making the communities of Devon[100] and Cornwall[101] safer for all. Devon and Cornwall Police will continue to pursue these organised crime groups in order to protect the communities they target.
"I would urge any residents to have the confidence to call the police or Crimestoppers to report drug-dealing activity so that we can be made aware and look to stop it as soon as possible."
Ann Hampshire, Specialist Prosecutor in the CPS South West Complex Casework Unit, said: "The Crown Prosecution Service worked closely with the investigative team from Devon and Cornwall Police to build the strongest possible case against this organised crime group.
"This was a complex, large-scale investigation, and it took many months to review and consider the vast amounts of evidential material and build a picture of the criminal network.
Through this work we were able to demonstrate the individual role of each defendant and the part they played in the county lines distribution of drugs from London into the South West.
"The CPS will continue to work closely with our colleagues in the police to ensure that those involved in bringing drugs into the South West are brought to justice."
Steven Smith
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
An addict who stole from two shops, assaulted shop staff and police officers and drove on the wrong side of the road and caused a head-on crash has blamed a bad batch of drugs. On the morning of December 6 Steven Smith took his mother's car without her consent and while under the influence of drugs, drove into St Austell[102] and stole from Poundland and Sports Direct.
When confronted by staff in the two shops, he became aggressive and violent and, after being followed by the manager of the sports goods shop, attacked him with a tin can he had stolen from Poundland and hid under his jacket. When confronted further by the staff who were just doing their job, Smith, 42, from Milton Brow in Weston-Super-Mare, threatened to inflict further violence on them.
Fleeing the scene, he returned to his mother's car and, while driving towards Mevagissey, was on the wrong side of the road and crashed head-on into another car, causing the elderly driver to suffer a cracked sternum and ribs and writing off his car.
Smith also fled that scene and, after being tracked and arrested by police, kicked off and assaulted one of the arresting officers from Devon and Cornwall Police[103], threatened them with violence and threatened their children before further damaging the police van.
In a victim impact statement read out at a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court [104]on Friday, March 14, the shop manager who was assaulted by Smith said: "I've been doing this job for eight years. I've had to deal with all sorts of people over the years but this was the worst incident. I don't come to work to have that sort of language or be in fear for my safety."
The elderly driver said he worried he would have to undergo surgery and he was lucky not to be killed.
He added: "For him (Smith) to be on the wrong side of the road and not to check if I was okay after the accident is unacceptable."
The court heard that Smith has 33 previous convictions for 56 offences and had been serving a 12-month community order at the time of the offences.
In mitigation for Smith, solicitor Philippa Harper said he had not made any excuses for his behaviour that day but said it had been "serious drug induced offending". She told the court: "He was in a bad place at the time having suffered the loss of his aunt whom had been very close to him. She was like a second mother to him growing up and he felt her loss significantly.
"So he relapsed back into drug taking which he uses as a method of calming himself down.
He has some concerns that it may have been a bad batch as it gave him different experience and he didn't expect it would make him react in that way."
Ms Harper added that the drug fog meant Smith didn't remember much from the day, saying it had given him almost "an out of body experience". She added: "He was in a confused state of mind. He didn't want to steal anything or cause violence.
He wouldn't have done anything if he had been sober. He can be intelligent and articulate when not under the influence of drugs."
Smith was eventually arrested and charged with a series of offences including assault, assault on an emergency worker, aggravated vehicle taking, failing to surrender to police, failing to provide a specimen, two counts of theft, criminal damage and failing to stop after a road traffic collision. He pleaded guilty to all charges.
Ms Harper added: "He had a difficult upbringing and was regularly beaten up and bullied at school.
He suffered from domestic abuse as a child and is waiting for an autism and Asperger assessment. He describes his mum as his best friend and he wants to get that relationship back on track."
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said the offences, while committed under the influence of drugs, had been appalling, especially assaulting shop staff doing their jobs. Judge Carr said it was sheer luck that no-one was killed or seriously injured as a result of the collision Smith caused when driving on the wrong side of the road.
He said: "You have an appalling record of violence and misuse of drugs and multiple assaults on emergency workers.
You are not manageable in the community."
He sentenced Smith, who had been on remand since December, to 18 months in prison where he will serve 40 per cent before being released on licence. He also disqualified him from driving for 22 months and two weeks.
Shane Carroll
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A man who was accused of a serious crime by his ex tried to have her drop all charges with threats of violence. Shane Carroll was ditched by his ex partner of 15 years because of his propensity to drink too much.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[105] on Friday (March 14) heard that after an argument in August last year, his ex made an allegation against him of a serious crime towards her and contacted Devon and Cornwall Police[106] with it.
Whilst the police investigation was underway, Carroll was subject to a non-contact order.
However the court was told that on two occasions last summer Carroll went to her home address, forced his way into her house and threatened to inflict violence upon her if she didn't drop the charges against him.
When she refused to do that, Carroll made it clear to his ex of the consequences. On one of the occasions he pushed her which caused bruising and swelling to her cheek then he grabbed her by the throat as she struggled to grab her phone and call for help.
The court was told that she kicked him in the leg to get him off her and asked him to leave. Before leaving her property he pushed her to the floor.
Devon and Cornwall Police were eventually called and Carroll was arrested.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, Carroll's ex said she feels angry that she feels like a prisoner in her own home when Carroll is free to lead his own life.
While police took no further action in connection with the allegation, Carroll was still charged with one count of witness intimidation and another of causing actual bodily harm. He pleaded guilty to both.
Carroll, 35, of Pengegon Park, Camborne[107], has 10 previous conviction for 20 offences, including shoplifting, possession of an offensive weapon and battery.
Ryan Murray, defending, said Carroll had used his time on remand in prison constructively. He said that through his role processing new arrivals at HMP Exeter he sees faces who come back to prison regularly and does not want to be one of them.
He added: "He has worked on improving his literacy skills.
He wants to get into employment. His spell in prison allowed him to reset his life and he is back on track after the abyss of drug use. He accepts that the relationship is at its end."
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said Carroll had ignored his police bail conditions not to contact his ex while a police investigation was ongoing but instead forced his way into her home and threatened her if she didn't drop the charges.
"You attempted to derail the process and attempted to intimidate her and drop the charges against you," Judge Carr said.
He sentenced him to 15 months in prison where he will serve 40 per cent before being released on licence.
Any time spent on remand will count towards it too. A restraining order was also imposed for five years.
William Medland
-Credit:Devon & Cornwall Police
A man who sexually assaulted a sleeping party guest in his house has been jailed for ten years. William Medland, 49, crept in on the woman while she was on the sofa, a court heard.
She woke to find him groping her breasts, with his hands in her underwear and trying pull off her trousers.
She fended him off and saw him leaving the room.
The next day Medland pretended nothing had happened and tried to lie his way out of trouble. But a jury found him guilty of assault by penetration and sexual assault. The trial heard there was strong forensic evidence linking him to the crime.
The trial was told the offences dated back to 2019.
Prosecutor Brian Fitzherbert said it happened at Medland's address in Bude.
The victim told police she had drunk two glasses of wine and two glasses of rum and ginger before feeling unwell. She could not explain why she felt so strange and feared her drink had been spiked. It was not the prosecution case that Medland had spiked her.
The woman fell to sleep on the sofa.
When she woke up she had a blanket over her head and felt someone groping her breasts before leaving.
She woke again and felt her clothes being removed and being sexually assaulted. Throughout her ordeal the woman felt her body wasn't reacting to what her brain was telling her to do. She also found it difficult to speak but did see Medland's face as he left the room.
Medland told the trial the sexual assaults never happened.
He said he had tried to help her because she was unwell. But strong DNA evidence linked him to the crimes.
The defendant, of Whitstone, Holsworthy, must serve two thirds of his sentence inside and sign the sex offender register for an indefinite period.
Jack Molin
A 23-year-old drink driver who caused a fatal crash said he deserved to be jailed and 'embraced it'. 'Decent hard-working' Jack Molin had drunk three pints of Guinness with work colleagues at a pub when he decided to drive to a McDonald's restaurant one day in July 2023.
He strayed across the A30[108] Hayle[109] bypass and ploughed into a car driven in the opposite direction by 30-year-old solicitor Melissa Polglase,[110] from Penzance[111], who died at the scene.
The judge at Plymouth Crown Court saw dashcam footage which graphically showed the head-on crash as Molin's car flipped onto its roof.
At the time of the crash Melissa's parents said their hearts had been ripped out by her death and nothing can ease their hurt. Tributes were paid to the young lawyer with her employer Penderlaw saying the whole team had been left heartbroken by her death.
In a tribute to Melissa at the time, they said: "We are heartbroken to announce the death of our much loved and respected friend and colleague, Melissa Polglase, who tragically passed away on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Our hearts go out to her family and loved ones, and we send our deepest condolences to them at this awful time.
"Mel joined Penderlaw in 2015. She began her training contract in 2017, qualifying as a solicitor in 2019, and had become highly regarded in her chosen field of litigation. Mel was a complete force of nature; brave, intelligent, energetic, and passionate about her work.
She was also a real live wire outside of the office, ready to grab any opportunity that came her way.
"We will all miss her beautiful smiling face, and are finding it so hard to take in the news that our wonderful friend and colleague has passed away at such a young age."
Molin, of Highfield Road, Falmouth[112], who pleaded guilty to one charge of causing death by dangerous driving, said he was fully to blame for the crash and offered no excuses and said he momentarily lost concentration and drifted into her lane.
He said he was disgusted with himself and deserved to be jailed. His Honour Judge Robert Linford said Molin was a 'hard working, insightful, decent young man', adding: "You drank at least three pints and killed someone. No sentence I pass can bring her back."
Molin was jailed for four years and banned from driving for eight years.
Tommy Walton
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A teenager from Penzance beat a complete stranger into unconsciousness before returning and gloating over his seriously injured victim.
Tommy Walton, 19, was involved in an unprovoked and violent attack on the man in June of last year.
Walton, of Penmere Road, Penzance, caused his victim "catastrophic" injuries including bleeds to the brain and a loss of hearing. He was put into an induced coma for a week and his skull is now so unstable he has to wear a metal helmet occasionally.
Walton appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentencing on Friday, March 28, having pleaded guilty to one count of wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent. The court heard how a co-defendant, Cory Middleton, has already been sentenced to two and a half years in relation to the incident. Read about his case, here.[113][114]
The attack happened at 3.30am on June 16 last year in Penzance[115].
Security CCTV footage from a nearby shop captured the entire assault including showing Walton punching his victim in the head, with his head also smashing into an object behind him.
The video also shows the pair later returning to the scene where the man lay seriously injured and making a celebratory fist-bump before they hug and disappear from view. They were not known to the victim and it was described as a completely random attack following a night out.
The court was told how Middleton started the attack but Walton almost immediately got involved. Following the attack, the victim was left visibly bleeding from his ears because of his injuries.
On their return to the victim, the pair appeared to show some initial concern but then seemingly "congratulated" one another.
Later they have some sort of physical disagreement as Walton appears to show "greater concern" for the man than his co-defendant.
They both left the scene and were not there by the time the ambulance attended. The victim was initially taken to Royal Cornwall Hospital[116] and later to the specialist head injuries unit at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth[117]. The court was told by the prosecution that it was "by sheer skill of medical staff that this man survived".
In mitigation, it was heard that Walton fully admitted responsibility and at no point tried to excuse his offending.
It was heard that he faces personal issues and had a "very challenging" start to life which made him "impressionable" and "foolish" but that he was deeply regretful and knew he could not begin to put right what he had done.
Sentencing, His Honour Judge Simon Carr said: "I cannot understand what [the victim] could have done that would have justified what you did. He was a complete stranger, clearly worse for wear through drink himself. He was posing absolutely no threat to you whatsoever and yet from standing near him you both launched yourself at him."
He continued: "He was beaten into effective unconsciousness before you calmly walked away.
It didn't end there for reasons I doubt even you can explain. You returned and seemed to be gloating over the body before realising how serious the injuries were."
He went on to describe the injuries suffered as "catastrophic", saying they will impact the victim each and every day of his life. Walton was sentenced to two years imprisonment.
Matthew Bryant
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A jealous love rival set fire to the only exit of a man's flat - having started threatening him from the day he was released from prison.
Matthew Bryant, 33, appeared at Truro Crown Court[118] for sentence on Friday, March 28, having pleaded guilty to one count of arson with intent to endanger life.
Bryant, of St Michaels Road in Stratton, Bude[119], left his home with a petrol can and started a fire at the only exit from a ground-floor flat in December of last year, risking setting the rest of the building alight. He later told a police officer he was "trying to do [his victim]".
The court heard there was a history of animosity from the defendant towards his victim that had escalated to threatening behaviour. Bryant believed his ex-partner had stayed with the victim during a previous period of imprisonment which is where the problems stemmed from.
When the defendant was released from prison last year he visited his victim that very day and caused damage to his workshop but this was not reported to police.
In November, Bryant began to send further text messages to his victim and his victim's sister.
The court heard how those included threats telling them both "they were going to burn". In December, he attended his victim's address, accessed the ground floor flat and began banging on the door.
At around 8.45am he sent more threatening messages including saying "please don't make me do this shit". Bryant's father then contacted police explaining his son had gone out with a petrol can and "was in one of those moods".
He told police he felt something was going to happen but the officer who was sent that message was not working that day so did not pick it up.
At 10.24pm the defendant bought a petrol can and filled it with petrol at the local Morrisons.
A neighbour of the victim noticed his dogs barking later that evening, smelled smoke and described a "popping sound".
Smoke then emerged from the address which woke the victim whose porch, which was the only exit, was filled with it. Bryant had set light to his shoes, added rubbish and used petrol to accelerate it.
Bryant later admitted at a police interview that he was "trying to do him" and "trying to burn him out". Following the police interview, and while still in the room, he told the interviewing officer, "next time I'll use a 25-litre drum, that should do the job".
Defending, Ramsay Quaife said Bryant has been using his time in custody as well as he can and that there appears to be a genuine motivation to use his time there as best he can.
Mr Quaife added that he has a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
Sentencing Bryant, His Honour Judge Simon Carr said: "You have been in dispute with the victim in this case for years, for reasons probably long lost in the mists of time which you took extremely personally and to heart."
He said what followed was repeated contact, animosity and anger toward the victim including threats of physical violence. "The effects upon [the victim] have been devastating," he told Bryant.
Bryant was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Ethan Edwards
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A 20-year-old "coward" viciously beat a 61-year-old woman while shouting, "why won't you just die" after she tried to stop him attacking another woman.
Ethan Edwards was attacking a young woman when the 61-year-old spotted the assault and walked towards them, in the hope that it would encourage him to stop.
Instead it sent Edwards into a frenzy of violence, and he beat the older woman and stamped on her head so badly she will need surgery to remove a permanent glare in her eyes.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[120] on Friday, March 28, heard how the older woman tried to seek refuge in The White Hart Hotel in St Austell but was chased by Edwards, of Trevithick Road in St Austell[121].
He then pushed and kicked her to the ground, repeatedly kicked her and stomped on her head while shouting "why won't you just die?"
The woman received serious injuries to her head including fractures to her eye sockets and nose and as a result of the attack, which happened on November 1 last year, she has permanent scars and can no longer drive at night or watch TV because of her damaged eyesight.
The court also heard that the horrific injuries she received led to her developing tinnitus which is a debilitating condition with no cure. Ramsay Quaife, prosecuting, told the court that Edwards' victim had tried to play dead in the hope that the senseless beating would stop but it only did when the bouncer of a nearby pub came and intervened.
He managed to detain Edwards until the police turned up. While being taken to Camborne[122] police station for questioning, Edwards continued to spit at the officers and urinate in the police car.
He was later interviewed and charged with assault by beating and another of Section 18 causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He later pleaded guilty to all charges.
In a statement read out in court, Edwards' victim said the attack had left her feeling like she needs to move away from the area as she now associates the street where it happened with the fear the attack caused her.
She said the violence had deeply affected her and her life and left her to worry that had he killed her, her children and grandchildren would not have had anyone left as she is the "last of her generation" in her family.
She said: "Loud noises make me jump. It makes me more nervous.
I can't drive or watch TV at night because of the shadows in my eyes. I will need to have surgery to correct it and have it removed.
"It has affected my sleep. My life has changed.
I am more scared. After the attack I was in agony for weeks. He is a coward for attacking me from behind in an unprovoked and unseen attack.
I don't understand why he attacked me. I have never felt so unsafe in my life. I feel I have to get away from this place to get away from the fear I associate with the place.
"He left me feeling like a wounded animal.
I thought I was going to die."
Jason Beal, defending, said Edwards had no recollection of the night in question or what he did but he has accepted his actions since. He said the 20-year-old was still young and immature and had been a man of good character until the attack last November. He added: "He is remorseful and extremely ashamed as he should be for the way he behaved that night.
He knows he is a coward."
Mr Beal said Edwards had had a terrible childhood and had been the victim of and witness to domestic violence. He added that Edwards has learning difficulties. He added: "He doesn't like violence.
He has difficulties understanding how he behaved in such a violent way."
The court heard that Edwards has sobered up while on remand and realised that drinking is not the way forward.
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said the violence Edwards had inflicted on his victim would have a life-long impact on her when she had been an entirely innocent victim.
He said the attack had been as "bizarre as it is inexplicable".
Judge Carr said he had noted Edwards' youth and immaturity, difficult childhood and trauma, autism, PTSD and the challenges he had faced but insisted only a custodial sentence would be appropriate.
Edwards was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. He will serve two thirds before being released on licence. A restraining order has also been imposed on him for 10 years.
Steven Hawker
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A woman was followed, stared out, approached and laughed at maniacally by a paranoid-schizophrenic man who got it into his head that she was a danger to children and it was up to him to save her - when she was a complete stranger.
Steven Hawker put his victim through hell for more than a decade after convincing himself that he needed to protect the world from her and watch her closely.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[123] on Friday March 28 heard how despite a non-stalking order imposed on him, Hawker, 49, from Parcandowr in Grampound Road between Truro[124] and St Austell[125], continued to stare at his victim, go to her place of work, stand at her bus stop for hours even when she did not take the bus, approach her, laughed menacingly in her proximity and stare through her car window when her vehicle was at a standstill in traffic.
The court was told that Hawker would go to the Londis shop in The Square in Grampound Road and position himself so that his victim would have to squeeze past him when he would ask her if she was still scared of him.
The court heard that indeed she was scared of him and his behaviour which first started in 2013 caused her, her partner and her children to be scared for their safety.
A stalking protection order was made by Cornwall Magistrates court on January 26, 2021 but that did not stop Hawker to continue his campaign of intimidation and harassment towards his victim. he was eventually arrested following the latest bout of breaches of the stalking order between May and September last year and he pleaded guilty to charges of stalking involving serious alarm / distress and breaching a stalking order.
Despite pleading guilty to the various charges against him, the court was told that Hawker did not comprehend the harm he had caused, and said his presence in his victim's vicinity had only been "a chance coincidence" or "bad timing".
Ed Bailey, defending, said Hawker's life fell apart when he was diagnosed with paranoid-schizophrenia and his mental health crashed.
"It's that mental disorder that's at the heart of his offending," he said. "From his part he is in partial denial and has limited awareness of the impact that his behaviour has had on his victim.
"There is no doubt that this is a man who suffers delusions and the very unappetising delusions that his victim was a risk to children yet has no foundation, started out his peculiar behaviour of stares and visiting her at her place of work and threatening her in terms of his odd presentation."
Mr Bailey said Hawker had been on anti-psychotic injections three times a month but did not always take his medications.
The court heard that because of Hawker's behaviour his victim and her family have now been shunned by some of their friends.
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said Hawker certainly has some serious mental health issues but he has not always accepted that or medical help for it. He said Hawker and his victim were effectively complete strangers but he had convinced himself that she was a danger to children and was up to him to save her when it was all made up in his head.
Judge Carr said the stalking protection order had had no effect and only prison would help to protect his victim from Hawker's delusional behaviour.
He sentenced Hawker to two years in prison. He will serve 40 per cent and any time served on remand will go towards the sentence before he is released on licence.
A tagging curfew and restraining order was also imposed on him for five years.
April
Stephen Davey
A man who repeatedly sexually abused and raped a young girl has been jailed for 17 years. Stephen Davey, 57, was convicted of two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a child, three counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault of a child, against one victim following a trial which concluded on Wednesday, March 26.
He was released on court bail until his sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[126] on Thursday, April 3. It was heard that it took his victim immense courage to come forward and relive the abuse when she stood in the witness box during the trial.
In her statement read out in court, Davey's victim said: "This is something I couldn't tell anyone.
I kept it from people for so long. But it never goes away. It is constant.
I was scared I wouldn't be believed but I was and that in itself was a relief. Giving evidence in the witness box has been the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.
"The reason I was in court as an adult is because of a crime that happened to me as a child. Giving evidence in court was so hard.
I hope that any sentence takes into consideration the last 22 years of my life, which could have been so different. I hope that my life may now be different."
Ramsay Quaife, defending Davey, from Lower Woodside in St Austell[127], asked Judge Simon Carr to take into consideration that his mother would have no-one to look after her if he was sent to prison, his ill health and the current state of the prison system.
Judge Carr said Davey's abuse was extensive and on two occasions he raped the girl. He said: "She was just a child under 13 and you abused her for your own sexual gratification.
She tried to tell her mum but that was misinterpreted so she had to carry this burden herself for almost 25 years when she finally found the courage to come forward and put it right.
"Her video evidence was one of the most moving and traumatic I have seen. To have to relive the abuse caused her distress and physical pain.
"She had her childhood taken away and she will always carry this throughout her entire life. You have shown no remorse or insight into what you have done.
You have had 25 years to live your life but she has had to suffer the memory."
Judge Carr sentenced Davey to 17 years in prison for unlawful sexual intercourse with a child, with one year on extended licence after he is released, and five years each for the charges of sexual assault and indecent assault, to be served concurrently. He was told he would serve a minimum of two-thirds of the sentence before he could be considered for parole.
He was also given an order not to contact the victim and will have to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life.
Speaking after the hearing, Detective Sergeant David Squire, who led the investigation, said: "The sentence passed down by the judge today is to be welcomed. We should praise the victim in this case for the bravery she has shown in reporting these non-recent rapes and sexual assaults to us in 2022.
"She has remained steadfast during the investigation and throughout the court process that has brought justice today, while being supported by officers.
We hope that this will bring some closure for her.
"As a force, we will stand with victims of such offences and hope that this gives others who may have suffered such abuse the courage to come forward. Devon and Cornwall Police[128] is clear in its approach to reports of this nature - we will listen, and you will be heard.
"We will always actively investigate any such crime and seek to bring those responsible to justice for the victims, who we would urge to come forward and report offences to us. Time is no barrier to justice." Read the story as reported at the time here.[129]
Tommy Aaron Chislett and Shane Lee
-Credit:Cornwall Council
A pair of rogue traders who "exploited" vulnerable customers have been jailed[130]. Tommy Aaron Chislett, 22, and Shane Lee, 31, both of Wheal Jewel in Redruth[131], took a pensioner with dementia to buy a GBP3,500 gold bracelet as upfront payment for roof repairs, after banks refused cash withdrawals.
The pair also demanded an additional GBP1,000 from a couple who had already paid them GBP300 for gardening work.
On Thursday, April 3, 2025, Chislett and Lee were sentenced to two years in prison at Truro[132] Crown Court[133] after they each pleaded guilty to three charges of attempted theft and two charges of fraud at a previous hearing, following a prosecution by Cornwall Councils' Trading Standards team.
The case related to bogus gardening and roofing work at the homes of vulnerable victims.
On January 25, 2024, Chislett and Lee, accompanied by one other labourer, cold called at the home of a man living in Falmouth[134]. The victim was living with dementia.
The men told the householder that his roof needed cleaning. After they erected ladders and went up on the roof, they claimed the roof needed fixing.
They gave the victim a verbal quote of GBP5,000, with no paperwork, and said the money needed to be paid upfront.
The victim told Chislett and Lee that he did not have the money. He went to the branch of his local bank to withdraw the cash, but realising the request was unusual, the bank refused to release the funds.
Having returned home empty handed, the men then took the victim in their vehicle and drove him to a different branch and attempted to withdraw funds again. In the meantime, the bank had contacted the victim's daughter to alert her of the withdrawal attempt.
Unfortunately, by the time she arrived at her father's property, the men had already left with her father.
Not knowing where he was, the daughter contacted the police to report her father as a missing person.
Further attempts to withdraw money were refused by banks, so Chislett and Lee then took the victim to a jewellery shop in Camborne[135], where he was directed to buy a bracelet. The victim paid GBP3,500 for the bracelet, which was taken from him as payment for the work.
The victim was then returned home. The police arrested Chislett, Lee and the other male shortly afterwards, although the bracelet was never recovered.
In June 2023, Chislett and Lee had delivered flyers to houses in the Truro area advertising their gardening business.
One customer called to enquire about having some hedges cut back and was persuaded to get the work done.
Chislett and Lee turned up at the property shortly after and cut back the bushes. They gave no paperwork or any form of cancellation period. Upon completion of the work, they demanded GBP300 in payment.
The customer felt confused and pressured by the situation.
Chislett and Lee asked him to give them his bank card and PIN number, which he did.
The two men took the card to a local supermarket and withdrew GBP300. However, when they returned, they demanded a further GBP1,000.
Panicked, the victim called his father who bank transferred the money and Chislett and Lee left. Unknown to them at the time, the payment was blocked by the bank.
Gary Webster, trading standards group leader at Cornwall Council[136], said: "These incidents are truly shocking examples of how some of the most vulnerable people in our community can be exploited for financial gain.
It is clear that both Chislett and Lee operated solely with the intent of identifying the most vulnerable consumers, with little interest in completing any meaningful work.
"Thankfully on this occasion the police and Trading Standards were alerted to these incidents; however, we know that there are many more that are not reported. It is vital that communities are vigilant and look out for friends and neighbours and report any suspicious activity." Read the story as reported at the time here.[137]
Danny Hook
A drug addict and serial criminal from Cornwall has finally gone down after being given three chances to prove he had changed. Danny Hook, 38, was given three suspended sentences over a period of seven months.
Hook, of Basset Street, in Camborne, appeared at Truro[138] Crown Court on Thursday, April 10, 2025, for sentencing having breached his order yet again when he conducted a large theft at an ASDA[139] store and a second at a Poundland.
The court heard how he was first given a suspended sentence in June of last year following a burglary and theft carried out in May.
Following this, he was given a second chance when he, in the same month of his initial sentence, was caught with a blade in a public place.
The court heard how the latest proceedings relate to two thefts, one on December 19 at ASDA in Hayle[140] and another on February 13 at Poundland in Camborne[141]. He was confronted by security in the ASDA supermarket but due to aggression was allowed to leave the store.
In ASDA he stole alcohol and meat to the value of GBP168.28 while he stole pasties, toothpaste, burgers, and crisps of an unknown value from Poundland.
Shockingly, he attended a hearing at Truro Crown Court[142] on the same day as one of the thefts. It was related to a racially aggravated harassment, assault by beating of an emergency worker and a further two thefts.
In January he was ultimately given his third and final chance when sentenced on these matters.
The court heard then that Hook went into a phone shop in King Street in Truro while high on heroin and alcohol and proceeded to insult its owner purely because of his religion. He told him he shouldn't be in Britain because he is Muslim and that "all Muslims are paedophiles". You can read that full report, here.[143][144]
Judge Simon Carr told Hook he had "run out of road" and would be jailed. Hook was sentenced to ten months imprisonment with each suspended sentence activated. Read the story as reported at the time here.[145]
Jordan Craige
A dad has been jailed after stamping on his defenceless victim's head three times following a drink-induced hotel brawl in Cornwall.
Jordan Craige, 29, repeatedly stamped on his victim's head, despite having already been restrained by police, with his hands cuffed behind his back, during the violent assault at a Premier Inn in Bude[146] in September 2023.
Craige, of Allendale Road in Plymouth[147], appeared at Truro Crown Court[148] for sentencing on Friday, April 11, having pleaded guilty to one count of affray. The court heard how the two were involved in an argument which soon escalated into a physical altercation after they had been drinking heavily at the popular coastal resort.
Members of the public witnessed the fight which spilled out into the street and was captured in CCTV footage. Police were contacted and when they arrived they arrested the second man involved - who faces separate charges - but Craige repeatedly struck him even after the arrest and in front of officers.
Craige, who has a long history of offending going back to his youth, stamped on the man's head twice and also struck him to the head using his fist.
He then stamped on his victim's head a third time.
As part of his defence, Craige's barrister explained that he was genuinely remorseful and did not want to minimise what he had done but said the victim was the one being violent. He wanted it clear that he felt "pulled into the dispute" as a result of the actions of the victim and a third person who was present.
"He tried to diffuse the situation and initially would say he was helping with the self-defence of [the woman]," his barrister explained, adding that any custodial sentence would impact his young son.
Both accepted that what transpired had however gone "beyond" self-defence. In his sentencing remarks, Judge Simon Carr said: "You and those you were with had been drinking very heavily, a problem that seems to have blighted you most of your life.
An argument started, probably over nothing, between you and a friend which escalated into a fight, first in the hotel room and later in the common areas."
Judge Carr said he accepted that he and the victim were "equally to blame" but said it would have been frightening for all who witnessed it. He said Craige took "a dangerous action" toward a man who was "unable to defend himself" in any way which could have seriously injured or killed him.
Craige was sentenced to eight months in prison. Read the story as reported at the time here.[149]
Adam Thouless, Ben James and Joshua Lindell
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A trio of thugs who "terrified" a family so much that they had to move house have been sentenced. Adam Thouless, 33, Ben James, 30, and Joshua Lindell, 35, all rocked up to the completely wrong property[150] in Redruth[151] in February over what is believed to be a drug debt.
They woke the frightened strangers - a mum, dad and their son - at 10pm by banging on the door and presenting a binbag with what appeared to be a firearm inside.
In an additional attempt to threaten the occupants, they left a live shotgun cartridge at the property and then tried to cover their tracks.
Thouless, of Treberran Gardens in Tolvaddon, James, of Enys Road in North Roskear, Camborne[152], and Lindell, of Eastern Lane in Camborne, all appeared at Truro Crown Court[153] on Friday, April 11, for sentencing, having pleaded guilty to one count of affray. James also pleaded guilty to an additional count of cannabis possession.
The prosecutor explained how one of the defendants banged on the door aggressively on the night of February 8 and the victim was initially going to get dressed and open the door. She told the court that the victim was at home asleep with his wife and child when the three defendants entered through the main entrance of a multi-occupancy address in Redruth.
The victim was concerned about the "forceful" bangs and heard a voice say "you've got an hour before this place is lit up".
Officers arrived and while there the victim gave the police an item he found outside of his front door that he thought was a battery. It was later identified as a live and unfired shotgun cartridge.
CCTV footage showed the three defendants arriving with James holding an item wrapped in a bag that looked as though it was a firearm. Thouless and James also kicked the door with Thouless the one to make threats like "open up the fu***ng door" and "lighting the place up".
"It is strongly suggested by the crown that this is as the result of a drugs dispute that these defendants had gone round to that address," the prosecution explained.
When officers attended James' address they seized bags of cannabis with a street value of around GBP3,400, leading to the additional charge.
In a victim impact statement, the man said it was a "very stressful" time that "haunted" his family who were still trying to recover. "We have lost some income as we have been displaced," he said. "I have had to move address because of this incident.
"We were disturbed in the comfort of our own home. My child was taking his mock exams at the time and I think this affected him at an important time."
He said he felt like he had been targeted unfairly when he "had done nothing wrong". He also spoke of the impact on his work with vulnerable people in the community.
Defending James, Martin Pierce said he expressed "genuine regret and remorse" and had a "real understanding" as to the effect on the victim.
He said, additionally, he suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) which impacts his decision-making, as well as psychosis, split-personality disorder and a troubled childhood.
Feleena Grosvenor, representing Lindell, said it was merely a "limited" incident in terms of time and threats made. She also pointed out that none of the threats, shouting or kicking were made by Lindell and provided references as to his character, saying It was felt that a community order would be suitable.
In Thouless' defence, Mr Holmes said the "hard-working" man had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity possible and had expressed remorse about what he had done even at that stage and "disbelief" at his actions. It was explained he runs his own business and looks after his family including his twin daughters "who he adores".
In his sentencing remarks, His Honour Judge James Adkin said: "The purpose of your visit to that premises was organised intimidation, probably relating to a drugs debt.
In fact, you chose the wrong door and terrorised an entirely innocent family. All of you had attempted to disguise yourself to some extent and all of you had taken some steps to limit forensic recovery."
He said while the object was never recovered it looked like and was treated like a gun, telling the three that had it been found then the charges would have been far more serious.
Thouless, on account of his very early guilty plea, was sentenced to 20 months in prison. James and Lindell, who made their pleas at a later date, were sentenced to 22 months in prison.
There was no separate penalty for James' cannabis possession and all three will serve 40 per cent of their sentence. Read the story as reported at the time here.[154]
Ryan Edwards
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A violent thug "rained down" punches on his girlfriend after an argument over some tobacco.
Ryan Edwards, 36, left his former partner in extreme pain and unable to work from the domestic violence incident.
Edwards, of Eastpool Park in Pool, appeared at Truro Crown Court[155] for sentencing on Friday, April 11, having pleaded guilty to one count of grievous bodily harm and one count of cannabis possession. The incident occurred on March 8 when the two, who had been in a relationship for six months, had been out at the pub drinking and doing drugs.
They returned to his address where Edwards began "shouting" in his then-girlfriend's face and "backing her" into a sofa. It was then that he demanded she give him some tobacco she had bought, grabbed and ripped her dressing gown and then climbed on top of her and sat on her with his whole body weight.
He put his legs over her mouth so she couldn't breathe and punched her.
She described being in "horrendous pain" saying she had never been hit with such force and had feared for her life.
She threw the tobacco at him and told him to "just have it" but then estimated a further four blows to the eye area that caused her nose to start to bleed. Edwards eventually got off her and started crying, giving her a chance to flee to a nearby caravan. The police were phoned, attended and arrested the defendant.
He told officers he had "f**ked up" and "lost his temper" before then replying "no comment" to further questions.
His victim was taken to hospital where it was found she had a swollen black eye and three fractures to her face including her eye socket and jaw.
In an impact statement, she described how the injuries could potentially take six months to resolve, she is on strong pain medication and has lost her ability to trust men. She has also been unable to work since.
Defending, Mr Smith said Edwards was a "realistic" defendant who knew his sentence was a case not of whether or not he would go to prison, but rather for how long. He told the court that in his just over a month in custody he has been making use of his time and has "sat quietly awaiting his fate".
In his sentencing remarks, Judge James Adkin described it as a "prolonged" and "persisted" assault, saying: "You sat on [your victim] so she couldn't move and then punched her hard in the face.
"She described that as extremely painful, the first blow that was inflicted, however, the matter didn't end there [...] she then handed over the tobacco that was in her possession and the attack continued.
You rained punches down on her eye."
Edwards, who was subject to a community order at the time for assaulting another former partner, was sentenced to 20 months in prison. He will serve 40 per cent of that time. Read the story as reported at the time here.[156]
Joseph Hilton
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A child rapist already serving time for sexual offences will serve a further 14 years after more of his sick crimes from his past came to light. A court heard that Joseph John Hilton raped his young victim at least eight times.
The 36-year-old appeared for sentencing at Truro Crown Court[157] on Thursday, April 17, having been found guilty of three counts of raping a child under the age of 13 and a further "multiple-incident" count indicating more than five other offences following a trial held earlier this year after denying all charges.
Hilton, originally from Bodmin[158], but now of HM Prison Whatton in Nottinghamshire, was convicted of raping his victim repeatedly.
He is already serving a ten-year sentence for sexual offences having been convicted in 2019 after grooming a child over a year.
Today a court was told how Hilton subjected the victim in this case to several rapes - all of which he continues to deny to this day. His previous conviction, in 2019, of which details can be read here, [159]saw him plead guilty to two counts of oral rape, two of sexual activity with a child, and two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
As part of his mitigation, the court was told Hilton was suffering from depression at the time of his offending as a result of previous service in Afghanistan. His barrister said he has sought assistance whilst in custody but the judge told her there was "no correlation" between his mental health and offending.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Carr said Hilton had plenty of opportunity at his previous trial to admit to these further crimes but did not do so. "One of the striking features to me having heard the trial was the brutality of what the defendant described [as you] treating [them] as an object or a toy," he said.
"The nature of the rapes showed total disregard for [their] thoughts and feelings and emotions." He said the offending would not have stopped had it not been for the victim's "enormous courage".
He said while there were no victim impact statement he was able to see the "enormous damage" done which was "made clear to everyone" at trial. "You were asked in simple terms in 2018 whether any of the abuse included vaginal rape and you said no," he told Hilton. "You lied to the police hoping the sentence, although for serious offences, would be a lesser sentence."
Hilton was told he showed "no remorse" and was sentenced to 14 years in prison to be served concurrently with his other sentence from today. Read the full story as reported at the time here.[160]
Benjamin Frost
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A paedophile given a chance at redemption after being found with nearly a million sick child abuse images in 2020 has been jailed nearly half a decade on after continuing to make indecent images following his release.
Benjamin Frost, 37, was given a community order and a chance at rehabilitation[161] at Truro[162] Crown Court on October 15, 2020.
Despite his release, he has since committed four breaches of that order and was found with further indecent images. Frost, of Tregeagle Road in Roche, appeared at Truro Crown Court[163] for a sentencing hearing on Thursday, April 17, having pleaded guilty to one count of making indecent images and four counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
The initial order he breached was imposed in 2020 after Frost was found with nearly a million sexual images of children being raped and abused. He then pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children.
Ramsay Quaife, defending, then told the court: "He's got to leave the virtual world behind and get into the real world.
He could go to prison but society is better served with him getting the help he needs." A judge agreed that he needed help and wouldn't get it in prison.
Nearly five years on, the court was told Frost's order was due to expire in October of this year, but in January Devon and Cornwall Police[164] was alerted by the National Crime Agency that Frost had been uploading category A indecent images of children. Officers attended his home address and seized a mobile phone and took him in for questioning. On examining his mobile phone device there were two apps capable of storing images, one of which was encrypted and Frost refused to provide his fingerprint to unlock it.
At the hearing Frost's barrister said the "penny has dropped" and Frost accepts that he deserves to be punished.
He said the defendant would have been "appalled" if the children in the pictures were loved ones of his own. He also put forward that it was a "small" number of images and sought to argue that he could still be a candidate for a community order.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Carr, said a programme attended by Frost "entirely failed to stop [his] offending." "That such a course had such little effect leads me to conclude that you present a very real risk of future offending," he said.
He told Frost that his "entrenched sexual interest in children" cannot currently be managed within the community. Judge Carr sentenced Frost to 15 months in prison.
He will serve 40 per cent before release. Read the story as reported at the time here.[165]
Stephen Brown
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A woman who was sexually abused as a teenager was forced to live in the same town as her rapist for two decades because she could not afford to move away. In 2002 Stephen Alec Brown sexually assaulted and raped one woman when she was in her teens, and indecently assaulted a second one at addresses in Cornwall.
For more than two decades his victims suffered in silence until they found the courage to come forward and report the 64-year-old. Brown, from Helston[166], was found guilty of four counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16 and another of rape by a jury following a two-day trial earlier this month.
During a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court [167]on Wednesday, April 23, one of his victims spoke about the ordeal Brown put her through and how he ruined her life, while he has been free to enjoy his for years.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, she said she has been having flashbacks and nightmares for years, adding that what Brown did to her will stay with her forever.
She said it has not only had an impact on her but also on her relationship with her husband and on her children too. She said that for years she couldn't even take her son to football practice for fear Brown would be there.
Brown's victim also told the court how having to relive her ordeal in court had brought it all back and added to her stress and anxiety and severe post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She said: "I couldn't afford to move so I have been stuck living in Hell."
In mitigation for Brown, Jason Beal, said the convicted rapist was in poor health having suffered a heart attack in 2010 and having two stents fitted in.
He said there had also been no further offending from Brown since those incidents 25 years ago.
Judge Simon Carr said Brown had shown no remorse whatsoever for his actions but had carried on with his life when what he did to his two victims had damaged their lives both physically and mentally. He said: "When you abuse children you give them a life sentence.
"They never recover from that. You have shown no remorse for your actions and no insight into the harm you have caused.
You are 64 and not in good health and will find prison harder than many others."
Brown was sentenced to 10 years behind bars. He will serve two thirds before being released on licence. He will be on the sex offenders register for life.
A life-time restraining order not to contact his victims was also imposed on him. Read the story as reported at the time here.[168]
Jack Felton
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A dog has been left in a kennel for two years waiting to be put down because its owner could not control it in a public place, a court heard. Jack Felton was out walking his female ginger pit bull terrier named Gee Gee in the Castle Grounds area of Bude[169] when the dangerous breed dog, which didn't have a muzzle on, took a dislike to another dog and lunged to attack.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court [170]on Wednesday, April 23, heard how the pit bull terrier had been loosely attached to a bench in the public park and managed to free itself when attacking the other dog. Felton, 22, of no fixed abode but from the Bude area, tried to intervene and separate the two dogs and received a bite to the hand for his efforts.
However the other dog and its owner were both injured by Felton's dog and received a deep wound to the leg and hand, respectively.
In the UK, pit bull terriers are classified as dangerous breeds under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. This means that it's illegal to own, breed, sell, exchange or advertise for sale pit bull terriers.
The incident happened on April 15, 2023. Felton was arrested and his dog was placed in a kennel.
As police officers searched his home cocaine was found and he was charged with possession of the Class A drug as well as one charge of being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury.
The hearing heard how Felton was also involved in an affray incident when, on July 17 last year, he got out of the car he was in and started haranguing a man in a mobility scooter. The argument escalated and Felton pulled the man from his scooter and kicked him while he was on the ground.
The attack was witnessed by members of the public, including a mother and her young child.
Felton was arrested and charged with affray and remanded in custody in connection with the two incidents and other drug related offences, as well as a separate offence of affray dating back to December 2022 in the Bude area in which he had a stand-off with another person outside his victim's home while armed with a hammer.
He eventually pleaded guilty to all matters at a later date. His defence barrister said Felton had been on remand for nine months - which equates to an 18-month prison sentence - and had effectively served a longer sentence than if he had been sentenced separately for each individual crime.
Judge Simon Carr said that on the date of the dangerous dog out of control offence, Felton had attached the dog, which didn't have a muzzle on, to a bench but the animal broke free and attacked another dog and its owner.
He said that while it was to Felton's credit to have tried to intervene, the dog had caused injuries to completely innocent parties.
About the second affray incident, Judge Carr said: "You got into an argument with someone that was a stranger to you and you pulled them off their mobility scooter and kicked them on the ground."
Sentencing Felton to 18 months in prison, and ordering the destruction of Felton's pit bull terrier, Judge Carr added: "Because it has taken so long to bring this case to court, the dog has been in a kennel for two years waiting for its execution. You are clearly not a person who should be in charge of an animal."
Felton, who walked out of prison having served his sentence while on remand, was banned from owning a dog for 10 years. Read the story as reported at the time here.[171]
Connor McConnell
-Credit:Facebook
A dad from Cornwall who put the mother of his child into a headlock in the middle of the street outside their home will stay in jail. Connor McConnell, 32, got into a verbal and then physical altercation with his victim in November after the school run.
McConnell, formerly of Royffe Way, in Bodmin[172], appeared at Truro[173] Crown Court for sentencing on April 30 having pleaded guilty to one count of actual bodily harm (ABH).
He previously pleaded not guilty to intentional strangulation with the Crown Prosecution Service accepting his guilty plea to the lesser charge of ABH.
The court heard how the dad-of-one put his baby on the floor before approaching his then-partner after a difficult school run saw her forget two backpacks for her two older children. He then brought these to her and on the way home together the argument began. She suffered visible neck injuries as a result of the incident.
Prosecuting, Ramsay Quaife said the two were in a relationship at the time had been juggling the school run of her two older children and the care of their shared eight-month old daughter.
She left her sons' school bags at home so he drove to give them to her at the school then took her home.
As soon as she got in the car he is said to have started shouting at her.
Mr Quaife said: "[The victim] started feeling very uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that she undid her seatbelt in the hopes she could escape." When they returned home they both got out of the car and the defendant put the baby on the floor and put the victim into "a chokehold" following a verbal exchange.
McConnell claimed his victim was having some sort of mental breakdown so he then picked up the baby and drove the child to the victim's mother's address to be cared for. He handed himself in the following evening and at police interview said the victim had been having a mental health episode and he intended to give her a "bear hug" and not hurt her.
The court heard she suffered visible injuries to the neck. It also heard there is no history of domestic violence between the pair or previous domestic offending on McConnell's part.
In mitigation, the defendant agreed with the opening and accepted the video footage which captured the incident.
It was argued that the victim was giving "as good as she was given" verbally although not physically.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Carr said: "The incident itself is caught graphically on CCTV. What was a verbal argument where you were some distance apart, there was no need for that distance to shorten, you ran over and attacked the victim, putting her in a headlock."
He said this was for a "considerable period of time" citing similar circumstances where such offending has resulted in deaths having had cut off someone's airway.
McConnell was sentenced to ten months imprisonment. He has already served five months and 12 days on remand and will receive a discount for his guilty plea.
A restraining order will also prevent him from contacting the victim or attending the area in which she lives.
May
Fiona Parsons
Fiona Parsons accumulated just over GBP160,000
A former solicitor who defrauded a law firm out of GBP160,000 has been jailed for 30 months.
Fiona Parsons, aged 54, of Henver Road, Newquay[174], Cornwall, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position at Worcester Crown Court [175]on Thursday, April 24.
Parsons had defrauded over 300 clients into paying money into her own personal bank account rather than the firm's. In total she took just over GBP160,000[176] over a three-year period.
Her prosecution followed an extensive investigation by officers from Hereford CID and West Mercia's Economic Crime Unit (ECU).
Parson's fraudulent activity could first be traced back to September 2020 when two house buyers were asked to pay GBP400 into a bank account to pay for property searches.
However, two years later, the couple began receiving bills from the solicitors saying they still owed money for the searches.
The police investigation uncovered multiple similar fraudulent activities with the same method after that, through to March 2023 when Parsons was arrested, and the prosecution case began.
She was sentenced to 30 months and Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings are underway. The Proceeds of Crime Act enables ill-gotten gains to be seized from criminals.
Detective Constable Cathryn Blake of Hereford CID said: "We are pleased to get this custodial sentence at court for Parsons whose fraudulent activities cost a law firm just over GBP160,000 over a three-year period.
"Her actions not only put customers out of pocket but the business too and it was not only an abuse of her position as a solicitor but also an abuse of trust.
"We would like to thank the firm for their cooperation and all the clients who have been spoken to, whether that was by myself or the firm for their help during this investigation." The story as we reported at the time is here.[177]
Kieran Drewery
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A teenager stabbed a man in the neck after he refused to give him GBP2 during a two-day crime spree. Kieran Drewery was only 18 when he assaulted a 15-year-old he barely knew over a trivial matter, threatened a man with a knife outside a shop, then went to a hotel which provides accommodation for people in difficulty and tried to rob a man.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[178] on Friday, May 2, heard how on October 29 last year, Drewery, a resident of the homeless pods in Rosewarne Road, Camborne[179], met three teenagers outside the St Meriadoc and St Martin Church Hall.
Some of the teens were known to Drewery while others were not.
After a verbal exchange an altercation followed and the 18-year-old grabbed one of the girls' arms. When her friend intervened, Drewery punched him in the face seven times and then kicked him in the head when he was down on the ground, causing injuries to his face and nose.
The assault stopped when a neighbour shouted from a window and Drewery fled. His victim was helped by members of the public and was taken to hospital for treatment.
The next day, shortly after 10pm, Drewery approached a man outside Shoe Zone and asked where the man he shared a tent with was.
When the man said he had no idea, Drewery pulled a kitchen knife. His victims managed to escape.
It was a mere 15 minutes later when Drewery went to the Lowenac hotel in Basset Street and approached a new resident. Drewery asked him for GBP2 but the man refused and shut the door.
Drewery then threatened him with his knife saying that he could either come out or he would cut him.
In a police interview, the man who was threatened with a knife said Drewery was like "a psychopath looking for someone to kill". Drewery's friend and fellow hotel resident then came out. The court was told that he had always helped him out with money and was owed GBP50 from him.
However when he refused to give him any more cash saying "he was not a vending machine", Drewery stabbed him in the neck four times with the kitchen knife.
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said it was mere chance and a few millimetres which had meant the difference between life and death for this man.
Drewery was arrested and charged with several offences.
He pleaded guilty to one count of assault on a person thereby occasioning them actual bodily harm, one of attempt robbery, another of threatening a person with a bladed article and the more serious one of Section 18 - wounding with intent and causing grievous bodily harm in connection with the stabbing.
In mitigation for Drewery, Jason Beal said the young man had showed "disbelief for his own actions". He said: "Now he is lucid and clear sighted he does not understand how this happened."
Mr Beal said Drewery had had a terrible childhood, had fallen in with the wrong crowd and got involved in drugs and alcohol and fell prey to the older residents in the homeless pods. He added: "He received a large back payment from the DWP and as a result he was everyone's best friend in the pods.
But when the money ran out that's when his problems started."
He added that while on remand awaiting his sentence, Drewery had made great progress in prison and had completed several courses to better himself and help others and had rekindled his love of books.
Judge Carr said Drewery had had great difficulties explaining his actions which were "almost inexplicable". He said the different incidents over the short period of time would have been terrifying for all those involved.
"That the man you stabbed didn't die was pure chance," he added. "It was a matter of millimetres between surviving and not surviving his wound to the neck.
"You were 18 and I note your damaged childhood. You have shown genuine remorse for what you did.
I also note the improvement you made while in custody to help others and improve yourself."
Judge Carr sentenced Drewery to four and a half years in a young offenders' institution. He also imposed a 10-year restraining order not to contact any of his victims. The story as we reported it at the time can be seen here.
Myles Harrison and Jade Murphy
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A drug dealing couple were caught by police after two children became ill after accidentally taking cocaine. Myles Harrison and Jade Murphy called an ambulance after two children became sick, pale and one of them had a seizure.
The children were taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital[180] where blood tests revealed the presence of cocaine.
Police were called and searched the couple's home in St Austell[181] and found what Judge Simon Carr described as a "drug factory" complete with white powder bulking agents, retail drug bags, scales and mobile phones. When analysed the phones revealed messages to and from both street buyers and suppliers further up the chain in the drug dealing operation.
The pair, aged 37 and 30, were arrested and both were charged with drug supply offences. Harrison, of Beech Road in St Austell and Murphy of Polgover Way in Par, eventually pleaded guilty to one count of supply of a controlled drug of Class B - cannabis and another of supply of a controlled drug of Class A - cocaine between October 22, 2022 and April 14, 2023 in St Austell.
At a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[182] today (Friday, May 2), it was heard how, as a consequence, Murphy's four children, including three under the age of three, had been taken into care by social services, with some of them waiting for adoption proceedings.
Ramsay Quaife, defending Harrison, said he was now a completely different man from when this incident happened three years ago and had managed to kick his drug addiction and had held a job for that time.
He said: "He has got himself out of the big hole he jumped into back in 2017-2018 and is genuinely sorry for what happened.
He now understands the impact of drugs."
In mitigation for Murray, Jason Beal said that as a consequence of her actions she would lose access to her children. He said she became a cocaine user as a way to deal with post natal depression. However her casual use became an addiction which then led her to become involved in the drug trade after she spiralled further and further into debt.
He said Murphy was a vulnerable woman, adding: "A consequence is the impact it is having on the relationship with her children who were removed from the family home.
Three of them are now in foster care awaiting adoption."
Sentencing both Harrison and Murphy to three years in prison, His Honour Judge Carr said the offences of running an extensive drug supply line had meant innocent young children had been caught in the middle and had become ill from ingesting the class A drug.
He said to Harrison: "It has been a wake up call and you have dealt with your drug use and got yourself a job."
To Murphy Judge Carr said: "Children were put in a potentially life-threatening situation as a result of your involvement in the supply of drugs. The effects on you have been catastrophic with the removal of your children who are now waiting for adoption." The story as we reported it at the time can be seen here.[183]
Christopher Almand
A drug-driving thief who wrecked a stolen car after an 18-mile joy ride was described by police as driving "extremely erratically" at speeds of up to 60mph in a 20mph urban area. Teenager Christopher Almand, from Cunnack Close in Helston[184], along with his accomplice Edward Jefferson-Coode[185] smashed his way into the Flora Motors garage in the town and drove off with one of the courtesy cars.
The pair then sped off in a Toyota Aygo and drove it 18 miles to Marazion, where police finally caught up with them.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[186] today (Wednesday, May 7) was told how the pair had gone to the garage in the early hours of the morning on June 7 last year and broke into the garage using tools such as a hammer.
Not only did the pair smash a windows to gain access into the garage but they stole a bunch of car keys from within the office and drove off with one of the cars.
The courtesy car, complete with the garage's livery, was driven off with Jefferson-Coode in the passenger seat towards Penzance[187] and was spotted just as they left the garage by one of the employees while on their way to work. The staff member alerted officers in a passing police car to the theft and break-in.
The court was told that a police chase ensued, and Jefferson-Coode, in the passenger seat, and his friend were seen speeding at 60mph in a 40mph zone and at more than 45mph in a 20mph zone after reaching Marazion, where automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) police cameras tracked them.
The court was told that the pair drove so fast and so badly, swerving all over the place, that they blew a tyre but continued on, causing wheel rim gouges in the road.
They were eventually cornered by officers from Devon and Cornwall Police[188] but legged it from the vehicle, with 19-year-old Jefferson-Coode being spotted a short while later as he acted suspiciously by the roadside. Almand was arrested at the scene and was also found to be under the influence of cannabis and MDMA.
He was charged and pleaded guilty to one count of burglary other than dwelling, aggravated vehicle taking, two drug-driving offences, one charge of driving without insurance and one of criminal damage to the police cell in Camborne[189] following his arrest.
The court was told that the vehicle the pair took sustained damage up to GBP17,500 while the six stolen car keys each cost GBP300 and there was a broken window in the garage that needed to be replaced at a cost of around GBP600.
Almand's barrister said he is a young man who is now 19, who lacks family stability and had been sofa surfing at the time of the incident. The court heard he started using drugs to cope with his problems. She said he has ADHD and autism traits and now has secure accommodation in Camborne and has stopped taking drugs.
She said he doesn't want to go back to his previous life of drugs, homelessness and crime, and has "made positive steps to show that he's trying to make changes to his life".
She added: "It will be a long road ahead in terms of getting back where life is in a shape where he would like it to be but he has made positive steps to change."
In January, His Honour Judge Simon Carr sentenced Jefferson-Coode to eight months in prison suspended for two years, as well as 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirement. A four-month curfew was also imposed and he was disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Today, he sentenced Almand to eight months in a young offender institution and handed him a 12-month driving disqualification. Almand will have to take an extensive driving test before he can have his licence back. The story as we reported it at the time can be seen here.[190]
Adam Parry
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted of rape.
Adam Parry, 37, from Southbourne Road, St Austell[191], was found guilty by a jury of for three counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration.
He went on trial at Truro[192] Crown Court in April, and the court heard the offences took place over a number of years and were reported in 2023. Parry continued to deny any wrongdoing until the end.
On Wednesday, May 7), Parry was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and His Honour Judge Simon Carr said that Parry had shown no sympathy or understanding of the harm he had caused his victim.
In mitigation for Parry, Rupert Taylor said Parry had had a difficult start in life having been abandoned and had been of good character until these offences occurred. He said: "He doesn't accept the offences that the jury found him guilty of.
He doesn't accept the decision of the jury."
After the sentencing hearing, detective constable Victoria Robson from Devon and Cornwall Police[193], said: "Following a thorough investigation, Parry was brought to trial and found guilty of these offences earlier this year and we welcome the sentence that he has been given today.
"It is an extremely positive outcome for the victim in this case who has suffered significant sexual abuse. The outcome today is a testament to her courage. Without her bravery in coming forward, the case wouldn't have got to court, and we would like to thank all the witnesses that helped bring the defendant to justice.
"It is important to remember that when we get such reports, they will always be taken seriously by the police and justice will be sought.
We would always encourage victims to come forward. They will be listened to, and they will be believed."
She added: "Sexual assaults have a devastating impact on victims and Devon and Cornwall Police is committed to working the criminal justice system to make our communities safer."
Parry will be on the sex offenders' register for life. A restraining order not to contact his victim was also imposed on him. The story as we reported it at the time can be seen here.[194]
Michael Kelly, Jake Marchant, Jon Williams and Patrick Godfrey
-Credit:NCA
-Credit:NCA
-Credit:NCA
-Credit:NCA
Four men convicted of attempting to smuggle GBP100 million worth of cocaine on a fishing boat off the coast of Cornwall, have been sentenced to a total of 90 years in jail.
Michael Kelly, 45, from Portway, Manchester, and Jake Marchant, 27, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to importing Class A drugs during a hearing at Truro Crown Court[195] in October.
Kelly had claimed he was on a fishing trip.
Two other men, Jon Williams, 46, and Patrick Godfrey, 31, both of Swansea, were convicted of the charge after a trial at the same court, on Wednesday, March 12.
The National Crime Agency (NCA), which investigated the case, said 1,076kg of high purity cocaine was found on the fishing boat named the Lila Lola on September 13 last year in blocks of 1kg as well as in large bales. The NCA said the drugs were worth GBP35m at wholesale but had a street value closer to GBP100m.
After the discovery of the vast haul, the boat was taken to the Plymouth Royal Dockyard[196] where the drugs were tested and found to be high-purity cocaine[197].
The four men had been on board a fishing boat called the Lily Lola when it was intercepted by a Border Force vessel off Newquay[198], last September. Frederick Hookway, prosecuting, said the Lily Lola fishing boat was intercepted and Williams was at the helm, with Marchant next to him, Kelly was in the accommodation area and Godfrey was asleep in a chair on the deck.
Mr Hookway said there was a strong smell of alcohol but searches revealed blocks and bales of drugs stashed all over the vessel which had only been bought by Williams a few months earlier from a man in Ramsgate, Kent, for GBP116,000.
The court heard the Lily Lola with the men on board had sailed from Newquay to south of the Isles of Scilly where the drugs were dropped off for collection at night.
Shortly after 2pm on that day, the Border Force cutter HMC Valiant was on patrol off the north coast of Cornwall and deployed a smaller boat to intercept the Lily Lola. Williams, the captain, was at the helm, with Marchant next to him. Kelly was in the accommodation area and Godfrey was asleep in a deck chair, the NCA said.
Mr Hookway said 1,078 blocks of cocaine, each weighing one kilo each, were seized with 80 per cent purity and a wholesale value of GBP35 million.
The court heard there had been police surveillance for a couple of months before the boat was stopped.
A device on board the boat was later downloaded and some messages were recovered, showing instructions and co-ordinates being sent from a third party. Godfrey's phone was seized and found to have sent a message reading "delete everything u see and not show anybody", as well as an internet search for "how long does it take a ship to leave Peru to UK?".
Investigators from the NCA also discovered a tracker in the drugs haul, linked to a user in South America. Read the full story, here.[199]
Jason Davies
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A paranoid man set himself and his supported living accommodation on fire because he thought he was being followed everywhere and "someone had got a hit on him". Jason Davies screwed the door of his Penzance[200] flat shut and used lithium grease to set himself and his room alight in an attempt to deal with his demons.
A sentencing hearing at Truro[201] Crown Court today (Friday May 9) heard how the 38-year-old lived in the three-storey supported accommodation flats in Princess Court, New Street, which was run by Live West and used by vulnerable elderly people, young families, people coming out of drugs rehabilitation, and refugees.
The court heard how the whole block of flats had to be evacuated on the day (June 7, 2024).
The blaze caused about GBP185,000 worth of damage to the kitchen and lounge area of his flat, as we well as smoke damage to communal areas. Emily Cook, prosecuting, said the fire had been so bad that the furniture and furnishing in Davies' flat had melted. She said the incident had caused considerable alarm and distress to the other residents.
One had said she saw what looked like fireballs dropping past her window.
Others yelled at Davies to get out.
One woman said the fire had been a terrifying ordeal for her three children and her husband, who has a serious illness. Another said she had to be helped by firefighters so she could get her mother, who was poorly and groggy from her medications and terrified by the fire, out of the building.
Davies, who has five previous convictions for eight offences, including for aggravated burglary and a caution for criminal damage, was later arrested and charged with one count of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered. He pleaded guilty.
The court was told Davies is mentally ill and had a long-standing history of substance dependence.
Judge Simon Carr said he had followed the advice of two psychiatric reports and agreed that a stay in a psychiatric hospital was a much better option than a prison sentence.
He said, while Davies previously said he had tried to hurt himself and did not want to hurt anyone else, the incident had been very serious and had happened in a supported living accommodation where many very vulnerable people lived. "They must have been terrified," he said.
"You have accepted your responsibility. It was to harm yourself and others. This is a case for treatment rather than punishment.
You are very unwell and need treatment for a considerable time if not for the rest of your life."
Davies was remanded in a psychiatric hospital under a Section 36/41 order. This, also known as a hospital order with restrictions, is a legal order under the UK Mental Health Act 1983. It is used when a court, following a criminal trial, deems a person with a mental disorder needs hospital treatment and also poses a risk to the public. The story as we reported at the time can be seen here.[202]
Christian Dodd
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A rapist abused his victim so violently that she suffered injuries to her back, a court heard.
Christian Dodd, 46, was convicted of the rape and sexual abuse of a woman in August 2022 following a trial at Truro[203] Crown Court.
Dodd was arrested in August 2022 after police received a report of rape. He admitted in police interview that the woman had not consented and told officers 'he had no excuse to do what he had done'.
Despite the comments, Dodd pleaded not guilty to the offences and stood trial at Truro Crown Court[204] in May 2025. The jury found him guilty of one count of rape of a woman and one count of assaulting a female by penetration relating to offences in August 2022.
Dodd, now living in Roundham Road, Paignton, Devon, was found not guilty of one count of sexual assault on a female, relating to an incident in November 2021.
In a very powerful victim impact statement, his victim told a sentencing hearing at the crown court on Thursday, May 14, said that she felt "broken and used, ashamed and humiliated, dirty and degraded".
She said the trial had brought it all back and made everything "a million times worse".
She added: "It has been unbearable. This feeling will never go away." Read the full story, here.[205]
Daniel Byrom
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A woman was left black and blue and with a cheek as swollen as an orange after her partner beat her up on Christmas[206] morning when he thought she had stolen his bottle of whisky. Daniel Byrom had been drinking heavily on Christmas Eve last year when he turned up at his partner's house in Truro[207] and continued drinking.
He passed out blind drunk on her sofa.
It was then that she removed a bottle of whisky from his hand. However when he woke up, the 51-year-old from City Road in Truro became angry and verbally abusive towards his partner.
He decided to instil fear in her by throwing an object at her like he had done in the past, and hit her in the face with her own mobile phone. A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court[208] on Thursday, May 15, heard that, Byrom continued to be physically violent towards her and backhanded her across the face.
Photos of the injuries his partner received that morning were shown to the court and showed her face swollen up really badly.
The area around her left eye and her cheek were heavily bruised and a dark blue in colour.
Jason Beal, prosecuting, said it was not the first time Byrom had been abusive towards his partner and Devon and Cornwall Police[209] had been called about other incidents of domestic violence on several occasions between June and Christmas Day last year. The court was also told that Byrom breached several domestic violence protection orders and committed the offence on Christmas Day while on bail for another incident.
In a victim impact statement, Byrom's partner said the violence had left her with blurred vision and floaters in her eyes and even hallucinations when she would wake up and see him in her flat. She said her GP said she might be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and said she had flashbacks of the violent attack on her.
Mr Beal said: "She has been left traumatised by this incident.
She dreads having to go out because of the visible nature of the injuries she received."
Byrom was arrested later on Christmas Day and eventually pleaded guilty to one count of causing actual bodily harm in the new year. Hollie Gilbery, defending, said that now he is sober, Byrom has realised the extent of his actions and he does not minimise his conduct or try to make excuses.
She said: "He is devastated to realise that those behaviours are his. He accepts that they are.
But he doesn't recognise that person now as he has been sober for several months. He knows now that alcohol is a massive problem for him. He would say it is the alcohol that does this, not him."
Ms Gilbery said that since being on remand Byrom has tried to tackle and overcome his mental health problems.
She added: "He feels shame for his behaviour. It will take time but it is a journey he has taken."
Recorder Clive Dow said he wanted to have the picture of Byrom's victim on the big screen as he sentenced him so he could see that her injuries are all his.
He said: "You have to realise at some point that this is all you. You have done this while in drink.
She didn't deserve this." Recorder Dow said Byrom's attempt to assert his dominance over his partner had been nothing but "pathetic". He said the breaches of domestic violence prevention orders and committing this act of violence while on bail were all aggravating factors along with his history of violence and previous convictions.
Recorder Dow added: "I accept that the road to recovery and sobriety will be a long one and you should have some help for it and that you have expressed remorse for what you have done."
He sentenced Byrom to two years in prison. He will serve two fifth before being released on licence for another year.
Any time served on remand will go towards his sentence. A restraining order not to contact his victim for five years was also imposed on him. The story as we reported at the time can be seen here.[210]
Owen Mills
Owen Mills -Credit:Staffordshire Police
A former police officer from Cornwall has pleaded guilty to improper use of police powers after he was found to have formed deeply inappropriate relationships with people he met through work, including having sex with a vulnerable woman[211].
Owen Mills, formerly of Staffordshire Police, pleaded guilty to two counts of corrupt or improper use of police powers[212] and privileges by a constable at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday, May 16.
The 22-year-old, from Bude[213], had a personal and sexual relationship with a vulnerable woman, Staffordshire Police said. His second offence relates to a relationship with a witness he had dealt with during his duties as an officer.
Mills , who worked in south Staffordshire, was arrested in January 2023 following an investigation by the police's Professional Standards Department and was immediately suspended.
He is due to be sentenced at a later date.
Deputy Chief Constable Becky Riggs, of Staffordshire Police, said: "Mills misused his position to engage in inappropriate relationships with people he met through his work, including a vulnerable woman.
"This is a serious breach of trust and police values. The fact that he admitted the offences showed the strength of the evidence.
"We have done extensive training with our officers about improper and inappropriate relationships and encourage our officers and staff to report such behaviours to Professional Standards Department, including mechanisms to report anonymously.
"The large majority of our officers, staff, and volunteers are professional, dedicated individuals who act with integrity and work hard to keep their communities safe." The story as we reported at the time can be seen here.[214]
Christopher James Bendell
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A man has been detained in hospital after attacking his girlfriend and stealing items from neighbours at a residential caravan park. Christopher James Bendell, 39, scared his then-partner, who had to escape from the caravan they were living in at the time.
Bendell, of Minorca Lane in Bugle, appeared at Truro Crown Court[215] Tuesday, May 20, for sentencing having pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and one of actual bodily harm relating to two separate incidents.
The court was told how he assaulted his former girlfriend in December 2023.
He then went on to commit two thefts at the caravan park where he was residing in June 2024. The first incident related to the evening of December 14, when his victim went out to get some tobacco and when on her return things became heated.
The victim said that they had known each other for several years but were recently in a relationship and that she had not known him to be angry prior to that night. She was aware, however, that he had mental health issues.
She described some tension during the evening before popping out for a short period and returning around midnight to watch television.
She said things were calm again when she returned.
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The court was told Bendell then asked "where the hell have you been?" and began bickering with her after she had been watching the television in her room for sometime. She became fed up with the bickering so stormed into the living room to put her shoes on, at which point he grabbed her by the hoodie and dragged her to the floor, causing an injury to her collarbone.
She wanted to leave and took her phone charger before being grabbed from the left side of her head. He pulled her hair and she described being scared during the attack.
She eventually got away and in a victim impact statement said that the attack "pushed her back" mentally and makes her want to stay away from people following the incident.
The two thefts occurred six months later on June 14, also at Minorca Lane in Bugle, near St Austell[217], during a mental health episode.
Two witnesses described Bendell's behaviour as "erratic" that evening.
An electric bike was stolen and 15 minutes later he entered a caravan in strange circumstances and took keys, knives and a mobile phone. The value of the thefts amounted to around GBP800, not including the knives that were retrieved.
His Honour Judge David Evans said he had accepted that the defendant was undergoing a mental health episode at the time and was in need of treatment for his bipolar affective disorder.
Bendell was sentenced to a hospital order and will remain in Bodmin Hospital, where he is currently detained. Judge Evans told Bendell this was not a punishment but was for his own "well-being". Our story as reported at the time can be read here.[218][219]
D'von Maccray
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A man who attacked two of his neighbours, one with a pickaxe, after being confronted over a wheelbarrow dispute will likely not serve a day in prison, a court has heard.
D'von Maccray, 46, hit his male victim with a pickaxe and then a shovel causing a significant injury and subsequent scar before pushing over the man's partner who came to his aid.
Maccray, then of Falmouth[220] Road, Redruth[221], and also known by another name of Deryck Fletcher, was due to go on trial at Truro Crown Court[222] this week but pleaded guilty at the last minute to a lesser charge and the hearing proceeded to sentence. Maccray pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful wounding, one of ABH and one possession of an offensive weapon.
Prosecuting barrister Mr Alders, told the court today (Tuesday, May 27) the incident relates to events on March 3, 2023, when the defendant's neighbours confronted him having seen him dump a wheelbarrow of rubbish on one of their driveways.
The woman said she saw him with her own eyes and followed him back to an address which he entered with said wheelbarrow before returning and telling a male neighbour about it when the pair went to confront him. Maccray was asked to come and clear up the rubbish but became aggressive and denied having done it.
After a relative of Maccray's got involved the pair decided to leave and return to their properties but were followed by Maccray who was wielding both a pickaxe and a spade alongside two of his family members.
Maccray, now of Eastbourne Road in St Austell[223], then put the spade down, instead wielding the pickaxe with two hands before swinging it and hitting the male neighbour above the hip causing a nasty injury.
The pickaxe was then dropped and he picked up the spade, swinging and impacting again, this time on the victim's arm.
The victim managed to grab the handle, pulling it out of the defendant's hand and threw it out of the way. The defendant is said to have then punched him in the right side of his jaw.
It was then that the victim's partner appeared, coming to his aid. She was pushed with such force she came off her feet and her mobile phone flew from her.
In his defence, Maccray denied having dumped the rubbish and while he accepted the pickaxe attack, he denied the punch, hitting the man with the spade or pushing the woman over.
He said the altercation was caused by false allegations regarding the wheelbarrow and rubbish.
In his mitigation, barrister Ryan Murray explained that Maccray falls in the bottom percentile in terms of his IQ and learning disabilities. He said the defendant does not possess the average person's perception of threat and it was for those reasons he acted in the manner he did.
The court was also told he no longer lives nearby and has no intention of ever returning to the area. Mr Murray added that given the conditions imposed on Maccray since the assault it is his opinion the defendant had already been punished and a suspended sentence would be suitable.
Sentencing, Recorder Christopher Quinlan, KC, said only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate.
Maccray was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment and is required to serve at least half before being eligible for release on licence.
However, having already spent 704 days on a curfew relating to these offences, half of those days will count towards the custodial term, likely meaning he would be released that same day.
June
William Twist
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A cokehead who has been busted before over drug offences has been jailed after being caught trying to hide thousands of pounds worth of the Class A drug inside a heavily pregnant, vulnerable woman. William Twist, 22, appeared at Truro Crown Court [224]on Tuesday, June 3.
He had pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug. One charge related to the possession of the Class A drug cocaine and the second of the Class B drug cannabis.
Twist, of College Way in Gloweth, Truro[225], but formerly of Falmouth[226], was caught with a significant quantity of both drugs at a hotel in St Ives[227] on January 29 of this year, where he was living in accommodation at the time.
The court heard that cannabis to the value of GBP1,530 was found alongside a block of cocaine discovered "inside" a pregnant woman that was valued between GBP6,000 and GBP9,500.
Officers also found creatine, a mixer, and another unidentified white powder. Between GBP1,000 and GBP2,000, cash was also located but was never counted by officers.
Twist said that he was required to warehouse the drugs for another individual who had threatened him as a result of him losing drugs on the last occasion he was before the courts in early 2023. Twist was previously sentenced after being found with GBP25,000 of cocaine in September 2022.[228]
This time, in court, as part of his mitigation, it was heard that he had made good progress in prison since his recent arrest and was pursuing qualifications and making use of his time.
An aggravating factor was that he attempted to conceal the drugs inside of an "extremely vulnerable" eight-month pregnant woman.
Judge James Adkin told Twist, who he called a cocaine user and previous dealer, that even if he was coerced he must have been aware of the scale of the operation and the value of the drugs in his possession. Twist was sentenced to 31 months. He is required to serve 40% of that before he is eligible for release.
Scott Ford
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A young man who asked a child to pleasure herself and sent explicit sexual messages asking her if she was "all his" has been jailed.
Scott Ford, 22, thought he was speaking to a 12-year-old girl when he sent the sick messages.
Ford, of Green Lane in Redruth[229], appeared at Truro Crown Court[230] for sentencing on Tuesday, June 10, having pleaded guilty to two charges, one of attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and one of attempting to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.
Messages include those requesting she send nude images to him using an online platform. He had known her age the entire time but later discovered that the girl, who he thought was called Hannah, was actually an undercover police officer.
Despite his barrister, Ramsay Quaife, arguing against a custodial sentence on account of Ford's good education[231], previously good character and job, a judge deemed it only suitable to put him away.
The court was told how the offences relate to events in February of this year when Ford "made friends" with the young girl - actually an undercover operative - on Snapchat. He used the 'quick add' function of the app and began an almost instant sexual conversation.
It began with messages finding out the girl's age who explained she was in school and was 12.
Throughout their conversation, he repeatedly asked for photos of her and referred to her as being "all mine" or saying "do you want to be all mine?".
The conversation quickly became sexual with Ford requesting nude photos and asking if she was a virgin. He also encouraged her to penetrate herself.
He was arrested in his home shortly after and gave a no comment interview.
Defending, Mr Quaife, said that if Ford were to remain in prison he wouldn't get the intervention and help he "clearly needs". "My submission is there is a way to achieve that and that is what he needs and what society needs and would be better protected if your honour were to take that view."
Sentencing, His Honour Judge Simon Carr, said nothing but a custodial sentence was suitable. Ford was sentenced to three years imprisonment and will serve 50 per cent before being eligible for release.
He will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
"I've read the exchange between you and there was no leading on at all by Hannah," he told Ford." The drive was entirely from you. You were aware she was a 12-year-old and believed she was a 12-year-old from the beginning."
Marina Wildish
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A woman squatting in a friend's flat set it on fire when police turned up to evict her and she refused to leave. Marina Gale Wildish was convicted by jury after a trial at Truro Crown Court[232] of one count of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered in connection with an incident on November 29 last year.
A sentencing hearing at court on Wednesday, June 18, was told that Wildish claimed during her trial that the fire had been caused by accident after she left a lit cigarette over the sink when it had been filled with rubbish.
However, the jury did not believe her and found her guilty of causing the fire on purpose when police officers arrived at the multiple occupancy building belonging to social housing provider LiveWest to evict her.
At the time 40 residents had been staying in the building in College Green, St Austell[233], and all had to be evacuated. Some residents had to stay away from their own properties for a number of days as a result.
While not a premeditated act and no accelerant was used, the court was told that the 44-year-old had nonetheless been reckless and many lives had been put at risk by her actions. Recorder John Trevaskis said the flat Wildish had been staying in was in a shambolic state and belonging to a friend and she had effectively been squatting in it but refused to leave when he asked her to do so after he too had to leave for medical reasons.
She refused and come back the next day instead. Police were later called in.
Ramsay Quaife, defending, said Wildish had managed to beat her heroin addiction all on her own which showed she is able to change and ought to stay out of prison and receive the help she needs. He added: "Her motivation in life is her cat and now it is in Mevagissey with her brother.
"She is at low likelihood of reconviction.
The proposal is to fix those holes in her life by suspending any sentence. There is little to be gained for her to remain in incarceration as it would prevent her from completing the programmes she needs to complete. She needs help."
Recorder Trevaskis did not agree with the assessment but said Wildish had been reckless in lighting that fire in the flat and had caused a significant amount of damage.
He said it cost GBP20,000 to repair the damaged kitchen, and more money to fix the other smoke damaged areas of the building and caused a lot of distress to the other residents in the building.
He said: "To have been smoking in a property in that condition and to have left a lit cigarette on the sink in that kitchen when it was piled high with all sort of rubbish was at the very least a reckless act on your part. I'm prepared to accept the verdict from the jury that they concluded that the start of this fire was reckless and not deliberate.
"You are known for saying things without thinking what they mean. You were distressed on this occasion being required to leave the property in which you were squatting after being told by police to leave.
"But I have no doubt that it's an offence that passes the custody threshold.
It was reckless endangerment of life."
He sentenced Wildish, who has already served 12 months on remand, to three years in prison. She will serve half before being released on licence.
Florjand Lika and Romeo Zani
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
Two Albanian nationals have been sentenced having been caught trying to illegally enter Cornwall alongside other immigrants - despite previous criminal records and deportation orders. A yacht carrying Florjand Lika, 30, and Romeo Zani, 32, was intercepted on Sunday, April 13, heading for Helford from France with 21 illegal immigrants on board.
The pair appeared at Truro Crown Court[234] for sentencing on Wednesday, June 18, having pleaded guilty to one count each of knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order.
The court heard how both defendants had been subject to previous criminal proceedings in the UK having entered illegally and had been deported after serving their sentences.
Despite this, both had made further attempts to enter the country in breach of deportation orders including on April 13 when the vessel was taken to Falmouth[235] and those onboard arrested. The court heard how Lika had previously served time for offences before being deported on July 13, 2023. He then made three further attempts to enter the country before this one between August and November 2023 but was found and removed each time.
Zani also served time for previous offences and was deported in March 2019.
He made one previous breach of his deportation order in January 2024 in addition to this occasion. Defending Zani, his barrister said that he was merely a passenger aboard the yacht and that there is no suggestion he was involved in trafficking the people involved. He said he was merely escaping difficult circumstances and "personal difficulties".
He said he finds himself "trapped" and in enormous debt as a result of his attempts to enter the UK.
He added that Mr Zani has "reflected" and said he has no intention of coming back to the UK again.
Defending Lika, his lawyer said his attempts to come back to the UK were due to having a child here who was born in the UK. "He is clearly overly eager to see his child and perhaps his emotions got the better of him," he said.
He explained Lika paid GBP3,000 to secure a place on the yacht but there is nothing to suggest he was involved in the preparation and was merely a passenger.
His Honour Judge James Adkins sentenced the two men, both of no fixed abode, to 12 months imprisonment. They will serve half and then be deported back to Albania. The pilot of the yacht will be sentenced at a later date.
Annie Hoskin
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A schizophrenic woman threatened to cut her mum's throat to 'let the possession out' leaving her victim terrified.
Annie Hoskin, 38, harassed her own mother for more than six months during which she would bang on her windows and kick on her doors daily demanding money.
Hoskin, formerly of Prince Philip Road in St Stephens, Launceston[236], appeared at Truro Crown Court[237] on Wednesday, June 25, having pleaded guilty to one count of harassment. The court heard how the defendant was undergoing extremely serious mental health issues at the time and has been detained in hospital since.
She was given a ten-year restraining order preventing her from entering her hometown and from contacting her mother. Prosecuting, the court heard that Hoskin's Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Universal Credit money was being paid into her mother's account at the time.
At the time Hoskin believed her mother was being possessed and she threatened to cut her throat to "let the possessed person out".
Her mother did not believe these were threats to kill but were a result of her current mental health.
Hoskin was also said to have been constantly watching the home and waiting for her mother to come home to accost her. "Much of her actions came from a place of thinking her mother needed protection," the court was told.
At an initial interview, Hoskin denied the offending and said all contact was consensual and she was not asked to leave at any time. Bail conditions were imposed and she breached those for having further contact. She then breached them on a further occasion.
A victim impact statement heard how her mother had tried to help her daughter over the years but now had to accept that she would never again have a relationship with her daughter.
She said the behaviour left her scared in her own home and shaken if the phone rang or the door knocked.
She said she was fearful but did want her daughter to get the help she needs as well as to stop attending her home. The statement added that she feels unsafe in Launceston and she feels Hoskin will attend her property again repeatedly.
It was also heard that Hoskin, who has a diagnosed schizophrenic disorder, is now doing much better and is capable of complying with a restraining order which may require her to stay away from Launceston completely and her mum.
In mitigation, it was heard a restraining order of that sort would greatly hinder Hoskin's life as it is her home town and where her friends and support network live. It was called unnecessary and said an order keeping her from her mother's street is more suitable for when and if she is released from hospital.
Despite this, His Honour Judge James Adkin made a restraining order preventing the defendant from contacting the victim and from entering Launceston for ten years which means she will also lose her tenancy.
He said there were "substantial" grounds and "underlying issues" which made this necessary.
Hoskin was also sentenced to an indefinite hospital order.
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Jake Marshall
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A Cornwall[239] man who beat a young child leaving them black and blue has been locked up for his crime. Jake Nathan Marshall, 32, was described as a heavy-drinking man who lied about how the injuries to the child occurred.
Marshall, of Cosgarne Hall on Road, , appeared at Exeter Crown for sentencing on Tuesday, June 24, having been convicted by a jury at of child cruelty following the incident in July 2023.
Prosecutor Tom Bradnock said Marshall may have used a "shod foot as a weapon" on the four-year-old child. Ryan Murray, defending, said he had alcohol and mental health issues but he did not "want to make a martyr of him".
He said his client drank ten bottles of wine a day and suffered from anxiety and depression.
Judge David Evans said the man was entrusted to look after the child at the time but only he knew what triggered the incident.
Some of the bruising to the child's face can be seen below. has seen further pictures showing the extent of the injuries inflicted on them but we have chosen not to publish them to protect the child's identity.
"You lied about what happened," the judge said. "There had been a deliberate assault with significant force applied to his face. You struck him with an item or with part of your body. I hope one day you admit to yourself what you clearly did to him that day."
The judge said it was a "one-off incident of violence" but involved more than one blow to the face of a young child who could not protect himself.
The man, who had no previous convictions, was jailed for 16 months and a three year restraining order was imposed.
Kevin Blake
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A sick child molester has been banned from even speaking to young boys alone after he sexually assaulted two in Cornwall to satisfy his "warped" urges. Kevin Blake, 41, assaulted two children under the age of ten, even asking the confused youngsters if they enjoyed it.
Blake, of Rosewarne Wollas Cottages, Camborne[240], appeared at Truro Crown Court[241] on Thursday, June 26, for sentence having been found guilty of four counts of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13 following an earlier trial.
The court heard that the religious man and churchgoer who was trusted "gave into" his desires to seek sexual gratification from young boys. It was heard he had committed similar offences more than 20 years ago.
Prosecuting the case, the court heard how he was trusted by the two children but sexually touched both of the victims on different occasions.
Defending, it was heard that, although Blake initially denied the charges, he has since shown remorse for his actions.
In a victim impact statement, the court was told that what Blake had done to his victims had left a lasting effect on their lives including them suffering night terrors, flashbacks and struggles to sleep.
Sentencing, Mr Recorder Clive Dow said "complete trust" was placed in the defendant and he betrayed that. "I'm sure, following your trial, and taking into account everything I've read and heard about you that you tried to suppress that sexual interest in boys given your faith and otherwise functioning moral compass but, in fact, you had been convicted of sexual offences against young boys in the past."
Mr Dow said he felt Blake had "convinced himself" that he had "grown up" and could "control" his urges. "Evidently you could not resist your urges," he was told.
The recorder also spoke of Blake's "warped state of mind" in that he asked his victims if they were enjoying what he was doing to him. "You convinced yourself that a boy might derive something like the same sexual pleasure that you were seeking when you abused him."
Blake was sentenced to six years imprisonment. He will also be made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for a period of 20 years.
This prevents him from living in any house and having unsupervised contact with any boys under the age of 18 without meeting specific criteria. He is also subject to a restraining order.
Get breaking crime updates and news from the courts[242]
Callum Perry
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A serial woman beater from Cornwall is out of chances after his latest abuse spree left his victim and her daughter scared and having to move.
Callum Perry Brown, 37, attacked his partner of just nine months on more than one occasion.
Brown, formerly of Passmore Close in Blackwater and now of St Agnes[243], appeared at Truro Crown Court[244] for sentence on Thursday, June 26, having pleaded guilty to one count of intentional strangulation, two of battery and one of criminal damage.
The court heard that in February of 2024 Brown was arrested for criminal damage at his then-partner's former home in Camborne[245]. The victim in the case had cooked him a meal and after the meal they went into the lounge, sat on the sofa and Brown "flipped".
She described how he was screaming at her and strangling her. When she tried to stop him he would increase his grip on her neck in an attack she believed lasted up to five minutes.
He also headbutted her causing bruising to her cheek and eye before storming out of the property.
In July 2024 she was again attacked by the defendant.
She was crying because she had got some sad news and then he threw a two-litre bottle of fruit cocktail at her. She entered the bathroom and he "kicked the door in" and went to punch her.
She ducked and he left a hole in the wall. He was then arrested and at interview made no comment.
In a victim impact statement she said: "Although the relationship was only for nine months, I have lasting damage for life and so has my daughter. In the end I've been left wondering why I deserved this treatment, I've been left empty and hurt."
As a result of the attack she has had to leave her housing and enter emergency accommodation. She also wasn't allowed to take her dog with her.
As part of the defence, Rupert Taylor told the court how Brown works as a groundworker and would be able to continue to work as per his "good work ethic" if the sentence be suspended but going to prison would hinder his ability to do this and to get assistance for his ongoing alcohol problems. Read the full story, here.[246]
Manuel Williams
The victims of a sex offender in Cornwall have described how his abuse stole their childhoods.
Manuel Mancilla Williams, 30, left long lasting emotional scars on his victims who were young children at the time of his offences.
Williams, of Madford Lane, Launceston[247], appeared at Truro Crown Court[248] for sentencing on Thursday, June 26, after pleading guilty to engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 13, causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and oral rape of a boy under 13.
Prosecuting the case, Joss Ticehurst told the court that when Williams was aged under 16 he engaged in inappropriate sexual behaviour with a girl who was aged between seven and nine at the time. The activity involved both of their private parts.
Mr Ticehurst said the victim said she felt manipulated into thinking what was happening was right and feared if she spoke out she would get into trouble so she didn't say anything at the time. However, as she got older she realised what had happened was wrong and later told her mother what Williams did to her and he was reported to the police.
However, Williams gave a prepared statement to police where he denied the allegations, saying he never touched her vagina privates and she never touched him.
The court then heard how when Williams was 21 he engaged in sexual activity with a boy who was aged under 13.
Mr Ticehurst told the court that Williams took off his trousers and underwear and forced a sexual act on the boy. Afterwards Williams told the boy he shouldn't tell anyone as they would get into trouble.
In a victim personal statement read out on behalf of the girl, she said Williams' actions "destroyed" her ability to have healthy trusting relationships with any men and that he stole her ability to feel safe. She added that she has had to receive counselling to cope with the "long lasting damage" and feels that Williams stole her childhood and her innocence.
The girl said in her statement that she feared if she had told someone what had happened, no-one would believe her and while "on the outside it may have looked like I was coping but on the inside I was broken".
The boy also said in his victim personal statement that what Williams did to him has damaged how he sees himself, how he sees others and how he lives his life.
He said he has felt so low that he has self harmed and he feels his childhood was stolen from him.
The boy added that he sometimes thinks he should have spoken out sooner but was afraid of what people would think, that people wouldn't believe him and afraid of being left alone. "What he did has left scars that won't heal easily," he said.
"I want people to understand that it hasn't affected just one part of my life, it has affected everything."
In defence of Williams, the court was told that he seeks to express remorse for what he did and that at the time of the offences against the girl, he was a child himself. It was also heard that he was a young man who was "undoubtedly troubled" and has had no other convictions.
Judge James Adkin sentenced Williams to 85 months imprisonment with an extension of 12 months (special sentence provisions). He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and will be put on the sex offenders register for life.
Shane Sheffield
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A thug who assaulted his partner during an argument over a mobile phone has been sent to prison.
Shane Sheffield, 35, also assaulted a police officer by spitting at him when in a police cell after being arrested.
Sheffield, of Chapel Road, Tuckingmill, appeared at Truro Crown Court[249] for sentencing on Friday, June 27, after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assaulting an emergency worker. Prosecuting the case, Francesca Whebell told the court[250] that the first offence dates back to April 25 of this year, three days after Sheffield was released from custody for a previous offence.
She said he was at his partner's house at the time when a concerned neighbour called 999 after hearing shouting and screaming coming from the property. Sheffield's partner was then seen leaving the house, with him running after her.
Ms Whebell said he then grabbed his partner by the hair and pulled her to the ground, before taking her mobile phone and hitting her in the face with it and going back inside.
When officers arrived at the scene, they noted Sheffield's partner had swelling and bruising to her right eye which she confirmed happened during the incident. However, she declined to attend hospital so medical teams attended to complete an assessment on her.
The court then heard that when Sheffield was in a cell after being arrested by police on May 1 he moved towards an officer and spat with force directly in his face, resulting in the charge for assaulting an emergency worker. Sheffield then provided a no comment account in a police interview when asked about both incidents.
Defending Sheffield, Hans Dieter Kehler, told the court that the incident arose during an argument between Sheffield and his partner about a joint phone they shared which he needed to use.
Mr Dieter Kehler said Ring doorbell footage of the incident shows Sheffield trying to get the phone from his partner and then striking her once to her face. He said when Sheffield was arrested on May 1 the police approached the victim again to ask if she wanted to assist with the investigation and she said no.
In sentencing, Recorder Malcolm Gibney described Sheffield's actions against his partner as being "inexcusable and unwarranted". He said Sheffield has a number of previous convictions, 15 of which are of violence involving other people.
Recorder Gibney said: "You appear to be someone who likes to throw his weight around and find yourself in situations where violence is involved."
Sheffield was sentenced to a total of 13 months imprisonment.
Carl Thorpe
-Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
A man who burgled a garage and attempted to burgle a property before being scared off by a dog has been sent to prison.
Carl Thorpe, 41, also stole a set of car keys and a remote control from a motor vehicle.
Thorpe, of Tollox Place, Laira, Plymouth, appeared at Truro Crown Court[251] for sentencing on Friday, June 27, after pleading guilty to burglary of a garage, attempted burglary of a dwelling and two counts of theft.
Prosecuting the case, Ryan Murray told the court that at around 6:30pm on January 13 a woman who lives in a property in Torpoint[252] was disturbed by the sound of UPVC doors banging outside. After checking with her husband whether he was the one making the noise they both went outside to see what was going on.
Mr Murray said the couple believed an intruder had entered their garage so rather than risk disturbing the intruder, they contacted their daughter and son-in-law to come over to check. The court[253] heard that on inspection of the garage, there was evidence that it had been previously occupied and bottles of alcohol were missing.
A short while later, a resident from across the road checked their doorbell camera footage and saw that a man wearing dark clothing, later confirmed to be Thorpe, had opened the door to the property.
However, Thorpe was seemingly disturbed from entering the property after a dog started barking.
Mr Murray said the police were called and they found the person who matched Thorpe's description. He said the officers' suspicions were reinforced when Thorpe couldn't explain why he was in the area. They then found Thorpe had stolen a set of car keys and a remote from a motor vehicle at a business park nearby.
In a victim impact statement, the owner of the garage said that since the burglary the sense of peace and safety they once found in their home has been "completely shattered".
He said what sticks with him most is what could have happened if he or his wife walked in on the burglary and he now finds himself constantly checking the door is locked.
Mr Murray said Thorpe has 56 previous convictions for 141 offences, some of which include dwelling burglaries.
In defence of Thorpe, Francesca Whebell told the court that he was heavily under the influence at the time of the offences and he is now "exceptionally remorseful" for what happened and how the victims feel having had that intrusion into their property. She added that the door to the property was only opened "a matter of millimetres" before the dog started barking and Thorpe left.
Ms Whebell said Thorpe has struggled with alcohol use for a long time and finds himself in a "perpetual cycle" where he stops drinking when he is in custody, then relapsing when faced with challenging circumstances when back in the community and ending up in custody again. However, she said Thorpe has started to work towards ensuring he has stable accommodation, has opportunities for work and ways to address his alcohol use.
In sentencing, Recorder Malcolm Gibney described Thorpe as a "prolific offender".
Addressing Thorpe, he said: "You say you are remorseful but I wonder how many times that has been said on your behalf."
Thorpe was sentenced to a total of 21 months imprisonment, which he will serve half of before being released on licence.
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References
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Penzance (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the full story, here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Sign up (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
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- ^ Read the full story, here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Bodmin (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Facebook (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Facebook (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Newquay (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read his full remarks and the full story, here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Looe (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Helston (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Newquay (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Cornwall Council (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the full story, here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Bodmin (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Penzance (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Newquay (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Perranporth (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Christmas (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ before the court less than two weeks later for a series of fraud and shoplifting offences (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ St Austell (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ fellow punters during New Year's Eve celebrations after threatening (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Camelford (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ fraudulently took the cash to pay for a better life for his family and to fund online gambling. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Hayle (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Hayle (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ extreme abuse they received, a court heard. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Bodmin (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ animals (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ when he befriended a woman on social media. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ St Austell (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Camborne (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Bodmin (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Hayle (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the full story, here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the full story, here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Bodmin (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the full story, here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ he then set the caravan on fire and it burnt to the ground (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ spoke to CornwallLive about the devastating effects of the blaze (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Christmas (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Newquay (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Penzance (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ appeared in court in 2018, (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ animals (www.cornwalllive.com)
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- ^ of Budshead Road in Plymouth (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
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- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Facebook (www.cornwalllive.com)
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- ^ Bodmin (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Penzance (www.cornwalllive.com)
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- ^ ruro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Hayle (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Camborne (www.cornwalllive.com)
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- ^ Devon (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Cornwall (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ St Austell (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Camborne (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ A30 (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Hayle (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ ploughed into a car driven in the opposite direction by 30-year-old solicitor Melissa Polglase, (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Penzance (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Falmouth (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read about his case, here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Penzance (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Royal Cornwall Hospital (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Plymouth (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Bude (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ St Austell (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Camborne (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
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- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ St Austell (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the story as reported at the time here. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ jailed (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Redruth (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Falmouth (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Camborne (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Cornwall Council (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the story as reported at the time here. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ ASDA (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Hayle (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Camborne (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ You can read that full report, here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the story as reported at the time here. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Bude (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Plymouth (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the story as reported at the time here. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ rocked up to the completely wrong property (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Redruth (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Camborne (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the story as reported at the time here. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the story as reported at the time here. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Bodmin (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ of which details can be read here, (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the full story as reported at the time here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ given a community order and a chance at rehabilitation (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the story as reported at the time here. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Helston (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the story as reported at the time here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Bude (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the story as reported at the time here. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Bodmin (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Newquay (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Worcester Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ In total she took just over GBP160,000 (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ The story as we reported at the time is here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Camborne (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Royal Cornwall Hospital (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ St Austell (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ The story as we reported it at the time can be seen here. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Helston (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ accomplice Edward Jefferson-Coode (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Penzance (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Camborne (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ The story as we reported it at the time can be seen here. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ St Austell (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ The story as we reported it at the time can be seen here. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
- ^ Plymouth Royal Dockyard (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
- ^ high-purity cocaine (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
- ^ Newquay (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the full story, here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Penzance (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ The story as we reported at the time can be seen here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Read the full story, here. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Christmas (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ The story as we reported at the time can be seen here. (e.com)
- ^ having sex with a vulnerable woman (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ pleaded guilty to two counts of corrupt or improper use of police powers (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Bude (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ The story as we reported at the time can be seen here. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
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- ^ St Austell (www.cornwalllive.com)
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- ^ Our story as reported at the time can be read here. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Falmouth (www.cornwalllive.com)
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- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
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- ^ St Ives (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ being found with GBP25,000 of cocaine in September 2022. (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Redruth (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Truro Crown Court (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ education (www.cornwalllive.com)
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