We take a look at some of the most serious offenders to be sentenced through June.
Violent killers
A gang of violent thugs who laughed and blew kisses at the family of a murder victim during their trial have been locked up.
Sean McLeod, who delivered the fatal stab wound which killed Lewis Bell on his son’s eighth birthday, was jailed for life for murder.
The 26-year-old victim was hunted down by the gang before he was punched, kicked and stamped on, seconds after the fatal stab wound was inflicted.
Mr Bell was accused of ‘taxing’ other drug users using a crack den in Stockton to fund his own habit on September 19 last year.
Liam Matthews and Ashton White were convicted of his manslaughter following a trial at Teesside Crown Court.
Jurors watched harrowing footage of the three as they pursued Mr Bell before he screamed out in pain and begged for his life.
In powerful victim impact statements, Mr Bell’s family blasted the defendants for laughing and blowing kisses at them during the trial.
McLeod led the chase of Mr Bell through the streets after he was accused of stealing from another customer at the drugs den.
The court heard how Matthews had been released from prison just hours before Mr Bell was stabbed to death in Stockton.
The 26-year-old, formerly of Billingham, struck the victim with a chisel before he stamped on him while he was prone on the ground.
Matthews, formerly of Norton, near Stockton, was sentenced to 15 years in custody with an additional three years on extended licence.
White, who was 17 at the time of the fatal stabbing, was sentenced to ten years in a young offenders’ institute for his role in the death of the victim.
The 18-year-old, of Rudyard Avenue, Stockton, had told the jury that he had deliberately swung and missed their target after he caught up with the elder pair.
A fourth defendant, Macauley White, of Humewood Grove, Stockton, was jailed for assisting an offender when he arranged for a taxi to take two of the co-accused out of the area.
Judge Francis Laird sentenced him to two and a half years with an additional six months in custody for an unrelated matter.
Jealous thug
A leading restaurant and hotel were at the centre of a failed relationship as it descended into violence when a jealous ex confronted his former lover.
Sylvester Scallan tracked his ex-partner down to an award-winning gastro pub before flying into a jealous rage and attacking the mother of his child.
The 34-year-old grabbed the woman and dragged her around after spotting her kissing a man inside The Bay Horse in leafy Hurworth, Teesside Crown Court heard.
And after the talented patisserie chef was released on bail, he sent a threatening message to the man before heading Rockliffe Hall and scrawling the name of his suspected love-rival into a door of the staff accommodation.
Nicci Horton, prosecuting, said the relationship broke down due to Scallan’s manipulative behaviour and came to a head when he read her diary.
Ms Horton said Scallan smashed a window at the pub before he damaged his ex-partner’s car during his violent outburst.
Scallan was arrested before being released on bail and later turned up at Rockliffe Hall where his ex-partner and the man both worked at the time.
The court heard how Scallan was arrested again and was remanded in custody, but continued to send messages to his ex-partner in a series of letters to their child.
Scallan, of St Aidans Drive, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to harassment, sending malicious communications, assault by beating and three counts of criminal damage following the incidents on October 8 and 9 last year.
Recorder Bryan Cox KC locked the jealous thug up for a total of 32 months for all offences.
“You are not unintelligent,” he said. “But your record and these offences indicate that you have a tendency to behave in a manipulative and controlling manner in relationships.”
Excavator thief
A thief who used a stolen 4×4 truck to steal a £30,000 excavator has been locked up after he was caught with dodgy number plates.
Tyson Petch was spotted driving through a North Yorkshire village in the Toyota Hilux, and police pulled him over, believing he was using cloned number plates.
The 28-year-old had several number plates in the 4×4, including a snapped one that was used during a raid on a building site.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the Toyota had been stolen in Gravesend, Kent, before making its way to Great Ayton, where it was recovered.
Ashleigh Leach, prosecuting, said: “A vehicle of the same description had been used in a theft of an excavator at Norfolk Shops in Middlesbrough, on April 18.
“The registration number used in the theft was the same as the plate found snapped in the footwell of the stolen Toyota.
“The excavator valued at £29,375, has not been recovered.”
The court heard how Petch had 24 previous convictions including ones for violence, driving offences and acquisitive offences.
Petch, of Allinson View, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods, theft of a motor vehicle and driving without insurance after he was arrested on May 16 this year.
Judge Nathan Adams jailed the defendant for 12 months and was given eight penalty points on his licence for driving without insurance.
Sick pervert
A sick Middlesbrough pervert threatened to rape and murder children in depraved letters branding himself a ‘puppet master’ with a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ personality.
Ben Strangeways wrote letters to several different mothers making similar vile threats, and when he was arrested, he was found to be carrying a knife, handcuffs and tape.
A search of the 21-year-old’s bedroom revealed further disturbing paraphernalia, including books on serial killers and more weapons alongside a child-like sex doll.
Teesside Crown Court heard how his perverted behaviour had left some of the mothers terrified to leave their homes without a panic alarm.
Tabitha Buck, prosecuting, said some of the contents of the letters were too disturbing to read out in open court.
The court heard how Strangeways was arrested in Middlesbrough bus station when he had a flick-knife in his pocket while he was carrying handcuffs, cable ties, an eye mask and body cleaning products.
Miss Buck said police recovered further handwritten notes of a sexual and abusive nature, a balaclava, a hammer, air pistol, another knife and a child-like sex doll in his bedroom.
She said the defendant’s collection of books on serial killers and online research showed he had a ‘possibly unhealthy interest’ in them.
Strangeways, of Whitby Avenue, Eston, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to one count of stalking causing fear of violence, possession of an offensive weapon and seven charges of sending communication threatening death or serious harm.
Robert Mochrie, mitigating, said his client was struggling with alcohol abuse at the time of the offending but he accepted that was no excuse for his behaviour.
Judge Jonathan Carroll branded Strangeways a dangerous offender as he locked him up for an extended sentence after he was caught with an abduction kit.
“I have never come across a more disturbing case of this type before,” he said.
Strangeways was sentenced to nine years and five months in prison with an extended licence period of two years and three months.
He was also made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and an indefinite restraining order.
Machete attack
A violent thug who attacked a man with a machete turned the weapon on a police officer who tried to arrest him days later.
Anthony Gent was captured on CCTV arriving at the scene in a taxi before confronting a man outside a micro-pub in Redcar town centre.
The 39-year-old was seen to throw a punch at the man before retrieving a machete from his waistband and swinging it at the man’s arm, Teesside Crown Court heard. He is now starting six years behind bars.
Saba Shan, prosecuting, said the trouble flared outside Peggy Junes on February 15 when the defendant attacked the man in front of other drinkers.
CCTV footage showed Gent throw something under a parked car before squaring up to the man and throwing a punch.
He was then seen to swing a machete and slash it at his victim causing damage to his clothing.
The court heard how Gent lashed out with a machete when police tried to arrest him on March 6, when he swung the knife which hit the door of a flat.
She added: “He swung the machete for a second time, missing the officer’s arm by inches before the officer managed to squeeze his wrist, forcing him to drop the machete.”
Gent, of no fixed abode but formerly of Redcar, pleaded guilty to two charges of attempted wounding with intent, possession of a bladed article and racially aggravated harassment.
Judge Jo Kidd told Gent he was lucky not to be assessed for dangerousness as she locked him up to a total of six years for all offences.
‘Hopeless record’
A judge told a prolific and problematic shoplifter he had a ‘hopeless record’ as been locked him up for his latest crime spree.
Darren Goulding was arrested after he committed a string of offences in the Middlesbrough area where he stole more than a thousand pounds worth of goods in a matter of days.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 42-year-old pleaded guilty to 18 counts of shoplifting, 17 breaches of criminal behaviour order, criminal damage and common assault following his arrest in May.
The prolific offender is banned from a number of businesses around the town and must leave any shop when he is asked to do so.
In one incident, Goulding damaged a door of EG Garage before hitting a female shop worker as she tried to stop him stealing goods by locking him inside.
A judge heard how Goulding stole a total of £1,021 worth of goods from Sainsbury’s, the Co-op and the EG Garage.
The shoplifter has 83 convictions for 383 offences, including 225 theft matters and breaches of his criminal behaviour order.
The drug addict, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to a total of 15 months for all offences.
Recorder Bryan Cox KC said: “I hope you can use your time in custody to sort yourself out and that you get the support you plainly need when you are released.”
Sexual deviant
A sexual deviant who groomed a young girl before abusing her has been jailed.
Ian McAninley bought the youngster a range of gifts before sexually abusing her.
The 56-year-old had failed to disclose his previous conviction for downloading sickening child abuse videos, Teesside Crown Court.
Jonathan Walker, prosecuting, said the abuse had left the girl withdrawn after she stopped going to school and mixing with friends.
In a victim impact statement, her mother said her daughter’s mental health had suffered as a direct result of his abuse when he was staying over on a weekend.
McAninley, of Gainsborough Road, Stanley, was found guilty of two charges of sexually abusing the girl.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to several counts of breaching the terms of his SHPO and failing to comply with the terms of the sex offenders’ register.
Recorder Andrew Haslam KC branded McAninley a predator who had a deeply entrenched sexual attraction to children as he passed an extended prison sentence.
He added: “The evidence at trial showed you repeatedly lied to the authorities.”
McAninley was sentenced to seven years in prison with an extended three years on licence after he is released.
He was also made subject of a renewed SHPO which will stay in place indefinitely.
Courier fraudsters
Three fraudsters who posed as police officers have been locked up after targeting people across the region.
They told people that their bank accounts had been compromised and advised them to remove cash which would then be picked up by couriers.
Detectives from the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) and Cleveland Police joined forces to track down the suspects before any of the potential victims lost any of their money.
Imran Miah, 30, Shamant Sheraji, 26, and Andy Munoz-Cadena, 26, were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation before they all pleaded guilty at Teesside Crown Court.
The court heard how they targeted their potential victims across the Cleveland and North Yorkshire area between October and November 2020 while pretending to be police officers.
Miah, of Clarence Gardens, London, was sentenced to three years and six months imprisonment.
Munoz-Cadena, of Haden Court, Lennox Road, Islington, was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment.
And Sheraji, of Ray Walk, Andover Estate, London, was sentenced to two years and three months imprisonment.
NEROCU Detective Inspector Shaun Fordy added: “Offenders typically target elderly or vulnerable people so we urge the public to speak to relatives and friends who may be more at risk and explain the dangers of courier fraud.
“Tell them that no bank or police officer will contact them to withdraw money from their account.”
To report fraud, contact your local police force or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk
