A woman is to go on trial next year charged with the attempted murder of a man stabbed in Bootle.

Samaya Folksman, 25, is alleged to have tried to kill Luke Parry, 29, on November 6 this year.

Folksman, of St Christopher’s Avenue, Bootle, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court via video link from prison.

The defendant spoke only to confirm her personal details and enter her pleas.

Folksman pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

However, Gerald Paxter, prosecuting, said this was not accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Judge David Aubrey, QC, said Folksman will stand trial accused of the more serious offence of attempted murder next year.

The judge said a pre-trial review will be held on February 19 and a trial, estimated to last two days, on May 3.

Judge Aubrey remanded Folksman in custody.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A judge in South African has granted bail to Oscar Pistorius, pending sentencing for his murder conviction.

The country’s Supreme Court of Appeal convicted him last Thursday of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013, overturning a lower court’s conviction of the lesser crime of manslaughter.

The appeals court then said the double-amputee Olympian should be sentenced by the lower court.

Judge Aubrey Ledwaba, at North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, granted Pistorius bail of 692 US dollars (£460) and extended his house arrest until his sentencing hearing, which he set for April 18 2016.

The judge said Pistorius will be placed under electronic monitoring and may only leave his uncle’s home between 7am and 12pm.

Pistorius’s chief defence lawyer, Barry Roux, said his client plans to appeal against his conviction to the Constitutional Court.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A man has appeared in court charged with causing the death of dad-of-one Richard Bratin by dangerous driving.

The Walton charity worker was knocked down as he walked his dog on Richard Kelly Drive last Friday.

John McGee, 27, from Outer Forum, Norris Green, is accused of causing death by dangerous driving and failing to stop after a road accident.

He appeared at Liverpool magistrates court this morning and was remanded in custody until Wednesday, January 20, to appear at Liverpool Crown Court

Mr Bratin’s family have previously paid tribute to the “thoughtful and caring” dad.

They said: “Richie was a loving dad to Richard, so thoughtful and caring. He was always happy and supportive to close friends, family and even to complete strangers.

“He will be sadly missed by all that knew him. The loss of Richie has left his family and friends devastated.”

Abbie Freel, 21, of Townsend Avenue, Norris Green has been charged with assisting an offender and was due to have a bail hearing at South Sefton Magistrates Court today.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A WIDNES man charged with attempted murder has been given his sentencing date.

Warren Flaherty, 50, of Greenway Road in Appleton, appeared at Chester Crown Court for a mention hearing on Monday, December 21.

Flaherty pleaded guilty in April to attempted murder and threatening a person with an offensive weapon.

A court spokeswoman told the Weekly News that the defendant will be sentenced on Monday, January 18.

The charges were brought against the defendant when he was arrested after police were called to the report of an assault on Lower Appleton Road on Saturday, November 8, last year.

Cheshire police said at the time that officers found a woman at the scene with what appeared to be stab wounds.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A Kirkby van driver with no licence avoided jail despite driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic during a high speed journey to work.

Self employed joiner Daniel Devine, 29, was spotted by a CCTV operator on his way to a job on June 23 this year.

The dad-of-two, of Stokesley Avenue, Kirkby , was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court today after earlier pleading guilty to dangerous driving.

Lynn Clark, prosecuting, told the court a Citroen Belingo van caught the attention of a CCTV operator while driving along County Road towards the city centre, at around 10.10am.

Ms Clark said: “The defendant was travelling at high speed and overtaking other road users on numerous occasions. He was seen driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic at high speed.”

The court heard Devine was tracked along Scotland Road and headed through the Birkenhead tunnel where police patrol cars caught up with him at the other side.

A check revealed Devine had been disqualified from driving in 2010, although he claimed in court he believed he had a full driving licence.

Ms Clark told the court: “In his interview he said he was stressed due to having no money and was trying to be a man with a van, and was helping a mate out.”

Devine, who represented himself, told the court he apologised for the offence.

He said: “Since being banned my business has gone and my house will probably go in about six months.”

He told the court he believed he had a full driving licence at the time of the offence.

The bench ordered Devine to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and to pay prosecution costs of £85, a victim surcharge of £80 and a £180 criminal court charge.

He was also banned from the roads for 12 months.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A Liverpool rapper who was jailed for attacking his ex-partner boasted he would leave a girl “crawling” in a music video.

Darren Colecozy, 21, aka Capz, was sentenced to nine months behind bars after he shut ex-girlfriend Hannah Lynch in his bedroom and threatened to blow up her gran’s house.

In a video posted on YouTube channel AKA in 2012 the rapper, who was named as one of Crimestoppers’ 10 most wanted on Merseyside last month, performed track Lost Angel Riddim.

The lyrics to the song included comments that girls shouldn’t be flat-chested.

Colecozy rapped: “Got to have a nice figure, they can’t be fat.”

He went on to say: “Once I’m done with her, nah, she won’t be walking.

“That b***h will be crawling.”

Darren Colecozy, 21, of Stevenson Street, Wavertree, jailed for nine months for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and breaching a restraining order

Jo Wood, from Merseyside Rape and Sexual Abuse centre (RASA), branded the lyrics an “affront” to women.

She said: “It is sad that in the 21st century women are still seen very much as possessions of men, to be acquired on a night out.

“For someone who purports to be trying to ‘get it right’ it’s shocking to hear such antiquated misogynistic expressions about potential partner’s shape and size – so, women are nothing more than a particular shaped vessel for male pleasure?

“Clearly only male pleasure as ‘Once I’m done with her she won’t be walking. That b***h will be crawling’ sounds like a serious sexual assault rather than shared pleasure.

“The lyrics are crude, offensive and seriously outdated.

“They are an affront to women everywhere and a clear indication of how far we still have to go to dispel the long standing myths about sexual violence, abuse and consent.

“Popularising such beliefs serves to normalise sexual violence.

“It is intimidating and helps to silence survivors of sexual violence who are brainwashed by the belief that such assaults are normal and simply something to be endured.

“Sadly, young people will join in the singing of such lyrics, without knowing what they are saying, further buying into the myth that treating women and girls with such contempt is acceptable.”

Colecozy, of Stevenson Street, Wavertree, was given a restraining order preventing him from contacting former girlfriend Miss Lynch in July 2014, after he threw a cup of tea over her when she refused to let him look at her Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp accounts.

He breached the order twice, the second time when he met her in the city centre at about 4.30am on June 28.

Anya Horwood, prosecuting, said Colecozy made her go back to his Wavertree home, where he lives with his mum and her partner, in a taxi.

Miss Lynch said he took her mobile phone away and when they got to the house he dragged her upstairs.

She said he would not let her out of his bedroom, pushed her onto the bed and threatened to blow her grandmother’s house up.

Colecozy pleaded guilty to common assault and breaching his restraining order.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A “mean-spirited” Old Swan man pretended to be his neighbour to steal Liverpool FC FA Cup semi-final match tickets, a court heard.

Peter Richard Lay, 41, swiped a bank card belonging to his neighbour Brian Thornberry before using it to pose as the victim and pick up the tickets from the Royal Mail office in Wavertree on April 16.

The package contained tickets to the Liverpool FC vs Aston Villa cup tie on April 19, as well as tickets to Chester Races.

Lay, now of Saville Road in Old Swan, avoided jail at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court today after earlier being convicted of theft of a postal packet and fraud.

Christine Wincup, prosecuting, said Mr Thornberry’s son had gone to pick up the post but was told someone posing as his dad had already collected the tickets.

She said: “Mr Thornberry went to the post office to speak to staff and requested a description of the person who had collected the tickets. The description was obtained and he thought it sounded like his neighbour, who he did not know very well.

“Staff said the male had shown a debit card in Mr Thornberry’s name.”

Mr Thornberry realised the card had been inside a letter in his letterbox, and had been taken by the defendant.

The court heard he then went home to confront Lay, and asked him if he had been to the sorting office.

He denied being there at first, until the victim called his bluff by saying he had seen CCTV of him picking up the tickets.

When Mr Thornberry demanded his tickets back the defendant handed them over, claiming he thought the post was for him.

However the victim pointed out that his name was clearly on the package and told Lay to “expect the police.”

Lay replied: “I have been civil with you, I have given you your items back.”

The Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, Liverpool Magistrates’ Court

The court heard Lay has previous convictions for fraud and was jailed for 14 months in 2007.

Gary McAteer, representing Lay, said his client had made admissions in his police interview but “inexplicably” pleaded not guilty in court.

The court heard Lay had been working as a taxi driver but had recently been forced to give up work care for his mother after she suffered a heart attack.

Mr McAteer said he has since left the address and moved in to a new property.

Magistrates described the offence as “mean spirited” and sentenced Lay to 32 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered him to complete 80 hours of unpaid work.

He was also told to complete a rehabilitation activity requirement, a thinking skills programme, and ordered to pay £620 prosecution costs, a £520 criminal court charge and an £80 victim surcharge.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A Toxteth man who groomed a 13-year-old girl on the internet before sexually assaulting her was jailed.

Alan Pendleton, 52, of Merlin Street, pleaded guilty to four counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child and one charge of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

At Liverpool Crown Court yesterday he was jailed for four years and four months, ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register and given a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).

Detective Chief Inspector Natalie Pereschine, said: “Pendleton groomed a girl via the internet then arranged to meet her and took her back to his flat where the offences were committed.

“Cases like this highlight the importance of making sure we understand the risks that exist whenever we go online.

“The web offers a degree of anonymity to criminals intent on grooming young people, allowing them to pretend to be someone they are not and gain trust and build relationships with younger people in order to exploit them for their own gain.

“It is really important that we all become more aware of the possible risk of exploitation on social media sites and how to report suspicious activity to the police. Parents, guardians, carers and teachers need to know what the warning signs are to look out for it they think a child may be putting themselves at risk.”

Merseyside Police have a website called www.listentomystory.co.uk which highlights the issue from a young people’s perspectives and also shows where people can get help if they have any concerns for any child they know.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A teenager who was drugged by a 45-year-old man who intended to sexually abuse her said she “lost everything” after the incident.

Edward Brooks, of Lathom Road in Southport, was jailed for four years and two months after admitting 15 drug and sexual offence charges, including supplying drugs to the 16-year-old with sexual intent.

Speaking to the ECHO, his victim, now 17, said she was still coming to terms with the attack, which happened in October last year.

The girl, who is legally entitled to remain anonymous, said: “At first I thought he was just a friend.

“In the case the judge said he started grooming me in June that year.

“His girlfriend would bring food to me because I was living in a hostel at the time and then they started inviting me round for tea.”

But one night Brooks took her to a flat, owned by a friend of his who was away, and gave her cocaine and Zopiclone – a sleeping tablet.

The victim said: “I don’t have much of a memory of what happened because of the drugs but I do get some flashbacks now.

“He dropped me back home and it was only after that I started to come to and I didn’t know what had happened.

“It was horrible.

“I rang my dad and I said ‘something’s not right’, so my dad took me to the hospital and my mum rang the police.”

Liverpool Crown Court

At Brooks’ sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday his victim read out an impact statement about how he had affected her life.

She said: “I was in a state and in tears but I wanted read it out myself.”

She added: “He took the person I used to be away from me.

“It’s affected everything. He’s always in my head.

“I lost everything, I’ve got nothing any more.”

She said she suffered with mental health problems following the incident and is still on medication.

She added: “I don’t trust anyone and my self-confidence is completely gone.

“I had to leave my job.

“I lost family members because some of them didn’t believe me at first.”

She said she thought Brooks’ sentence could have been stronger.

She said: “He could be out in a couple of years, but this is going to continue to affect my life.”

But she praised the support she had from Merseyside Police.

She said: “They were brilliant about it and the woman I dealt with was great.”

She added: “I want to encourage more people to speak out if they are victims of things like this.

“I want to show others they can do it and they need to tell someone, because it will never go away and they need closure.

“I hope I can start to get some closure now, but I know it will be a long process.”

Anyone who would like to report a sexual offence or anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A Wallasey man who kept his girlfriend prisoner in his flat and threatened to stab police officers was jailed for four years.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that during the incident Kieran Mace kept her locked in and made threats to police, including saying he would throw boiling water and sugar over them.

Leah Frail’s ordeal only ended after police threw ‘flash bangs’ as a diversion and they were able to arrest him.

Jailing 21-year-old Mace Judge Alan Conrad, QC said that it was a serious offence and his situation was aggravated by his previous record which included threatening to kill a social worker.

Robert Wyn Jones, prosecuting, said that the incident began on August 30 after Mace met Miss Frail near St George’s Hall in Liverpool and later pushed her onto a bus going to Liscard.

He said they had been in a relationship for 18 months and she described him as controlling.

When they got off the bus he became aggressive and dragged her by her bag to his flat in Clarendon Road, Wallasey and locked the doors. He took the handles off the door and hid the keys.

The next morning he locked her in and went to the shops. When she told him on his return that she was going to meet her sister he said the only way she was leaving was if she called the police.

There was a struggle during which he smashed her mobile phone but she was able to dial 999 when he accidentally dropped his phone.

Officers arrived and began negotiating with Mace but he boarded the door with wood he and threatened to throw boiling water and sugar over them.

Mr Wyn Jones added that police managed to get into the flat but he used a mattress as a shield and threatened that he would snap Miss Frail’s neck. They managed to overpower him after using ‘flash bangs’ to disorientate him,

Mace, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to false imprisonment, affray, criminal damage and common assault.

Michael Bagley, defending, said Mace has been diagnosed with a personality disorder.

He has effectively been in care since a very early age which has affected him strongly.

He said he been in a volatile relationship with Miss Frail, who had her mobile phone with her during the incident, is still young and needed to learn to integrate into society.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

The Hillsborough inquest jury are expected to start considering their verdict in February.

The longest running inquest in British legal history is due to finish hearing evidence by Christmas.

Coroner Sir John Goldring today told the jury that the final phase – the medical and pathological evidence for each of the 96 – was likely to have finished by the Christmas break and there was not expected to be more evidence after that.

He said he was due to start his summing up of the case on January 25 and expected it to take about three weeks.

Sir John said: “After it’s over, you will retire to consider a series of written questions which will be carefully set out for you.”

The court will not sit for the week beginning February 15 due to a half term break, meaning that it is likely the jury will go out to consider their decision around February 22.

But the coroner said the dates were not “set in stone”.

Lord Justice Goldring at the Coroners Court in Warrington. Picture Jason Roberts.

He said: “A little reassurance: you will be provided with as much help as is possible to enable you to answer the questions. So don’t worry about it.

“I can’t obviously forecast how long it will take you to reach your decisions.

“I can’t therefore say by when the inquests will be over.”

The hearings started on March 31 in 2014 and were originally expected to last for six to nine months.

Seven women and four men were initially selected to the jury, although one man was later discharged due to “wholly exceptional medical reasons”.

Portraits of the 96 Liverpool fans lost at Hillsborough

Pictures/Video: How the disaster unfolded

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Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A book by a former Liverpool criminal outlining a heist “exactly like Hatton Garden” was found at the home of a man accused of taking part in the multimillion-pound jewellery raid, a court heard.

A copy of Killer by former armed robber and safe-blower Charlie Seiga – now a successful author – was found at the Essex home of taxi driver Jon Harbinson, 42, when it was searched by police following the April raid in the heart of London, jurors were told.

Prosecutors alleged that a page in the memoir detailing a theft using high-powered drills and other equipment was marked with a grey piece of card.

Similar methods and equipment were used at Hatton Garden, they claim.

Harbinson, a father of three, is accused of transporting away some of the proceeds of the Hatton Garden raid.

He denies the allegation.

He told Woolwich Crown Court that when “I was told about the book I had no knowledge of it”.

A copy of Killer by Charlie Seiga

Prosecutor Philip Stott asked him: “He (Seiga) is talking about his criminal life and heists he had been involved in. Is that something you had an interest in?”

Harbinson replied: “Many years ago, possibly.”

Mr Stott went on: “There was a bookmark in this page.”

Harbinson replied: “That’s what you say but I don’t know, I wasn’t there.”

Mr Stott: “Were you interested in the plan (Hatton Garden) you were engaged in?”

Harbinson: “I wasn’t engaged in it. If this book is so prevalent in evidence against me why wasn’t it forensically examined?”

Mr Stott: “It was bookmarked on a page that is exactly what took place in Hatton Garden.”

Harbinson: “I had no knowledge of what happened in Hatton Garden.”

Mr Stott showed him the grey card which Harbinson agreed was probably the back of a book of taxi receipts.

Mr Stott said: “This was your book and you were reading it, weren’t you?”

Harbinson replied: “No sir.”

Harbinson, of Beresford Gardens, Benfleet, Essex, is accused of conspiracy to commit burglary at Hatton Garden Safe Deposit between May 17 2014 and 7.30am on April 5 this year.

William Lincoln, 60, of Winkley Street, Bethnal Green, is accused of the same offence.

Carl Wood, of Elderbek Close, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, is charged with conspiracy to commit burglary, and one count of conspiracy to convert, conceal or transfer criminal property.

Hugh Doyle, 48, of Riverside Gardens, Enfield, north London, is jointly charged with them on one count of conspiracy to conceal, convert or transfer criminal property between January 1 and May 19 this year. He also faces an alternative charge of concealing, converting or transferring criminal property between April 1 and May 19 this year.

Ringleaders Brian Reader, John “Kenny” Collins, 75, Daniel Jones, 60, and Terry Perkins, 67, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary at Hatton Garden Safe Deposit between May 17 2014 and 7.30am on April 5 this year.

Collins, of Bletsoe Walk, Islington; Jones, of Park Avenue, Enfield; Perkins, of Heene Road, Enfield, and Reader, of Dartford Road, Dartford, are due to be sentenced at a later date.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

This month’s round-up of serious criminals locked up at Liverpool Crown Court includes paedophiles, murderers, and drug-trafficking cartels.

Among them was Stephen Duggan, 28, who was sentenced to life imprisonment and must serve a minimum of 22 years after being convicted of the murder of good Samaritan Alison Wilson, who tried to break up a street row.

Duggan killed the 36-year-old mum-of-two, from Widnes, by thrusting a broken wine bottle into her neck when she tried to stop him attacking a woman holding a baby,

In another high-profile case, a Liverpool man who strangled his 17-year-old girlfriend after being taunted about his sexual prowess was jailed for life – for the second time.

Callum Wilcocks throttled Kelsey, 17, the mum of their three-year-old daughter, in a row over cheating at a flat in Foundry Lane, Widnes, on April 29, 2011.

Wilcocks was convicted over her murder at a re-trial after initially being convicted in 2011.

That conviction was quashed by appeal judges after Wilcocks claimed a severe mental disorder meant that he was not in control of his actions.

But a jury at Liverpool Crown Court rejected that defence, and Wilcocks must serve a minimum of 16 years for the brutal murder.

Other cases included Maghull paedophile Michael Roach, 62, who was jailed for more than 17 years for sexually abusing five young girls over three decades.

Meanwhile, members of a cross-border drugs trafficking cartel headed by “Scouse Escobar” Christopher Welsh jnr were jailed for a total of 90 years.

The gang, lead by Welsh jnr, his right hand man Neil Sutemire, and Scottish gangster John Reid, were sentenced for trafficking cocaine and heroin into Scotland at Liverpool Crown Court.

1) A paedophile from Maghull who sexually abused five young girls over three decades was jailed for 17 and a half years.

Michael Roach, 62, of Brookside, attacked the children – one when she was just four-years-old – between 1986 and 2011.

Michael Roach has been jailed for 17 years

2) Michael Foat, 35, of Jerningham Road, Walton, jailed for four years and three months after a raid on Eric G Milton’s jewellers in County Road, Walton.

Michael Foat, 35, of Jerningham Road, Walton, jailed for four years and three months after a raid on Eric G Milton’s jewellers in County Road, Walton

3) Members of a cross-border drugs trafficking cartel headed by “Scouse Escobar” Christopher Welsh jnr were jailed for a total of 90 years.

The gang, lead by Welsh jnr, his right hand man Neil Sutemire, and Scottish gangster John Reid, were sentenced for trafficking cocaine and heroin into Scotland at Liverpool Crown Court.

Operation Prion/Kervella: Christopher Welsh jnr

4) A man who allowed his St Helens home to be used as a £40,000 cannabis factory was jailed for 27 months.

Police found 40 plants with an estimated yield of 2kg when they raided David Nuttall’s house in Coalville Road on June 26 last year.

David Nuttall leaves Liverpool crown court.

5) A teenager repeatedly stabbed Bootle dad-of-five Steven Tucker before his older brother punched him as he lay dying.

Andrew Blood, 17, of Bedford Road, Bootle was jailed for life with a minimum of 12-and-a-half years behind bars after admitting murder.

Kenneth Blood, 33, who hid the knife used by his brother to murder Mr Tucker, 51, was jailed for four years.

Andrew James Blood

6) Marie McCarthy was jailed for three-and-a-half years for stealing the virginity of a 15-year-old boy after her original suspended sentence was quashed.

The 62-year-old abused the boy, now a fully grown adult, over a five-week period when she was in her 30s.

Marie McCarthy, jailed for three-and-a-half years after her suspended sentence was referred to the court of appeal

7) Honza Olah, 17, of Goswell Street, Wavertree, was locked up for four years after stabbing a man in the leg for no reason – then telling police he felt nothing towards his victim and didn’t care if he died.

Honzah Olah, 17, of Goswell Street, Wavertree, locked up for four years after stabbing a man in the leg for no reason

8) Cocaine addict Joshua Farrell, 20, of Townsend Lane, Clubmoor, who was chased by police in a stolen car he was driving to pay off a drug debt, was jailed for 18 months.

Joshua Farrell, 20, of Townsend Lane, Clubmoor

9) Kane Case-Webb, 20, of Elm Road, Walton, was jailed for seven years for a horrific attack on his 17-year-old girlfriend.

Kane Case-Webb, 20, of Elm Road, Walton, jailed for seven years for a horrific attack” on his 17-year-old girlfriend

10) John Devine, 27, from Olney Street, Walton, was sentenced to seven years and four months imprisonment after admitting a string of armed confrontational burglaries in Walton in September.

John Devine, 27, from Olney Street, Walton, sentenced to 7 years and 4 months imprisonment after admitting a string of armed confrontational burglaries in Walton in September

11) Robert Carter, 24, of Pope Street, Bootle, was jailed for more than four years after biting off the end of the nose of a man who had an affair with his girlfriend.

Robert Carter, 24, of Pope Street, Bootle, jailed for more than four years after biting off the end of the nose of a man who had an affair with his girlfriend

12) Jason Pilling, 42, of Rocky Lane, Tuebrook, was jailed for six years and eight months for an aggravated burglary at supported accommodation for vulnerable youngsters.

Jason Pilling, 42, of Rocky Lane, Tuebrook, jailed for six years and eight months for an aggravated burglary at supported accommodation for vulnerable youngsters.

13) Anthony Mullen, from Belle Vale, Liverpool, and Ashley Douglas, were jailed for crack cocaine peddling from a children’s soft play area in Carlisle.

Anthony Mullen, from Belle Vale, Liverpool, jailed for dealing drugs in Carlisle

14) Private hire taxi driver Michael Rezab was jailed for 16 months after battering a woman with his belt leaving her bruised, bloodied and fearing for her life.

Michael Rezab, Delta driver jailed for 16 months after battering a woman with his belt leaving her bruised, bleeding and fearing for her life

15) A former bouncer who killed a teenager in a sickening late night attack is back behind bars after being arrested in Liverpool.

Wayne Jenks, 37, served little more than a year in jail after admitting killing Ryan Kelly, 19, after punching him with a violent blow in Warrington town centre.

He is now back in prison after being jailed for three months for a series of driving offences in north Liverpool.

Wayne Jenks

16) Kensington County Primary School IT manager Gerrard Cullen, 26, of Henry Street, Liverpool stole £26k of laptops and ipads from the school. He was jailed for 16 months.

Kensington County Primary School IT manager Gerrard Cullen, 26, of Henry Street, Liverpool stole £26k of laptops and ipads from the school. He was jailed for 16 months.

17) A paedophile ex-soldier was caught with sick pictures of babies being sexually abused as well as live ammunition in his Liverpool city centre flat.

Police made the shocking find when they raided James O’Brien’s home at Madison Square in Duke Street last year.

James OBrien, 36, of Arch View Crescent, Liverpool city centre, jailed for two years after downloading 44 indecent images of children

18) A disabled paedophile who sexually abused a young girl over more than a decade was jailed for 10 years.

Philip Bradley, 55, of Scarisbrick New Road, Southport, was found guilty after a trial of historic sexual offences in Runcorn and Southport, which began in the 1990s.

Philip Bradley, 55, of Scarisbrick New Road, Southport jailed for ten years for historic sex abuse.

19) Stephen Duggan, 28, was sentenced to life imprisonment and must serve a minimum of 22 years after being convicted of the murder of Alison Wilson, who tried to break up a street row.

Stephen Duggan, 28, has been sentenced to life imprisonment and must serve a minimum of 22 years after being convicted of the murder of Alison Wilson

20) A “dangerous” Wirral paedophile who kidnapped his teenage victim by threatening him with a pair of scissors was jailed for 14 years.

David Wilson, 39, befriended the boy’s family and gained their trust with the intention of getting access to the 14-year-old.

David Wilson jailed for 14 years

21) Dangerous thug Robert McDermott, 22, of no fixed abode, was handed an extended seven and a half year sentence for the public’s protection after a robbery in Aigburth.

Robert McDermott, 22, of no fixed abode, jailed for four and a half years with an extended three years on licence after a robbery in Aigburth

22) A teenage drug dealer who hid nearly £1,600 of cocaine and heroin inside himself when caught by police was locked up for four years.

Max Donovan, 18, of no fixed abode, admitted dealing heroin and cocaine.

Max Donovan, 18, locked up for four years after admitting dealing heroin and cocaine

23) Drunken thug Michael Critchlow, 29, of Bradley Road, Litherland, was jailed for 18 months after breaking his girlfriend’s jaw in two places with a powerful punch.

Michael Critchlow, 29, of Bradley Road, Litherland, jailed for 18 months for breaking his girlfriend’s jaw

24) A prolific burglar who once knocked himself out on a plant pot after trying to escape from one of his victims has been jailed again.

Gerard Sanders, 32, of Utting Avenue, Anfield, was jailed for 40 months at Liverpool crown court in relation to a burglary in the Southport area.

Gerard Sanders, of Utting Avenue, jailed for 40 months for burglary

25) A man who smashed the window of a Norris Green pawnbrokers with a hammer and stole a £3,000 gold bracelet was jailed for more than two years.

Jamie Green, 24, of Wapshare Road, Norris Green, was also sentenced over dangerous driving in a stolen car during a police chase earlier this year.

Jamie Green, 24, of Wapshare Road, Norris Green jailed for two years after stealing a £3,000 golden bracelet from Albermale Bond pawnbrokers in Norris Green

26) Jacqueline Whittle, 50, of Hampton Road, Southport, was jailed for three years following “callous frauds” of men she conned money out of online by stealing the profile picture of a beautiful American woman and getting them to fall in love with her.

Jacqueline Whittle, 50, of Hampton Road, Southport, jailed for three years following “callous frauds” of men she conned money out of online by stealing the profile picture of a beautiful American woman and getting them to fall in love with her.

27) Alistar Brady-Jacobs, 27, Neil Cannon, 30, and Steven Woods, 36, were jailed for a total of more than 18 years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Left to right: Neil Cannon, Steven Woods, Alistar Brady-Jacobs

28) Adam Holme, 25, of Wardgate Avenue, West Derby, was jailed for six years and eight months and banned from driving for seven years. Holme, who was already banned from driving, caused the death of 65-year-old William Tillston following a head on collision. He had drunk between six and eight beers and was driving at 70mph in a 30mph zone.

Adam Holme, 25, of Wardgate Avenue, West Derby jailed for six years and eight months and banned from driving for seven years. Holme, who was already banned from driving, caused the death of 65-year-old William Tillston following a head on collision. He had drunk between six and eight beers and was driving at 70mph in a 30mph zone.

29) A convicted murderer who knocked a student’s teeth out at Liverpool’s city centre McDonald’s while out on day release was sent back to prison.

Paul Branchflower, 32, was jailed for life with a minimum of 13 years behind bars after running over Glynn Ellis, 46, in Manchester in 2002.

Convicted murderer Paul Branchflower

30) A Liverpool man who strangled his 17-year-old girlfriend after being taunted about his sexual prowess to death was jailed for life – for the second time.

Callum Wilcocks throttled Kelsey, 17, the mum of their three-year-old daughter, in a row over cheating at a flat in Foundry Lane, Widnes, on April 29, 2011.

Wilcocks was convicted over her murder at a re-trial after initially being convicted in 2011.

Callum Wilcocks

31) A Southport man was jailed for giving drugs to a vulnerable teenager with the intent of committing a sexual offence.

Edward Brooks, 45, of Lathom Road, was sentenced to four years and two months after admitting 15 drug and sexual offence charges.

Edward Brooks, 45, of Lathom Road, Southport

32) Callum Jamieson, 19, of Dacy Road, Everton, locked up for 26 months for sexually assaulting two women.

Callum Jamieson, 19, of Dacy Road, Everton, locked up for 26 months for sexually assaulting two women

33) Darren Colecozy, 21, of Stevenson Street, Wavertree, jailed for nine months for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and breaching a restraining order.

Darren Colecozy, 21, of Stevenson Street, Wavertree, jailed for nine months for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and breaching a restraining order

34) Dean Colquhoun, 20, of Kingswood Avenue, Waterloo, locked up for 18 months for aggravated vehicle taking and driving while disqualified.

Dean Colquhoun, 20, of Kingswood Avenue, Waterloo, locked up for 18 months for aggravated vehicle taking and driving while disqualified

35) Alan Pendleton, 52, of Merlin Street, Toxteth, jailed for four years and four months for the sexual abuse of a child.

Alan Pendleton, 52, of Merlin Street, Toxteth, jailed for four years and four months for the sexual abuse of a child.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

This month’s round-up of serious criminals locked up at Liverpool Crown Court includes paedophiles, murderers, and drug-trafficking cartels.

Among them was Stephen Duggan, 28, who was sentenced to life imprisonment and must serve a minimum of 22 years after being convicted of the murder of good Samaritan Alison Wilson, who tried to break up a street row.

Duggan killed the 36-year-old mum-of-two, from Widnes, by thrusting a broken wine bottle into her neck when she tried to stop him attacking a woman holding a baby,

In another high-profile case, a Liverpool man who strangled his 17-year-old girlfriend after being taunted about his sexual prowess was jailed for life – for the second time.

Callum Wilcocks throttled Kelsey, 17, the mum of their three-year-old daughter, in a row over cheating at a flat in Foundry Lane, Widnes, on April 29, 2011.

Wilcocks was convicted over her murder at a re-trial after initially being convicted in 2011.

That conviction was quashed by appeal judges after Wilcocks claimed a severe mental disorder meant that he was not in control of his actions.

But a jury at Liverpool Crown Court rejected that defence, and Wilcocks must serve a minimum of 16 years for the brutal murder.

Other cases included Maghull paedophile Michael Roach, 62, who was jailed for more than 17 years for sexually abusing five young girls over three decades.

Meanwhile, members of a cross-border drugs trafficking cartel headed by “Scouse Escobar” Christopher Welsh jnr were jailed for a total of 90 years.

The gang, lead by Welsh jnr, his right hand man Neil Sutemire, and Scottish gangster John Reid, were sentenced for trafficking cocaine and heroin into Scotland at Liverpool Crown Court.

1) A paedophile from Maghull who sexually abused five young girls over three decades was jailed for 17 and a half years.

Michael Roach, 62, of Brookside, attacked the children – one when she was just four-years-old – between 1986 and 2011.

Michael Roach has been jailed for 17 years

2) Michael Foat, 35, of Jerningham Road, Walton, jailed for four years and three months after a raid on Eric G Milton’s jewellers in County Road, Walton.

Michael Foat, 35, of Jerningham Road, Walton, jailed for four years and three months after a raid on Eric G Milton’s jewellers in County Road, Walton

3) Members of a cross-border drugs trafficking cartel headed by “Scouse Escobar” Christopher Welsh jnr were jailed for a total of 90 years.

The gang, lead by Welsh jnr, his right hand man Neil Sutemire, and Scottish gangster John Reid, were sentenced for trafficking cocaine and heroin into Scotland at Liverpool Crown Court.

Operation Prion/Kervella: Christopher Welsh jnr

4) A man who allowed his St Helens home to be used as a £40,000 cannabis factory was jailed for 27 months.

Police found 40 plants with an estimated yield of 2kg when they raided David Nuttall’s house in Coalville Road on June 26 last year.

David Nuttall leaves Liverpool crown court.

5) A teenager repeatedly stabbed Bootle dad-of-five Steven Tucker before his older brother punched him as he lay dying.

Andrew Blood, 17, of Bedford Road, Bootle was jailed for life with a minimum of 12-and-a-half years behind bars after admitting murder.

Kenneth Blood, 33, who hid the knife used by his brother to murder Mr Tucker, 51, was jailed for four years.

Andrew James Blood

6) Marie McCarthy was jailed for three-and-a-half years for stealing the virginity of a 15-year-old boy after her original suspended sentence was quashed.

The 62-year-old abused the boy, now a fully grown adult, over a five-week period when she was in her 30s.

Marie McCarthy, jailed for three-and-a-half years after her suspended sentence was referred to the court of appeal

7) Honza Olah, 17, of Goswell Street, Wavertree, was locked up for four years after stabbing a man in the leg for no reason – then telling police he felt nothing towards his victim and didn’t care if he died.

Honzah Olah, 17, of Goswell Street, Wavertree, locked up for four years after stabbing a man in the leg for no reason

8) Cocaine addict Joshua Farrell, 20, of Townsend Lane, Clubmoor, who was chased by police in a stolen car he was driving to pay off a drug debt, was jailed for 18 months.

Joshua Farrell, 20, of Townsend Lane, Clubmoor

9) Kane Case-Webb, 20, of Elm Road, Walton, was jailed for seven years for a horrific attack on his 17-year-old girlfriend.

Kane Case-Webb, 20, of Elm Road, Walton, jailed for seven years for a horrific attack” on his 17-year-old girlfriend

10) John Devine, 27, from Olney Street, Walton, was sentenced to seven years and four months imprisonment after admitting a string of armed confrontational burglaries in Walton in September.

John Devine, 27, from Olney Street, Walton, sentenced to 7 years and 4 months imprisonment after admitting a string of armed confrontational burglaries in Walton in September

11) Robert Carter, 24, of Pope Street, Bootle, was jailed for more than four years after biting off the end of the nose of a man who had an affair with his girlfriend.

Robert Carter, 24, of Pope Street, Bootle, jailed for more than four years after biting off the end of the nose of a man who had an affair with his girlfriend

12) Jason Pilling, 42, of Rocky Lane, Tuebrook, was jailed for six years and eight months for an aggravated burglary at supported accommodation for vulnerable youngsters.

Jason Pilling, 42, of Rocky Lane, Tuebrook, jailed for six years and eight months for an aggravated burglary at supported accommodation for vulnerable youngsters.

13) Anthony Mullen, from Belle Vale, Liverpool, and Ashley Douglas, were jailed for crack cocaine peddling from a children’s soft play area in Carlisle.

Anthony Mullen, from Belle Vale, Liverpool, jailed for dealing drugs in Carlisle

14) Private hire taxi driver Michael Rezab was jailed for 16 months after battering a woman with his belt leaving her bruised, bloodied and fearing for her life.

Michael Rezab, Delta driver jailed for 16 months after battering a woman with his belt leaving her bruised, bleeding and fearing for her life

15) A former bouncer who killed a teenager in a sickening late night attack is back behind bars after being arrested in Liverpool.

Wayne Jenks, 37, served little more than a year in jail after admitting killing Ryan Kelly, 19, after punching him with a violent blow in Warrington town centre.

He is now back in prison after being jailed for three months for a series of driving offences in north Liverpool.

Wayne Jenks

16) Kensington County Primary School IT manager Gerrard Cullen, 26, of Henry Street, Liverpool stole £26k of laptops and ipads from the school. He was jailed for 16 months.

Kensington County Primary School IT manager Gerrard Cullen, 26, of Henry Street, Liverpool stole £26k of laptops and ipads from the school. He was jailed for 16 months.

17) A paedophile ex-soldier was caught with sick pictures of babies being sexually abused as well as live ammunition in his Liverpool city centre flat.

Police made the shocking find when they raided James O’Brien’s home at Madison Square in Duke Street last year.

James OBrien, 36, of Arch View Crescent, Liverpool city centre, jailed for two years after downloading 44 indecent images of children

18) A disabled paedophile who sexually abused a young girl over more than a decade was jailed for 10 years.

Philip Bradley, 55, of Scarisbrick New Road, Southport, was found guilty after a trial of historic sexual offences in Runcorn and Southport, which began in the 1990s.

Philip Bradley, 55, of Scarisbrick New Road, Southport jailed for ten years for historic sex abuse.

19) Stephen Duggan, 28, was sentenced to life imprisonment and must serve a minimum of 22 years after being convicted of the murder of Alison Wilson, who tried to break up a street row.

Stephen Duggan, 28, has been sentenced to life imprisonment and must serve a minimum of 22 years after being convicted of the murder of Alison Wilson

20) A “dangerous” Wirral paedophile who kidnapped his teenage victim by threatening him with a pair of scissors was jailed for 14 years.

David Wilson, 39, befriended the boy’s family and gained their trust with the intention of getting access to the 14-year-old.

David Wilson jailed for 14 years

21) Dangerous thug Robert McDermott, 22, of no fixed abode, was handed an extended seven and a half year sentence for the public’s protection after a robbery in Aigburth.

Robert McDermott, 22, of no fixed abode, jailed for four and a half years with an extended three years on licence after a robbery in Aigburth

22) A teenage drug dealer who hid nearly £1,600 of cocaine and heroin inside himself when caught by police was locked up for four years.

Max Donovan, 18, of no fixed abode, admitted dealing heroin and cocaine.

Max Donovan, 18, locked up for four years after admitting dealing heroin and cocaine

23) Drunken thug Michael Critchlow, 29, of Bradley Road, Litherland, was jailed for 18 months after breaking his girlfriend’s jaw in two places with a powerful punch.

Michael Critchlow, 29, of Bradley Road, Litherland, jailed for 18 months for breaking his girlfriend’s jaw

24) A prolific burglar who once knocked himself out on a plant pot after trying to escape from one of his victims has been jailed again.

Gerard Sanders, 32, of Utting Avenue, Anfield, was jailed for 40 months at Liverpool crown court in relation to a burglary in the Southport area.

Gerard Sanders, of Utting Avenue, jailed for 40 months for burglary

25) A man who smashed the window of a Norris Green pawnbrokers with a hammer and stole a £3,000 gold bracelet was jailed for more than two years.

Jamie Green, 24, of Wapshare Road, Norris Green, was also sentenced over dangerous driving in a stolen car during a police chase earlier this year.

Jamie Green, 24, of Wapshare Road, Norris Green jailed for two years after stealing a £3,000 golden bracelet from Albermale Bond pawnbrokers in Norris Green

26) Jacqueline Whittle, 50, of Hampton Road, Southport, was jailed for three years following “callous frauds” of men she conned money out of online by stealing the profile picture of a beautiful American woman and getting them to fall in love with her.

Jacqueline Whittle, 50, of Hampton Road, Southport, jailed for three years following “callous frauds” of men she conned money out of online by stealing the profile picture of a beautiful American woman and getting them to fall in love with her.

27) Alistar Brady-Jacobs, 27, Neil Cannon, 30, and Steven Woods, 36, were jailed for a total of more than 18 years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Left to right: Neil Cannon, Steven Woods, Alistar Brady-Jacobs

28) Adam Holme, 25, of Wardgate Avenue, West Derby, was jailed for six years and eight months and banned from driving for seven years. Holme, who was already banned from driving, caused the death of 65-year-old William Tillston following a head on collision. He had drunk between six and eight beers and was driving at 70mph in a 30mph zone.

Adam Holme, 25, of Wardgate Avenue, West Derby jailed for six years and eight months and banned from driving for seven years. Holme, who was already banned from driving, caused the death of 65-year-old William Tillston following a head on collision. He had drunk between six and eight beers and was driving at 70mph in a 30mph zone.

29) A convicted murderer who knocked a student’s teeth out at Liverpool’s city centre McDonald’s while out on day release was sent back to prison.

Paul Branchflower, 32, was jailed for life with a minimum of 13 years behind bars after running over Glynn Ellis, 46, in Manchester in 2002.

Convicted murderer Paul Branchflower

30) A Liverpool man who strangled his 17-year-old girlfriend after being taunted about his sexual prowess to death was jailed for life – for the second time.

Callum Wilcocks throttled Kelsey, 17, the mum of their three-year-old daughter, in a row over cheating at a flat in Foundry Lane, Widnes, on April 29, 2011.

Wilcocks was convicted over her murder at a re-trial after initially being convicted in 2011.

Callum Wilcocks

31) A Southport man was jailed for giving drugs to a vulnerable teenager with the intent of committing a sexual offence.

Edward Brooks, 45, of Lathom Road, was sentenced to four years and two months after admitting 15 drug and sexual offence charges.

Edward Brooks, 45, of Lathom Road, Southport

32) Callum Jamieson, 19, of Dacy Road, Everton, locked up for 26 months for sexually assaulting two women.

Callum Jamieson, 19, of Dacy Road, Everton, locked up for 26 months for sexually assaulting two women

33) Darren Colecozy, 21, of Stevenson Street, Wavertree, jailed for nine months for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and breaching a restraining order.

Darren Colecozy, 21, of Stevenson Street, Wavertree, jailed for nine months for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and breaching a restraining order

34) Dean Colquhoun, 20, of Kingswood Avenue, Waterloo, locked up for 18 months for aggravated vehicle taking and driving while disqualified.

Dean Colquhoun, 20, of Kingswood Avenue, Waterloo, locked up for 18 months for aggravated vehicle taking and driving while disqualified

35) Alan Pendleton, 52, of Merlin Street, Toxteth, jailed for four years and four months for the sexual abuse of a child.

Alan Pendleton, 52, of Merlin Street, Toxteth, jailed for four years and four months for the sexual abuse of a child.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

Some of the most bizarre and shocking criminal cases in Merseyside this year were dealt with by the county’s lower courts.

Every alleged offender charged with a criminal offence passes through magistrates’ court, whether alleged murderers bound for Crown court or petty thieves dealt with there and then.

The Echo counts down 10 of the most strange and shocking cases heard in 2015.

1. The Five anti-capitalist ‘Love Activists’ locked up after illegally occupying the old Bank of England building in Liverpool city centre.

Five ‘Love Activists’ to appeal against custodial sentences for occupying former Bank of England building. Pictured (l to r, clockwise): James Allanson, James Jones, John David Rice, John Thomas Hall, Chelsea Stafford

The sentences led to chaotic scenes in and outside the court building in Derby Square, as supporters barricaded the main entrance and clashed with police.

The court heard the total policing cost of the occupation in Castle Street – part of a protest over lack of support for the homeless and government austerity – was nearly £120,000.

John Hall, 50; John Rice, 23; Chelsea Stafford, 19; and James Jones, 20, all of no-fixed address, were handed 10 weeks behind bars at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court after admitting trespass.

James Allanson, 20, of Wetstone Drive in Birkenhead, was also sentenced over an incident in Everton Park and jailed for 13 weeks.

Stafford was later freed after having her sentence reduced and suspended on appeal.

2. The Wallasey man jailed for a “monstrous breach of trust” in the first ever case brought in Merseyside under new “revenge porn” laws.

David Jones, 53, of Mockbeggar Drive, was locked up for three months at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court after posting intimate pictures online of a former partner taken nearly 20 years ago.

He had pleaded guilty to five charges of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress, under new laws brought in at the start of the year.

3. The ex-nurse who pleaded guilty to stealing £65,000 from her elderly mother who had dementia.

Gillian Hillier, 54, of Hansby Drive, Hunts Cross was jailed for 20 months

Gillian Hillier, 54, of Hansby Drive in Hunts Cross, pleaded guilty to theft at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court, and was later sentenced to 20 months in prison.

Hillier registered a Lasting Power of Attorney over her 88-year-old victim’s financial affairs before draining her account.

She was rumbled after care home staff realised their client could not pay her fees.

4. The Kirkby dad jailed for beating his former business partner around the head with a child’s scooter in front of terrified school pupils.

Gary Wade, 34 from Kirkby was jailed for 12 weeks

Gary Wade, 34, of Wood Close, was jailed for 12 weeks at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court after the attack on David Thomas near the grounds of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School, in Cedar Road, Walton Vale.

The court heard Mr Thomas could hear children screaming during the attack, until Wade stopped and ran off in the direction of Cedar Road.

5. The Liverpool primary school teacher handed a suspended prison sentence for neglecting her dog to the point he smelled of “rotting flesh.”

Primary school headteacher Susan Horncastle, of Brookthorpe Close, Wallasey, who admitted neglecting 17-year-old West Highland terrier Snowy

Susan Horncastle, 60, of Brookthorpe Close,Wallasey, left West Highland terrier Snowy “suffering on numerous levels” until the dog had to be put down.

Horncastle was sacked as headteacher at Our Lady of Good Help in Wavertree after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal at Wirral Magistrates Court.

6. The Wavertree man who caused roads chaos by threatening to hang himself from a motorway flyover in revenge for police killing his parrot.

Allan Clarke threatened to hang himself over death of pet parrot

Allan Clarke, 54, of Sandhead Street, was given a 12 week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months after pleading guilty to wasting police time and causing danger to other road users.

Clarke had sat on Queen’s Drive flyover with a rope around his neck, prompting the closure of the M62 and a massive emergency response.

He later said he had no intention of harming himself.

The court heard Clarke wanted to get revenge after police placed his parrot in a small cage a few weeks earlier when he had been arrested for a driving offence, which he blamed for it getting “stressed out” and dying.

7. The 14-year-old boy handed a youth referral order after stabbing a Liverpool schoolgirl with a steak knife “for a dare.”

Walton Hall Park on Walton Hall Avenue

The boy, who cannot be named, slashed and stabbed the 13-year-old girl in the legs at Walton Hall Park after a challenge from friends that he was “too scared to stab a girl.”

He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm at Liverpool Youth Court in a case described by presiding magistrate David Tasker as the “most bizarre” in recent memory.

8. The 64-year-old passenger who tried to choke the driver of a moving bus before ignoring CS gas spray to floor a policewoman.

Raymond Barry, 64, of Parkside Drive, West Derby

Raymond Barry, of Bishops Court in West Derby, was handed a 12 week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months , after pleading guilty to assault and two charges of assaulting a police constable at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard Barry put driver of the bus Mark Byrne in a chokehold before punching and pushing PC Andrea Austin to the floor, leaving her “screaming in pain.”

9. The West Derby nightmare neighbour who left an eight year old boy traumatised after a harassment campaign involving malicious and false accusations against his parents.

James Connor, 30, of Dwerryhouse Lane, West Derby, made malicious and false reports that a family had been physically abusing their 8-year-old son.

James Connor, 30, of Dwerryhouse Lane in West Derby, was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for 12 months after pleading guilty to harassment at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court.

Connor made numerous unfounded reports of child cruelty to social services, Merseyside Police and the NSPCC against a family living nearby between January 2014 and January this year, resulting in the boy needing counselling.

10. The Kirkby takeaway owner whose fast food restaurant infected 54 people with potentially deadly bug salmonella.

Hidayet Tayar

Hidayet Tayar, 54, of Ness Grove, Kirkby was ordered to pay £12,000 in fines and costs at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court after admitting health and safety breaches.

The court heard the outbreak, which left two patients in intensive care, was traced to Wok’s Cooking, in Richard Hesketh Drive, Westvale by Environmental Health officers.

The bacteria was believed to have been introduced to the takeaway by eggs from a European supplier and contaminated other food due to inadequate safety procedures. The business is now under new managment.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A cocaine fuelled Kensington man drove down residential streets at 80mph and jumped red lights in a bid to escape police, a court heard.

Adam Gary Curry, 26, swerved around a device designed to deflate his tyres and drove on the wrong side of the road as several patrol cars gave chase on September 25 this year.

Curry, of Molyneux Road, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, two charges of drug driving and driving without insurance at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court today.

The court heard he also stole a 42 inch TV and £130 in cash from his grandparents while on police bail for the driving offences and he pleaded guilty to two additional theft charges.

Lynn Clark, prosecuting, told the court police were alerted to Curry’s Volkswagon Golf after officers in a patrol car spotted him driving at high speeds.

She said: “Officers followed the car and observed him perform a dangerous turn in the road squeezing between two vehicles, narrowly avoiding a collision.

“They pursued the vehicle onto Green Lane where he did a U-turn in the road and drove back towards them in the opposite direction.”

The court heard patrols were despatched to the area and Curry was pursued again on Shiel Road.

Ms Clark said: “Police activated their emergency equipment but the defendant failed to stop. Officers deployed a stop stick, designed to deflate his tyres, but he drove around the device and turned left onto Boaler Street.”

The court heard Curry hit speeds of 80mph in Boaler Street, which has a limit of 30mph and has speed humps.

The chase continued onto Farnworth Street, Kensington and Edge Lane with Curry passing through several red lights, before he drove on the wrong side of the road to turn onto Innovation Boulevard.

The car was abandoned in an Aldi car park in Broad Green Road, Old Swan, after Curry was pursued down St Oswald’s Street.

He was arrested shortly afterwards and told officers he had been “made to drive.”

In his interview he admitting “doing a few lines” of cocaine in the hours before driving the vehicle. He tested positive for cocaine and benzoylecgoninem.

The court heard he was released on police bail but his grandparents Joseph Curry and Danielle Brack awoke on Boxing Day to find Curry, who had been staying at their property, had stolen the TV and cash.

Curry was re-arrested and admitted the offences.

Stephen Poulson, representing Curry, said his client was due to become a father very soon and expressed remorse over his actions.

Magistrates committed the case to Liverpool Crown Court where he is due to appear on January 26 for sentence.

Curry shouted “you’re f**** messin’” after the bench remanded him in custody.

News updates throughout the day in our live feed here

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

Animal abuse and neglect continued to make headlines in Merseyside this year – with four men jailed for acts of horrific cruelty towards pets and others narrowly escaping being sent to prison.

Among the offenders brought to justice by the RSPCA and police were a pensioner who shot a “nuisance” sea gull, a child killer who broke a puppy’s jaw and a primary school headteacher who neglected her elderly dog.

An inspector for the organisation today praised the public for their crucial help in bringing offenders to justice – and said courts needed the power to hand out tougher sentences.

Wirral RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes said: “We have either end of the spectrum in Wirral and on Merseyside.

“The vast majority of people will report it to us and make a stand, and at the other end you have the minority who abuse their animals. The level of cruelty we see is shocking.

“I deal with cases of beatings on a daily basis, which are very difficult to bring to court.

“We really appreciate the members of the public who will report things. Without them saying ‘that’s not right’ and informing us, we couldn’t do it. I also have to thank them for their patience, because investigations can take time and it must be frustrating for them.”

Inspector Joynes, who owns a seven-year-old crossbreed called Bella, said there should be tougher punishments for animal abusers, but courts are currently limited in the sentences they can hand out.

He said: “The punishment for animal welfare act offences are summary only at the magistrates court and can carry an unlimited fine and/or six months in prison.

“People say ‘That’s disgusting with the sentence they’ve given’ but that’s the upper limit.

“We are in an area where people won’t stand for animal cruelty and neither will our courts, but generally I don’t think the punishment fits the crime.”

Here are seven of the most shocking cases covered by the ECHO this year:

West Kirby pensioner shot “nuisance” sea gull

X-rays of the air pistol pellet in the wing of a seagull shot by West Kirby pensioner Clive Cresswell in his garden on Brookfield Gardens

Retired lorry driver and music shop worker Clive Cresswell appeared before Wirral magistrates’ court in August charged with intentionally injuring the Herring gull, a protected species, on June 5.

The court heard the 68-year-old, of Brookfield Gardens, had shot the bird – which was left with a fractured wing and had to be put down – with his Walther CP88 air pistol after becoming infuriated with the gulls he regards as “flying rats” and “vandals”.

He pleaded guilty to the charge and was ordered to pay £911.30 in costs and given a 12-month conditional discharge.

Outside court he told reporters seagulls were “vandals” and “horrible things”.

Neglected dogs were on the brink of dying from starvation

RSPCA photo showing the condition of two dogs owned by Sean Powell, of Hoole Road, Woodchurch. He admitted causing unnecessary suffering to crossbreeds Marley and Zina between March 4 and 18 this year

Sean Powell was jailed for three months and banned from keeping animals for ten years after a court heard his pets were a week from death and had been left living in a faeces-covered yard.

Powell, 27, of Hoole Road, Woodchurch, appeared in Wirral Magistrates Court in July charged with causing unnecessary suffering to crossbreeds Marley and Zina between March 4 and 18 this year.

He admitted the charge and also pleaded guilty to failing to provide them with a suitable environment and failing to protect them from suffering.

Man who killed his young son broke puppy’s jaw

Wirral RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes and vet nurse Lauren Harrison, who has given pug puppy Ruby a new home. Ruby’s jaw was broken by her owner Lee Michael, who was later jailed for 24 weeks.

In one of the year’s most high-profile cases, Lee Michael, 34, of no fixed address, was jailed for 24 weeks in September over sickening attacks on pug puppy Ruby – formerly called Babs – and cat Lary in Thingwall.

It later emerged that Michael, formerly known as Lee Khair, had previously been sentenced to seven years in prison for the manslaughter of his two-year-old son Ryan Franklin-Khair.

He pleaded guilty to five charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal before skipping bail – but was traced to London and brought back to Merseyside for sentencing in September.

Babs, who was renamed Ruby, survived and was given a new home by veterinary nurse Lauren Harrison.

Owner neglected his cancer-stricken dog

Wirral Magistrates Court

Michael Williams, 59, of Kendal Road in Wallasey, was jailed after neglecting his cancer-stricken dog and missing veterinary appointments which could have saved her.

An RSPCA inspector who called at his house on December 19 last year found him smoking and drinking with friends while 10-year-old Stitch lay nearby with a gaping wound in her abdomen.

Vets said the Staffordshire bull terrier would have been in “significant pain” and she was put down to end her suffering.

Williams failed to turn up at court in April and was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal by magistrates in his absence.

He was sent to prison for 20 weeks, banned from keeping animals for life and ordered to pay £500 in costs.

The dogs left to die at Creamfields

PRW Paul Cave, of Oldham who left two dogs in a hot car at Creamfields festival has been disqualified from keeping animals for life.

Security guard Paul Cave was banned from keeping animals for life at Halton Magistrates Court in July after he left two Rottweilers to die in a hot car at the Creamfields festival near Runcorn in August 2014.

The 60-year-old, of Eton Avenue in Oldham, was also given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £260 costs.

He was sentenced after security dogs Rebel and Zola died on August 23 at Creamfields near Daresbury after they had been left in the car for just under three hours

He was found guilty in his absence in February of three offences – causing unnecessary suffering to two Rottweiler dogs by confining them in an environment that was detrimental to their wellbeing; failing to take steps to ensure that the needs of the dogs were met by providing a suitable environment; and failing to protect them from pain, suffering and injury.

Headteacher lost job after neglecting elderly dog

Liverpool headteacher Susan Horncastle has been banned from keeping animals for life after a court heard her 17-year-old West Highland terrier Snowy “suffered on numerous levels”. Photo from the RSPCA

Susan Horncastle lost her job at Our Lady of Good Help in Wavertree after neglecting 17-year-old West Highland Terrier until the animal smelt “like rotted flesh”.

Wirral Magistrates Court heard the 60-year-old, of Brookthorpe Close, Wallasey, had left West Highland terrier Snowy “suffering on numerous levels” and the dog was put down by vets.

She pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and in November was sentenced to three months in prison, suspended for two years. She was also told to pay RSPCA costs of £997 and court costs of £150.

Warrington thug battered dog to death

Halton Magistrates Court in Runcorn.

Jack Russell terrier Molly was beaten and left lying in a pool of blood by Paul Wilcock, 48, in the hallway of his brother’s home.

Wilcock, of St Peter’s Way, Warrington, was jailed for four months in July after forensic evidence was used to match Molly’s blood with stains on his clothes.

Runcorn Magistrates’ Court heard that a police officer found the dead dog when called to a domestic incident in the early hours of August 16 last year.

Wilcock admitted two offences under the Animal Welfare Act; causing unnecessary suffering to Molly and failing to protect her from pain, suffering and injury.

He was also banned from keeping pets for life and ordered to pay £400 in costs.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A Fazakerley man caught selling cocaine to fans after travelling to an Everton away game in London has been spared jail.

Father of two and staunch Everton fan , Liam Gray, of First Avenue, was filmed passing two wraps of cocaine to another fan in a pub near the Craven Cottage ground in London.

Initially he claimed he was selling a ticket to another fan from Kirkby. But when he was searched 25 wraps of cocaine were found hidden in his underpants.

Gray, 29, pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court to possessing 25 wraps of cocaine, weighing nearly 20g, with intent to supply and supplying two wraps.

He was given a two year jail sentence suspended for two years and placed under the supervision of the probation service for two years.

Gray organises his own coach trips for Everton fans throughout the UK and abroad and buys all the match tickets via the supporters club. On this occasion the Capital One Cup match was against Fulham in September 2013 and ended in a 2 – 1 defeat for Everton.

Before he was sentenced Gray told the court: “It was a one-off, knocking out the gear, not a regular thing. It was so everyone could have a good time.

“I only bought it to sell to my friends and bought it in London so we could have a good time on the coach on the way home.”

He said many of those who regularly travelled on the trips he organised enjoyed getting high and continued: “I was going to take the cocaine on the coach on the way home and sell it at cost price to anyone that wanted any and use the rest myself.”

He told the court he had paid a dealer £750 for the drugs at the Glastonbury festival earlier that year.

But, with one previous conviction for supplying the drug, he added: “Now I don’t take cocaine anymore because of the effect it has had on my life.”

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A Fazakerley man caught selling cocaine to fans after travelling to an Everton away game in London has been spared jail.

Father of two and staunch Everton fan , Liam Gray, of First Avenue, was filmed passing two wraps of cocaine to another fan in a pub near the Craven Cottage ground in London.

Initially he claimed he was selling a ticket to another fan from Kirkby. But when he was searched 25 wraps of cocaine were found hidden in his underpants.

Gray, 29, pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court to possessing 25 wraps of cocaine, weighing nearly 20g, with intent to supply and supplying two wraps.

He was given a two year jail sentence suspended for two years and placed under the supervision of the probation service for two years.

Gray organises his own coach trips for Everton fans throughout the UK and abroad and buys all the match tickets via the supporters club. On this occasion the Capital One Cup match was against Fulham in September 2013 and ended in a 2 – 1 defeat for Everton.

Before he was sentenced Gray told the court: “It was a one-off, knocking out the gear, not a regular thing. It was so everyone could have a good time.

“I only bought it to sell to my friends and bought it in London so we could have a good time on the coach on the way home.”

He said many of those who regularly travelled on the trips he organised enjoyed getting high and continued: “I was going to take the cocaine on the coach on the way home and sell it at cost price to anyone that wanted any and use the rest myself.”

He told the court he had paid a dealer £750 for the drugs at the Glastonbury festival earlier that year.

But, with one previous conviction for supplying the drug, he added: “Now I don’t take cocaine anymore because of the effect it has had on my life.”

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/

A convicted robber released from prison three days before Christmas was back in custody by Boxing Day after attacking his on-off girlfriend.

Michael Robert O’Loughlin, 28, slapped Amy McCarthy, 22, and dragged her by the hair on Christmas Eve before locking her inside her address in Corfu Street, Birkenhead.

O’Loughlin, of Poulton Road, Wallasey , had only been released from prison on December 22 after serving half of a 16-month sentence for a robbery committed in March.

He pleaded guilty to two charges of assault and one of criminal damage at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court today.

The court heard O’Loughlin had been hauled back to prison to serve out the remaining eight months of his robbery sentence.

David Evans, prosecuting, said: “On the 24th, the defendant and the complainant had spent time together, but at around 9.30pm it appears that the defendant became aggressive and he began accusing her of cheating on him.

“He started to slapping her to the face, pulling her hair and dragging her around. He took her mobile phone so she could not phone the police and her keys, locking the door and refusing to let her leave.”

Michael Robert O’Loughlin

Mr Evans said O’Loughlin left the property the following morning but returned on Boxing Day, knocking at the front door asking for belongings.

Miss McCarthy agreed to pass him some items through a window, but a short time later heard the sound of a rear window smashing.

The court heard O’Loughlin, who has 36 convictions for 63 offences on his record, climbed into the property and refused to leave.

Mr Evans said: “The defendant took hold of her by the wrist and pulled her upstairs to the bathroom. He kicked an internal door causing damage and kicked her to the shin.”

Police were called to the property and O’Loughlin attempted to run.

Miss McCarthy was seen with bruises to her wrist and shin after the incident.

Laura Flynn, representing O’Loughlin, told the court her client disputed the extent of the allegations but admitted assaults took place.

She said: “He had been invited to spend Christmas and New Year with his on off partner but he was recalled on licence because he was not at the hostel he was supposed to be living in.”

Magistrates sentenced O’Loughlin to 16 weeks in prison for the latest offences, to run alongside the remainder of the robbery term.

Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/