A company fined £600,000 over the death of a Yorkshire lorry driver who was buried alive under a mound of animal feed has failed to win a cut in their court ordered penalty.

Malcolm Harrison, 64, from Keighley, died after a pile of soya meal collapsed and engulfed him while his lorry was being loaded at Seaforth docks.

Farm suppliers, Cargill Plc, was handed the fine at Liverpool Crown Court in April last year after admitting a breach of health and safety rules.

The company today challenged the amount of the fine at London’s Criminal Appeal Court, with its lawyers arguing it was ‘too high’.

But the appeal was thrown out by top judges, who said the financial penalty was justified, given the ‘serious breach of duty’ which led to Mr Harrison’s tragic death.

The court heard Mr Harrison, a highly experienced HGV driver, was loading his lorry at the docks on 6 September 2012 when disaster struck.

As he was at the rear of his truck, a huge pile of soya meal collapsed and buried him.

Despite the frantic efforts of Cargill employees – who managed to pull him free – and the emergency services, the father-of-four didn’t regain consciousness and later died in hospital.

In a statement, his widow, Claudine Harrison, described her ‘happy life’ with her husband and how they had been looking forward to and planning their retirement together.

Cargill, which the court heard has an annual turnover of £1bn, admitted breaching health and safety regulations.

The court heard that, while the company had trained its own staff to prevent ‘engulfment’ it had not put proper procedures in place to safeguard non-employees.

Challenging the fine, lawyers for Cargill argued that the crown court judge set the amount too high and didn’t take enough account of sentencing guidelines.

But, dismissing the appeal, Mrs Justice Patterson said the breach had created a high risk of harm.

She also said a hefty fine was necessary to ‘bring home to the company’s shareholders’ the serious nature of the offence.

Sitting with Lord Justice McCombe and Judge Paul Batty QC, she added: “Here the breach of duty was serious and was aggravated by the tragic death of Mr Harrison.

“It was also admitted by a company with more than adequate resources to pay a substantial penalty.

“In our judgment, the approach of the crown court judge was unimpeachable.”

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

A jilted boyfriend accused of breaking into his ex-partner’s home, stealing her cat and setting fire to the property went on trial.

Glen Dempsey, 23, is alleged to have taken the pet during the second of two burglaries at Shauna Robbins’ flat after she dumped him in October last year.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how Dempsey, of Earle Road, Wavertree , then sent her videos of a door being closed on the animal’s head.

Carmel Wilde, prosecuting, said the couple were together for six months and lived in Brook Road, Walton , before Dempsey moved out.

She said he then sent Miss Robbins text messages threatening to kill her brother and “slit her throat” and demanded she returned paperwork.

Ms Wilde said Miss Robbins left her flat on November 1 and went to stay with a friend.

But when she returned on November 3, she discovered the front door forced open and her sofa, rug and coffee table damaged.

Ms Wilde said she also found a knife and screwdriver, which had not been there previously.

Dempsey had asked if he could come round, but when Miss Robbins said she was not there, he replied: “I will just kick the door in then.”

Ms Wilde said: “He said he had photos of the complainant that would upset her and he would put them on Facebook. That is what he did.

“She would say they were inappropriate photos. They were deleted later on.”

Ms Wilde said Dempsey sent further texts threatening to “cut her brother from ear to ear”.

She said: “Miss Robbins said ‘I’m not going to be there, you’re going to have to break-in if you want your stuff’. The prosecution say that is exactly what he did.”

Miss Robbins left the flat on November 6 and returned the next day to find her cat and some coursework missing.

Ms Wilde said: “The defendant then sent Miss Robbins further abusive messages and videos of the cat being mistreated by being locked in a bath and having a door closed on its head.

“At that point she deleted his number and blocked him on Facebook .”

Police were informed her flat had been set alight on November 8, in what Ms Wilde said experts found was a deliberate fire.

She said: “Miss Robbins will say she received some messages that the defendant was threatening to burn the flat down but didn’t take it seriously.”

Dempsey was arrested on November 9 and police found Miss Robbins’ coursework at his home.

Brook Road in Walton. Picture from Google Street View.

Ms Wilde said neighbour Rafal Marko – who discovered and put out the blaze – would tell the jury Dempsey asked to borrow a screwdriver on November 7.

She said Mr Marko lent him the tool and later saw an unscrewed lock on the flat’s front door.

Mr Marko said Dempsey returned the screwdriver, but he later heard loud banging coming from the flat.

Dempsey accepted sending the texts, but told police he left the flat for good on October 28.

He said he left the country and Miss Robbins was trying to frame him.

Dempsey later said Miss Robbins may have left her coursework at his house and told officers Mr Marko must be wrong as he had not been to the flat.

However, Ms Wilde said: “The defence will assert and accept that Mr Dempsey was there borrowing a screwdriver off Mr Marko, and took the cat because he was concerned for its welfare.

“They will say he was allowed permission to enter the flat by her saying ‘you will have to break in then if you want your stuff’.”

She said there were no eye-witnesses and the jury would have to use their “common sense” to “put the pieces of the jigsaw together”.

Dempsey denies two counts of burglary and arson recklessly endangering life.

(Proceeding)

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

A masked raider who subjected a self-employed businessman and his wife to a terrifying gang robbery ordeal in their own home has received a 15-year sentence.

The couple were tied up and robbed by a gang of five or six armed men, but only Leon Foran was tracked down after he left incriminating evidence behind.

Foran was sentenced to 10 years’  with an extended licence of five years by Judge Robert Trevor-Jones who told him it was “a very traumatic incident which would have been terrifying”.

Foran, 22, and his accomplices struck at the victim’s large home in Parbold on October 28 last year while the family were watching television.

Peter Barr, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court: “It was sophisticated, planned and well executed. It was carried out in a professional manner by a gang who had targeted the address.

“They  knew he (the victim) had a variety of items in his home and by the nature of his business would have cash and had a safe.”

The couple heard repeated banging at the front door and it was then kicked open and a gang of five or six masked men wearing dark clothing burst in.

One had a knife and the others may have had weapons, Mr Barr said.

He added: “They ran in to the house screaming ‘get down, get down, where’s the safe? take us to the safe’.”

The businessman’s wife then had the knife, which had a six-inch blade, held to her throat and while she was screaming hysterically in front of him her arms and legs were bound with gaffer tape.

Her husband was frog-marched to the safe in the garage and while there Foran picked up the victim’s screwdriver. He held it  in his mouth while later helping tie him up with more gaffer tape. His DNA was later found on the tape.

The raiders grabbed expensive jewellery which also had great sentimental value and an iPhone, said Mr Barr.

They were not content with the cash from the safe and the businessman, who was kicked in the ribs, found another £700 in the house to appease them. Before leaving with their haul they demanded the keys to his wife’s BMW car and drove away in it.

The couple managed to free themselves and raise the alarm and a police officer spotted the car shortly afterwards driving at high speed in Alder Lane, Parbold and gave chase.

The gang abandoned the vehicle with the engine still running and escaped.

Mr Barr said the businessman was still suffering pain from his rib injuries and his wife had been very badly traumatised and was having counselling.

Foran, of Bramcote Road, Kirkby, pleaded guilty to robbery.

Paul Lewis, defending, said he had never committed such a serious offence before and was remorseful.

More Merseyside news:

Merseyside man who groomed teenage girl over Skype is jailed

Drug dealing taxi driver jailed for three years

Dramatic picture of car fire which shut Formby bypass

Ex-soldier who armed gang behind Rhys Jones’ murder continued trading from prison

Not enough evidence in Bettison stolen platinum case, say CPS

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

A judge heard the last evidence on the alleged criminal fortune of feared security boss Stephen Clarke today.

Clarke, 48, and his brother Peter Clarke, 37, headed a ruthless drugs trafficking network supplying cocaine and cannabis to Manchester and Northern Ireland.

The brothers, who had access to a fearsome cache of guns, samurai swords and machetes stashed in a Southport lock-up, were jailed for a combined 26 and a half years in 2013.

Now prosecutors are locked in a battle to seize an alleged £2m of ill-gotten-gains linked to Stephen, Peter and their respective wives Rachel and Maria Clarke.

Today Nigel Power, QC, called the last defence witnesses for Clarke, after arguing the majority of his security and scaffolding business activities were legitimate.

Much of the case has revolved around the activities of agency Premier Approved, which sources work guarding construction sites and sub-contracts it to security firms.

Earlier prosecutor Nick Johnson, QC, described the business as “highly suspicious” and questioned its director Lynsey Dally, contracts manager John Dwyer and office manager Claire Hickey.

Today Preston Crown Court heard evidence from Michael Oliver, director of security firm Belfry.

Mr Oliver said he had received work through Premier Approved since 2006, and paid the company around 50% of any profit from the jobs as commission.

Preston Crown Court

Yesterday Mr Johnson suggested Mrs Dally, wife of Premier’s co-founder Kevin Dally, had transferred shares from Stephen and Rachel Clarke to “frustrate the confiscation process” after he was arrested in 2012.

However Mrs Dally claimed she had been worried about a potential new law proposed by the government which would prevent anyone with a criminal conviction from being a “controlling” mind” behind a security firm.

To corroborate her story Mr Power called evidence from Karl Barry, a regulatory and licensing compliance consultant and board member of Merseyside Crimestoppers.

Mr Barry told the court he had attended a meeting with Mr Dwyer and Clarke’s dad Billy Clarke, also a shareholder of Premier, alongside a representative of the Security Industry Authority, at a Frankie and Benny’s restaurant on the East Lancs Road.

He told the court the group had discussed whether the firm’s agency business model meant it required a licence under legislation governing security companies.

He denied Mr Johnson’s suggestion he had received payment from the company.

The court is set to hear evidence from Rachel Clarke early next week.

The complex Proceeds of Crime Act Hearing is set to last into early next month.

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

Three men were jailed for a total of 29 years over an armed cash-in-transit robbery in Liverpool’s Chinatown and a Wirral supermarket ram-raid.

Shop workers were left terrified when Lesley Aitchison, 38, and Spencer Benjamin, 43, struck at the Tesco Express in Eastham at around 11pm on May 9 last year.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how staff hid in an office as three masked men reversed a car into the store, smashed through shutters and made off with £2,000 in cash.

While on bail, Aitchison and Benjamin teamed up with Ian Porter, 46, to carry out the £60,000 Chinatown robbery on Monday, July 20.

Two security guards were refilling a cashpoint, near the corner of Nelson Street and Duke Street, at around 10.25am, when Aitchison threatened them with an imitation handgun.

Graham Pickavance, prosecuting, said that in the first raid Tesco staff had been counting up money when they heard a loud crashing noise.

They fled and watched on internal CCTV as three masked men grabbed the cash and escaped in the Vauxhall Corsa.

Police recovered the car in New Chester Road on May 10. It had false plates and had been stolen from a home in Aigburth four days earlier.

Police discovered Benjamin hired a Peugeot 308 on April 27 and it was caught on camera entering Birkenhead tunnel, followed by the Corsa, on May 9.

Mr Pickavance said: “A glove was found in the Peugeot with DNA recovered from it, which was 350,000 times more likely to have come from Benjamin than not.

A cash-in-transit robbery on the corner of Nelson Street where it meets Great George Street and Upper Duke Street in Liverpool

“On that glove eight glass fragments were recovered. They were found to be consistent with the glass from the broken Tesco door.”

During the Chinatown robbery, the security guards were removing boxes containing £20,000 in £10 notes and £40,000 in £20 notes.

They spotted a Vauxhall Insignia pulling up – stolen that morning from Liverpool Women’s Hospital car park.

The masked passenger got out, pointed the handgun at one security guard and shouted “give us the f***ing money”.

The vehicle was tracked to Solway Street West in Toxteth, where Benjamin lived, and followed by a Ford Focus.

Mr Pickavance said both cars went to nearby Vandyke Street, where two men got in the Ford.

Police recovered the Insignia bearing false plates, which belonged to a car that bungling Benjamin had hired in his own name. He later claimed it had been stolen.

Officers raided Porter’s home in Longborough Road, Prescot and recovered a balaclava, gloves and dark clothing in a garden shed, including trousers showing Benjamin’s DNA.

Porter said Aitchison, of no fixed address but from the Kensington area, had asked him to pick him up and denied knowledge of the robbery.

Benjamin was seen with a large quantity of notes at a shop on July 20. He was arrested on July 21 and made no comment.

Mr Pickavance said Aitchison was arrested in Blackpool, “where he had gone on a spending spree” with his two children. He made no comment.

Aitchison was also sentenced over dealing £200 of crack cocaine and £120 of heroin in Boundary Lane, Everton , on September 18, 2014.

When police spotted him dealing drugs he claimed “my mate was giving me a tenner” but he had £240 in cash.

Tesco Express store in Mill Park Drive, Eastham, closed following a ram-raid

Aitchison admitted two counts of robbery, possession of an imitation firearm, and two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

He has 24 previous convictions for 47 offences and this is his third conviction for Class A drug dealing.

Peter Killen, defending, said his client started using Class A drugs at 21, after he was a passenger in a car when his friend died in a crash.

Benjamin pleaded guilty to both robberies, saying he provided a car only knowing it was for a “high value robbery”.

He had 16 previous convictions for 40 offences, including two robberies, and was previously jailed for 10 years for a drugs conspiracy.

Frank Dillion, defending, said the dad-of-two had no idea a gun would be used.

Porter admitted the Chinatown robbery, saying he was recruited to drive the Ford and had no knowledge of the gun. He has one caution for cannabis possession.

Anthony O’Donohoe, defending, said Porter became involved as he was “using and abusing alcohol and drugs”.

Judge Elizabeth Nicholls said the robbery required “a considerable degree of planning”.

She said it was easy to imagine the “absolute fear” endured by staff “hiding and sheltering in Tesco”.

Judge Nicholls jailed Aitchinson for 16 years, Benjamin for eight years and Porter for five years – noting that it was his first time in prison.

She said: “Prison is shocking, but so was this offence.”

The Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, Liverpool Crown Court. File picture. Photo by Ian Cooper

After the sentencing Detective Constable Alison Hanlon said:“These men operated as an organised gang who specialised in violent robberies. During the Liverpool incident they attacked two cash delivery guards at an ATM and threatened them with a gun. This happened in broad daylight and shocked many people who were passing by at the time.

“They escaped in a waiting car but thankfully when they abandoned it in a street in Toxteth a member of the public spotted this suspicious behaviour and called the police. This helped us progress our initial enquiries and the offenders were caught.

“Several of the defendants were also involved in the ram raid of a Tesco store in Eastham which happened late at night but when staff were still inside. It was an extremely reckless act and it is only through sheer good luck that an innocent member of the public wasn’t hurt.

“Robberies like this are not victimless crimes. The victims who are threatened with weapons or injured during the robbery have to live with that ordeal for the rest of their lives. Some aren’t able to return to work. Businesses suffer financial losses and that impacts the lives of owners and employees.

“That is why we do everything we can to catch the people who commit this type of organised crime so they can’t do it again.”

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

The number of online trolls charged by the police rose by more than 400 per cent in the last year.

Social media crimes in Merseyside have skyrocketed in the last six years and there has been a four-fold increase in harassment on Facebook and Twitter in just 12 months, the ECHO can reveal.

“Can’t wait till he’s a toddler, the tracks are already calling his name.”

The news comes as a woman who trolled murdered toddler James Bulger’s mum with vile comments awaits her fate in the courts.

Chloe Cowan, 20, of Chichester Road, Ramsgate, in Kent, made a number of posts mocking Denise Fergus on twitter last year.

One, referring to a baby relative of Denise, said: “Can’t wait till he’s a toddler, the tracks are already calling his name.” James was murdered on a railway line in 1993.

Cowan, who has already pleaded guilty to harassment, is on bail awaiting a further hearing at Canterbury Crown Court.

Now Merseyside Police’s Cyber Interventions Unit has warned the number of internet trolls is just “the tip of the iceberg” as people can be reluctant to come forward when they have been harassed.

Steve Rotheram, the MP for Walton and the first MP to start a debate on trolling, said more must be done to fight the growing level of online “nastiness”.

Denise Fergus

Figures jump from 85 to 366

In 2014, there were 97 harassment crimes related to online chatrooms and social media. From January to the end of October last year, that number had risen to 415.

The figures, obtained by the ECHO under Freedom of Information laws, also reveal that the number of harassment crimes on Facebook jumped from 85 in 2014 to 366 in 2015.

The number of harassment crimes directly related to Twitter was recorded at 17 last year, up from four in 2013 and 2014, and the police have urged people to tell them when they are suffering from abuse online.

That figure could well be higher, because offences are not always classified by the website on which they occurred.

Detective Superintendent Dave McCaughrean from the Cyber Interventions Unit said: “The number of people reporting they are being harassed online could just be the tip of the iceberg.

“People may not realise that an offence has been committed or feel apprehensive about reporting it to the police.

DCI Dave McCaughrean, Merseyside police

“But people should have confidence that they can report it and Merseyside Police will investigate.”

Mr Rotheram said he believes “the nastiness has increased” in recent years.

He said: “There is too much emphasis on celebrity trolling – that becomes the story when actually there are a lot of young people who get trolled who are suffering really serious consequences of it

“I had a young girl in my office just the other week who tried to commit suicide because of being trolled and I have had several instances of that in my own surgeries.

“While it is quite right that we should ensure that if a celebrity or minor celebrity is trolled that action is taken, more needs to be done for ordinary people who are the targets of those people online who think it is just a bit of banter.”

Jailed, fined and criminal record

Detective Superintendent McCaughrean warned that anyone found guilty of an offence could face jail for up to six months and fined, leaving them with a criminal record which will stay with them for life.

He said: “Whenever a complaint or allegation is made to the police about unpleasant online behaviour, we use our specialists to secure the evidence then pass it to the investigation team to use in their case.

“At the Cyber Interventions Unit we would stress that prevention is always better than the cure.

“There are a number of preventative measures people can put into place such as increasing online security settings, adjusting privacy settings and restricting access to online profiles to ensure that they remain protected and so are their family and friends.”

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

These are the faces of the criminals locked up in Liverpool this week.

Among the cases dealt with at crown court and magistrates court is a man who knocked down a Walton charity worker while fleeing police and a dad-of-two who was caught with up to £80,000 worth of cannabis.

Also jailed was a man who threatened to petrol bomb his former drinking partner’s home and a Croxteth man who threatened to bite a police dog.

John McGee

John McGee, 27, was jailed for eight years at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting dangerous driving and failing to stop on Friday, December 18 last year.

McGee, from Outer Forum, Norris Green, knocked down dad-of-one Walton charity worker Richard Bratin as he walked his dog on Richard Kelly Drive in Walton.

Mr Bratin, 52, and his dog died at the scene and police launched a manhunt for the driver after the car was found abandoned nearby.

McGee went on the run with his girlfriend Abbie Freel, 21, and did not contact police to hand himself in until three days later.

James Mann

James Mann, 32, was jailed for 10 months after he ploughed his car into pedestrian railings, fencing and a garden wall after mounting a pavement in Walton.

The dad-of-two was caught with up to £80,000 of cannabis after leading police on a high-speed chase the wrong way down a dual carriageway.

Mann ploughed his blue VW Passat into pedestrian railings, fencing and a garden wall after mounting a pavement in Walton.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how the courier was found to be carrying four kilos of cannabis, plus a personal stash of the drug and £500 in cash.

Carl Kelly

Carl Kelly, 32, was jailed for five years after he threatened to petrol bomb his former drinking partner’s flat.

Kelly told Darren Bushell he was going to kill him and his two children when the two friends fell out last year.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how Kelly made the improvised bomb out of a vase, cloth and flammable liquid following a two-day cocaine bender.

But the drunken defendant left the weapon at a friend’s home when he went to buy some vodka and was reported to police.

When officers arrested the 32-year-old, he staged a dirty protest in a police vehicle.

Scott Owens

Scott Owens, 21, launched separate attacks on two men in St Helens, leaving one of them blinded, was jailed for 11 and a half years.

Owens broke “good citizen” Kevin Sheridan’s cheekbone after he tried to stop him stealing alcohol.

The 54-year-old sadly died two weeks later from unrelated issues.

Five days before a trial over that incident, Owens went out drinking again and launched an unprovoked attack on Daryl Seddon, 28.

Mr Seddon, who was already blind in his left eye, had his right eye removed as a result of the attack and is now totally blind.

Thomas Broadhurst

Thomas Broadhurst was jailed for 12 months after he threatened to bite a police dog after waving a craft knife in front of a group of children in Croxteth.

The 26-year-old was spotted holding the blade in one hand and a golf club in the other in Sovereign Road on April 3 last year.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how he later approached a police officer – minus the knife – and became abusive to the dog handler.

Robert Jones, prosecuting, said: “He said ‘f*** you’ and said ‘I will bite that f***ing dog if it bites me’.”

George Williams

George Williams was the ringleader of a group of Merseyside scammers who were sentenced over a £5.2m advertising con.

Williams, 51, of Linacre Road, Bootle, who earned £2,000 a week and “lived an extremely high brow life”, splashing out on flash cars, boats and property, was jailed for seven years.

The court heard that Williams and his team of sales reps operated from a rented office on Dale Street in Liverpool city centre and used contact lists traded with other fraudsters to pressure businesses into taking out adverts in “Emergency Services News”.

Williams and his operations manager Gayle Leahair were found guilty with conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and fraudulent trading.

Kevin Fox

Kevin Fox, 73, sexually abused a young girl then branded her a “liar” when she reported his crimes was jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

The pensioner, of New Chester Road, Bromborough, Wirral, denied the historical allegations but was convicted after a trial.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how he committed the offences at his then home in south Liverpool, when the girl was aged between 13 and 14-years-old.

The jury heard how he gave her money, along with cigarettes and alcohol, and that she did not feel able to stop him.

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

A motorcyclist has been jailed after incriminating footage was found on his helmet-mounted camera of him speeding at more than 150mph.

Clips on a memory card from Robert Hammond’s headcam showed him doing a wheelie in a housing estate before hitting more than 110mph in a 30mph zone.

Hammond, 60, was also shown overtaking at more than 140mph, reaching speeds of 153mph and entering a 30mph speed-limit at 95mph in Sussex and Hampshire.

Sussex Police officers said it was "a miracle" no-one was seriously hurt or killed by Hammond’s "outrageously bad motorcycling" on his Honda Fireblade.

Two police officers saw Hammond do a wheelie, overtake several vehicles and travel at about 80mph in a 50mph zone on the A27 at Chichester, West Sussex, on April 29.

Sussex Police/PA Wire

When they stopped him, they seized the memory card from his headcam, and it contained more than 150 biking clips, many showing Hammond’s "blatant disregard" for safety, police said.

Hammond, of Upways Close, Selsey, pleaded guilty to four counts of dangerous driving, and was jailed at Chichester Crown Court for two years on Friday, Sussex Police said.

Sergeant Alan Spicer said following the sentencing: "The footage on his headcam showed evidence of some outrageously bad motorcycling.

"It is a miracle that other road users had not been seriously injured or killed, due to the way he was driving his motorbike and the speeds he was reaching."

Hammond was also banned from driving for two years after he leaves jail, and will have to sit an extended re-test before taking to the roads again.

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

A stable groom for a world famous horse trainer was jailed for attacking his former friend while he slept – leaving him now needing round-the-clock care.

Richard Evans punched Craig Martin around eight times as he lay on the sofa at the victim’s mum’s home in Wallasey after a minor dispute on Facebook.

Evans, 31, and employed as a stable worker for horse trainer Richard Hannon, battered 29-year-old Mr Martin so badly that he suffered a cardiac arrest and was unconscious for 45 minutes.

He now needs constant care after having a defibrillator inserted in his chest and could have died at any moment, medics have warned.

Evans, who assaulted his victim five years earlier and knocked out his teeth, caused his old friend a ‘life-changing injury’, prosecutors said.

Peter Hussey, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that Evans burst into the victim’s mum’s house in Gainsborough Road, Wallasey and repeatedly struck him, leaving Mr Martin with neurological damage involving visual, cognitive and memory problems.

Evans fled after the assault, leaving Mr Martin’s mum and brother giving him CPR while he struggled to breath, in March last year.

The dad-of-three, who had a genetic heart condition at the time of the assault, is now unable to care for his children.

Mr Hussey said: “He remains unable to perform daily tasks without being prompted to do so, is unable to initiate things for himself and he has difficulty making choices…

“He becomes frustrated and angry and it is feared he may never be able to live independently.”

More stories from the courts

His brother Stephen said in a statement: “Part of Craig died that day. It is soul destroying … I want my brother back.”

Evans, who had previously trained at an army boxing boot camp, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm and was jailed for 32 months.

Judge Graham Morrow, QC, who read a reference from trainer Richard Hannon, said he hoped he had learnt his lesson and will walk away from violence in future.

He added: “Your mindless action could have easily led to fatal consequences.”

Dad-of-three Evans, of Challis Street, Birkenhead, appeared in the dock wearing Hannon’s Wiltshire stables logo on his jacket.

Brendan Carville, defending, said that Evans, who has convictions for dishonesty, was remorseful, and added: “He has to live with the fact he has caused a life changing injury.

“It is very sad circumstances, they were once friends.”

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

A man admitted chopping off the head of another man’s pet dog.

Paul Jenkins decapitated the tiny Shar Pei, which belonged to a man called Sean Smith, last November.

The 27-year-old was due to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court today but changed his pleas at the last minute.

Jenkins, of St Ives Grove, Old Swan , pleaded guilty to affray and causing Sean Smith to fear for his safety.

Jenkins also admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, while two further offences – possession of a blade and destroying property – were left to lie on file.

He was released on bail and will appear back in court for sentence next month.

Merseyside Police had previously said the decapitation offence was initially deemed as criminal damage because the dog was classed as property.

Under the Criminal Damage Act 1971, “property” includes wild creatures which have been tamed or are ordinarily kept in captivity.

The charge was later amended to causing unnecessary suffering.

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

A man who allegedly decapitated another man’s pet dog is to go on trial accused of criminal damage.

Paul Jenkins, 27, was charged with the offence after allegedly “destroying” the tiny Shar Pei, which belonged to a man called Sean Smith.

Jenkins, of St Ives Grove, Old Swan, is also accused of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, affray and possession of a bladed article, during the same incident in November last year.

It is alleged that the defendant, formerly of Sugar Lane, Knowsley Village , caused Mr Smith to fear for his safety.

Jenkins appeared at Liverpool Crown Court this morning where he pleaded not guilty to all four offences.

The bearded defendant, with short brown hair and wearing a white shirt and black tie in the dock, spoke only to enter his pleas.

Judge Denis Watson, QC, said a trial expected to last two to three days would be held on the week commencing January 25 next year.

The judge remanded Jenkins on conditional bail.

Merseyside Police have previously said the alleged offence was deemed as criminal damage because the dog was classed as property.

Under the Criminal Damage Act 1971, “property” includes wild creatures which have been tamed or are ordinarily kept in captivity.

The maximum sentence is a fine or three months in prison.

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

The wife of security boss Stephen Clarke today denied her gangster husband ran a “protection racket” and claimed she had no knowledge of a secret safe in their marital home.

Rachel Clarke, 38, of Westerdale Drive, Banks, near Southport also denied her former business, children’s indoor play-centre PlayTown inSouthport, was used to launder dirty money.

Clarke gave evidence at Preston Crown Court as part of a legal tussle to seize the alleged £2m criminal fortune of Stephen, 48, and his brother Peter Clarke, 37, who were jailed for a combined 26-and-a-half years in 2013.

The brothers, who had access to a fearsome cache of guns, samurai swords and machetes stashed in an Ainsdale lock-up, headed a ruthless gang trafficking cocaine and cannabis to Manchester and Northern Ireland

They were caught out by an extensive surveillence operation by detectives from Titan, the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit.

Prosecutors allege Stephen, Rachel, Peter and his wife Maria Clarke stashed their ill-gotten-gains in a “murky web of hidden assets.”

Stephen Clarke, left, and brother Peter

Today, defence counsel Alex Wright asked Rachel Clarke about payments from her husband’s security agency, Premier Approved, in which she was a shareholder receiving regular dividend payments.

The court had earlier heard extensive evidence in defence of the business, which operated by sourcing work on building sites and sub-contracting it out to other security firms, which would supply the guards and pay a percentage of the profits to Premier as commission.

But Mr Wright said written submissions, received from prosecution lawyers over the weekend, alleged the firm operated as a “protection racket”.

He asked: “Was that how you would describe Premier Approved?”

Clarke replied: “Not at all. We had a good relationship with our clients. My idea of a protection racket is someone who bullies someone, there was no bullying going on at all.”

Mr Wright also asked Clarke about £11,000 cash found in a safe during a police raid at the Westerdale Drive property, which was hidden behind a secret panel in a wardrobe.

Clarke said the money was “nothing to do with me”.

Mr Wright asked: “Did you in fact even know there was a safe there?”

Clarke replied: “I didn’t, no.”

Preston Crown Court

The court had earlier been told Clarke pleaded guilty to mortgage fraud, after lying to obtain the family home by claiming she was not married to Stephen, who was in jail for firearms offences at the time.

She said: “When I went to the mortgaage advisor, who we knew as a friend of a friend, I told him my income and Stephen’s income. He told me he didn’t want to mention Stephen on the form, and told me to declare Stephen’s income as my income from my personal training work. At the time I knew I could make the payments and I didn’t realise I was doing anything wrong. It’s not something I will be doing again.”

Mr Wright also questioned Clarke on a £100,000 payment from a prominent Liverpool property developer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to the business account of PlayTown in 2009.

Clarke told the court she asked the developer for a loan to finance the start up costs of the business, but earlier DC Duncan Watson, giving evidence, told the court he suspected the developer to be a money launderer for the family.

Prosecution counsel Nick Johnson, QC, had earlier grilled Stephen Clarke on £115,000 of payments to his bank account from the developer, which he claimed was a private arrangement to provide security on his friend’s building sites.

Mr Wright asked Rachel Clarke: “Why did you think (the developer) would be in a position to finance PlayTown?”

Clarke said: “He was a successful property developer, he had been building houses on estates for years and then he was moving on to bigger projects.”

She said the developer, who had gone to school with Stephen Clarke, was also a friend of her business partner Gillian Ashcroft, a 50% shareholder in Playtown.

Clarke said she had approached the developer after Mrs Ashcroft struggled to get credit to finance the business, and because she had been urged by her husband not to get a loan against their house.

She described Playtown as a “perfectly legitimate business” and said her staff had once been invited to “hand out goody-bags” at a policeman’s ball.

The court heard Clarke denied any link to £140,000 in cash found at her sister-in-law’s address, which Stephen Clarke claimed were untaxed savings from his years working in the security industry.

Rachel Clarke faces cross-examination tomorrow, and the complex Proceeds of Crime Act Hearing will continue into early ruary.

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

A motorcyclist has been jailed after incriminating footage was found on his helmet-mounted camera of him speeding at more than 150mph.

Clips on a memory card from Robert Hammond’s headcam showed him doing a wheelie in a housing estate before hitting more than 110mph in a 30mph zone.

Hammond, 60, was also shown overtaking at more than 140mph, reaching speeds of 153mph and entering a 30mph speed-limit at 95mph in Sussex and Hampshire.

Sussex Police officers said it was "a miracle" no-one was seriously hurt or killed by Hammond’s "outrageously bad motorcycling" on his Honda Fireblade.

Two police officers saw Hammond do a wheelie, overtake several vehicles and travel at about 80mph in a 50mph zone on the A27 at Chichester, West Sussex, on April 29.

Sussex Police/PA Wire

When they stopped him, they seized the memory card from his headcam, and it contained more than 150 biking clips, many showing Hammond’s "blatant disregard" for safety, police said.

Hammond, of Upways Close, Selsey, pleaded guilty to four counts of dangerous driving, and was jailed at Chichester Crown Court for two years on Friday, Sussex Police said.

Sergeant Alan Spicer said following the sentencing: "The footage on his headcam showed evidence of some outrageously bad motorcycling.

"It is a miracle that other road users had not been seriously injured or killed, due to the way he was driving his motorbike and the speeds he was reaching."

Hammond was also banned from driving for two years after he leaves jail, and will have to sit an extended re-test before taking to the roads again.

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

A Wirral man was jailed for six years for historical sex offences – after his victims came forward when he was sentenced for similar perverted behaviour.

Andrew Martindale received a three-year prison sentence in June 2014 after sexually abusing a sleeping 16-year-old girl.

After his case was reported in the media, one of his two other victims, whom he abused in the late 1980s and early 1990s, came forward and told the police.

Another victim also revealed he had done the same to her.

Martindale, 56, formerly of McKenzie Road, Leasowe, denied their allegations and faced trial but was yesterday convicted by a Liverpool Crown Court jury of seven offences of indecently assault.

The court heard that one girl was aged between eight and 12 and the other aged ten and 11 when Martindale abused them.

The older girl, who spent some time in care, had told social services about some of his behaviour but her allegations were never investigated by police.

More stories from the courts

The other victim read a statement to the court detailing the impact of Martindale’s crimes against her.

She told how her childhood had been “ruined” and regretted not taking an earlier opportunity to reveal what was happening.

She concluded: “I’m going to get counselling. I won’t let him ruin my life anymore.”

Judge Andrew Menary, QC, said that white-haired Martindale, who showed no emotion, indecently assaulted his victims at least on two occasions “and there may have been many other occasions”.

He ordered him to sign the Sex Offender Register for life and imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

​Merseyside Police welcomed the sentencing.

DC Rebecca Robinson, from the specialist Unity sex crime team, said: “Merseyside Police takes every report of sexual offences extremely seriously, whether or not they are recent, and has dedicated officers within the force’s Unity Team who are specially trained to both thoroughly investigate allegations and make sure that those reporting them are properly supported.

“I would like to take this opportunity to reassure anyone who has suffered a sexual offence that if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us, we will deal with you sensitively and make sure that reports are properly and thoroughly investigated.”

People can call officers in the force’s specialist Unity team on 0151 777 1382. Information can also be passed to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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

A thug jailed for a robbery in Aigburth was handed a longer prison sentence after admitting hiding a loaded pistol in Priory Wood.

Robert McDermott, 22, headbutted and punched Joseph McDermott before stealing his wallet on March 9 last year.

Recorder Mark Halliwell sentenced him to four and a half years behind bars for the robbery, plus an extended three years on licence, in December.

But today Liverpool Crown Court heard that McDermott had also confessed to police that he knew the location of a lethal Luger pistol.

He drew a map showing officers where they could find the gun, which was hidden in a bag under a pile of stones in the wood in St Michael’s.

Judge Norman Wright said the court’s initial punishment had been rescinded and resentenced McDermott to seven years in prison.

The victim in the robbery, Mr McDermott, who is not related to the defendant, was on the communal stairs outside his flat in Livingstone Drive at around 9.30pm.

The defendant, of no fixed abode, told Mr McDermott: “I have a knife and I’m going to cut you” before punching and headbutting him.

Mr McDermott suffered bruising and swelling to his forehead, eyes and nose during the attack.

Luger pistol found in Priory Wood after Robert McDermott, 22, of NFA told police where to find it.

The thug stole his wallet, containing his driving licence and credit cards and a small amount of cash, before fleeing the scene.

McDermott, of no fixed abode, was arrested and pleaded guilty to robbery.

When interviewed by police, he indicated that he knew where a gun was hidden and sketched a map for them to follow.

Fiona McNeill, prosecuting, said he told officers that two individuals asked him to conceal the weapon and paid him £200 in return.

The gun, which was recovered with one bullet in the chamber, was not found to have been used in any previous shootings. McDermott admitted possession of a prohibited firearm.

He has previous convictions including blackmail, robbery and possession of imitation firearms, for which he was locked up for 54 months in 2012.

McDermott committed a robbery in Seaforth in 2011 when he walked into a victim’s home, stole his wallet and bit him in the face during a struggle.

Bernice Campbell, defending, said her client had been in and out of custody since he was 12-years-old and has mental health issues.

Luger pistol found in Priory Wood after Robert McDermott, 22, of NFA told police where to find it.

Judge Wright said McDermott must have been a trusted associate of dangerous criminals who were willing to use or brandish the weapon.

He said: “As is well known in this city, firearms are extremely valuable items and are much sought after by those who are more criminally sophisticated than the average criminal.

“The two individuals, whom the defendant refused to name, were criminally sophisticated individuals who were in possession of this lethal firearm, which they no doubt intended should have been utilised.

“Because firearms are highly prized, sophisticated criminals don’t just hand them to total strangers or someone they know vaguely.

“The defendant was someone who was well known by these individuals, who trusted him with the firearm.”

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

A mum who swindled £88,000 in benefits was spared jail because of the impact it would have on her four children.

Louise Halvorsen, 35, falsely claimed she was a single mum living alone in Birchen Road, Halewood over “12 years of dishonesty”.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how she was actually in an on-off relationship with Mark Belledonne, who stayed at her address and supported the family.

Eric Lamb, prosecuting, said Halvorsen claimed housing benefit, income support, working tax credits and council tax benefit.

She claimed Mr Belledonne lived “occasionally” at the house, in order to look after his children.

Mr Lamb said: “Far from that being the position, Mr Belledonne’s parents said he wasn’t living with them.

“Applications for finance, passport applications and car insurance indicated he was living with the family and was working.

“There was evidence of payments from his bank account to that of the defendant’s.”

Halvorsen admitted three counts of failing to notify a change in circumstances, dishonestly making a false statement and being knowingly concerned in fraud.

Stephen Polson, defending, said his client was a “caring and loving parent” with children aged between 18 months and 15-years-old.

He said: “If you look at the sum involved and divide it by 12, it doesn’t lead to any grand lifestyle. These were basic needs being covered for.

“This matter has been hanging over her since the middle of 2014. She has been terrified of these proceedings.

“She has written a letter to your honour, which explains to some extent the remorse she feels, the fear she has and the stupidity she realises she has been guilty of.”

Halvorsen sobbed in the dock as Mr Polson urged Judge Andrew Menary, QC, to impose a suspended sentence.

The judge replied: “It’s an awful lot of money. What sort of message would that send out, if people who steal £88,000 don’t go to prison?”

Mr Polson said Halvorsen had suffered from depression and been through “misery”, adding that prison would have a “devastating” effect on her children.

He said: “There is no likelihood of her re-offending.”

Judge Menary said she defrauded a very large sum from the benefits system by pretending she was not regularly cohabiting with the father of her children.

He said: “What it means is there is less to go around and less to meet the needs of others.

“The courts will always contemplate an immediate prison term for this type of offending.”

However, the judge accepted the claims were not dishonest from the outset and that Halvorsen pleaded guilty at an ealy stage.

He said: “If circumstances were otherwise and you went to prison today you would have nobody to blame but yourself.

“You have come perilously close today to going to prison – you need to understand that.”

Judge Menary handed Halvorsen eight months in jail, suspended for a year, plus 12 months’ supervision.

He ordered her to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and a three-month home curfew from 8pm to 6am.

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

A thug from Runcorn and his accomplice who robbed an elderly family at their Widnes home have been jailed.

Carlos Jackson, 34, of Waterford Way in Murdishaw, and Gary Brookin, 42, of no fixed abode, were sentenced at Warrington Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty to the robbery and another charge of robbing a taxi driver.

Judge Tina Landale gave each defendant a 15-year sentence, with 10 years in prison – of which they will serve at least two thirds – and five years on extended licence.

Kim Halsall, prosecuting, told the court that the first robbery took place when the pair asked a taxi driver to drop them off at the Avondale shop in Widnes at 11.45pm on Saturday, September 5.

She said that Brookin asked the driver if they could be dropped off further along, near a derelict piece of land.

Jackson took out a large, machete or knife – one to two feet long – and told the driver to ‘give me the f*****g money now’.

Miss Halsall said that they got out of the vehicle and the victim was threatened again by Jackson who demanded more money while Brookin grabbed and held him.

The pair stole £300 and car keys.

The second incident took place the following day at 5.30pm on Newbury Close in Widnes at the home of an elderly couple and their son.

Miss Halsall said that Brookin told the woman his car had broken down and asked her for some water, before he and Jackson entered the kitchen, where she saw that Jackson was holding two knives.

The robbers demanded cash and car keys and stole a total of £3,500 and jewellery items.

The prosecution said that Jackson said he had to tie them up and he ripped a duvet with his knife, while a jacket and a coat were used to tie up the elderlay man and his son.

Miss Halsall said that Brookin had a large number of convictions, including ABH, burglary, theft and common assault, while Jackson’s previous convictions include affray, burglary and robbery.

Gary Brookin, 42, of no fixed abode, has been given an overall sentence of 15 years by a judge, including 10 years imprisonment and five years on extended licence for two counts of robbery.

Robert Phillpotts, defending Brookin, said his client was a ‘hardened criminal shocked by what he has done’ and had previously ‘plunged deeply into drug taking’.

He added that his client was homeless and ‘at his lowest possible ebb’ when he committed the offences and that the victims did not deserve what had happened to them.

Carlos Jackson, 34, of Waterford Way in Runcorn, has been given an overall sentence of 15 years by a judge, including 10 years imprisonment and five years on extended licence for two counts of robbery.

Kate Morley, defending Jackson, said that he recognised the distress he must have caused and that he was ‘disgusted with himself’ over the incidents.

Discussing her client’s criminal record, Miss Morley added that Jackson’s last ‘relatively serious’ offence was when he was 21.

She said: “He became involved in drugs and his life has just taken a downwards spiral.”

Sentencing, Judge Landale said that Jackson brandished the machete in a stabbing motion towards the taxi driver’s chest in the first robbery.

In the house robbery the judge added that Jackson was armed with a meat cleaver and the knife and that Brookin punched and kicked the elderly man after he was pushed to the ground.

She said: “In my view, you are both jointly and equally responsible for the offences.”

The judge added that she was satisfied that together with their previous convictions, the pair posed a serious risk to the public of serious harm.

After the sentencing, Det Con Tina Jackson said: “Their actions that day were despicable – having a significant impact on all those involved.

“The victims have been left traumatised by their ordeal and will have to live with what happened to them for the rest of their lives.

“I hope the fact these two dangerous men are now behind bars gives them some comfort and allows them to move forward.”

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

A jilted boyfriend who sent his ex-partner a video of him showering her cat said he didn’t know cats were scared of water.

Glen Dempsey, 23, is accused of burgling Shauna Robbins’ home and later setting fire to the property after she dumped him in October last year.

He is alleged to have stolen the pet during the second of two burglaries at the flat in Brook Road, Walton in November.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how Dempsey, of Earle Road, Wavertree, also closed a door on the cat’s head.

He has pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, but told the jury he did not mean to harm it.

Dempsey told the jury he didn’t believe he stole the cat, because he bought it for her as a present for the home.

He added: “I don’t believe I mistreated it by washing it.”

Carmel Wilde, prosecuting, said: “You are claiming you were just cleaning the cat? So why is it then that you have entered a guilty plea to animal cruelty?”

He replied: “Because it looks like I’m mistreating the cat.”

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The jury were shown a mobile phone clip of the cat being showered in a bath.

Ms Wilde said: “You know that cats are scared of water?”

Dempsey replied: “I didn’t realise this, I never had a cat before.”

The defendant said he sent Ms Robbins the video because he was “being silly” and had not intended to upset her.

Ms Wilde said: “What were you doing repeatedly banging the cats head in a door?”

He said: “I didn’t mean to do that. The cat was on the balcony. When I was the closing the door, the cat’s head got stuck.”

Ms Wilde said: “You’ve pleaded guilty. Now in your evidence you’re lying again. Does it look like it’s having fun?”

“No. I didn’t realise it was afraid of water to be honest, I didn’t know,” he said.

The court heard Ms Robbins replied with a text message saying the clip was “sick”.

However, Dempsey denied this was part of any “crusade” against her.

Ian Cooper Raymond Price, 40, of The Caravan Park on Tanhouse Lane, Widnes, has appeared at Liverpool Crown Court. PIC: Ian Cooper

Prosecutors say he broke into the flat between November 1 and 3, damaging a sofa, rug and coffee table.

They allege he returned between November 6 and 7 and stole the cat and some coursework.

Police were informed her flat had been set alight on November 8.

Dempsey accepted he was wrong to have threatened to “cut her brother from ear to ear”, when she said he could not collect his things because she was not at home.

Ms Wilde said: “That’s why you burgled her house twice. And that’s why you set fire to the flat.”

He replied: “That’s a lie. That’s not true. I took the cat and I took the stuff in the house with permission from Shauna.”

Ms Robbins sent him a text saying “you will have to break in then if you want your stuff”, which Dempsey said was her granting him permission to do so.

During police interviews, he said he was telling the “God’s honest truth” when he claimed he did not return to her flat after October 28.

Ms Wilde said he had told “a lot of lies”, but he replied: “I got mixed up.”

The defendant accepted he was lying when he repeatedly said he had not broken into her flat, but said: “I didn’t burgle the house because I had permission to go to the house.”

He said he denied that a neighbour lent him a screwdriver to get into the flat, because “I was afraid I was going to get into trouble”.

Dempsey denies two counts of burglary and arson recklessly endangering life.

(Proceeding)

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

A Wirral man has been banned from keeping animals for life after neglecting his flea-ridden dogs and leaving one suffering from a tumour.

One of the dogs had to be put down after vets found the pair living in “absolute squalor” at the home of Wayne Newton, in Arrowe Park Road, Upton.

Wirral Magistrates Court heard animal welfare officers from the RSPCA called at Newton’s home after members of the public raised concerns about the dogs, named Patch and Socks.

Both dogs had overgrown claws and were infested with fleas – and Newton had clipped most of the fur from 15-year-old Patch in an attempt to rid him of the infestation.

He pleaded guilty to four charges of causing unnecessary suffering to the animals and failing to seek proper veterinary care.

Giving Newton a four month prison sentence, suspended for two years, district judge Michael Abelson said the 47-year-old was “barely able to look after himself”.

Socks the dog who was left in an “intolerable” condition by his owner Wayne Newton

Peter Mitchell, prosecuting, said: “On opening the letterbox, a strong, putrid smell emanated from the property.

“The defendant opened the door shortly afterwards and immediately stated that one of the dogs had a problem, saying: “I was going to ring you, can you take him? My other dog is really old but he’s fine.”

The house was described as dirty and sparsely furnished and RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes said it had a strong smell of infection.

Mr Mitchell told the court: “The defendant said it was due to a neighbour having thrown urine into his property a few days before the RSPCA called.”

Newton agreed to sign the dogs over and vets found Socks, an 18 month old black and white crossbreed, had extensive fur thinning and a chronic ear infection which had almost closed off his ear canal.

He was underweight and his spine and ribs were clearly visible.

Elderly brindle crossbreed Patch was heavily infested with fleas. He was shaking and almost blind.

His claws were overgrown and twisted around each other and he had two lumps on the side of his body and an infected ulcerated mass on his rear.

He was put to sleep to end his suffering.

Socks was nursed back to health by vets and has now been rehomed.

Newton, who lives just a street away from a veterinary surgery, sobbed and had his head bowed in the dock.

The court heard he was “extremely upset” when interviewed and said he loved his dogs and was sorry for their suffering.

The court heard he had sufferered from depression since the death of his father in 2012 and was fearful for his safety after press reports of the case.

Judge Abelson said: “It is quite clear he is one of those people who should never be allowed to have animals, because he can’t even look after himself.

“He got used to living in conditions that anyone else would find absolutely intolerable.”

Newton was also ordered to pay £500 in costs.

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