City boxing promoter Stephen Vaughan jnr will stand trial next year accused of helping one of PC Neil Doyle’s killers flee the country.

Vaughan, 30, is alleged to have provided Timmy Donovan with his Mercedes A180 car in which the suspect escaped to Germany in following the policeman’s death.

He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today where he denied assisting an offender on December 19 last year.

Vaughan, of Tower Way, Woolton, also pleaded not guilty to a charge of perverting the course of justice.

It is alleged that Vaughan gave police the wrong vehicle registration number when officers enquired about his car three days later on December 22.

Henry Riding, prosecuting, said a trial had been set for the week commencing February 29 next year.

Judge Robert Warnock remanded Vaughan on conditional bail.

Licenced boxing promoter Vaughan – a former footballer once on the books at Liverpool FC and Chester City, and former president of Maltese club Floriana FC – is the son of Liverpool businessman Stephen Vaughan snr.

PC Doyle, 36, was killed during a confrontation with football agent Andrew Taylor, 29, and sports event manager Timmy Donovan, 30, on a Christmas night out in Liverpool.

The off-duty policeman died after he was struck in Colquitt Street in the early hours of Friday, December 19.

PC Neil Doyle

Taylor, of Cherry Tree Road in Huyton, and Donovan, of Walsingham Road in Childwall, were jailed for a total of 14 years after being found guilty of manslaughter.

Both were also found guilty of the wounding with intent of the newly-wed officer’s colleague, PC Robert Marshall, and Taylor was found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to PC Michael Steventon.

Taylor was jailed for seven years and six months, while Donovan was sentenced to six years and 10 months.

PC Doyle died from an injury to a neck artery. Neither defendant admitted landing the fatal blow and they were convicted under the ‘joint enterprise’ law.

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

An old-age driver from Widnes whose error led to the collision that killed a much-loved young father from Frodsham has received a community order and curfew.

Second World War veteran Richard Lyon, 89, of Balmoral Road, was sentenced today at Warrington Crown Court following the death of cyclist Michael Davies, who died at the scene of the crash on Birchfield Road on Friday, June 12, last year.

Rob Jones, prosecuting, said the collision occurred at 4.10pm when Mr Davies was cycling home from work on the day after his 33rd birthday.

He was travelling south on Birchfield Road, Widnes, when Mr Lyon pulled out of Balmoral Road to perform a right turn into the same lane and direction of travel as the bike.

Although he looked left and right and saw the bicycle, the court heard he misjudged the manoeuvre – and in particular the speed at which another car heading the other way was travelling – prompting it to swerve into the path of Mr Davies and the fatal collision.

The court heard that the crash investigation found that the other vehicle – a Ford Mondeo driven by motorist Teresa Nickson – would have been travelling at an estimated 41-44mph.

Mr Jones said the limit on Birchfield Road is 30mph and that an expert acting on behalf of the defence team had postulated that the car could have been travelling at up to 46mph.

However, he said: “It doesn’t matter because the fault lies with Mr Lyon emerging from the junction.”

The court heard visibility was good, the road surface was in good condition and the weather was dry.

In addition the view from the junction was clear for 131 metres, the court heard.

Lyon later pleaded guilty to causing death by careless of inconsiderate driving.

Today, Mr Davies’s widow Vicki spoke from the witness box through tears to tell the court about the struggle she has faced since the death of her ‘best friend’, ‘soul mate’, and father of their infant daughter.

She said that on the day he died he had been riding his favourite bike, which he had dubbed ‘Black Beauty’ and which he usually kept for weekends and special occasions.

He had taken it out on June 12 because of the good weather.

Mr Jones read statements on behalf of Mr Davies’s father – retired police officer Brian Davies and his mother Wendy Davies, a retired local government education administrator, about their ‘terrible grief’.

The deceased’s sister also paid tribute to her brother at the hearing and spoke of the family’s loss.

Former Helsby High School pupil Mr Davies was working as a biomedical engineer at Whiston Hospital at the time of his death. He had also worked at Alder Hey and the Countess Of Chester hospitals.

Citing mitigating factors such as the speed of the Mondeo and Lyon’s remorse, lack of intent to cause harm and previously clean record, Prosecutor Mr Jones and defence counsel Andrew Nuttall agreed that the offence was in the lowest classification of culpability, Category 3, for which the potential sentencing range allowed for a community order or less.

Mr Nuttall said Lyon had handed in his licence at the first opportunity after the collision and said he would never drive again.

In addition he said he had lived a ‘blameless life’ with no previous convictions, and had served during the Second World War where he lost friends, and had also suffered the death of a family member to a road traffic collision in the last two years.

Judge Nicholas Woodward, presiding, imposed a community order and 8pm-8am curfew on Lyon and disqualified him from driving for 18 months.

Lyon must also pay the criminal justice surcharge.

Mr Woodward said: “Richard Lyon, on the afternoon of June 12 you stopped at Balmoral Road and according to your basis of plea which has been accepted by the crown you look to your left and to your right, you intended to turn right. “You did see Mr Davies who was to your left and you saw the car driven by Mrs Nickson to your right but you took the view that you had sufficient time to pull out to make you right turn.

“You misjudged the speed of Mrs Nickson’s motor car and the collision occurred and that led to the awful death of Mr Davies.”

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

A party descended into violence when a Mossley Hill man left his best friend’s partner with a “blow-out” fracture to her eye socket.

Ian Thompson, 39, was spared jail at Liverpool Crown Court today after pleading guilty to unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm on Claire Donnelly at an earlier hearing.

He received a 10 month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, after Judge Mr Recorder Mark Ainsworth heard he had no previous convictions and had suffered mental health issues.

Thompson, of Penny Lane, had invited the pair, along with his own partner, to his flat for a party on July 19, 2014.

Kenneth Grant, prosecuting, said: “The complainant Claire Donnelly is the partner of a man called Paul Hynes. Mr Hynes and the defendant had been very good friends, going all the way back to childhood.”

The court heard everyone at the flat had been enjoying themselves and all apart from Thompson’s partner had been drinking.

However Mr Grant said the mood changed shortly after 11pm when Thompson began to make unpleasant remarks about the victim and her relationship with Mr Hynes.

He said: “They were sufficiently unpleasant remarks for her to feel annoyed, although she tried to laugh them off at first.

“At some time between 11.30pm and midnight Mr Hynes and Miss Donnelly were sitting on a sofa when for some reason Thompson walked over to Mr Hynes and started hitting him in the face.

“Miss Donnelly tried to stop him but was struck once to the face with such force it was later found to have caused a blow-out fracture to the internal orbit of her left eye.”

The court heard Miss Donnelly was forced to see a specialist who recommended surgery, which she later turned down.

Frank Dillon, representing Thompson, told the court his client had a history of alcohol abuse and metal illness.

Ian Thompson, 39, was spared jail at Liverpool Crown Court today after pleading guilty to unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm on Claire Donnelly

He said: “The loss of his good character meant a lot to him and it is rather unusual for a defence advocate to have in his arsenal such a sheaf of glowing character references.”

The court heard a good friend of the defendant had committed suicide in the time leading up to the incident.

Judge Ainsworth, passing sentence, said: “It was a single blow but it must have been a blow of some force. She sustained a very serious injury due to the force of that blow.

“She needed medical attention although she didn’t undergo an operation. Still, it must have been a very uncomfortable and distressing injury for her I have no doubt.”

Thompson was ordered to complete 150 hours unpaid work and ordered to observe a 9pm until 6am curfew for three months.

He was also ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge.

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

A thug with a record of violence against women was jailed for 10 years today after battering his partner around the head with an iron.

Alan Sherlock, 26, left the woman in a pool of blood after hitting her so many times a Good Samaritan who witnessed the attack “lost count.”

Judge Steven Everett, passing sentence at Liverpool Crown Court, said he was astonished the woman had not been killed.

Sherlock, of Lennox Way, Edge Hill pleaded guilty to attempted grievous bodily harm with intent at an earlier hearing.

Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, said the defendant also admitted assault after attacking the witness and telling her “I know where you live.”

He said: “Just after 4am on June 27, police received a phone call from a telephone kiosk on the junction of Faraday Street and Breck Road

“The caller was clearly upset and explained she had been battered and knocked out by her partner, and wanted him removing from her address.”

The court heard around the same time a woman was walking her dog down Lower Breck Road when she noticed the victim “shouting and screaming” in a phone box.

Mr Blasbery said she asked what was wrong and the victim, who had a swollen mouth and jaw, replied he’s trying to kill me, I just want him out of my house but he won’t go’.

The witness then rang the police, leaving the victim sitting nearby on the roadside.

At that point she heard Sherlock screaming “slag” and running towards the victim carrying a domestic iron.

According to the witness Sherlock grabbed the woman by the hair and started “whacking” her to the side of the head with the iron so many times “she lost count.”

Mr Blasbery said the woman ran out of the phone box to confront Sherlock, shouting “I’m going to get you f****** nicked.”

However he grabbed her in a “bearhug” and said “I know where you live,” before running away upon hearing a police siren.

Sherlock was arrested later that morning and said in interview the pair had been drinking vodka and had been arguing.

He said he did not remember attacking her in the house but remembered being out in the road and holding the iron.

CCTV footage, played to the court, showed Sherlock dragging the victim into the middle of the road “like a rag doll” before raining down blows with the iron.

Judge Everett described him landing at least one “full blooded kick.” on the woman.

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

Judge Everett said: “You ran straight up to her and dragged her into the road like a rag doll before landing umpteen blows. You banged her head on the floor and landed at least one full blooded kick, and the coup de gras was that you stamped on her, she could have been dead for all you knew.

“It was astonishing she didn’t die, astonishing she didn’t suffer a serious brain injury, astonishing she was, in fact, able to get up.”

Nicholas Cochrell, representing Sherlock, said his client recognised the seriousness of the offence and had pleaded guilty at an early opportunity.

The court heard Sherlock was jailed for two years in 2011 for battering his 18-year-old female cousin, an attack which involved stamping on her face.

He also has previous convictions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm on his latest victim when he “stood on her head.”

Judge Everett said the defendant’s previous convictions and the seriousness of the offence classed him as a high risk offender.

This means Sherlock must serve at least two thirds of his sentence in custody and will be released only if a parole board decide he is no longer a risk to the public.

He must also be supervised under an extended four year licence period after his release.

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

Klopp-mania was growing today as Liverpool FC fans spoke about the club’s new manager.

Reds supporters are delighted with the choice of Jurgen Klopp.

That was the verdict from a snapshot of Liverpool FC fans we spoke to outside the Liverpool FC shop in the Liverpool One shopping complex.

David Thompson, 58, from Dingle, said: “I think he looks good and confident. Rodgers was good but just couldn’t get the defence right.”

Klopp vox – David Thompson, 58, from Dingle, said: I think he looks good and confident. Rodgers was good but just couldnt get the defence right.

Ben White, 15, from Warrington, said: “I think he’s a very good choice. I think we’ll start playing a lot better and scoring more goals now.”

Klopp Vox – Ben White, 15, from Warrington, said: I think hes a very good choice. I think well start playing a lot better and scoring more goals now.

His thoughts were echoed by Jenny May, 34, from Birkenhead. She said: “I’m over the moon. It’s what we needed, a breath of fresh air. I think he’s someone with new ideas who’ll bring the passion back.”

The fans we spoke to were all optimistic and felt it was time the club had a new manager.

John Hughes, 23, from Kirkby, said: “I think he’ll be good. Towards the end Brendan Rodgers seemed to lose it”.

Klopp vox -John Hughes, 23, from Kirkby, said: I think hell be good. Towards the end Brendan Rodgers seemed to lose it.

Lauren Burke, 16, from Liverpool, said: “I’ve never seen this much commotion about a new manager before. I think he’s going to be great for the team.”

Klopp vox – Lauren Burke, 16, from Liverpool, said: Ive never seen this much commotion about a new manager before. I think hes going to be great for the team.

Paul Myhre, 20, from Kirkby, said; “It’s about time we had a manager with some sense. He’s proved himself before. Brendan Rodgers wasn’t good enough.”

Klopp vox – Paul Myhre, 20, from Kirkby, said; Its about time we had a manager with some sense. Hes proved himself before. Brendan Rodgers wasnt good enough.

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

A Liverpool mum who says she was held captive by her boyfriend for months on end has spoken out about her horrific ordeal.

Becky Keegan told police her partner David Lacey imprisoned her for more than nine months after she moved in with him and stopped her seeing her children, family and friends.

The 24-year-old says she escaped from a kitchen window in the house, breaking her ankle in the process, in a bid to get away from the man she was terrified of.

This July Lacey, of Sunnyside, Toxteth, was sentenced to 22 months in prison for putting a person in fear of violence after entering a guilty plea.

Becky Keegan, from Dovecot, has now told the ECHO about her traumatic experience in a bid to encourage others suffering domestic violence to seek help.

“I was just living in fear”

The mum-of-two, who has epilepsy, met Lacey, 24, in April last year on social media and moved in with him soon after.

Becky has children from a previous relationship and had an arrangement with their dad that she would drop them off at primary school on Fridays and he would collect them to look after them over weekends before she collected them on Sunday.

But she says the weekend she moved in with Lacey he wouldn’t let her collect her children and from them and banned her from making contact with her friends or family.

Becky said: “At the beginning I was really happy, he was making out he was this lovely person. Then he started showing little signs of jealousy.”

Neither were working so Becky was with Lacey most of the time. She says he would only let her out the house if he was with her and when he went out she was locked in the property.

She said: “I couldn’t go to the police because he’d sold my phone so I had no contact.

“I had no contact with my family, they were worried sick about me.

“The children’s dad didn’t know where I was living so he’d had to keep them.

“None of my family knew where I was living.

“I was just living in fear.”

Jumping from a window

Becky says in January this year she plucked up the courage to escape from Lacey’s house, injuring her ankle jumping from a window.

She said: “I went out the back window and over the wall.

“I was terrified. I had a bag on my back and just ran.”

Becky went to see her mum and then told the police about her ordeal.

“She was shocked, it was out of the blue,” said Becky.

“I told her everything and she said to go to the police.”

As a result of this Lacey was taken to court. Becky gave a statement but didn’t have to appear in the witness box give evidence because Lacey pleaded guilty.

Becky’s advice to anyone who thinks they may be suffering from domestic violence is to tell someone.

She said: “It is scary but you’ve got to come forward.

“It’s horrible knowing so much of it goes on and it’s all behind close doors.

“Make sure you get away and tell someone, even if it’s a family member or the doctor.”

The police put Becky in touch with several domestic violence support facilities and she attended a special course run by Liverpool health organisation HEAT.

She said: “A few months ago I was a wreck but I’m getting there now and realise I’m the stronger person.

“The course was really good and helped me realise the signs of domestic violence.”

How common is domestic abuse in Liverpool?

As many as one in three people in Liverpool may know someone who is suffering from domestic abuse, Liverpool Citizens Advice Partnership says.

A new programme by Liverpool Citizens Advice sees staff and volunteers work to identify and help domestic violence victims.

The organisation says the pilot of this programme in 2013 led to an 800 per cent rise in the number of people who told Citizens Advice they were experiencing a form of domestic abuse.

Amie Hall, development officer at Liverpool Citizens Advice Partnership, said: “Family and friends can be a lifeline to support for victims of domestic abuse in Liverpool. Those suffering from domestic abuse may feel unable to reach out for help themselves, so people who want to support them need to know the steps they can take and where they can get specialist help.

“We are joining the national Talk About Abuse campaign so we can help ordinary people know how to recognise abuse, talk about it safely, enable victims to make the right decisions for themselves. If you are experiencing domestic violence or abuse, or you are concerned someone you know might be in an abusive relationship, you can seek help by calling confidential freephone helplines.”

Where can you get help?

From any of the following organisations:

Liverpool CAB office

RASSA

SSOA

HEAT

SLDAS

LDAS

Amadudu

Broken Rainbow

Liverpool Womens Hospital

Adullum

Better Days Homes

YPAS

Centre 56

Merseycare

Liverpool City Council

The helplines people can call are:

– If the victim is a woman, you can get help from the freephone, twenty-four hour National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247 (run in partnership by Refuge and Women’s Aid)

– If the victim is a man, you can get help from the Men’s Advice Line on 0808 801 0327

– If the victim is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, you can get specialised help from Broken Rainbow on 0300 999 5428

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

The family of a Liverpool dad who died after falling while working at a Merseyside scaffolding firm have paid tribute to a “devoted father”.

The tribute from relatives of Adrian Smith, who died in 2012, comes after a judge last week demanded Kings Scaffolding give him an explanation for not mentioning a previous health and safety conviction in the firm’s mitigating statement.

Kings Scaffolding admitted responsibility in April for the death of 43-year-old Mr Smith when it pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter.

Today Mr Smith’s partner Marie Price said: “Adrian was a loving partner and a devoted father to his three children, Emma, Laura and Josh.

“He loved his family, football and enjoyed spending lots of time with his dogs.

“Adrian also liked spending time outdoors with the family and loved the fresh air. He was a hard worker and we will miss him.”

Mr Smith died in September 2012 after falling while working on the roof of the Kings Scaffolding headquarters at Wheathill Industrial Estate in Holt Lane, Netherley.

The firm was due to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court last Friday but the case was adjourned when High Court judge Mr Justice Turner told the prosecution about another conviction for health and safety breaches in 2002 which they did not know about.

Adrian Smith, who died in 2012 after falling while working on the roof of the Kings Scaffolding Netherley headquarters.

Paul Lewis, prosecuting, said: “The fact of the company’s previous conviction was not known to any investigating police officer.”

The judge said he was “slightly uncomfortable” about having read a statement from Kings Scaffolding’s John King which “seems to suggest that you were doing business for 40 years and had a good record”.

The statement had not mentioned the previous conviction, when Kings was fined £75,000 and told to pay £58,920 in costs over an accident in 2002 when three labourers were seriously injured when its scaffolding collapsed.

John Cooper, defending Kings, accepted: “The impression could have been created there was nothing to tarnish its reputation,” but said the past offences were reported in the ECHO after the last hearing and he thought the prosecution would have the information.

Adjourning the case, Mr Justice Turner asked for an explanation from Kings to be given to him by the defence at the next hearing as to why they had not mentioned the previous conviction in the statement.

He also said he wanted a figure of what Kings could afford to pay in terms of a fine, based on discussions with its accountants.

But he said he would not promise to be constrained by that figure and added “all options are open”.

Kings scaffolding in Holt Lane, Wavertree, pleaded guilty to the corporate manslaughter of Adrian Smith who fell through a skylight at their offices. Picture from Google.

David King, a manager at the firm, told the ECHO in April that everyone at the company was “devastated” by Mr Smith’s death.

He said: “We accept this occurred and we wanted to do what was right and plead guilty to it. We didn’t want his family having to go through a trial.

“This is a sad set of circumstances and we are all devastated that it happened as a family. Adrian was a good friend of ours.

“We work with blue chip companies up and down the country. We are number one approved by Liverpool Council.

“Our safety record is excellent but something has occurred on our premises when he has gone to look at a skylight and fell through it. It is tragic.”

The case was adjourned last week until October 12 at Preston Crown Court,

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

A 17-year-old girl was raped by a teenager who had knocked out her boyfriend and attacked another youth, it was claimed in court today.

Luke Patten, 19, is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court charged with two counts of rape, one of sexual assault and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Patten, of Bridle Road, Eastham, was arrested after an alleged incident in the early hours of March 29.

David Polglase, prosecuting, told the jury the victim, her boyfriend, the defendant and two other men were walking away from a birthday party at a sports club around 4.30am.

He said: “At some point during the walk home an altercation broke out and the defendant punched the boyfriend causing him to fall to the ground.”

The jury heard Patten has already pleaded guilty to another charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to that attack.

Mr Polglase said he then began to headbutt and punch another of the youths, injuring his face, resulting in the ABH charge that Patten denies.

The jury heard the second male attacked by Patten and another male then left the area, leaving the victim and her unconscious boyfriend at the scene with the defendant.

Mr Polglase said: “The victim was trying to lead the defendant away from her boyfriend as she was concerned about him.

“The defendant had earlier been coming onto her despite her telling him she had a boyfriend.

“Patten tried to kiss her but she asked if she could check on her boyfriend. He then pulled down her underwear despite her wanting nothing to do with him sexually and her not consenting.”

The jury heard the defendant then raped the girl as she pleaded with him to stop.

Mr Polglase said Patten made threats to “hurt her boyfriend some more” during the alleged attack.

The victim was eventually able to push Patten away, but was then allegedly sexually assaulted and subjected to more threats.

The jury heard Patten accepts he had sex with the woman, but maintains it was entirely consensual.

The trial is due to continue for approximately two weeks.

(Proceeding)

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

A 32-year-old Wirral man has avoided a prison sentence for attempting to blackmail a celebrity by threatening to expose sexually-explicit photos of him with a famous woman.

Desmond Fraser, of Mill Lane, Wallasey pleaded guilty to the charge of attempted blackmail at Winchester Crown Court and was sentenced to 12 months jail suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to pay £500 court costs and £100 victim surcharge.

Mary Aspinall-Miles, prosecuting, told the court that Fraser, a security worker, had contacted the male celebrity, referred to only as “T” in court because of an anonymity order protecting his identity, through Twitter saying he had “intimate” photos of him with the female celebrity referred to as “X”.

He went on to Tweet a modified version of a photo, which hid the identities of T and X, in order to prove he had the pictures in his possession.

Ms Aspinall-Miles continued: “He effectively said they were being sold and ‘it’s in your interest to get them first’,

“He said he had been offered £17,300, implying that was the sort of figure he was looking for – ‘Make me a sensible offer in cash and they are yours and erased’.”

Ms Aspinall-Miles added that T contacted Hampshire Police on September 5, 2013, and officers took over the negotiations and arranged for a handover of cash on a motorway service station where Fraser was arrested.

Saleema Mahmood, defending, said Fraser was of “exemplary” good character and had not intended to harm T and X.

She said: “He did not wish to harm the complainant, all that he wished was to ensure that his role was adequately remunerated. He was acting in a way that was ill-thought out and reckless in its nature.

“There were no funds transferred and no suggestion the material was passed on to anybody.”

Sentencing Fraser, Judge Cutler told him: “The courts regard blackmail as an extremely unpleasant and nasty offence.

“All people, whether in the public eye or not, deserve protection from blackmails. Victims often become vulnerable, feel very alone and become distressed.

“When put in a position as T was here with truthful pictures, to be exposed puts him in a very difficult position.

“T did the right thing by going to the police and the police handled it excellently, which led to you being arrested with no money changing hands.”

Judge Cutler ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the images.

Fraser had been due to stand a retrial on the charge of blackmail but entered a plea of guilty to the offence of attempted blackmail which was accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service.

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

The sentencing of four men who admitted being involved in a £10 million cannabis farm in an Everton high-rise was delayed after three of them claimed they were trafficked into the country.

They were due to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today over the drug operation which was spread across eight flats on different floors in Candia Towers, Jason Street.

Police experts say it was capable of producing up to £10m of cannabis a year.

Le Nam, 49, Van Nguyen, 36, Thanh Dong, 49, and Doan Quynh, 39, have all pleaded guilty to producing cannabis with intent to supply.

However Chris Taylor, prosecuting, said three of the men claimed they had been trafficked into the country for the purposes of growing the drug.

The court heard immigration officers are making enquiries with Vietnamese authorities to check the claim and asked for the case to be adjourned.

Mr Taylor said the Crown Prosecution Service’s decision to prosecute could be “revisited” depending on the outcome of the enquiry.

Officers discovered the drug operation after smelling cannabis and noticing the windows were covered in sheets.

The defendants were found hiding amongst the plants after police forced entry into flats on the fifth, sixth and eight floors.

A two-day operation saw a special cannabis dismantling team remove plants and paraphernalia, including special heat lamps.

The “industrial sized” crop has been described as one of Merseyside’s biggest ever cannabis farms.

At the time of the discovery, Detective Sergeant Paul Jones, of Liverpool CID, said: “It just goes to show how a suspicious smell can lead the police to uncover major criminal activity and I would urge the public to help us spot more of these farms by knowing what the signs of a cannabis farm are and how to report it.”

Sentencing was put back until November 10 and the four defendants were remanded in custody.

If anyone wants to report a cannabis farm they should call Merseyside Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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

A bank worker sacked after stealing cash from customers’ accounts was later offered a job by a bathroom firm, only to steal again from his new employers.

Adrian Harmer, 40, was jailed for 10 months at Liverpool Crown Court today for two sets of offences – against customers of Barclays bank and against Better Bathrooms.

The court heard his niece was also left feeling betrayed after being questioned by police about stolen cash funnelled into her bank account without her knowledge.

Harmer, of Balmoral Way, Prescot, had pleaded guilty to four counts of theft by employee, five of false accounting and three of fraud at an earlier hearing.

The court heard he was working at offices in Wavertree Technology Park when the first set of offences took place, between March and June 2014.

Edmund Hagarth, prosecuting, said: “The defendant was employed as a bank advisor at Barclays bank and part of his duties included helping customers make payments over the telephone.

“In order to do so they would have to impart personal details and this defendant would have these details as a result of his employment.”

The court heard he authorised four payments totalling £1,400 to a bank account belonging to his niece, who lives in Leeds.

Harmer told the woman he was saving up to buy his wife a surprise gift and needed somewhere to store the money without her knowledge.

A witness statement said she felt betrayed by someone she trusted.

The court heard after the offences were discovered he was sacked from Barclays.

However he managed to get a job at a branch of Better Bathrooms in Leigh on September 22 last year but it was not long before he was offending again.

Mr Hagarth said: “The defendant was employed in the Better Bathrooms after sales department. Essentially he created false customer records for replacement bathroom fixtures and arranged for these items to be delivered to his own address.”

The total value of the stolen items was £817, taken between December 18, 2014 and January 12 this year.

Harmer was eventually arrested and police found a shower light, shower head and mixed tap stored in his garage.

The court heard he had previous convictions for offences of dishonesty including another offence of theft by employee in 2007.

Michael O’Brien, defending, said his client had been suffering mental health problems and was stressed due to his wife’s poor health.

He said: “However he offers no excuse and he is ashamed of himself. He knows he has let himself and his family down, and if he goes to prison today his two young boys will need an explanation about where their dad is. But he accepts he has nobody to blame but himself.”

Mr O’Brien said Better Bathrooms had “taken pity” on Harmer after finding him “down on his luck” and offered him a second chance.

Judge Miss Recorder Bernadette Baxter, sentencing, said although the thefts involved relatively low amounts of money, Harmer’s offending was persistent.

She said: “These were not victimless crimes. Any fraud involving a bank impacts on other customers and theft from a business impacts on the financial security of that business. You also involved your niece, resulting in her being questioned by police.”

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

The stepbrother of Becky Watts started "jumping out at her" to make her scream in the months before her death, a jury heard.

Becky, 16, was allegedly murdered in her bedroom in Crown Hill, Bristol, by her stepbrother Nathan Matthews, 28, and his girlfriend Shauna Hoare, 21.

The pair are accused of targeting 5ft 1in Becky in a sexually motivated kidnap plot on February 19 this year, culminating in her death.

Her dismembered body was discovered in a garden shed in Barton Court – 80 metres from their property – by police on March 3.

Former TA soldier turned takeaway delivery driver Matthews admits killing Becky, dismembering her in his bath and moving her remains to the shed.

Pictures of Becky’s bedroom, where she was killed, and the bathroom in Matthews and Hoare’s home were released as jurors visited key locations in the trial.

The couple’s home is filled with piles of junk but their bathtub – where Becky’s body was cut up with an electric saw – was spotless.

Becky’s pink-themed bedroom featured make-up, perfumes, clothes, shoes and a T-shirt scrawled with good luck messages from school friends.

In a police interview, Hoare, who denies murder, stated that Matthews had become closer to Becky in the months before her disappearance.

"Recently, Nathan has had this thing, if he can hear her coming down the stairs he will jump out at her," she told police days before her arrest.

"He will jump out at her and she will scream and he finds it hilarious."

Hoare said Matthews was "annoyed" at the way Becky spoke to his mother Anjie Galsworthy – her stepmother.

"Becky gets annoyed at Nathan because she thinks he gets special treatment," she said.

"Becky gets treated amazing. She has a 50 inch TV in her bedroom. She always looks really nice, has lots of shoes and bags and everything.

"In the past month they got quite a bit better with each other.

"If she had any questions about her phone and laptop she would ask Nathan and he would go up to her bedroom and help her.

"They have bonded over the past three or four months."

Hoare described finding Matthews in Becky’s bedroom, offering to fix the teenager’s laptop and tablet then buy them from her, a few weeks earlier.

"I went upstairs and said ‘what are you lot doing up here?’," she said.

"He was there with the laptop. It was a complete surprise. I think he has been up there twice or three times."

She claimed Becky used her anorexia, which she developed after being bullied about her weight, to get her own way.

"I know a lot of people thought she may have been doing it for attention because she got a lot more special treatment like being taken to her new school in a taxi," she said.

"It seemed more of an attention thing than a disorder. She became more confident because she lost weight and started getting more attention from boys.

"She started wearing more make-up and made her feel more womanly."

Hoare said Becky and her father, Darren Galsworthy, would "argue all the time" over her behaviour.

"Her dad used to shout at her and she used to shout at him," she said.

"Anjie told me Darren was taking Becky out of the will because of her behaviour and the way she had been acting."

Hoare added that Becky feared she would be raped, which she claimed was an example of the way she manipulated people.

"She knew how to work people, that kind of thing," she added.

Matthews, of Hazelbury Drive, Warmley, South Gloucestershire, denies murder and conspiracy to kidnap.

He admits killing Becky, perverting the course of justice, preventing burial of a corpse and possessing a prohibited weapon.

Hoare, of Cotton Mill Lane, Bristol, denies murder, conspiracy to kidnap, perverting the course of justice, preventing burial of a corpse and possessing a prohibited weapon.

Donovan Demetrius, 29, of Marsh Lane, Redfield, Bristol, and James Ireland, 23, of Richmond Villas, Avonmouth, each deny a charge of assisting an offender.

Karl Demetrius, 29, and his partner Jaydene Parsons, 23, both of Barton Court, Bristol, have pleaded guilty to assisting an offender after the teenager’s body was discovered in their shed.

Both maintain they were unaware of what the packages actually contained.

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

Five men have gone on trial accused of laundering cash from a Liverpool FC tickets scam.

The group are alleged to have allowed two fraudsters, who have already admitted the scam, to use their bank accounts to receive money from unsuspecting customers.

Liverpool Crown Court was told the group then allegedly withdrew the money and passed it on to Craig O’Donohue, 29, and Paul Murgatroyd, 28.

Robin Reis, 66, of South Drive, Wavertree; Daniel Kercher, 19, of Frampton Road, Walton; Jack Clarke, 18, of Afton, Widnes and a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons all deny charges of converting criminal property, commonly known as money laundering.

O’Donohue, of Dewsbury Road, and Murgatroyd, of Breck Road, both in Anfield have pleaded guilty to selling forged tickets between September 2014 and February this year.

Arthur Gibson, prosecuting, said the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, set up to investigate internet fraud, received information about a ticketing scam involving the selling website Craigslist.

He said: “The fraud was quite straightforward. Tickets would be advertised on Craigslist. A customer would contact the number on the website and be given the bank details into which the price of the tickets was to be paid. Once the money was in the account it would be immediately withdrawn at an ATM using a cashcard.

“The only problem was that obviously sooner or later one or more of the customers would report the fraud, as a result of which the bank would be notified and the bank account closed.

“Thus the fraudsters could only use one bank account for a relatively short period of time before having to move on to another.”

He said the case was assigned to Merseyside Police due to the high number of bank accounts located in the Merseyside area.

An undercover investigation was launched into ticket sales on Craigslist by Merseyside Police, led by Detective Sergeant Robert Viney.

Mr Gibson said: “The police were able to identify the bank accounts into which the victims were made, but not the organisers of the fraud.

“Accordingly they set up an operation whereby undercover officers sought to purchase tickets. As a result the suppliers of the forged tickets were identified as Paul Murgatroyd and Craig O’Donoghue.

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

“When their homes were searched blank pro forma tickets belonging to LFC, printers and other items used in the fraud were discovered.”

The jury heard all the defendants in the case accept their accounts were used to convert criminal property, but deny they knew what the fraudsters were up to.

Mr Gibson said: “The crucial issue is as to knowledge; did any or all of these defendants allow their accounts to be used by other people in the manner described, knowing, or at the very least suspecting, that that the money going into the account was as a result of criminal activity or did all this take place without their knowledge, after their bank cards pin and account details had been stolen from them.”

The court heard all but one of the defendants claimed their pin numbers had been stolen.

However the 17-year-old said he had agreed to allow a friend’s wages to be paid into his account after being told the friend was unable to use his own bank account.

Kercher is alleged to have converted £1,730 of criminal cash; Reiss £615 in cash; Wright £1,797 in cash; Clarke £1,272 in cash and the 17-year-old £995 in cash.

The jury heard Frances Ellicott, 23, of Farrow Road, Walton, Emily Bakewell, 20, of Fulbeck, Widnes, Kieran King, 22, of Snowberry Road, West Derby and Stephanie Oliver, 33, of Bedford Road, Walton, have all pleaded guilty to converting criminal property.

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

Nathan Matthews, stepbrother of Becky Watts, told police he did not like her as she was "rude" to his mother, a court heard.

Becky, 16, was allegedly murdered in her bedroom in Crown Hill, Bristol, by Nathan Matthews, 28, and his girlfriend Shauna Hoare, 21.

They are accused of targeting Becky in a sexually motivated kidnap plot on February 19 this year, culminating in her death.

Her dismembered body was discovered in a garden shed in Barton Court – 80 metres from their property – by police on March 3.

Former TA soldier Matthews admits killing Becky, dismembering her in his bath and moving her remains to the shed.

In an interview to police on February 28, played to the jury at Bristol Crown Court, Matthews admitted he did not like Becky.

"I don’t particularly talk to her but obviously I don’t particularly like her because obviously she has her moments," he said.

"We never actually had a proper argument or anything like that. I think one time I was shouting at Shauna and I might have shouted at Becky as well.

"The way she speaks to my mum or when she leaves clothes on the floor my mum could trip up on – she is self centred in a sense.

"Sometimes she will be rude or whatever or demanding."

Matthews said he chatted to Becky about her x-box, laptop and phone, her father Darren Galsworthy and downloading films.

Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of (left to right back row) Nathan Matthews, two dock officers, Shauna Hoare (front row left to right) dock officer, James Ireland, dock officer and Donovan Demetrius at Bristol Crown Court where they are on trial in connection with the murder of Becky Watts

He admitted teasing Becky, who he said had a "mother daughter" relationship with his mother, Anjie Galsworthy.

"It was something like a dig or a joke or take the piss out of her," he said.

"She would say something and just if there was an opportunity to take a chance, like her nose being big or like her having a beard.

"She could laugh or say something back to me or she would shrug it off or say ‘Anjie, Nathan’s being mean’."

Matthews claimed Becky used her anorexia to secure lifts and planned to claim "benefit money".

"Obviously I don’t mean to be nasty, the anorexia thing, I know she started eating less but I don’t believe it is a condition," Matthews said.

"I know she passed out or fainted and I think they went to hospital and they were on about keeping her locked up and they said this to Becky.

"The next minute she was stuffing her face with cereal bars and packets of crisps. True anorexia you feel sick when you eat, you don’t go ‘I fancy a pizza with all them crisps’."

Matthews said Becky was moved to a different school because of the condition and was driven there by taxi in case she fainted on a bus.

"She was feeling more special by it," he added. "My mum was like ‘it stops now because you are back to the normal weight’.

"Becky wasn’t happy of the fact that it stopped."

Matthews, of Hazelbury Drive, Warmley, South Gloucestershire denies murder and conspiracy to kidnap.

He admits killing Becky, perverting the course of justice, preventing burial of a corpse and possessing a prohibited weapon.

Hoare, of Cotton Mill Lane, Bristol, denies murder, conspiracy to kidnap, perverting the course of justice, preventing burial of a corpse and possessing a prohibited weapon.

Donovan Demetrius, 29, of Marsh Lane, Redfield, Bristol, and James Ireland, 23, of Richmond Villas, Avonmouth, each deny a charge of assisting an offender.

Karl Demetrius, 29, and his partner Jaydene Parsons, 23, both of Barton Court, Bristol, have pleaded guilty to assisting an offender after Becky’s body parts were found in their shed.

Becky Watts

Detective Constable Russell Saunders arrested Hoare at her mother’s home in Wilton Close, Southmead, on February 28.

"I explained I had something to tell her that she may find upsetting but I needed her to listen carefully to what I said as it was important," he told the court.

"I said ‘I am arresting you on suspicion of the kidnap of Rebecca Watts, Rebecca was last seen at her home on February 19 and stopped communicating at 11am.

"’You were at the house at the time she stopped communicating. We also have investigative material that links you to the offence’.

"I gave her the caution. Hoare didn’t reply. I noticed Hoare had tears forming in her eyes. She didn’t cry openly. She just stood, compliantly waiting."

The officer conducted an urgent interview with Hoare in an attempt to locate Becky.

She answered "no" or "I don’t know how to, no" to questions about Becky’s location, her safety and how to help officers find her.

Mr Saunders said he had seen Matthews when he entered the semi-detached property at 3.20pm.

"Matthews was playing a video game and didn’t acknowledge us as we came in," he added.

Detective Constable Rob Dolan arrested Matthews and also asked the same questions to him. To each question, Matthews replied: "no comment", the court heard.

Matthews’ vehicle, a black Vauxhall Zafira, was later seized by police.

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

A PERVERT from Runcorn caught with thousands of indecent images of children on IT devices has escaped an immediate prison sentence.

Terence Ludgate, 47, of Rydal Grove, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for two years after appearing at Warrington Crown Court on Tuesday, October 13.

The defendant will also be supervised for the next two years, was told to attend a sex offenders programme and pay £340 towards the prosecution costs.

He was sentenced by Judge Nicholas Woodward for one count of possessing indecent images of children, three of making indecent images of children, two charges of possessing extreme pornography and one count of distributing indecent images of a child.

Mandy Nepal, prosecuting, told the court that officers last year uncovered a Dell laptop, 12 CDs and a mobile phone during a search of an address.

Ms Nepal told the court that 29 indecent videos and one image were found at category A, which according to Crown Prosecution Service guidelines are the most serious type.

The prosecution added that a further nine indecent images and eight videos at category B, with 9,704 images and seven videos discovered at category C.

Ms Nepal also told the court that 22 videos and one image of extreme pornography were also found.

The prosecution said that during an interview with police, the defendant said: “I am sorry. I have never been so wrong in my life.

“I have never been so scared.”

She added that Ludgate also told officers he was ‘ashamed of his behaviour and actions’.

The judge told the court that he was considering imposing a suspended sentence, and Ludgate’s defence John Banasko said that it would ‘echo my thoughts’.

Sentencing Ludgate, the judge said: “Now you have been found out, you are deeply ashamed for what you have done and are extremely remorseful.”

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

A WIDNES man who a court heard was ‘taken advantage’ of by drug dealers has avoided an immediate prison sentence for being concerned in the supply of crack and heroin.

Wilson Smith, 39, of Cooper Street, appeared at Warrington Crown Court on Tuesday, October 13.

Judge Nicholas Woodward handed the defendant a two-year prison sentence which will be suspended for the same period of time for a count of being concerned in the supply of crack and a like charge of heroin.

The judge also made a drugs testing and treatment order for 12 months, told Smith he will be supervised for two years and ordered him to pay £250 towards the prosecution costs.

At a brief hearing which was attended by prosecutor Mandy Nepal and Smith’s defence Claire Jones, the judge told the court that the case was last before him at the end of September and that the defendant had pleaded guilty to the counts and was ‘entitled to full credit’ for his pleas at the first opportunity.

Discussing the case with counsel, the judge added that the defendant was made to use his home for the supply of drugs.

Sentencing Smith, the judge told him that it was ‘clear’ that drug dealers had been ‘taking advantage of your drug dependency’ to supply the drugs.

He added: “The Crown accepts you were put under pressure and you were given a small quantity of drugs by the dealers.”

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

A rapist from Runcorn has been locked up for 12 years after he perpetuated a ‘campaign of rape’ against his victim.

Richard Disberry, 33, of Stonelea, Windmill Hill, faced justice at Chester Crown Court on Monday.

A jury unanimously convicted him of five counts of rape and one of assault by beating following a trial in September.

Simon Parry, prosecuting, described how separate assaults against the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, took place over years.

On one occasion he head butted his victim during her ordeal.

Mr Parry said photographs were also produced showing bruises where she had been gripped by Disberry.

The victim said these marks were ‘superficial’.

She attended hospital on one occasion when she was concerned over a possible internal injury.

Although Disberry was convicted of five charges of rape, three of these were ‘specimen’ counts and together the offences represented an estimated 30 incidents.

Matthew Dunford, defending, said his client was of previous good character and referred to multiple written references attesting to the esteem he was held in.

Judge Rajeev Shetty, presiding, sentenced him to five years concurrent for each of four counts of rape plus seven years consecutive for a further offence, making a total sentence of 12 years in prison.

He gave Disberry 12 months in prison concurrent for the assault.

In addition, he served him with a restraining order and placed him on the sex offenders register.

The court heard his victim had suffered depression and anxiety and tried using alcohol ‘as a coping method’ following her ordeal but returned to good health after she went to the police and they arrested him.

Judge Shetty, sentencing Disberry, said: “It’s also a curious feature that you would often apologise.

“It’s a shame you haven’t demonstrated any similar remorse at trial or today.”

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

A 57-year-old woman feared she could be raped after being attacked in a Moreton supermarket carpark.

David Rose, 24, approached the woman from behind, grabbed her around the neck and covered her mouth with his hand before dragging her to the floor on April 18.

It happened as she returned to her car after shopping at Tesco Express in Hoylake Road at around 9.30pm.

Chris Taylor, prosecuting, said Rose touched her on her breast and bottom as the attack took place and he was originally charged with sexual assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm but the Crown Prosecution Service withdrew the charges after Rose pleaded guilty to attempted robbery.

Rose, of Pasture Avenue, Moreton, sobbed in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court as he was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Mr Taylor said: “The victim did not know whether this person was after money or was trying to rape her.”

The court heard the attack stopped after the woman kicked out and creamed at Rose.

Mr Taylor said the defendant then made off down Hoylake Road, shouting: “I have just saved your life.”

The victim went back into the store where staff said she was “shaking and visibly distressed.”

The court heard Rose had been released from prison in April 2014 after being jailed for assault occasioning actual bodily harm against a 74 year old man and he also had previous convictions for robbery.

Prior to the latest attack, Rose had been “hanging” round the Tesco Store asking to borrow money which the court heard was to buy alcohol.

A victim impact statement from the woman said she was afraid to go out of the house and had suffered bouts of ill health following the attack.

She has since moved in with her daughter.

David Watson, representing Rose, said his client suffered from ADHD and a mild form of cerebral palsy which a pre-sentence report claimed can cause “inappropriate behaviour.”

He said Rose had a “difficult start in life” and had been adopted.

The defendant broke down in tears as Mr Watson said his adoptive father was present in court.

Deputy Circuit Judge Jonathan Foster, QC, sentencing, said: “The woman did not know what the motive of this attack was. When the shop assistant saw her he described her as looking terrible.”

As Rose was lead to the cells, Judge Foster said: “Some day you will learn, I hope it’s sooner rather than later.”

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

Recordings of a police officer ‘selling information’ to a drug dealer about an associate suspected of being a “grass” were played to a jury today.

Former Merseyside PC Barry Parkinson, 45, is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office, conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to supply cannabis.

Parkinson, of Beechburn Crescent, Page Moss, is said to have kept his underworld associates “one step ahead” by providing a “checking service” – trawling through police databases to see whether Merseyside Police were targeting their drug dealing.

He is also alleged to have passed on the addresses of suspected cannabis farms to criminals as part of a conspiracy to break in and steal the drugs.

Audio tapes from a covert listening device, planted in the car of alleged cocaine dealer Robert Gerrard Sloan, captured a meeting with Parkinson in the car-park of Asda in Huyton.

Parkinson was recorded telling Sloan about an associate called Bernie “the Bolt” Campbell who owed Sloan money.

The jury had earlier been told Sloan was concerned that Campbell was avoiding him.

Parkinson was heard to inform Sloan that he had “checked the system” and Campbell was not on bail or ordered to sign on at a police station, which contradicted what Campbell had told Sloan.

Sloan was heard to say: “You don’t think he’s a midnight do you?”

The court heard this was short for “midnight mass”, rhyming slang for “grass”

Parkinson reassured him “there was nothing on the system about that.. I just think he’s having you on mate.”

Sloan, allegedly involved in dealing “cocaine by the kilo”, then told Parkinson, “I owe you two (thousand) I will sort you out.”

Parkinson replied: “If you don’t there will be no more.”

After Parkinson left his friend’s vehicle, Sloan was heard to call an associate, later identified as Lee Jones.

Speaking to Jones, he said: “He (Campbell) is not on bail lad, it stinks to high heaven. He’s got no bail conditions.”

He was heard to refer to Campbell’s previous record for firearms and explosives offences, and said: “I’m telling you things you have never told me, and he (Campbell) has never told me.”

The court heard this information had been pulled from police records.

At the time of the alleged offences, between January and June last year, Parkinson was part of a team dealing with sensitive police intelligence on a electronic system known as Niche.

Liverpool Crown and Magistrates’ Court

The jury heard he sold information to Sloan about addresses logged on the Niche system as sites of suspected cannabis farms.

Prosecution lawyers say Sloan then passed the addresses to another alleged drug dealer, David Gould, who in turn told an associate called Shaun Blackburn to burgle the premises and steal the drugs.

Another co-defendant, David Nuttall, is alleged to have asked Parkinson to check whether police were on to an address where he was growing a £20,000 cannabis farm.

Sloan, 44, of Steeple View Kirkby; Gould, 52, of Grange Avenue, West Derby; and Blackburn, 30, of Kenbury Road, Kirkby, all deny conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to supply cannabis.

Sloan has, however, pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office.

Nuttall, 44, of Bonnington Close, St Helens, denies conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.

He has already pleaded guilty to production of cannabis and abstracting electricity.

The prosecution case is expected to last until Tuesday, and the trial will run into next month.

(Proceeding)

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

Members of a £5.6m Liverpool drugs ring smashed after a 12-month police operation are facing 60 years behind bars.

The 12 men were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today following a complex Merseyside Police investigation, dubbed Operation Kala, which culminated in a series of raids across the city on April 15 this year.

The men pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges after detectives monitored phone traffic and observed them as they conducted their illicit business.

During the operation officers seized 7kg of heroin, 3kg of cocaine, more than 300kg of cannabis resin, 45kg of amphetamine and seven cannabis farms containing a total of 550 plants.

Police also seized £25,000 in English and Scottish bank notes and Audi and a Mercedes car in the dawn raids.

Judge Andrew Menary, QC, sentenced ringleader Stuart Jones, 35, who lived in the city centre , to the highest prison term of 11 years and two months, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine; conspiracy to supply heroin; conspiracy to supply amphetamines and conspiracy to supply cannabis resin.

He said: “There is no doubt that you played leading roles across the various offences and conspiracies involved. This means you were actively involved in dealing Class A cocaine and heroin and Class B Amphetamines and Cannabis. You were not discouraged by the police.”

(From left-right, clockwise): Andrew Billows, 26; James Whyte, 29; Paul Madison, 28; Martin Pearson, 25

The court heard Jones travelled extensively within Europe and beyond in the period investigated by police – May 1, 2014, to April 15 this year.

In February and March he travelled to Columbia, a nation notoriously linked to the trafficking of cocaine.

Brian Cummings, QC, prosecuting, said he also made trips to Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, Rhodes, Arrecife and Madrid.

Detective Superintendent Lee Turner, of Matrix Serious Organised Crime Unit, said: “The main part of the business was run from addresses in Old Swan and the drugs were then distributed across the country, as far as Scotland and Wales.

“The group were also involved in anti -social behaviour in the Old Swan area and were not averse to using violence and intimidation to protect their trade in illicit drugs.”

Phone contact between Jones and James Whyte, 29, from Old Swan, led to a raid at the address of Steven Healey in St Ives Grove, Old Swan on August 21, 2014.

The court heard 247g of cocaine, of 74% importation purity, was recovered at the scene alongside 1kg of benzocaine, commonly used as a cutting agent.

On September 18, 2014, Jones arranged a delivery of cocaine to Andrew Billows and police raided his address in Huyton .

Judge Menary said: “Billows noticed the approach of the officers and attempted, with some success, to dispose of the drugs down the toilet.”

The court heard even after this Jones continued to supply heroin alongside close friend Alex Gibiliru, 22, from Old Swan.

Jones organised the trafficking of the drug into Merseyside, with Gibiliru arranging accommodation for the couriers.

(From left-right, clockwise): Philip Mason, 35; Steven Healey, 32; Yusuf Hassan, 49; Stuart Jones, 35. Copyright: Merseyside Police

Police seized 4.1kg of heroin from an address in Molyneux Court on November 4.

The highest value seizures relate to a raid on a garage belonging to a man called Gerald Worth, 53, of York Way, Huyton, who will be sentenced at a later date.

Police had observed a package being delivered from Worth to Darren Owens, 40, of Huyton.

The court heard 300kg of cannabis resin were located under the floor boards with an estimated value of more than £1m.

Judge Menary said: “The quantities of the drugs involved here are huge, and the potential financial gain these men must have expected would have been substantial, in the region of hundreds of thousands of pounds.”

The operation also uncovered large scale cannabis farms at various addresses across the city.

Det Supt Turner said: “Organised crime groups like this, who deal in the wholesale supply and distribution of Class A drugs, don’t care about the impact that the sale of drugs has on our streets.

“But I would like to reassure the decent members of our communities that Merseyside Police is committed to tackling the supply of drugs on our streets and we will continue to pro-actively tackle criminal gangs who think nothing of flooding the streets with dangerous drugs in order to profit from other people’s misery.”

The defendants and their sentences are:

Stuart Jones, 35, of One Park West Tower, Liverpool city centre, has been sentenced to 11 years 2 months

Andrew Billows, 26, of Birch Road, Huyton, 3 years 6 months.

Martin Pearson, 25, of Shaftsbury Crescent, Old Swan, 3 years 1 month

Adam Patrick Morrey, 27, of Greystone Road, Fazakerley , 2 years 9 months

Adam Stuart Lea, 27, of McQueen Street, Old Swan, 2 years 4 months

James Peter Whyte, 29, of Moscow Drive, Old Swan, 6 years 3 months

Steven Healey, 32, of St Ives Grove, Old Swan, 5 years 3 months

Alex Gibiliru, 22, of Rhuddlan Close, Old Swan, 6 years 3 months

Philip Mason, 35, of Dalegarth Avenue, Croxteth 6 years

Yusuf Hassan, 49, of Hall Lane, Kensington , 3 years 6 months

Darren Owens, 41, of Knowsley Lane, Huyton, 6 years,

Paul Maddison, 28 of Pilch Lane Dovecot, was sentenced to4 years 6 months

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