Killers, rapists and sex offenders were among the 40 North East criminals handed prison sentences in October 2026. The list includes individuals convicted of murder and manslaughter, as well as sexual offences.
In one case, Nathan Owens, 34, was given a minimum 35-year prison sentence for the murder of his stepdaughter, Carla Georgescu, 19. She was found dead in her student flat in Preston the day before her birthday, after Owens drove 100 miles through the night to take her life. He was found guilty by a jury at Preston Crown Court following a two-week trial.
Manslaughter and Murder Convictions
Martin Greensmith, 37, was jailed for six years for the manslaughter of his biological father, Steven Shevels, 61. Shevels hit his head on the concrete floor of a pub beer garden and died after being pushed over by Greensmith. The court heard Greensmith went to the Queen's Head pub in Willington, County Durham, on Christmas Eve last year with his family, where his mother told him for the first time that Shevels was his biological father.
Ethan Cockram, 21, was jailed for four years and 10 months after fatally injuring Simon Beston, a 55-year-old grandad, by punching him in the face as he tried to break up a fight. Cockram, who had been drinking vodka all day, punched Beston with such force that he broke his jaw and knocked him unconscious. Beston fell backwards and struck his head on a kerb, causing catastrophic injuries, and died three weeks later on August 16.
James Waddell, 21, was sentenced to seven years and six months for causing death by dangerous driving. He was driving a Subaru Forester at more than 70mph on the A690 in Sunderland when he crashed into a VW Tiguan driven by Paul Andrew Fulcher, 53. The court heard the Subaru had defective brakes.
Sex Offenders and Rape Cases
Liam Fox, 34, from Darlington, was jailed for 17 years for raping a girl on an isolated railway embankment and sexually assaulting another. He was found guilty by a jury at Teesside Crown Court.
Shaun Graham, 40, of Jarrow, was jailed for ten years after being convicted of rape, sexual assault and intentional strangulation. He had denied the offences, claiming the victim had consented.
Calvin White, 35, of South Tyneside, was handed a nine-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to three counts of rape and three counts of assault by penetration.
John Tyler, 54, already serving jail for rape, was given an extra seven years for historic offending. He pleaded guilty to four counts of rape on a girl under 16 after the jury was sworn in at Durham Crown Court.
Other Notable Sentences
Ryan Adams, a former Durham Constabulary student officer, was jailed for 15 months for improper use of police powers and received a three-month concurrent sentence for outraging public decency. He had committed a sex act in a car park in Chester-le-Street.
Two con artists, Saif Hussain and Brendan Mbara, were jailed after scamming £250,000 from elderly or vulnerable victims. Hussain was sentenced to four years and three months, and Mbara to three years and 10 months.
Stuart Scott, 45, of Heaton, was jailed for 18 months for inflicting GBH on a shopper who had stopped a group of youths riding bikes in a supermarket.
Liam Beamson, 27, was jailed for 27 months and banned from driving for three years for causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was scrolling through his phone 63 times in the minutes before the crash.
The full list of 40 offenders includes arsonists, robbers, burglars and drug offenders, with sentences ranging from four months to life with a minimum term. All were sentenced in courts across the North East during October 2026.
