Fraudsters and violent thugs are among those who will be spending Christmas behind bars this year. For some of these criminals, it will be the first of several festive seasons spent in jail.
A wholesale drug dealer was jailed for 11 years after he fled the country for two years, before returning in August and surrendering himself to police. Operating under the alias "Vocal Dove", he shifted 11kg of cocaine and at least 10kg of cannabis in just 14 weeks.
Another man was jailed for eight years after being found guilty of sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a woman. He only did not rape her due to incapacity rather than a decision to stop, a court heard.
And a third man was jailed for six years and 10 months after he fraudulently claimed almost £1,000,000 and "frittered" his money away on lavish trips to Las Vegas and luxury gifts.
Sexual assault and machete attack
Ian Lucas was sentenced to eight years in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a woman. He was also handed a lifelong restraining order against the woman. Newcastle Crown Court heard that the 38-year-old, from Seaham, touched the woman, who told him to stop, before attempting to rape her. He only did not rape her due to incapacity rather than a decision to stop. The court in Newcastle was told how he later told the victim not to tell anyone about what happened and to delete the messages.
Leon Charlton swung a machete at a man before smashing into a car during a neighbour dispute on Staneway in the Felling area of Gateshead on August 9 this year. Newcastle Crown Court heard how the 24-year-old swung a machete at the man, who had a baseball bat, and narrowly missed him. He then got into his car and drove straight at a Nissan Qashqai belonging to a woman the man was with. The court heard how the collision pushed the stationary Nissan into a wall at the woman's property, causing the wall to collapse. Now Charlton, of Coltsfoot Gardens, Felling, Gateshead, has been sentenced to 16 months in prison and disqualified him from driving for two years and four months. He must sit an extended driving test before he gets back behind the wheel.
High-speed chases and fraud
Alfie Ford took police on a high-speed chase just 11 days after being spared jail for a previous 104mph pursuit in June. Just 11 days after being sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court, the 19-year-old got back behind the wheel of a vehicle, sped away from a police officer on a motorbike and took them on a high-speed chase. Now Ford has been locked up for 22 months in a young offenders institution.
Gary Briggs fraudulently claimed almost £1,000,000 and "frittered" his money away on lavish trips to Las Vegas and luxury gifts. Briggs, 52, was a company director of two construction firms when he began submitting false VAT returns. He also laundered the money by transferring it into bank accounts of close family members. A court heard that Briggs spent thousands of pounds of his ill-gotten gains during trips to Las Vegas, including £5,000 in Caesars Palace and £30,000 in a luxury car dealership called Vegas Auto Gallery. On Tuesday, Briggs, of Dalton Piercy, Hartlepool, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to be sentenced for two offences of cheating public revenue, and three counts of entering into a money laundering arrangement. He had pleaded guilty to the offences and was jailed for six years and 10 months. A proceeds of crime hearing will also take place on May 17.
Further sentences for dangerous driving and robbery
Jack Naisbett drove at his ex after they became embroiled in a row before dropping her off at a family member's home. TeessideLive reports how Naisbett was arrested, and later released on bail. Around three months later, on June 12, he fled from police in a 100mph pursuit. The court heard how he drove through a pedestrian alleyway at speed before police put a stinger down and he "lost both front tyres but continued driving on the rims". Police laid a second stinger in the road and the Mercedes then "lost control", crashed through a fence and ended up in a field. Naisbett was jailed for three years and six months. He was disqualified from driving for four years and nine months, and a restraining order was put in place banning him from contacting his victim for the next three years.
Knifepoint robber Alexander Hindmarsh threatened to cut a taxi driver's eyeballs out and to "stab him to pieces" before taking his money bag, phone and cab. Hindmarsh held a blade to the victim's neck, punched him in the face and hit him over the head with a card reader before he managed to flee from his taxi in terror. A court heard that Hindmarsh then sped off in the Hyundai vehicle and was captured on its internal CCTV camera shouting "I've just committed a knifepoint robbery, I will get a hammering for this" and "We need to burn it, our prints are all over it". The 37-year-old then did just that and torched the car after ripping out the camera and dumping it nearby in a failed bid to destroy evidence. The police were, however, able to trace Hindmarsh's whereabouts thanks to a tracking device being enabled on the victim's stolen phone, prosecutors said. The career criminal, whose appalling record spans more than 25 years and includes offences of violence and burglary, has now been locked-up for seven years and four months.
