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Names and faces of 23 Lancashire criminals jailed in May including killers, conmen and cowboy builders
A contract killer, a show-off driver and Lancashire’s most wanted fraudster are among those handed custodial sentences in May 2023.
In some cases, lengthy trials have been held in front of juries, while in others the criminals have pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. But in all cases a judge has decided their crimes are so serious only a custodial sentence will suffice.
An open, transparent criminal justice system is an important part of how our democracy works – so we make no apologies for devoting so much time to letting you know what happens in our courts.
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The below list includes the names, faces and stories of just some of the court cases our reporters have covered in May 2023.
Wild-haired thug yelled ‘I’ll kill you’ at pregnant woman in hotel, leaving her with bleed on brain
A wild-haired thug who threatened to kill a pregnant woman after leaving her with bleed on brain has been jailed.
Curtis Bamsey launched a ‘ferocious’ and prolonged attack against the woman at a Ribble Valley hotel causing her to lose consciousness. Detectives said as a member of the public drove the victim away from the scene, the 29-year-old shouted that he would kill her.
When officers spoke to the victim, she said Bamsey had subjected her to a ‘number of previous assaults’. Lancashire Constabulary said Bamsey is a ‘violent individual who displays at an appalling attitude towards women’.
FULL STORY: Wild-haired thug yelled ‘I’ll kill you’ at pregnant woman in Ribble Valley hotel, leaving her with bleed on brain
On-the-run clothing boss led £97m tax scam
An on-the-run Preston man has been jailed for 20 years for his role in a one the UK’s biggest ever tax scams.
Sock manufacturer Arif Patel, formerly of Sharoe Green Lane, Fulworth, was handed the two decade sentence for his leading role in a criminal enterprise which saw a gang try to steal £97m of taxpayer cash but was not present in court. Fellow crook Mohamed Jaffar Ali, of Dubai, was also not present as he was handed an 11 year sentence for his role.
A joint HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Lancashire Constabulary investigation found Arif Patel, now also of Dubai, and his criminal gang tried to steal £97 million through VAT repayment claims on false exports of textiles and mobile phones. They also imported and sold counterfeit clothes that would have been worth at least £50 million, had they been genuine.
FULL STORY: On-the-run clothing boss from Preston led £97m tax scam
Cowboy builder brought £78k of ‘chaos’ then accused mum of playing disabled card after botched renovation
A cowboy builder pocketed money from a disability grant then accused the homeowner of fraud when he failed to complete the work to convert her garage for her disabled daughter.
Billee Hopkinson, 35, also left a home without a roof and took on additional work to build an extension after his company had gone bust. But today (Thursday May 25), Hopkinson is beginning a prison sentence after a judge said his shoddy workmanship “left chaos and devastation in its wake.”
His customers suffered severe financial and emotional hardship as he “moved from victim to victim with ease”, Judge Ian Unsworth KC said.
Preston Crown Court heard Hopkinson, of Tag Lane, Preston, had no building qualifications when he traded under the name Ultra Restore Ltd in 2020. Hopkinson pleaded guilty to three offences under the Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and appeared at Preston Crown Court to face sentence. Judge Unsworth KC accepted he had been under pressure during the Covid pandemic and his mental health had declined.
However he said the offences were so serious only an immediate prison sentence could be justified. He jailed Hopkinson for 20 months.
FULL STORY: Preston cowboy builder brought £78k of ‘chaos’ then accused mum of playing disabled card after botched renovation
Cowboy builder promised ‘dream homes and gardens’ but left trail of destruction in his wake – including customer who attempted suicide
A rogue trader who promised ‘dream homes and gardens’ left customers with unsafe work and piles of rubble.
Brett Grundy, 43, advertised his work on online aggregator sites, but used fake profiles to give five star reviews – and has since been removed The cowboy builder has now been jailed for 20 months and banned from working as a sole trader for seven years, after Preston Crown Court heard about the trail of devastation he left in his wake.
When customers complained, Grundy sent threatening and abusive messages, branding two men as paedophiles and leaving one woman so distressed she tried to take her own life. A building surveyor for Blackpool Council said his work was “not even basic DIY standard”, and valued the work at zero.
Grundy, of Clarendon Road, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to four counts of engaging in commercial practices contravening standards of professional diligence. Judge Mathieson sentenced him to a total of 20 months custody and made a Criminal Behaviour Order, banning him from working as a sole trader or holding out as a businessman to the public for the next seven years.
FULL STORY: Blackpool cowboy builder promised ‘dream homes and gardens’ but left trail of destruction in his wake – including customer who attempted suicide
‘Intelligent and switched on’ student jailed for Class A drug dealing after falling into debt
An ‘intelligent, articulate’ university student has been jailed for 45 months after being caught selling class A drugs on two separate occasions.
Alan Ruddock, 20, was in bail for drug dealing in Leeds when he was spotted by officers in an alley off Irene Street, Burnley, with a group of suspected drug users on January 27, 2023. Officers chased after Ruddock, who threw away drugs and a mobile phone as he fled. Ruddock pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class A in respect of the Leeds offences and two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A relating to the offences in Burnley.
Sentencing, Recorder Andrew Nuttall said: “You are an intelligent person. In one sense that makes it worse. You should know better – but I take into consideration the fact that you are young and at the time of the offence in Leeds you were considerably younger than you are now.
“But be under no illusion – drugs are the scourge of our times. They cause untold misery to people, and death. The courts will do whatever they can to assist in trying to desist and deter people from committing these offences.”
FULL STORY: ‘Intelligent and switched on’ student jailed for Class A drug dealing after falling into debt
Thug told woman ‘you’re dying’ after attacking her and her friend with spanner
A man has been jailed for five years and three months after attacking two women he thought were selling heroin to his brother.
Christopher Lewis, 38, went to the house in Pine Street, Burnley, in the early hours of June 3 last year along with another man. He shouted up at the window, and when one of the women answered the door, she was struck in the face with a spanner – and again when she was on the floor.
Lewis, from Haslingden, then went upstairs to confront the other woman, Preston Crown Court heard. He dragged her out of a bedroom and down the stairs. He hit her to the rib cage, telling her “you’re dying”, before dropping her on the kitchen floor.
FULL STORY: Haslingden thug told woman ‘you’re dying’ after attacking her and her friend with spanner
Woman killed childhood friend with a ‘heart of gold’ after stabbing him
A woman has been jailed for three years for causing the death of a ‘good man with a heart of gold’ who died two years after he was stabbed at a flat in Blackpool. Jeremy Fitsimmons’ daughter Nicole said life would never be the same for his family after their beloved dad, granddad, uncle and brother was taken from them.
Tracey Simmonds, 48, was found guilty of manslaughter following a trial at Preston Crown Court in March 2023. The jury heard how almost six years earlier in September 2017, she and James Walton attacked Mr Fitzsimmons when he called at Walton’s flat to borrow some Rizlas.
Simmonds had been at the flat since the day before and had stayed awake all night, drinking and smoking crack with Walton. In the days before, Walton had fallen out with Mr Fitzsimmons, although it is not known what their quarrel was about.
Moments before the attack, Simmonds and Walton were seen whispering together on a sofa. The Honorary Recorder of Preston, Judge Robert Altham, said he was “quite sure” the pair were plotting an attack, with weapons.
FULL STORY: Blackpool woman killed childhood friend with a ‘heart of gold’ after stabbing him
Burglar with 100 convictions targeted hospice in latest disgraceful thefts
A burglar who has 100 convictions to his name has been sentenced to more than two years in prison after stealing goods from a hospice.
In October last year, Nelson, Brierfield and Barrowford Police were made aware of a burglary at Pendleside Hospice on Colne Road. During the incident, two laptops were taken and CCTV show the offender had gained access to the inpatients’ ward, frequently used by those receiving end of life care.
After enquiries were conducted Peter Everall from Rossendale was arrested for the offence. Officers also found Everall had attended the hospice earlier in the day, pretending to be lost whilst he planned the burglary.
FULL STORY: Rossendale burglar with 100 convictions targeted hospice in latest disgraceful thefts
OCG used brothels to exploit women who were forced to sell sex
An organised crime gang which offered sex for sale in a network of brothels across Lancashire and up and down the country has been jailed.
Lancashire Constabulary’s East Exploitation Team launched an investigation into nationwide sexual exploitation and human trafficking in September last year after concerns were raised about sexual services being advertised online.
As part of the operation, officers initially executed a search warrant at a property in Blackburn and that led to further searches and arrests at properties in Accrington, St Helens, Hertfordshire and London.
A number of women have been safeguarded. The gang were today (May 19) jailed at Preston Crown Court.
FULL STORY: OCG used Accrington and Blackburn brothels to exploit women who were forced to sell sex
Drug dealer with £10k cocaine stash and pepper spray caught after police chase
A drug dealer was caught with £10,000 worth of cocaine in his car following a police chase.
Jack Haddon was travelling along Pall Mall in Chorley when it made off onto Maud Street before being abandoned on Tootell Street. Chorley Police said the 31-year-old was chased and eventually detained on Cotswold Road where he was initially arrested for disqualified driving.
However a search of his car under Section 23 of the Misuse Drugs Act uncovered a large bag containing white powder. This was later confirmed as 246 grams cocaine valued at nearly £10,000.
Haddon, of Liptrott Road in Chorley, was subsequently arrested for possession of a controlled substance with intent to supply. A search of his home address led to the recovery of some pepper spray.
FULL STORY: Chorley drug dealer with £10k cocaine stash and pepper spray caught after police chase
Volunteer killed ‘kindest man you could ever meet’ showing off in his friend’s souped-up Corsa
A successful illustrator who dreamed of early retirement was killed by a speeding motorist in a modified Vauxhall Corsa, who had borrowed the car from a friend to show off.
Sion Chaisty, 46, was thrown high into the air when he was hit by the car at around 58mph. The driver, Kristian Rawcliffe, 26, has been jailed for 12 months for causing Mr Chaisty’s death by careless driving. Mr Chaisty’s family have been left heartbroken by the loss of “the nicest man you could ever meet”.
Rawcliffe, of Amberwood Drive, Blackburn, pleaded guilty of causing death by careless driving but cleared of a more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving. The court heard he was not over the drink drive limit, but was not insured to drive the car at the time of the collision.
“This was on the very cusp of being dangerous driving”, Judge Altham said. “The predominant and overwhelming cause was the speed of the car this defendant was driving.”
The court heard prior to the collision, Rawcliffe had a clean driving licence which he used to volunteer as a first responder. He has now been banned for two and a half years and must take an extended retest before he can drive again.
FULL STORY: Blackburn volunteer killed ‘kindest man you could ever meet’ showing off in his friend’s souped-up Corsa
Boxer Scott Fitzgerald jailed after using trained fist as a weapon when he broke a man’s jaw outside city pub
Former boxing champion Scott Fitzgerald has been sentenced to 46 weeks custody after he broke a man’s jaw outside a pub in Preston.
Leevi Francis was floored by a single blow from the 2014 Commonwealth gold medalist, when he stepped into an altercation outside the Grand Junction in Ashton-on-Ribble. Paul Brookwell, prosecuting, told Preston Crown Court Fitzgerald was known as a difficult customer at the pub in Watery Lane.
Landlady Kirsty Allen said she had refused to serve him on many occasions due to his aggressive behaviour.
FULL STORY: Preston boxer Scott Fitzgerald jailed after using trained fist as a weapon when he broke a man’s jaw outside city pub
Dangerous robber who was so high on diazepam didn’t remember holding knife to man’s throat after demanding cash
A man who crept into a stranger’s home where he robbed him at knifepoint has been jailed for six years and nine months.
Mark McFayden, 46, was later caught on numerous CCTV cameras trying door handles in the Buchanan Street and Lyons Road areas of Chorley.
Sentencing, Recorder Neil Owen-Casey said: “These are extremely serious offences. This spree of attempted burglaries and robbery all take place over a short period of time and are confined to an area close to where you were living at the time.
The judge said McFayden, of Seymour Street, Chorley, was a dangerous offender and handed him a sentence of six years and nine months with a two year extended licence period.
FULL STORY: Dangerous robber who was so high on diazepam didn’t remember holding knife to man’s throat after demanding cash
McDonald’s trip led to downfall of gang transporting cocaine from Lancashire
A McDonald’s breakfast trip led to the downfall of a drug gang transporting cocaine from Lancashire.
Christopher Reeve headed the gang and arranged for their supply from the Bickerstaffe area in West Lancs and from Liverpool. A court heard how his partner Sarah Reeve would step in to run the operation when he was not available.
Members of the gang were jailed for a combined total of 165 years. The longest sentenced went to 44-year-old Reeve who was jailed for 17 years, having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and possession of a firearm.
FULL STORY: McDonald’s trip led to downfall of gang transporting cocaine from Lancashire
Jealous lover ‘shoved’ partner off step leaving her in five-week coma – then called his mum as she lay injured
A woman spent a month in an induced coma after her partner pushed her off a step in a row over a mobile phone.
Richard Shepherd, 34, has been jailed for 12 months following the attack in Blackpool in August 2021. Preston Crown Court heard Shepherd had been out for the night with the woman and became jealous she was messaging her friend Danielle, who was saved in her phone as ‘Dan’.
When the couple returned home, Shepherd accused the woman of being unfaithful and punched the TV so hard the screen broke. He snatched the woman’s phone from her and when she tried to get it back he pushed her down the back doorstep of the house.
FULL STORY: Jealous lover ‘shoved’ partner off step leaving her in five-week coma – then called his mum as she lay injured
Drunk thug repeatedly hit man in the face with neighbour’s shovel
A drunk thug who repeatedly hit a man in the face with a neighbour’s shovel before stamping on him has been jailed.
Steven Dickinson was at an address on West Street in Southport with victim Simon Long when Dickinson asked him to leave. A court heard how the pair had been drinking for several hours and Mr Long left with a woman but struggled to walk and decided to lie down in the front garden.
Dickinson then left the address and picked up a shovel from a neighbour’s front yard. He then proceeded to hit Mr Long in the face with the flat and the edge of the shovel, before stamping on his face.
FULL STORY: Drunk thug repeatedly hit man in the face with neighbour’s shovel
Rapist attacked extremely vulnerable woman after New Year’s Eve night out
A rapist who advantage of an ‘extremely vulnerable’ woman after a New Year’s Eve night out in Preston has been jailed.
In the early hours of New Year’s Day, a victim found Matthew Grant Wilkinson, who goes by the name of Grant, raping her. Wilkinson, 29, of Grasmere Grove, Whittle-le-Woods, was arrested later the same morning and subsequently charged with rape.
At a pre-trial hearing, Wilkinson pleaded guilty to the rape of a female aged over 16 and sexual assault by penetration. On Friday (May 5), he was jailed for 58 months for the offence that happened in Leyland.
FULL STORY: Aya Hachem killer shouts ‘I’m innocent’ from dock as he is jailed over botched plot which cost life student
Aya Hachem killer shouts ‘I’m innocent’ from dock as he is jailed over botched plot which cost life student
A Manchester drug dealer who called upon his gangland enforcers to carry out a contract killing – resulting in the death of innocent student Aya Hachem – claimed he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice as he was sentenced to life.
Lewis Junior Otway, 42, shouted “I’m innocent!” from the dock after learning he may spend the rest of his days behind bars. As the oldest of the conspirators in the murder plot, which cost the life of 19-year-old Aya, Otway’s minimum term of 32 years may mean he is never released from prison.
Preston Crown Court heard Otway, of Clitheroe Road, Manchester, was called upon to help plan a contract killing when rivalries between tyre firms in King Street, Blackburn, escalated throughout 2020. Mr Khan had been locked in a feud with Feroz Suleman, who ran the neighbouring R I Tyres, since he expanded his car wash business to offer tyre services at the end of 2019.
His efforts to distance himself from the tragic killing of Aya were not enough to convince the jury and in March 2023 he too was convicted of Aya’s murder and the attempted murder of Mr Khan.
FULL STORY: Aya Hachem killer shouts ‘I’m innocent’ from dock as he is jailed over botched plot which cost life student
Paedophile befriended couple in Italy then got indecent pics of their kids
A convicted paedophile who downloaded thousands of indecent images of children and even travelled to Italy to holiday to meet a young family has been jailed.
Matthew Monaghan, 42, of Brighton Avenue, Blackpool, was arrested after officers carried out a routine check of his electronic devices following a previous conviction for possession of indecent images of children. During the check, which took place last May, officers found 790 images classed as category A – the very worst type – as well as 420 category B, 3,926 category C and a further 748 prohibited images.
During the investigation officers also found Monaghan had befriended a couple in Italy, who had two young children, and had travelled to Italy to stay with them for three months. He used this connection to obtain indecent images of their children. On his return to the UK he continued to contact the children with voice messages.
FULL STORY: Rossendale metal detectorist jailed over £766k plot to sell 44 valuable Anglo-Saxon coins
Metal detectorist jailed over £766k plot to sell 44 valuable Anglo-Saxon coins
Two metal detectorists who hatched an illegal plot to sell abroad Anglo-Saxon coins of great historical significance have been jailed for more than five years.
Craig Best, 46, and Roger Pilling, 75, were convicted of conspiring to sell criminal property worth £766,000, namely 44 9th Century coins believed to have been buried by a Viking and which have never been declared as Treasure, and have not been handed to the Crown.
Judge James Adkin, sitting at Durham Crown Court, said a further two coins remained outstanding and had been “hidden away”. He was confident, having heard evidence during a trial last month, that the coins were part of a larger, undeclared find known as the Herefordshire or Leominster Hoard.
FULL STORY: Rossendale metal detectorist jailed over £766k plot to sell 44 valuable Anglo-Saxon coins
Hospital worker who ‘thought it was a joke’ to slap women’s bottoms at work
A healthcare assistant on the stroke unit at Blackpool Victoria Hospital took a cavalier approach to sexually assaulting women he worked with, a court heard.
Hernando Puno, 52, regularly slapped his female colleagues’ bottoms in “a display of male power”, Judge Andrew Jeffries KC said. In 2014, hospital bosses wrote to Puno warning him about his conduct after a female employee complained about him.
However the woman felt her complaint was not taken seriously and she was blamed for the sexual assault on her, she said.
Burnley Crown Court heard Puno, of Onslow Road, Blackpool, was a popular member of staff on the stroke unit, known for his jokey manner and sense of humour. However five women complained that he assaulted them during their time working on the unit.
FULL STORY: The Blackpool hospital worker who ‘thought it was a joke’ to slap women’s bottoms at work
Burglar jailed after ‘trying house door handles’ in Great Harwood
A burglar from Accrington has been jailed after being clocked trying house door handles of homes.
Hyndburn Police received reports that men were acting suspiciously and trying house door handles in Great Harwood. The investigation led to Chris Follet being charged.
The 48-year-old, of Ashley Court, Accrington, appeared at magistrates court yesterday (May 3) where he pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted burglary. He was jailed for a total of 42 weeks.
FULL STORY: Accrington burglar jailed after ‘trying house door handles’ in Great Harwood
Paedophile travelled 136 miles to meet underage boy for sex at hotel
A paedophile from Morecambe who travelled 136 miles to meet a 14-year-old boy for sex has been jailed.
Connor Nevison had condoms in his suitcase after arranging to meet the underage teen at a hotel. The 23-year-old groomed ‘Kyle’ online suggesting they shower and sleep naked together before travelling to meet him, a court heard.
However after arriving in the car park of the Derbyshire hotel, Nevison realised that the tenager was really the creation of a self-styled paedophile hunter group. The defendant has previous child sex offences including one for attempted sexual assault in a school toilet when he, himself, was around the same age as his intended victim.
FULL STORY: Morecambe paedophile travelled 136 miles to meet underage boy for sex at hotel
Man lit fire in girlfriend’s house as she was upstairs with daughter
A man from Southport lit a fire in his girlfriend’s house as she was upstairs with her daughter.
Stephen Buckley deliberately started a fire in the downstairs of his girlfriend’s house before fleeing the property. The victim, along with her teenage daughter, were upstairs and only became aware of the fire after smelling smoke coming from downstairs.
Thankfully they managed to get out of the house unharmed, but were left shaken by the incident which took place on December 20, last year.
Following police enquiries, Buckley, 36, of Lord Street, Southport, was later arrested and charged with arson. He pleaded guilty and was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday 2 May.
The 36-year-old was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison.
FULL STORY: Southport man lit fire in girlfriend’s house as she was upstairs with daughter
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