Court hearings in March have included a mixed spectrum of crimes both shocking and, in some cases, incredibly cruel. Defendants came from all manner of backgrounds from a BMW-driving businessman involved in a terrifying road rage incident, to two dealers who posed as key-workers to smuggle cocaine during lockdown.
Twenty-two offenders heard the clang of the prison gates. The biggest sentence was handed to murderer and small-time drug dealer Jake Rollinson, from Stapleford, who is now beginning a life term for the murder of Joseph Whitchurch, who was just 16 years old when he was savagely stabbed.
No-one could not be moved by the tender words spoken in court from Joseph's mum before Rollinson, who showed no emotion, was sentenced. Lisa Kilkenny spoke of her family's heartbreak at losing her first born who was her "little protector".
Read more: The heartbreak of Joseph Whitchurch's mum
And, in a completely different case, Mapperley thief Calvin Henry was labelled 'the very worst of humanity' after he was sentenced for stealing a Ukraine charity box and another in aid of a stroke unit.
When the charity box thefts were discovered, the pub owner David Murphy, 55, had said: "I couldn't believe it when I was told. It's disgusting. I can't imagine anybody going out to try and do this, it's pretty unbelievable. To them - it's just money. They don't think about anything else. They're the very worst of humanity."
Read about those cases and more here:
Smiling BMW driver knocked down courier
Callum Wardle , 31, of Gibb Street, Long Eaton, was locked up for 12 months when he was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday, March 25. He received a two-and-a-half year driving ban.
Wardle pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He knocked down his victim, a van driver, who had stopped after Wardle had repeatedly flashed his lights and beeped his horn.
Wardle drove at speed, knowing the man was in front of him, after he got out of his van, but he had not intended to injure him. He knocked him down and drove off. Read the full story here.
Serial shoplifter jailed
Aaron Kelly, 32, stole a range of food and household items from shops along Southchurch Drive in Clifton during a month-long stealing spree. He lifted detergent, washing tablets and high-quality steaks and meat joints before being caught.
Appearing at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday, March 21, Kelly was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison. He pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft, two counts of attempted theft, assault and possessing a class B substance. Read the full story here
Woman was attacked and threatened her with crossbow
Mark Love, 51, barged into his victim’s home in November last year before dragging her across the floor and assaulting her. She was left with black eyes and bruising following the attack.
Just a few weeks later, on December 30, residents witnessed Love pull a crossbow from his car boot, pointing it at the woman's home in Newark. Love, of Cleveland Square in Newark, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday, March 21, where he pleaded guilty to charges of affray, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon. He was jailed for 22 months. Read the full story here
Dealers posed as key-workers to smuggle cocaine during lockdown
Two Nottingham men who posed as key workers in order to transport and sell millions of pounds worth of cocaine during lockdown were jailed. Stephen Lees, of Bilborough, and Matthew Whorlow, of Strelley, took part in an international operation, collecting drugs coming from Europe and distributing them around the UK in 2020, a court heard.
They ran the operation from a small flat in Bulwell, with Lees recruiting Whorlow, a highways worker, to provide cover when national Covid restrictions threatened to strangle his operation. Between March and June 2020 regional detectives established that the pair had supplied cocaine with a street value of more than £4.5million to organised criminal gangs in Nottinghamshire, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.
Appearing at Harrow Crown Court on Friday, March 25, Lees, of Hoylake Crescent, was jailed for 13 years and two months. Whorlow, 40, of Goldham Road was jailed at an earlier hearing for ten years and nine months. Read the full story here
Face of charity box thief called 'the very worst of humanity'
Calvin Henry, aged 56, of Querneby Road, stole a charity box for the Ukraine appeal, prompting the pub owner to label him 'the very worst of humanity'. Henry was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison after pleading guilty to burglary.
As well as the Ukraine charity box, Henry stole a box containing cash in aid of a stroke unit after entering the pub It’s Inn the Bank in Victoria Road, Netherfield, during the afternoon of March 15. He was also charged with committing fraud by false representation in connection with separate allegations regarding use of a stolen bank card at a store in the Radford area of Nottingham on February 25.
This earned him an extra six weeks behind bars. At court, Henry was ordered to pay £200 compensation for the charity box and £78.98 for the fraud. Read the full story here.
Pub chef drank pints and wine before crashing into motorcyclist
Drink driver Johann Payne, of Nottingham Road, Ravenshead, caused life-altering injuries to a motorcyclist, a court was told. Payne drank two pints of alcohol and a glass of wine before she got behind the wheel of her Mini and hit the victim.
Payne, 62, who pulled out of The Hutt car park, Ravenshead, where she works as a chef, admitted drink-driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. She was jailed for nine months and banned from the roads for three years and four-and-a-half months. Read the full story here.
Facebook friend tried to strangle woman and issued fire threat
A friendship which began on Facebook turned sinister when a man repeatedly attacked a woman and tried to strangle her. David Richard Smith had met his victim on the online social media platform three months earlier.
Cocaine addict Smith, 32, of John Woodhead Court, Mansfield, admitted assaulting, causing bodily harm and common assault on her. He also pleaded guilty to a common assault on the neighbour, causing criminal damage, and a Bail Act offence. His total sentence was two years, and he is now subject to a five-year restraining order. Read more here.
£220,000 worth of cannabis found after police raid
Police found more than £220,000 worth of cannabis at farms in two houses next to each other in Laurel Avenue, Mansfield. Around 350 plants were found growing across 10 different rooms.
Cannabis grower Albian Daja was found to be tending the plants at one of the two neighbouring houses. He appeared before Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday, March 17, having pleaded guilty to the production of a class B drug. Daja, of no fixed address, was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison. Read more here.
Boyfriend left partner for dead after setting her on fire
Leigh Pateman, 43, left his Nottingham girlfriend for dead after setting her on fire and leaving her with 80 percent burns. He poured petrol over his 42-year-old girlfriend and ignited it with his lighter following a row at their flat in Skegness.
The victim, who was originally from Nottingham, then suffered horrific burns after Pateman lit his lighter as she sat in a lounge chair. When emergency services arrived at the shared property in Firbeck Avenue on April 22 last year, Pateman had already fled, Lincolnshire Live reported.
The court heard the victim suffered serious injuries to her eyes and lost several fingers, and has recently been transferred to Nottingham City Hospital. She can only walk a few steps with a frame.
Pateman, of Firbeck Avenue, Skegness, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent on April 22, 2021. He was sentenced to a term of 17 years and ten months in prison and must serve a further four years on licence after his release, making a total extended sentence of 21 years and 10 months. Read the full story here
Bullying son scalds his mum, 82, with boiling water from kettle
Donald Washington Hayles, 50, splashed boiling water from a kettle on his elderly mum and headbutted her when he was dependant on 20 cans of strong lager a day as well as illegal drugs. Hayles, 50, now of Cliff Road, Lace Market, attacked his 82-year-old mum on two separate occasions.
Hayles received 32 months for the boiling water assault on his mum and 12 months in prison consecutively for the earlier assault. He received two months for a separate offence of assaulting a police officer and possessing crystal meth in Clumber Street, Nottingham, on December 13 last year.
A six-month consecutive sentence was imposed for breaching a suspended prison sentence. His total sentence was four years and two months, of which he will serve half. On his release, a restraining order is in place to prevent contact with his mum. Read the full story here.
Man is jailed over stabbing
A woman suffered stab wounds to her liver, stomach, chest and arm after she was attacked on the morning of July 7 last year. She was at a property in Tudor Close, Newark, taking a food delivery into the kitchen when she was stabbed by her partner’s brother, Andrius Sidlauska, 34.
Sidlauskas, of Tudor Close, went on to plead guilty to wounding with intent. He was jailed for four years when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday, March 11, 2022.
Man caught with Class A drugs hidden in his underpants
Richard Wigman hid drugs in his underpants after being searched by police following a vehicle stop. More drugs were found on the floor where Wigman was standing after the car he was driving was stopped by officers in Lillington Drive, Bulwell. Wigman, 29, was arrested and forensic tests on drugs seized confirmed them to be cocaine and ecstasy. A large quantity of cash and mobile phones were also found after Wigman was stopped at around 4pm on November 5, 2019.
Wigman, of Beckett Court, Gedling, went on to plead guilty to supplying a Class A drug and possession with intent to supply a Class A drug. He was jailed for two years and four months when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Monday, March 7. Read the full story here.
Fake gun fired in Sneinton street during iPhone robbery
Ausama Butt got out of a car and grabbed a man and forced him into an alleyway in Ladysmith Street, Sneinton. He demanded his phone or, "I will shank you". Shank is slang for knifing someone. Judge Julie Warburton sentenced Butt on the basis he did not in fact have a knife but, she said, he had continued to hold the man's chest and neck on March 23, 2020. The victim handed over his phone.
Butt's unidentified associate had with him an imitation gun and it was discharged. Butt had pleaded guilty to robbery, receiving five years and two months for that offence, and to possessing an imitation firearm - where he received five years and two months concurrently. He also received a four month consecutive term for a separate affray 12 months earlier. The firearm charge was admitted although Butt was not the gunman.
Twelve months before the attack, Butt, 26, of St Stephen's Road, Sneinton, had been in a group who targeted Pepe's Piri Piri in Sneinton Dale on its grand opening day in an unprovoked attack. Butt leant weight to the incident but did not have a weapon. Read the full story here
Man jumped into canal to escape robbers
A 62-year-old lone man jumped into a freezing canal when faced with two drugged-up criminals on a canal towpath. The terrified victim resorted to fleeing into the Chesterfield Canal, in Worksop, in desperation when he was confronted by the pair.
Jonathon Bran, aged 19, from Nuthall Road, Nottingham, Cameron Hemmings, aged 21, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two attempted robberies, robbery and possessing an offensive weapon - a knuckle duster, all on December 2 last year. Hemmings received 44 months in prison, because of his previous convictions, and Bran, who had no previous convictions, received 40 months in youth custody. Read the full story here.
Man assaulted woman and threatened to kill her
Grzegorz Dytrych, 36, punched a woman in the face and hit her with a metal pole during separate attacks. He also followed her to different locations over an eight-day period.
It happened despite the woman having a restraining order against him. Dytrych, of Randal Gardens, Hyson Green, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday, March 4, having pleaded guilty to two counts of assault, four counts of harassment and breaching of a restraining order, as well as charges of making threats and criminal damage. He was sentenced to five years in prison and handed a renewed restraining order. Read the full story here.
Face of Nottingham man who hid cocaine in his shoes
Aban Ahmed, 33, of Independent Street, Radford, went to jail after police stopped a car and discovered a range of class A drugs. Police were driving along Mansfield Road, Nottingham city centre, when intelligence led them to pull over a Citroen C3. On getting out of the car, the driver was seen to drop a black cloth bag and officers continued to search him.
The search led officers to find and recover a large quantity of suspected class A drugs, which he had hidden in his shoes, and around other parts of his body and clothing. The drugs were later confirmed to be cocaine and diamorphine He pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs and was sentenced to three years in prison this month. Read the full story here
Murderer jailed for life over the killing of 16-year-old Joseph Whitchurch
Jake Rollinson was sentenced to life, with a minimum term of 19 years to serve before he can apply for parole. The 21-year-old, of Hickings Lane, Stapleford, was convicted of the murder of Joseph Whitchurch after a trial last September.
He stabbed Joseph in the kitchen of his home on Boxing Day morning in 2020. Joseph died on December 29. Rollinson was also sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday, March 11, with girlfriend Lorna Richardson, of Blake Road in Stapleford, who pleaded guilty with Rollinson to perverting the course of justice.
She was jailed for two years. Rollinson received a concurrent sentence of three years. Both had lied to police after the stabbing which happened as Richardson sat in her car outside. Read the full story here.
Former CPS worker in dressing gown hit teen with baseball bat
Two armed intruders wearing their dressing gowns turned up at the hostel home of a teenager who they had a connection with through drugs, a court heard. Former CPS worker Suzana Palmer and her boyfriend, Luke Chapman, were captured on "disturbing" CCTV going into the victim's home in the dead of night.
Chapman forced his way in with a wrench, followed by Palmer, with a baseball bat, on May 31, 2021. A hooded Palmer appeared, after helping herself to the victim's rucksack and coat, and hit the victim, who was 17 years old, at least 29 times with the wooden bat.
Read more: Church treasurer accused of stealing thousands of pounds by abusing his position
Chapman, 32, was sentenced for aggravated burglary with the intention of inflicting grievous bodily harm with a wrench. He was sent to prison for six years and eight months. He received a four-year period on extended licence on his release.
Palmer, 37, whose address with Chapman was Stevenson Crescent, Sutton-in-Ashfield, was given six years in prison. She admitted aggravated burglary with intent to steal and assault, causing bodily harm.
Heavily pregnant woman savagely attacked by ex-partner
A heavily pregnant woman curled up in a foetal position in the street after a savage attack at the hands of her ex-partner and father-to-be. Jordan Plummer kicked off when she stopped him taking the television when they broke up.
Judge Steven Coupland jailed Plummer, 29, of Surbiton Square, Cinderhill, for 21 months and imposed a restraining order. Plummer denied offences of assault, causing bodily harm, two common assaults, and an offence of criminal damage, but he was convicted before magistrates, and sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court.
