An EncroChat dealer ‘Carbonzero’ and a woman beater were among those jailed this week.
Liverpool Crown Court also saw a drug dealer who hoped the cocaine he had smuggled inside his body would be worth "fortunes" in prison put behind bars. A successful accountant turned drug dealer also broke down in tears as he confessed to his involvement in a serious illegal operation.
Here we take a look at some of the criminals who were jailed in Liverpool this week.
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Michael Redmond
Michael Redmond told police "I'm going to need those in prison" after he was caught with class A drugs smuggled inside his body.
Liverpool Crown Court heard how Redmond, who was on remand, hoped the drugs would be worth "fortunes" in the prison setting. The 53-year-old, of no fixed abode, was seen on CCTV distributing drugs in Waterloo on March 21.
The next day, he was spotted again by police officers who described him as carrying out "four separate drug transactions" on Manley Road in which he received cash. Appearing via video link before Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, May 22, it was heard that Redmond was unable to be detained by police.
However, on March 23, he was again seen by officers on Cambridge Lane. Prosecuting Mr Blasbery said he was arrested but "tried to swallow an object in his mouth".
The court heard Redmond was taken to hospital and a strip search carried out in which over 50 bags of "white powder" was recovered as well as a mobile phone and £20 in cash. Mr Blasbery told the court that another "golf ball sized package was recovered" which contained 40 bags of cocaine and 20 bags of heroin.
Meaning in total, there had been 96 bags of cocaine and 20 bags of heroin with a street value of over £1,000. He was later interviewed by police but "remained silent".
Giving Redmond full credit for his earlier guilty pleas for two counts of possession to supply cocaine and heroin, the judge said: "Of course there was a degree of pressure, there always is when you're a user."
Redmond was given a custodial sentence of 44 months.
Liam Harrison
A remorseful drug dealer broke down in court as he confessed to his involvement in a serious illegal operation.
Liam Harrison, 26, tearfully claimed "I couldn't stop myself" after being caught with bags of cocaine and MDMA pills just a few months after losing his job as an accountant. He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, May 24, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class A and possession of class B.
Police were on patrol on Queensway, Waterloo, at around 3.45pm on August 11 2022 when they noticed Harrison cycling with a large bag. Their suspicions were raised when the 26-year-old attempted to hide behind a gate; they searched him and found 11 wraps of white powder and £260 cash.
He was arrested, and a further search of his home on Brunswick Parade discovered other items relating to drug use, including bags of cocaine and a large plastic bag of 355 MDMA pills worth up to £3,500.
Mr Whitehead, defending, said Harrison had suffered a traumatic event in his childhood which caused him to fall into drug use, and he had recently lost his accounting job due to his addiction. He said Harrison was no longer involved in taking drugs and had sought help for his addiction.
He sentenced Harrison to 28 months in prison.
Michael Kelly
War veteran Michael Kelly was caught running a huge illegal drugs operation from his flat in Bootle.
Liverpool Crown Court heard how Kelly returned to a life of crime after falling into money troubles. The 36-year-old, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, was caught red-handed when patrolling police officers "literally used their noses" and followed the smell of cannabis to his Stanley Road home in Bootle on November 16, 2022.
He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, May 24, where he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A and B drugs. Police forced entry to the flat and found evidence of a huge illegal drugs operation, with scales, packing equipment, plastic bags, cash, and large amounts of drugs.
312g of cocaine with a value of between £11,700 and £28,000 was discovered, and 619g of cannabis with a street value of between £4,000 and £8,000. Mr Jones said it appeared Kelly had been using his property as a warehouse for drug dealers in exchange for cash, and that "there were clearly others involved" in the operation.
He said Kelly had made efforts to turn his life around after being given a rare suspended sentence for dealing class A drugs in 2019, but had found himself in financial trouble after his convenience shop failed.
He sentenced Kelly to 40 months in prison for possession with intent to supply class A, and 16 months for possession with intent to supply class B, to run concurrently.
Gavin Sellens
Gavin Sellens pushed his girlfriend to the ground and kicked her in the face after accusing her of cheating.
Sellens, 41, admitted attacking the 33-year-old in a drunken rage following an argument on February 16 2023. He pleaded guilty to assault at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, May 26.
Prosecutor Derek Jones said: “The victim was in a relationship with the defendant for a year. Sadly it seems both are alcohol dependent and prior to the assault it seems the defendant was accusing her of cheating on him.
“On February 16 she was at the defendant’s home address, quite clearly both had been drinking alcohol for a period. An argument started and she says the defendant started accusing her of being with someone else, shouting at her ‘go to your next man’.”
Sellens, of Longfellow Street, Toxteth, then pushed the woman onto the floor. She ran into a bathroom to escape him and he chased her and pushed her again, causing her to fall against the bath.
He pushed her to the ground and kicked her several times, causing two black eyes and cuts and bruises to her legs and arms. Sellens was sentenced to 14 months in prison and given a seven year restraining order.
Michael Legros
Michael Legros called a border force officer a "Rochdale paedo" after being caught with 14,000 cigarettes in his luggage.
Legros was returning from a holiday in Bali with his partner Heidi Mullis and their young children on May 24 2020 when he was pulled across by border force officers at Manchester Airport. Legros, 32, began aggressively pacing up and down with his fists clenched while his suitcases were searched.
Legros' suitcase was opened and 14,000 cigarettes were found. Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, May 26, heard Legros turned to the border force officers and called them "scruffy c****", before he added: "You only earn £20,000 a year - just keep the cigarettes".
Zahra Baqri, prosecuting, said Legros told one of the officers, who was Asian, that he looked like a "Rochdale paedo". The officer, who was not named in court, was heard to be physically shaken by the racial abuse. The court heard the officer had been racially abused before in the job, but this "really shook him".
Legros, whose address was given as Woodbridge Avenue, Halewood, was found guilty of the racially aggravated offence by a jury in Manchester on November 11. His sentencing was delayed until this week due to a number of other offences that Ms Baqri listed in court.
Legros was involved in a commotion on Lark Lane, Aigburth, on July 31 2020 where he threw a plastic bottle at someone during a fight that saw a woman assaulted.
But in a case described by Honour Judge Brian Cummings as "far more serious", the court also heard how Legros was involved in an incident at the Wellington Pub, Hale on May 15 last year. Ms Baqri said he was caught on CCTV brandishing a blade and threatening members of the public.
Judge Cummings sentenced Legros to three years in prison. He will serve half the sentence before being allowed out on licence.
Thomas Robinson
An EncroChat drug dealer who used the handle "CarbonZero" used his car and van hire company as a front to sell heroin and cocaine.
Thomas Robinson, 43, of St Mary’s Road, Huyton, was linked to a large scale supply of class A drugs between the period of March to June 2020. Messages and images recovered by detectives showed Robinson was clearly an active member of a drugs supply network, along with other gang members.
It was uncovered that Robinson was using his business, called Practical Car and Van Hire, as a front to sell drugs. The 43-year-old was found guilty of conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court. He was jailed for 17 years on Friday, May 26.
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