These are the criminals jailed this week for crimes linked to Merseyside.
They include a "proud dad" who was unmasked as an Encrochat drug dealer responsible for moving kilos of cocaine and heroin and a thug who launched an unprovoked attack on a man in Liverpool city centre.
A thug who robbed a disabled man's home and a pensioner who subjected a child to a vile campaign of sexual abuse for more than a decade were also handed lengthy sentences at courts in our region.
READ MORE: 'Proud dad' unmasked as Encrochat dealer 'Diorpaw' who moved 30kgs of cocaine
Here are the people jailed in Liverpool this week.
Ryan Fagan
A thug who initiated the attack of a man in Liverpool city centre celebrated as he left court having been jailed.
Ryan Fagan, 40, had pleaded guilty to assault - causing actual bodily harm - for his involvement in an attack in Liverpool city centre in March. Fagan and co-defendant Kyle Johnson attacked Paul Buckley, 45, on Victoria Street in the early hours of March 1, 2022.
On Tuesday (June 21), Fagan was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court. However, the sentencing of Johnson was adjourned until August due to a delayed psychology report.
The court heard that Mr Buckley attended a formal function in Liverpool city centre on February 28, 2022 and decided to remain in town after the event ended at around 11pm. Fagan was in the city centre with Johnson and others that night and they approached Mr Buckley on Victoria Street at around 3am.
The pair then launched a sickening attack on the man.
The judge sentenced Fagan to 12 months in prison. Afterwards, Fagan thanked Recorder Shafi, before letting out a loud cheer of "get in" as he left the courtroom.
Shaun Wrigley
A burglar broke into a man's home and viciously attacked him with a golf club.
Shaun Wrigley, 37, attacked his victim, before reaching into his wheelchair and stealing his wallet. He then apologised to the man, who was unable to defend himself as he had no legs.
Wrigley then volunteered to leave his hand print on a plate to ensure he could be caught, Preston Crown Court heard. Judge Graham Knowles QC sentenced the intruder to 11 years for the robbery and an assault on a woman in a safe house in Liverpool, LancsLive reports.
The court heard Wrigley broke into the man’s house while his partner was there and demanded cash while holding a golf club above his head. He then apologised to the victim and said he didn’t realise he was disabled but then appeared to reach and take something from his wheelchair.
The victim’s partner described Wrigley’s behaviour during the robbery as bizarre and he was picked up by police a few days later.
The court heard Wrigley also attacked a woman who was placed in a safe house due to previous violence from him, after a social services blunder resulted in him being given her address. During the attack, Wrigley punched the woman to the ground, strangled her and bit her, leaving her black and blue.
A judge sentenced Wrigley, of Bridge Street, Liverpool, to eight years for the robbery in Blackpool and three years for causing actual bodily harm (ABH) to the woman.
Yacine Djalti
The leader of an organised crime group from Liverpool who used a child to traffic drugs into Cumbria has been sentenced.
Yacine Djalti was the leader of a county lines drug gang that would run crack cocaine and heroin on the county line known as 'Mo' into South Cumbria in July and August 2021. On July 28, 2021, Cumbria Police executed a warrant at an address on Abbey Road in Barrow-in-Furness after they received intelligence that drug dealing was taking place in the area.
80 wraps of crack cocaine and 98 wraps of heroin with the value of £3,600 along with £360 in cash was found in the property. When police stormed the flat they found occupant Marc Woods, street dealer Derek Duncan, and ‘stock keeper’ Fred Williams, all three were arrested.
Thanks to phone evidence from the day police found that there was regular contact between all three of the men and OCG leader Djalti, as well as contact with drug courier Gary Crompton.
Just over a week later on August 5, 2021, officers conducted another warrant at another address on Titchfield Street in Barrow-in-Furness where a further 89 wraps of heroin and £1,080 in cash was found. Inside officers found the flat occupant and street dealer Ben Heavyside and a juvenile from Merseyside.
Finally, in a joint warrant from Merseyside Police and Cumbria Police that was executed on August 17, 2021 at a house on Whitney Road. As police approached the address Djalti was spotted walking down the street and officers began to chase him with him sprinting through gardens and discarding mobile phones, cash and a knife.
When the phones were recovered, police found that both were handsets used to run the county lines operation.
Yacine Djalti, 20, from Liverpool but of no fixed abode was sentenced to nine years and nine months in prison for conspiracy to supply heroin, conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, criminal damage to property, possessing a knife blade in a public place and racially aggravated public order.
Leslie Foster
A convicted rapist made a three-year-old rub his genitals in a city centre shop before trying to kidnap an eight-year-old and sexually assault her.
Leslie Foster had only recently been released from prison after committing sex offences against children but went on to target more kids in Home Bargains and Wilko in St John’s Shopping Centre last year. The 71-year-old has spent most of his life in prison after committing a series of sexual assaults against women and girls.
A judge said his pattern of predatory behaviour posed a risk to young children as he jailed him .
Martine Snowdon, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court he was first reported after lurking in the arts and crafts aisle in Wilko’s in September last year. A ten-year-old, shopping with her parents and sister, wandered away from them and was discovered by her sister close to Foster, who had brushed past her. Ms Snowdon said: “The defendant had said to her “are you sure, are you shy, do you want a kiss?’”
Days later, in Home Bargains, he targeted a three-year-old girl, telling her to rub his genitals over his trousers. That girl also told her family what had happened and while shop staff were checking the CCTV Foster tried to kidnap another child. He located an eight-year-old in a different part of the shop and asked her if she wanted to “come and play” and told her he would give her some money if she did so.
He quickly fled after realising he was under suspicion - but was arrested after he returned at a later date.
Foster, of no fixed abode, was jailed for nine and a half years, with another four and a half years on extended licence.
Alan Dreha
A man who subjected a child to 11 years of sexual assault has now been brought to justice.
Alan Dreha, 70, of Hanmer Road, Kirkby, abused his victim between 1990 and 2001. Following a trial in May, he was convicted of 14 counts of sexual assault.
At Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday (June 23), he was jailed for 17 years, plus two on licence.
Detective Inspector Yoseph Al-Ramadhan said: “Dreha denied his offending meaning his victim was forced to endure a trial. We welcome that he will now spend a considerable amount of time behind bars to consider the consequences of his actions.
“I would like to take this opportunity to praise Dreha’s victim for their courage in coming forward to report his crimes, and the dignity they have shown throughout the whole of this investigation.”
Lucas Devereux
A county lines dealer stole multiple cars and flooded communities with drugs.
Lucas Devereux, 20, of Ranworth Place, Norris Green, was arrested in July 2021, after Project Medusa officers raided his home. The warrant came after an investigation into a County Line dealing into Widnes, Cheshire.
Devereux pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. He pleaded guilty to a string of four burglaries and theft of vehicles, that took place between December 2020 and February 2021 in the Kirkby, Southport and Norris Green areas.
Devereux was sentenced to four years and 10 months in a Young Offenders Institute after pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and four burglary offences at Liverpool Crown Court.
Officers from Project Medusa have welcomed the sentence of Devereux, speaking on his sentence, Inspector Gary Stratton said: "The offenders who operate these County Lines do so, to the detriment of everyone around them - they exploit young and vulnerable people to store, transport and deal drugs and blight the communities in which they operate.
"Project Medusa is committed to cutting these lines and putting the organised criminals who operate them before the courts, as we have done today. We are also working to remove those who have been exploited by these groups, to give them a choice and a chance to make a different life for themselves.”
Kurtis Mackie
A drug dealer who would travel from Liverpool to Hull could have been a professional footballer but "squandered" his chance of reaching professional status in the sport.
The talented athlete Kurtis Mackie was found out after an eagle-eyed undercover police officer saw him in the middle of a "huddle" of drug users in a park that was well-known to police as a meeting place for drug dealing. Mackie had failed to learn his lesson after he was previously locked up for similar drug offences, Hull Crown Court heard.
The 26-year-old admitted to possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply on October 9, 2019. The court heard Mackie travelled from his home in Liverpool to Hull and stayed overnight there before cutting up stashes of heroin and crack cocaine into smaller amounts before selling them on the streets.
Mackie, of Marsden Road, Halewood, was jailed for three years.
David Byron
A gangland debt collector was locked up for dodging penalty points in a speeding ticket scam.
Dad-of-three David Byron, 44, schemed with dodgy car rental business owner Benjamin Rood, 41, to swerve fixed penalty notices after being caught speeding in August 2016 and February 2017. Byron, of Longfellow Close, Kirkby, was driving Land Rover vehicles leased by Rood's franchise, 4x4 Hire Liverpool, on both occasions.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that as the rental vehicles were registered to Rood's business, he was obliged by law to provide the details of the driver. However, rather than Byron simply taking the points and paying the fine, WhatsApp messages recovered from Rood's phone revealed extensive conversations about nominating a "fall-guy".
That resulted in two men, Barry Sissons and James Ryan, being convicted of speeding in magistrates' court and each being handed six penalty points and fines ranging between £600 and £900. James Rae, prosecuting, told the court that Rood and several other men had been jailed for money laundering and conspiring to pervert the course of justice in May, but Byron had not been involved in their wider offending.
During an investigation into Rood, the WhatsApp messages were obtained by police, and Byron later pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, while asking for the 2016 incident to be taken into consideration by the court. Mr Rae said Byron also had a previous conviction for a similar offence, which saw him handed a suspended sentence in August 2012.
Byron was jailed for 10 months, and will be eligible for release on licence at the half-way stage.
John Digweed
A "proud dad" was unmasked as Encrochat dealer "Diorpaw" who moved 40kgs of Class A drugs in just a few months.
John Digweed used the Encrochat services to organise the supply of cocaine and heroin during the spring of 2020. The 33-year-old tried to deny he was behind the handle “DiorPaw” but a jury saw through his lies in December.
On Friday, a judge told the “proud dad” his messages about his children played a significant role in police being able to identify him.
Henry Riding, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court Digweed was convicted of conspiracy to supply a range of Class A and Class B drugs including cocaine, heroin, amphetamine, ketamine, cannabis and ecstasy. He said Digweed mainly appeared to trade drugs to other dealers in Devon and Cornwall, though other locations across Britain were mentioned in his messages to other criminals.
Digweed was jailed for 25 years.
