These offenders found themselves behind bars in December to pay for their appalling crimes.
Among those who appeared in court were violent thugs, burglars, sex offenders and people involved in fraud as well as dangerous driving.
One court case involved a killer driver who was jailed for causing death by dangerous driving, while others were sent to prison for vicious assaults.
Go here for the latest reports and live updates from North East courts
Steven Woodhall
A savage thug who bit his partner's ear and punched her during a row was jailed.
Violent Steven Woodhall sank his teeth into the vulnerable woman after hitting her during an argument.
She was left with a bite mark and a bloodied, bruised ear as well as a lump to her head.
Newcastle Crown Court heard their three-year relationship had been peppered with physical and verbal abuse from Woodhall.
On May 12 this year, they were consuming alcohol at the home they shared when an argument broke out.
The prosecutor said: "He accepts punching her once to the head and he bit her on the ear.
"She was able to barricade herself in the bedroom and rang the police.
"A neighbour of the complainant said around 5pm she was in her home when she heard an argument between a male and female and she believes she heard the female shouting 'help'."
The court heard the victim was left with a lump above her left eye and a bite mark and bruising to her ear, which was swollen and bleeding.
Woodhall, 43, of Banbury Road, Fawdon, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was locked up for 17 months. Here's the full court report.
Stephen Cowley
A man was put before a court for making threats with a knife after he had been attacked himself.
Stephen Cowley, who had previously served a jail term and was out on licence, was knocked out after he was assaulted at a block of flats in Whitley Bay in November.
He was thrown to the floor by another man and stamped on, losing consciousness, it was said at Newcastle Crown Court.
When he came to, he armed himself with a knife with a four-inch blade and started making threats.
Police arrived and found him on a landing, brandishing the weapon and shouting aggressively at his attacker.
Cowley, 31, of Whitley Road, Whitley Bay, was jailed again after he pleaded guilty to threatening another with a bladed article.
The court heard that the defendant had previously been in prison for attempted robbery and possession of an imitation firearm, and was on licence when this offence took place.
He was sentenced to 10 months in jail. Read the full story here.
John Walton
A serial fuel thief was behind bars for Christmas after targeting yet another petrol station.
John Walton amassed an "appalling record" for filling up at garages before pretending to have forgotten his wallet.
The 32-year-old then fills in a form promising to come back and pay but never does, a court was told.
In September, he was given a community order after targeting garages four times in a month and making off with £523.67-worth of diesel.
However the career crook was jailed after he helped himself to £108.49 worth of fuel from the Jet Garage, on Plessey Road, in Blyth, on two separate occasions.
Walton, of Avebury Place, Cramlington, who was already serving a prison sentence for driving while disqualified and theft, was locked up for four months after he pleaded guilty to one count of making off without making payment at Newcastle Magistrates' Court. Here's the full story.
Gary Hearn
A burglar was jailed for breaking into student homes in Newcastle.
Gary Hearn went into three homes in the Jesmond and Heaton areas and took items including money, alcohol and game controllers.
The occupiers were inside their homes during two of the burglaries, when Hearn ran away after being disturbed.
He was arrested after police found his rucksack containing the stolen items.
The 37-year-old, of no fixed abode, was sent to prison after he pleaded guilty to three burglary offences at Newcastle Crown Court.
Heard, who already had 44 previous convictions for 84 offences, was given a prison sentence of around two years and five months. Read the full court report here.
Daniel Zoto
A cannabis farm that could have netted a crime gang huge profits was smashed in a police bust.
Three bedrooms of a house in North Shields had been converted into a drugs factory capable of producing cannabis worth up to £196,000.
When police raided the home, there were a total of 297 plants growing, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
Greek man Daniel Zoto had been employed as a "gardener" at the cannabis farm and was jailed for producing the drug.
Zoto pleaded guilty to producing cannabis on the basis he had been in the UK for three months, having come here for lawful employment but having been unable to find any.
He was on the verge of being homeless when he was introduced to a man who offered him work and accommodation looking after the plants, which he had been doing for a few weeks before his arrest.
Zoto, 21, of no fixed address, who has no previous convictions, was jailed for six months. Here's the full story.
Glen Russell
A former prison service worker and bus driver was jailed for raping a young man.
Glen Russell carried out the offence in May last year, following a get-together that took place as the Covid lockdown restrictions were slightly easing.
The 63-year-old had been "drinking alcohol" at the get-together alongside the victim before going on to commit the crime in County Durham.
Russell, of Stanley, appeared at Durham Crown Court to be sentenced for a single charge of rape.
He was jailed for four years and one month. Read the full court report here.
Chloe Shotton
Shocking footage showed an arsonist setting fire to her lover's wife's home while she was asleep.
Chloe Shotton had already ruined the victim's marriage by having an affair with her husband when she set fire to a carrier bag she'd put in her letter box.
The woman, her teenage son and a friend and her daughter were all asleep upstairs in the house in North Shields at the time but fortunately a smoke alarm roused them.
A court heard the victim had installed a camera at the front door following a series of other incidents which she believes Shotton was responsible for and it showed her lighting the fire.
The 23-year-old, who had two previous arson offences on her lengthy record, was jailed for three-and-a-half years.
Shotton, 23, of Hartside Crescent, Backworth, North Tyneside, pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
Adam Waugh and Emma Durkin
A heroin addicted duo stole over £21,000 from a "vulnerable" and "frail" man before going on the run from the police.
Adam Waugh, 39, and Emma Durkin, 31, exploited the housebound man who required help after being discharged from hospital, and left him "destitute".
The man, who had sustained injuries in a fall, entrusted Durkin to do his shopping and clean his home.
But rather than help, Durkin and her then-partner, Waugh, used two of the man's bank cards to squander thousands of pounds on drugs.
Waugh and Durkin, both of Collingwood Street, Coundon, Bishop Auckland, appeared at Durham Crown Court to be sentenced for conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
Durkin was jailed for 37 months, with an extra four weeks added for remaining at large. Waugh was jailed for 42 months, with an extra six weeks added for remaining at large. Read the full story here.
Matthew Fearn
A terrified mum had a cloth stuffed into her mouth by a jilted ex who broke in while she was out and lay in wait to attack her.
Matthew Fearn had taken the end of his five-year relationship with Carly Ward badly and when she returned home from a night out in the early hours, he was lurking next to her home.
Afraid, she got back in a taxi and didn't go back until four hours later, at 8am on a Sunday morning.
But when she went inside she was shocked to see he had broken in and was waiting for her and launched an attack.
A court heard he dragged her to the floor, pinned her down then forced the cloth into her mouth to keep her quiet, causing her to retch and gag. She was eventually saved by the intervention of a neighbour.
Fearn, 30, of Stretton Way, Backworth, North Tyneside, pleaded guilty to assault by beating, burglary and criminal damage.
He was jailed for 15 months and made subject to a five-year restraining order. Read the full story here.
Liam Keith Hall
A man was jailed for 16 years after he brutally assaulted a woman and two teenage girls at a home in County Durham.
Liam Keith Hall, 33, went to the house on Coleridge Road, Chilton, in September and assaulted all three victims once inside in a vicious and violent outburst.
Hall punched his victims repeatedly, causing significant facial injuries before fleeing the scene to avoid officers from Durham Constabulary.
The attack was so violent two of his victims had to go through facial surgery due to the serious nature of their injuries.
Hall was swiftly arrested and charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm and one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.
Hall, also from Chilton in County Durham, pleaded guilty to the charges and appeared at Teesside Crown Court, where he was jailed for 16 years. The full report is here.
Laura Matthews
A thieving bank worker lived the high life after helping herself to £1.3m in a shocking abuse of trust.
Greedy Laura Matthews transferred huge sums to herself and cooked the books to cover her tracks while working for Virgin PLC.
A court heard she got away with the criminal behaviour for six years and was only caught when someone standing in for her during a period of leave noticed a discrepancy.
When rumbled, she immediately held her hands up but tried to pull the wool over police's eyes by saying she had only stolen £34,000.
An audit by Virgin Money revealed the true extend of Matthews' dishonesty.
She initially said she did it to pay off payday loans companies but she had also bought a £42,000 BMW and later claimed she spent the vast majority of her ill-gotten gains on horses and equine equipment.
The 32-year-old, of Rosecroft, Pelton, Chester-le-Street, Durham, pleaded guilty to theft and transferring criminal property and was jailed for four years and nine months. Here's the full story.
Dean Wilkinson
A thug who staged a rooftop siege lasting almost 50 hours caused thousands of pounds of damage, injured a fireman and wasted the time of two-thirds of Newcastle's police officers.
Dean Wilkinson climbed onto the roof of a house and sparked a stand-off after police turned up to arrest him.
For two days and two nights he refused to come down and threw roof tiles at police officers, firefighters, their vehicles and the homes and cars of residents.
A court heard he caused more than £30,000 of damage, including writing off two cars and smashing house windows and left a firefighter having to take three weeks off work due to being injured by one of the missiles he threw.
Wilkinson, 31, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to affray, causing a public nuisance, having an offensive weapon and assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was jailed for two years. Read the full report here.
Brennan Bryan
A man suffered a serious stab wound after the son of the woman he was having sex with "barged" into the room and threw a knife at him.
Brennan Bryan "snapped" after finding his mum in bed with a man in the early hours of August 1 and armed himself with a blade.
The 22-year-old then "hoyed" the knife at the man, causing a stab wound to his abdomen which later required some of his small bowel to be removed.
Bryan, of West Chilton Terrace, Chilton, Ferryhill, appeared at Durham Crown Court to be sentenced for wounding after pleading guilty to the charge. He was jailed for two years. The full story is here.
Steven Ogle
Lives were put at risk from a potential explosion in a block of flats when a raging resident ripped his gas meter from the wall and ruptured pipes after a row with his neighbour.
Steven Ogle caused residents in ten other flats to be evacuated after his actions led to gas flowing freely into his property.
A court heard Ogle was angry and suicidal after a verbal altercation with another person living in the flats at Wellington Street, Felling, Gateshead.
Newcastle Crown Court heard police were alerted to a strong smell of gas coming from his ground floor home in the three-storey block of ten flats.
Officers saw Ogle standing holding something in his hand, which he claimed was a lighter but turned out to be keys.
Ogle, 36, pleaded guilty to criminal damage being reckless as to whether life was endangered and was jailed for four years, with an extended licence period of a further two years. Read the full court report here.
Cal Thirtle
A son trapped his mum and sister in their upstairs flat by setting fire to their door in a shocking revenge attack.
Cal Thirtle had already issued threats to "set fire to you in your beds" during an angry rant in which he demanded money from his mother.
A court heard the drug addict had ignored police warnings not to go to his mum's home in Ashington, Northumberland, after being released from custody over an allegation he had assaulted his sister.
He went straight there after police dropped him off in the town, before officers could serve him with an order banning him from doing so.
His mum reluctantly let him in after he threatened to smash every window of her flat.
But when police turned up to serve him with the order, he had to leave.
Once outside, he demanded officers to back and retrieve his lighter, claiming he wanted it to smoke.
However, when police left the scene, he returned to his mum's flat, set fire to a piece of clothing and shoved it in the letter box.
When smoke started to fill the flat from the only exit, his petrified mum and sister feared they were going to die and had to be rescued through the window by firefighters.
Thirtle, of College Road, Ashington, admitted arson with intent to endanger life and threatening to damage property.
He was jailed for five-and-a-half years. Here's the full story.
Chris Bezuidenhout
A student teacher's career hopes were ruined when a thug left him with severed tendons in his hand with a machete.
A trip to the beach with a friend ended in pain and misery for Adam Bell thanks to the actions of Chris Bezuidenhout.
A court heard Mr Bell and his friend were walking in Roker, Sunderland, when they became aware of Bezuidenhout shouting "Oi, small d***" while leaning out of a window.
He was then heard to refer to them as "f****** fa*****", although prosecutors accepted this was not intended as homophobic.
Mr Bell reacted to the abuse by sticking two fingers up at Bezuidenhout, prompting him to chase after him, shouting and asking what he said to him.
When he caught up with him, he noticed he was armed with a long machete with a 20cm curved blade.
Bezuidenhout grabbed Mr Bell's clothing and held the machete close to his throat and then his stomach and threatened to stab him.
Mr Bell said he thought it was a fake weapon and grabbed the blade.
Bezuidenhout then withdrew it, slicing Mr Bell's hand open, severing tendons in all his fingers and nicking a bone.
Mr Bell was left devastated by his painful injuries and had to quit his teacher training course.
Bezuidenhout pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and possessing a bladed article and as well as a three-year jail term, he was made subject to a restraining order. Read the full story here.
Gary Mullaney
A drunk burglar who raided a home while a couple slept in bed was jailed for more than two years.
Gary Mullaney had been drinking alcohol and taking "medication" when he committed the offence in the early hours of November 16.
The 48-year-old broke into a home only a short distance from his own and woke up the couple who lived there when he entered their bedroom.
The burglary left the female occupant "traumatised" and "hysterical" upon finding Mullaney in their home.
At Durham Crown Court, Mullaney, of Finchale Terrace, Chester le Street, was jailed for burglary for 876 days. Here's the full story.
Jamie Teasdale
A man who tried to groom a 13-year-old girl for sexual activity and was twice caught with indecent images of children was locked up.
Jamie Teasdale made persistent attempts to groom and meet a child called Chloe - not realising it was a decoy profile online being run by vigilantes.
He admitted he would have engaged in sexual activity with the youngster if she had been real.
Police also found child abuse images on his phone and then later found he had downloaded more after his initial arrest.
The 28-year-old, of Sheriffs Highway, Gateshead, was jailed for three years at Newcastle Crown Court.
He pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, six counts of making indecent images and one of distributing an indecent image. Here's the full story.
Ricki Rowell
A banned driver spent Christmas behind bars after getting behind the wheel once again.
Ricki Rowell was given a suspended prison sentence in September last year, after being involved in a police chase around Bishop Auckland while driving an Audi A3 in 2019.
But the 19-year-old banned driver was caught in a VW car on November 9 last year while driving through Durham.
Durham Crown Court heard that police were on patrol when they stopped the car as part of a routine check.
But the officer that pulled Rowell over recognised him and arrested him.
Rowell, of Hilton Road, Bishop Auckland, was sentenced for driving without insurance and driving while disqualified. He was jailed for 14 months. Here's the full story.
Peter Elvin
A "dangerous offender" carried out a terrifying robbery armed with an axe just days after being released from prison.
Peter Elvin made off with over £11,000 after committing a robbery at Hays Travel in Stanley.
The 40-year-old had only left prison days earlier after being released from a 15-year extended sentence - which was handed to him after committing an armed robbery.
Elvin, of Dunholme Road, Newcastle, appeared at Durham Crown Court and pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a blade. He was jailed for 11 years and four months. Here's the full story.
Bradley Webb
Mum Paula Tiffin begged killer driver Bradley Webb to stop before the horror crash that killed her.
The mum-of-11 died from the catastrophic injuries she suffered when she was a front seat passenger in Webb's car, which smashed into a wall as he tried to flee police.
Diane Coffell, who was in the back of the car, also suffered serious injuries in the crash, which happened during the early hours of the morning in Houghton-le-Spring.
Webb, 25, of Queens Street in Hetton-le-Hole, was jailed for six years and eight months.
He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving without insurance, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and failing to stop.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Paula, who was a closed friend of Webb's, had begged him to slow down and stop in the moments before the crash that killed her. The full court report is here.
Jason Mawson
A drug dealer who tried to dispose of £24,000 worth of cocaine was jailed.
Jason Mawson was stopped by officers in his car in August but fled the scene with nearly half a kilogram of cocaine.
The 52-year-old tried to dispose of the 488g block of cocaine in the middle of Tow Law but was caught by pursuing officers.
And at Durham Crown Court, Mawson, of Grey Street, Crook, was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for possession with intent to supply a Class A drug.
The drugs were estimated to be worth £24,000 but much more if they had been sold on the street. The full report is here.
Jade Shannon
A woman got a young child to engage in sexual activity with her so she could send videos of the abuse to a man she met online.
Jade Shannon made the youngster use a sex toy on her, took footage of them naked and showed them images of male genitals during disturbing abuse.
A court heard she recorded what she was doing and sent it to a man she had met on an app and who groomed and pressured her into doing so.
Shannon's disgusting behaviour was exposed when police arrested the man as part of a separate investigation and found the material she had sent him.
The 30-year-old, of Priors Way, Wallsend, was jailed for four years and eight months after pleading guilty to four offences of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to watch a sexual act and two counts of distributing indecent images of a child. Read the full story here.
Kieron Davis
A man savagely bit and repeatedly punched his teenage girlfriend during an attack that left her fearing for her life.
Kieron Davis turned violent after he and his girlfriend had been drinking alcohol on October 15, and left her with multiple injuries.
The 19-year-old attacked her with his fists and armed himself with a "large kitchen knife" as she fled into a bathroom and locked herself in.
And when police turned up to arrest him, Davis fought back and attempted to flee.
Davis, of South Burns, Chester-le-Street, appeared at Durham Crown Court to be sentenced for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and obstructing a PC. He was jailed for 16 months. Here's the full story.
Dylan Myers
A violent thug used his car as a weapon to twice deliberately hit his girlfriend's uncle while attacking him at his home.
Dylan Myers had already thrown a wheelie bin at him, hit him with a piece of wood, swung a machete, threw stones and tried to kick and punch him during the unprovoked attack, which was witnessed by horrified children.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the violence in Byker, Newcastle, left the man with injuries including a fractured arm that required surgery.
Prosecutor Jessica Slaughter told the court Myers had had a row with his girlfriend on the morning of July 24 and she went to her uncle's house.
Myers, 25, followed her and when the uncle answered the door he was met with violence and the men ended up in the street.
Miss Slaughter said Myers then got into his car and added: "He swerved onto the pavement to hit the complainant, who went onto the bonnet and screamed for the defendant to stop. The defendant reversed and he fell off.
"The complainant put his hands out, indicating for him to stop.
"After reversing, he drove towards him again and the car hit him for a second time. He was thrown onto the bonnet and describes a lot of pain."
Myers, of Durham Road, Usher Moor, County Durham, admitted possessing a machete, dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm.
He was jailed for 27 months with a 12 month road ban after his release. Here's the full story.
Hesamedin Nawabi
A stalker was jailed after he rented a car and followed the person he was banned from being near.
Hesamedin Nawabi was given a suspended sentence and a restraining order in July last year after being convicted of stalking and other offences.
But on November 3 this year, the 65-year-old breached the order after he rented a car and followed the victim through the streets of South Shields, entering an area he wasn't allowed.
Durham Crown Court heard that Nawabi was caught after the person realised they were being followed and then videoed his vehicle and registration plate.
Nawabi, of South Shields, was jailed for 21 months. Read the full story here.
Steven Gill
A robber whose partner refused to give him £20 left a shop worker terrified by threatening to stab him and demanding cash from the till.
Steven Gill told his girlfriend he was going to do something stupid if she didn't give him money and lived up to his promise.
He went into a nearby Spar, in South Shields, and told a lone worker he would be knifed if he didn't give him cash.
In the early hours of the following morning Gill, who had been hiding on a roof, fell off and was tasered by police after brandishing a knife at them.
The 38-year-old, of Westerhope Street, South Shields, was jailed for 34 months after admitting robbery and having an offensive weapon. Here's the full story.
Robert Wilkinson
An army cadet instructor who raped a "blind drunk" woman then boasted about what he had done was jailed.
Robert Wilkinson forced himself on the victim when she was so intoxicated she had thrown up.
A court heard she became aware of having had clothing removed and being abused by the 22-year-old.
Wilkinson, of Newcastle, denied rape and sexual assault but was found guilty by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court and was jailed for seven years.
Sentencing him, Judge Penny Moreland said: "(She) was extremely drunk, she was vomiting.
"She was blind drunk. That's the state of the girl you sexually assaulted and raped. She was particularly vulnerable.
"You then boasted of what you had done to her in a text to your friend on the way home."
When originally questioned by police, Wilkinson denied any sexual activity took place then when presented with scientific proof that it had, he changed his story and claimed it had been consensual, an account jurors rejected. Here's the full story.
Ryan Johnson
A drink-driver led police on a high speed chase through County Durham while on day release from prison.
Ryan Johnson hit speeds of up to 80mph in 30mph zones, overtook other vehicles and narrowly avoided a road smash during the pursuit on November 7.
The 29-year-old, who received a seven-year prison sentence in 2019 for conspiracy to supply cocaine, was eventually caught by officers after he crashed into a pylon.
At Durham Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without insurance, and drink-driving.
The court heard Johnson, of Dene Crescent, Shotton Colliery, had seven previous convictions for 12 offences.
He was given a 12-month prison sentence and banned from driving for 18 months. Here's the full report.
Paul Dennis Bradshaw
A "career criminal" who robbed an elderly woman was jailed after police found his DNA around his victim's mouth.
Paul Dennis Bradshaw barged his way into the vulnerable lady’s home in Horden last September and made off with £200 in cash after an untidy search.
He seemingly left no evidence- but when the victim disclosed her intruder had put his hand over her mouth when she tried to scream, CSI teams took swabs which came back as a perfect match for Bradshaw.
The 48-year-old was interviewed and despite denying the offence, was found guilty after a trial when the strong forensic evidence was put to a jury who returned a unanimous verdict.
He also pleaded guilty to an offence of fraud from January this year after escorting an elderly man to a cashpoint to withdraw hundreds of pounds for work on his roof which was never done.
During his sentencing at Durham Crown Court, Bradshaw, of Elgin Road, Hartlepool, admitted he is a conman and a career criminal.
He was sentenced to 10 years for the robbery and a further 12 months for the fraud offence. Read the full story here.
Aaron Carden
Three women were attacked by a stranger after they refused to give him a light for his "pipe" as they walked past.
The victims were on a night out together and noticed Aaron Carden knocking on the door of a hostel as they made their way to the next pub in Newcastle city centre in the early hours of September 7 last year.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the women saw that Carden was carrying a "pipe", which they thought was for taking drugs.
When the 21-year-old asked them for a light they refused and were subjected to "extreme" abuse followed by shocking violence as they tried to walk away.
Prosecutor Neil Pallister said Carden asked one of the victims, who had short hair "are you even a woman because you look like a man" and started "jumping around, as if he wanted to fight".
One of the other women stood in front of Carden to try and stop the attack but she was punched twice in the face.
Carden then turned on the short-haired woman and "repeatedly punched her in the face", leaving her dazed.
He punched the third woman twice in the face. All three women were frightened and left shaken.
Carden, of no fixed address, admitted causing grievous bodily harm and two charges of common assault.
He was sentenced to 20 months behind bars. Read the full story here.
