A man handed a life sentence for attempted murder for a third time, a cannabis farmer who hid in his attic when police came knocking and a paedophile martial arts teacher were among the Merseyside criminals jailed this week.
Also locked up was a shop assistant who sexually assaulted a 16-year-old customer who was wearing her school uniform. Meanwhile, Liverpool Crown Court heard that an abusive boyfriend's attack left his partner with injuries usually only seen in car crash victims.
Here are the faces of 16 criminals from our region who were imprisoned in the past week:
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Billy Rutter
A rapist who decapitated and cooked his son's rabbit armed himself with a broken glass bottle during a fight on a night out.
Billy Rutter was previously jailed for a sickening sexual assault on a schoolgirl and was most recently locked up after killing the pet, throwing its severed head at his ex-girlfriend and roasting it in the oven. He is now behind bars again after police spotted him arming himself amid an altercation outside a Revolution bar in Liverpool city centre.
The 35-year-old admitted possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, Rutter was jailed for eight months.
Robin Vasko
A prolific burglar was linked to unsolved crimes using DNA analysis.
Robin Vasko, 33, of no fixed address, appeared in court for four counts of burglary, and was sentenced alongside his former partner Jarmila Levayova, 29, of Cranborne Road, who plead guilty to one count of burglary.
Vasko was sentenced to 25 months imprisonment to be served concurrently with his current sentence. Levayova was handed a community order for 12 months, and was told to undertake 15 days of rehabilitation activities and 100 hours of unpaid work.
Daniel Dolan
A man punched his girlfriend so hard that he left her with injuries normally only seen in car crash victims.
Daniel Dolan flew into a rage after his partner challenged him over messages she had found on his phone from a woman he had had an affair and fathered a child with. When the victim responded to his blows by tipping his breakfast over him, he attacked her with such ferocity that she suffered a ruptured spleen - leaving her in pain which she described as "worse than childbirth".
Dolan admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for 40 months.
Stephen Hone
A drug dealer who tried to evade police in a high speed car chase almost hit a small child, a court has heard.
Stephen Hone, of Baffin Close, Leasowe, appeared in Liverpool Crown Court for one count of dangerous driving and one count of possession with intent to supply cocaine after he was involved in a high speed police chase. The officer signalled for the car to pull over and got out and said “thanks very much”, then jumped back into the vehicle and sped off.
He was jailed for 32 months.
David O'Brien
A man said "I don't like bullies" as he was jailed for life for attempted murder.
David O'Brien attacked a fellow patient at Ashworth Hospital with a metal bar as they worked out in the facility's gym, striking him twice over the head with the makeshift weapon. Afterwards, he told doctors that he "had been hearing voices in his head telling him to kill his victim" - whom he wanted to "stab in the eyes".
The 45-year-old admitted attempted murder in relation to the incident at the high security psychiatric hospital in Maghull on November 29, 2021, but claimed that the target of his savage attack was a "bully". O'Brien was handed a lifetime imprisonment for a third time at Liverpool Crown Court, with each being imposed for the same offence.
Ahmed Khalio
A shop worker sexually assaulted a girl wearing her school uniform inside the convenience store where he worked on her 16th birthday.
Ahmed Khalio groped the teenager and pinned her against the counter, but later claimed he had only been "messing around". The city's top judge told the dad that his sickening attack had been "outrageous".
The 22-year-old was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault following a trial. Khalio was jailed for six months.
Michael Southern
A former martial arts teacher confessed to being "sexually attracted" to indecent images of children after he was arrested.
Michael Southern, 28, of Vine Street, Widnes, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday after being found with more than 100 indecent images of children, some aged only one year old. Only days before his arrest, he had been "willingly receiving and distributing images of children being abused to other interested users on the platform Wikr".
The pervert received 28 months for distributing indecent images.
Joseph Shaw
A support worker tied a severely disabled woman to his bed before filming them engaging in sexual activity.
Armed forces veteran Joseph Shaw invited the victim and her friend to his flat after meeting the latter through a dating app. He then engaged in a series of sex acts with her, which she would not legally have been able to consent to due to the extent of her learning difficulties.
Shaw admitted sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder impeding choice. He appeared shaken as he was told he will serve two thirds of a seven year and eight month prison sentence before being eligible for release.
Adrian Voci
A man who was found in a property with five separate rooms used for growing cannabis claimed he only worked there because of threats to his family.
Adrian Voci climbed into the loft of the house on Park Road South in Newton-le-Willows after police raided the address and appeared to start damaging roof tiles to escape onto the roof. He stayed in the attic for around an hour and a half before he was arrested.
The 25-year-old admitted production of cannabis. Voci was handed 51 weeks.
Michael Longbottom
A paedophile spent hours alone with children after not telling their mum about his dark past.
Michael Longbottom, 28, was jailed for 28 months for seven different counts relating to breaching sexual harm prevention and notification orders. Longbottom, of Bedford Road, Bootle, received a suspended sentence on September 22, 2017, after being convicted of offences involving sexual activity with a female child.
As part of this sentence, Longbottom was subject to a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely, which dictated he was not allowed to be alone with a child without the consent of their parent, and that parent had to be aware of his previous convictions. But he engaged in a relationship with a mum-of-two for over six months without disclosing his previous convictions for sex offences.
Craig Carter
An "aggrieved" paedophile claimed he was trying to trick hunters after being caught in a sting for a second time.
Craig Carter arranged to meet what he believed was a 12-year-old girl for sex at a train station but, unbeknown to him, was actually chatting to an undercover police officer. After being sent a picture of a young girl wearing a night dress on one occasion, the pervert responded by saying she looked "sexy" and told her "lift up your nighty".
The 37-year-old was found guilty of attempting sexual communications with a child, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and arranging the commission of a child sex offence. The "manipulative and predatory" sex offender told a judge "that's ridiculous" after he was jailed for seven-and-half years and handed an extended five-year licence period.
Paul Manson
A man who abused his girlfriend and hid their four month old baby from her had previously avoided jail for the same offences against an ex-partner.
Paul Manson, of Markfield Crescent, Halewood, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday after subjecting his girlfriend to months of controlling behaviour and abuse. Manson pleaded guilty to committing actual bodily harm, and to engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour after assaulting the mother of his child.
The 34-year-old also controlled Ms Carroll’s movements - only allowing her to leave her home with his permission -put a sim card in her phone to track her calls and only permitted her to talk on speakerphone. Manson was jailed for 16 months.
Daniel O'Neill
A musician with a record deal has left his promising career in tatters after becoming immersed in the ketamine trade.
Police uncovered nearly £40,000 of drugs when they raided Daniel O'Neill's flat, with he and co-conspirator Brady Tierney having secretly plotted to "undercut" their underworld rivals. When their phones were examined, messages were found "clearly relating to drugs" - including texts between the two which referred to "getting busy and making money", funds which they would split evenly.
O'Neill admitted being concerned in the supply of ketamine while Tierney, who appeared via video link to HMP Altcourse, pleaded guilty to possession of ketamine with intent to supply and possession of cocaine. Both were jailed for 30 months.
Tamar Palmer
A 17-year-old boy stabbed his cousin with a "Rambo knife" with a 40cm long blade.
Tamar Palmer, now 18, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to possessing an offensive weapon in public and wounding with intent. It came after he knifed Torekke Kamara outside a One Stop on Smithdown Road.
This was said to have come against the background of an "unhappy situation of the family". The teen was handed 37 months in a young offenders' institution.
Paul Miles
Two men used a "honeypot" to ensnare vulnerable victims and steal their life savings.
Paul Miles, 52, of Enid Street, Toxteth, and Ross Smith, 38, of Moscow Drive, Old Swan, pinched more than £54,000 from their victims. The 96-year-old mother and her son had been saving money for many years, and kept the huge sum stashed in the man's bedroom.
Both defendants admitted burglary, with Miles sentenced to 45 months imprisonment. Smith was handed a 36-month sentence.
Raymond Katsande
A taxi driver was caught with thousands of pounds of drugs down his trousers when he was pulled over by police.
Raymond Katsande was stopped by officers after he was spotted driving erratically. The private hire driver and personal trainer was then found to be in possession of more than £6,000 of illicit substances.
The 32-year-old admitted possession of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine with intent to supply, possession of 2CB and possession of criminal property. He was jailed for 28 months.
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