A robber who targeted a bank and a post office while armed with an imitation firearm, a rapist taxi driver and a dad who was on the run for nearly six months were among the Merseyside criminals jailed over the last week.
Also locked up was a teen who posed as an Amazon delivery driver before forcing his way into the home of a man he wrongly suspected was a sex offender while armed with a knife. Meanwhile, Liverpool Crown Court was told a homeless man stabbed a fellow rough sleeper outside a Tesco store after a row over a "pitch".
Here are the faces of 16 criminals from our region who were imprisoned in the past week.
READ MORE: Boy who asked 'Accrington Stanley, who are they?' grew up to be a murderer
Kieran Salkeld
A street gang thug told a judge "nice one" after being locked up for stamping on a man's head as a woman screamed for him and his accomplice to stop.
Kieran Salkeld, 28, and Jake Duffy, 22, were recorded on a Ring doorbell camera cornering victim Sam Searson in the front yard of a property on Highfield Road, Rock Ferry, at 11.45am on December 23 last year. Some of the footage had been shared on social media and showed both Salkeld and Duffy kicking, punching and stamping on the helpless Mr Searson for around a minute.
One of the defendants can be heard in the clip shouting to a screaming woman "mind your own business alright, he's a little ken robber" before the victim of the assault mumbles "I don't rob kens lad". Salkeld replied "nice one" after he was jailed for 27 months while Duffy was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to unlawful wounding without intent and affray at an earlier hearing.
Thomas Barton
A homeless man was slashed with a knife outside a Tesco store by another rough sleeper after an argument erupted about a stolen "pitch".
Thomas Barton repeatedly stabbed his victim Robert Jones in front of shocked shoppers, having apparently moved in on his usual spot in the car park outside. He has been left with permanent injuries as a result of the vicious and "potentially deadly" attack.
Barton admitted wounding with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article in a public place. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for six years and handed an extended two-year licence period.
Ahmed Hassan
A man has been jailed for holding stolen motorbikes for thieves operating across the north west.
Ahmed Hassan, 34, of Ullswater Street, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to five counts of handling stolen goods. He was jailed for nine months.
Christopher Cheyney
A drug dealer who was freed from jail on day release failed to return for nearly six months.
Christopher Cheyney racked up a cocaine debt while serving his sentence in an open prison, and went on the run having apparently been put under pressure to smuggle illicit substances inside in order to pay off these monies.
Cheyney admitted being a temporarily released prisoner unlawfully at large. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, the dad was handed an additional eight months behind bars.
Lucel Tugui
A taxi driver carried out a sickening sexual assault on his passenger after she fell asleep in the back of his vehicle.
Lucel Tugui drove past the woman's home and instead took her to a remote location, where he performed a series of vile acts on her. But the "devious predator" was caught out after the incident was recorded by a CCTV camera inside his car, with the footage having captured him "smugly" saying "she has no clue what happened" after dropping his victim off following his attack.
Tugui admitted causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault by a jury last month. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he was jailed for 12 years.
Samuel Hulmes
A man with martial arts training who “knew he had a hard punch” followed and attacked a man in an act of “revenge”.
Samuel Hulmes, 34, of Haydock Street, Newton-Le-Willows, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to one count of causing actual bodily harm. Hulmes was sentenced to 16 months, saying “wow, wow” as he was taken down to the cells.
Kevin Spaine
A child actor's life spiralled into drugs and crime before he became a killer.
Kevin Spaine was the boy who delivered the iconic "Acrrington Stanley, who are they?" line in the famous 1980s advert for the Milk Marketing Board. But he was this week convicted of murdering Learoy Venner at a flat on Belmont Drive in Anfield in summer last year.
The 53-year-old was viciously punched and kicked to death. Spaine was jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years.
Finley Griffiths
A teenager pretended to be an Amazon delivery driver before trying to force his way into a vulnerable victim's home.
Finley Griffiths, 18, of Neville Close in Prenton, targeted a man who he wrongly suspected of being a sex offender while armed with a knife. Griffiths was given a total custodial sentence of five years and five months.
Adam Gilbert
A prolific robber who targeted a Halifax bank and post office pointed an imitation gun at staff.
Adam Gilbert, 37, of no fixed abode, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to two counts of robbery and two counts of possessing an imitation firearm on September 9 last year. Gilbert was sentenced to ten and a half years imprisonment, plus an extended licence of 5 years.
Catalin Iordan
A man has been jailed after spending two years on the run for breaking his victim's jaw behind the Everyman Theatre.
Catalin Iordan, of Vandyke Street, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to one count of causing actual bodily harm. He was imprisoned for two years.
Craig Lyon
A former bantamweight boxer broke a man's ankle during an “unprovoked assault” in a Bold Street restaurant.
Craig Lyon appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on after pleading guilty to one count of wounding and to assaulting an emergency worker following the incident at Elif in November 2021. Recorder Tania Griffiths KC sentenced him to 99 weeks imprisonment.
Andrew Ratchford
A paedophile who offered a 14-year-old ‘girl’ money and clothes and asked to meet at a hotel room claimed he knew he was being duped by a paedophile hunter group.
Andrew Ratchford of Gainford Road, Knotty Ash, was found guilty after a four day trial of one count of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and one count of attempting to incite a child to engage in a sexual act. He was sentenced to four years imprisonment.
Sonny Collins
Teenage boys texted each other they would "get something nice" as they planned to rob school children in Sefton.
Sonny Collins, now 19, of Maple Close, Bootle and Micky Teany, also now 19, of Hawthorne Drive, Kirkby, sent text messages to each other on February 23, 2022 where they planned to "target vulnerable school children as they were leaving school". In the messages, the pair said they would "get something nice" and "catch a few on their way home".
Collins was given a total custodial sentence of six years, to run consecutively with a two year custodial sentence for the previous section 47 assault. Teany was given a total custodial sentence of nine years.
Gyulhan Hyusein
A vile predator followed a teenager before dragging her into an alleyway to sexually assault her.
Gyulhan Hyusein, 25, attacked the woman as she was walking to her partner's home at 3am on Sunday, October 16, following a night out with friends. He admitted two counts of sexual assault and was jailed for 10 years.
Craig Roberts
A man throttled his ex-girlfriend with the cord of her dressing gown and threatened to "set her up" with a cigarette lighter.
Craig Roberts subjected his estranged partner to a horrific ordeal in her own flat over the course of nearly a whole day before she finally managed to flee. He also brandished a hammer and dragged her around by her hair after breaking into her home as she slept in the early hours.
Roberts admitted intentional strangulation, assault and criminal damage during an earlier hearing. He was jailed for 27 months and handed a five-year restraining order.
Keiron Williams
A drug dealer snarled "I'll show you who the gangster is" before beating a terrified teenager to death in an internet café.
Three brothers, their friend and a 14-year-old boy were jailed for life on Friday for the ferocious and brutal murder of 18-year-old Michael Toohey on London Road in Liverpool city centre on April 16 last year. Leading the attack was Keiron Williams - described as either the head or near the top of an Everton based organised crime group involved in a "turf war" with another gang, although the full facts of the rivalry are not clear.
The 28-year-old, of no fixed address, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 18 years in prison. Anthony Williams of Hillbrook Drive, Walton, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 18 years in prison.
Michael Williams of Carlake Grove, Walton, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 18 years in prison. Steven McInerney, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 18 years in prison.
The 14-year-old boy was sentenced to life in detention with a minimum term of eight years in prison.
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