A nan who subjected an 86-year-old man to a cruel robbery, a spy camera pervert and a carer turned drugs courier were among the Merseyside criminals jailed this week.
Also locked up was a dad who roped his teenager son into a bizarre fraudulent scheme worth more than £4million. Meanwhile, Liverpool Crown Court heard that a taxi driver used his job as cover in order to deliver heroin, cocaine and cannabis during lockdown.
Here are the faces of 12 criminals from our region who were imprisoned in the past week:
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Claire Dooley
The carer-turned-drugs courier was caught with more than 6kg of heroin in the boot of her car.
Claire Dooley became involved in transporting illicit class A substances and dirty cash on behalf of a gang in order to pay off her ex's cannabis debt. Police spotted the 43-year-old's black Audi Q3 stop outside a house on Petherick Road in Croxteth and co-defendant Patrick Campbell walk out of the address with a white carrier bag which he placed it in the trunk - taking out a green carrier bag.
Dooley, of Brunswick Street in Garston, drove off onto the M57 before being stopped on the Knowsley Expressway, where the bag was found to contain a number of brown parcels - later revealed to be 6.69kg of heroin of around 40% purity - which a search of her home revealed £3,000 in cash and a small quantity of cannabis for personal use. Officers returned to the property on Petherick Road and discovered that the green bag contained £12,000, while another 3.12kg of heroin had been stashed in a black bag in a wardrobe.
Dooley stated under interview that she believed she had been transporting cannabis and not heroin. She was jailed for four-and-a-half years after admitting possession of heroin with intent to supply and possession of cannabis while 29-year-old Campbell received seven years and eight months having pleaded guilty to possession of heroin with intent to supply and possession of criminal property.
Simon Tunstall
The pervert used a hidden camera to spy on a teenage girl and stream live video of her to his mobile phone.
Simon Tunstall set up the camera, which sent moving images of the youngster to his mobile phone for approximately four weeks in May 2019. After being arrested, the 45-year-old's phone was found to contain images of the victim in various states of undress.
A statement read out on her behalf described how she has been left "traumatised" by his crimes. She added: "I don't think I'll ever recover from the problems that Simon's actions have caused me."
Tunstall, of Fleet Lane in St Helens, admitted voyeurism and taking indecent images. He was jailed for a year.
Gerrard Myler
The drug deal broker and gang debt collector was paid a wage of up to £5,000 a month and splashed out on a Rolex watch on his birthday.
Gerrard Myler was identified as being the EncroChat user behind the handle DiorFox after sending pictures of his wife and children to co-conspirators. Messages on the encrypted communications platform evidenced the 32-year-old's involvement in the supply of at least 4kg of cocaine and 3kg of cannabis.
The engineer admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis. He was jailed for eight years and three months this afternoon.
Paul Cooke
The dad tried to steal £4million with a bizarre fraud involving forged court documents after becoming "obsessed and fixated" with the loss of his house in a repossession.
Paul Cooke sobbed in the dock as the court heard he even roped his then 17-year-old son into his "twisted and elaborate" fraud attempts against three different companies, whom he believed had wronged him in various ways. The 58-year-old's son, Tom Cooke, helped his dad file "ludicrous" claims to the county courts but was not convicted of involvement in the final, most audacious attempt against Birmingham Midshires Financial Services Ltd.
This saw the father issue a "staggering" £4,792,745 claim for compensation against the firm in relation to his family home in Huyton Quarry being repossessed. Cooke changed the company's address on forms submitted to one in London, meaning it was unaware of the litigation.
He said "I am sorry for everything" as he was jailed for 30 months after admitting seven charges of fraud. His son was handed a 12-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months for five counts.
Reece Corran
The drug dealer could have walked free from court but was jailed after telling a judge he would refuse to do community service.
"Low level" cannabis supplier Reece Corran was caught in possession of quantities of the class B substance by police on two separate occasions. In court, the 20-year-old's counsel discussed what a suspended sentence would entail, including unpaid work and sessions with probation services.
However, he shook his head in the dock. Judge Gary Woodhall noticed this and stated that Corran had "indicated to the court that it's not going to be workable" and instead locked him up for 10 months.
Angela Burns
An 86-year-old man was left a "shell of himself" after she violently forced her way into his sheltered accommodation home.
The pensioner spent two weeks in hospital after falling and banging his head when Angela Burns shoved him to the floor. The grandma then rifled through his coat and stole a measly £6.
The OAP answered a knock at the door of his flat in Birkenhead and found the defendant on the other side "appearing ready for a fight". Burns then "pushed him really hard" and barged past him, causing him to stumble backwards and hit his head on the wall.
The 53-year-old then "rummaged through" his jacket, which was hanging up in the hallway, and took the cash before leaving. She admitted robbery and was jailed for six years.
Joseph Ellis
The taxi driver delivered food to the vulnerable during lockdown but used his job as cover to transport huge quantities of drugs.
Police seized nearly £20,000 of designer goods from Joseph Ellis' home after he was identified as being the EncroChat user behind the handle StrawSmith. This secret life of heroin and cocaine sat in contrast with the man who cooked meals for elderly residents, food that he delivered to their doors.
The 38-year-old "operated as a trusted courier for an organised crime group", taking his orders over the encrypted communications platform. Messages revealed that he had transported at least 15kg of cocaine, 3kg of heroin and 2kg of cannabis.
Ellis, who is also known as Joseph McNabb, admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine and cannabis. He was jailed for nine years.
Gareth Parr
The drunken teenager repeatedly stabbed a stranger with a kitchen knife after a row broke out at a beach party.
Gareth Parr, 19, and his uncle Frankie Parr, 33, attacked the man at the Vine Tavern pub on Elephant Lane in St Helens. Both men were drunk at a beach-themed party held on the evening of August 6 this year where a number of families were present.
The former left the pub after being warned about his behaviour and returned a short time later armed with a kitchen knife concealed in his clothing. Frankie Parr then began having a heated argument with a fellow pubgoer and repeatedly punched him before the teen stabbed him in the back, knifing him again as he lay motionless on the floor.
He admitted wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article in a public place and was jailed for five-and-a-half years. His uncle was sentenced to three years, having also thrown an axe through the window of a sweet shop.
Adam Sullivan
He was ensnared after his DNA was found on a gun hidden down the side of a garden shed.
The 7.62 calibre Tokarev model TT33 type self-loading pistol was discovered inside plastic bags by the home on Altmoor Road in Huyton in September 2021. Traces of the 26-year-old's DNA was then located on the internal spring and guide rod.
Police then raided an address on the same street in February this year and recovered a quantity of cannabis. Sullivan was later found guilty of possession of a firearm without a certificate and possession of a class B drug and was jailed for six years.
Stephen Stokes
The wedding guest was one of eight men jailed after the celebration ended in chaos after a mass brawl broke out.
Participants caused £15,000 of damage to the Daresbury Park Hotel after violence erupted in the function room bar. Tables, chairs and glasses flew as attendees fought, arming themselves with makeshift weapons such as coat stands and fire extinguishers.
Five officers were led towards the hotel’s Alice bar at about 11.35pm but retreated downstairs to the reception area to request back-up due to glasses being thrown in their direction. Men were taken into custody "covered in blood" and with injuries to their faces and bodies.
Stephen Stokes, pictured above, was sentenced to 20 months after admitting affray. Seven others received terms of up to 27 months.
Anthony Sutherland and Anthony Carroll
A delivery of brown boxes tipped police off to the pair's huge £7million heroin plot.
Anthony Carroll, 39, and Anthony Sutherland, 47, distributed vast quantities of drugs around the country. The court heard that police became suspicious when they saw "three large brown boxes" delivered to an address in St Helens.
When the premises was raided by officers from the National Crime Agency, they found a "significant number of tape-wrapped blocks" of class A drugs. More was found at three other Merseyside addresses, including those of Carroll and Sutherland - with 70kg of heroin seized in total.
Carroll was jailed for 13-and-a-half years. Meanwhile, Sutherland was locked up for 10 years and four months.
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