A killer who stabbed a burglar to death, a paedophile who raped a boy at a water park and a serial flasher who performed a sex act in a bus stop on his birthday were among the Merseyside criminals jailed this month.
Also locked up was a dad who dragged a terrified jogger into bushes by her neck in his desperation for ketamine. Meanwhile, members of a heroin and cocaine gang were locked up for 189 years at Liverpool Crown Court.
Here are the faces of 41 criminals who were imprisoned in our region in the past few weeks:
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Stephen Hill
A man left a bag of poo on his disabled neighbour's doorstep, attacked him with a hammer and stabbed him with a steak knife.
Stephen Hill also threatened to kill David Smith's dog and daubed offensive messages over his car in paint during an unprovoked campaign of harassment. The pair had previously lived alongside each other harmoniously, but within a fortnight the victim was left "fearing for his life".
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Monday, that Mr Smith had been residing at his home on Beaufort Street, Dingle, for around 10 months at the time of the string of incidents in September and October 2021.
There were a range of events leading up to Mr Smith’s stabbing, including Hill verbally abusing him and swinging a claw hammer at him. Early on October 5, Mr Smith was in his front garden smoking a cigarette when he saw Hill "marching towards him". He said he was "looking for his cat" when asked what he was doing, but then leaned towards his victim and attacked him.
Mr Smith felt "excruciating pain" to his right abdomen before Hill "giggled" and fell over, at which point Mr Smith noticed he was brandishing a steak knife with a five-inch serrated blade and had been stabbed.
Hill, of Beaufort Street, tried to "plunge" the knife into him again and shouted: "I'll f***ing kill you, you Cockney c***. Kill, kill, kill." Hill - who appeared via video link to HMP Liverpool - admitted wounding, possession of a bladed article in a public place, assault and criminal damage during an earlier hearing. He was jailed for two-and-a-half years.
John Parvin
A stalker threatened to "chop up" his ex-girlfriend's young son and cut her cat's head off.
John Parvin, who has a history of abusing former partners, also said he would stab the victim's new boyfriend and burn down her house on Christmas Eve. He also told her hurt herself, knowing she had a history of suicidal thoughts.
Liverpool Crown Court heard earlier this week that the 33-year-old had known Katie Herridge "for many years" as they were "close neighbours" who had lived opposite one another. They began a short-lived relationship in November 2020, which ended in April 2021.
Weeks after they stopped seeing each other, Parvin began a campaign of abuse, making repeated threats to her and saying he would stab or throw a brick at her new partner.
In late October 2021, he left a voicemail threatening her son and revealed he had been tracking his ex's movements via her phone. She then contacted police.
But on November 20 2021, Parvin messaged Ms Herridge on Instagram threatening to "chop her son up and bring him back in bits" and burn her house down on Christmas Eve. He said he would "happily go to prison for it", adding: "Drop the charges you grass."
Parvin admitted stalking and witness intimidation during an earlier hearing and was jailed for 35 months. He held out a hand to Ms Herridge in the public gallery and said "I'm sorry" before he was led down to the cells.
Timothy Byrnes
A paedophile collected hundreds of child abuse images on an iPod and tried to use software to hide his activity from police.
Timothy Byrnes downloaded pictures of children as young as three being raped and kept them on the device in his Wirral home - but was found out after backing up the iPod on a laptop. A judge jailed the 70 year old, who has previous convictions for similar offences, at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.
Byrnes’ offending only started in 2011 but he had since received numerous convictions for making and possessing indecent images of children. As part of an order granted after his last conviction in June 2019, he was supposed to give police information about any devices he had that could store images and access the internet.
However, when a probation officer carried out a routine visit to his home in Bebington in January earlier this year he suspected Byrnes had been breaking the rules. Byrnes’ laptop was later searched and it was discovered there were of images of child sexual abuse present from a backup which had taken place when an iPod was plugged into it. The search also showed Byrnes had downloaded two pieces of software aimed at masking his internet activity.
In total, 683 indecent images were found on the laptop and linked to a back up of data from the iPod. Of that total number, 181 fell into the most serious Category A, with some showing children between the ages of three and five being subjected to sexual abuse.
Byrnes pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images and breach of a sexual harm prevention order and was jailed for three years and two months.
Peter McHale
A violent thug battered a teenage Liverpool fan and left him needing surgery.
Peter McHale robbed the 17-year-old and his girlfriend at the Mercure Hotel in Liverpool city centre earlier this year in an attack that saw him chase the boy and punch him repeatedly. The boy’s jaw was broken in three places and he later had a suspected seizure while waiting for medical attention.
The 17-year-old and his girlfriend were out in Liverpool celebrating his birthday on April 11 this year. They had been out for a meal in the city centre and were making their way back to the Mercure Hotel, where they were staying.
On their way back they came across McHale, 36, and his partner and spoke with them briefly, including about how they were Liverpool FC fans. Mr Walmsley said the victim and his girlfriend then said goodbye and left but that McHale ran after them shortly afterwards and began his attack.
CCTV footage showed him punching out at the teenager outside the Mercure Hotel before chasing him inside and continuing the attack there. The teen’s girlfriend, who was carrying his coat, followed them into the hotel but McHale then turned to her and pushed her to the floor before taking the coat and running off.
A judge at Liverpool Crown Court told dad-of-one McHale he was a “violent individual who has no ability to control his temper” as she jailed him for four years and four months.
Abdul Gani
A pervert groped a 10-year-old girl as she chose a packet of crisps in a newsagents.
Abdul Gani, 32, of Langsdale Street, Everton, groped the girl as she was in Jim’s News in Fountains Road, Kirkdale with her nine-year-old cousin. The girls were stood selecting packets of crisps when the pervert walked past and touched her bottom.
Gani then smiled and winked at her before touching her again as she was paying. footage. Shop staff pointed out where the culprit, who did not work at the premises, was believed to be.
Gani, was convicted of sexually assaulting the child by touching after a magistrates court trial but his case was sent to Liverpool Crown Court because of the seriousness of the offence. On the day of the trial, Gani refused to leave his prison cell to appear via video link and he has also failed to engage with the Probation Service for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.
Jailing Gani for ten months Judge Stuart Driver QC said that he could not make an extended determinate sentence as Gani has no previous qualifying offences and the appropriate sentence would not be more than four years.
The police were called "and they found Gani unconscious outside his address having been assaulted". Gani was jailed for ten months.
Dewi Jones
Two thieves broke into City of Liverpool College and stole items that were meant to be sent to people in need in Ukraine.
Dewi Jones and Lee Thompson broke into the city centre college in the early hours of June 6 this year. Liverpool Magistrates Court heard they forced their way through a security gate before stealing a number of items from inside the building.
Thompson, 41, and Jones, 45, took around £300 of goods and caused £200 in damage to the college.
Jones, of no fixed abode, was handed 12 weeks in prison and magistrates ordered compensation to be paid to City of Liverpool College.
Peter Bennett
A knife-wielding robber raided the same shop twice within the space of a week while the same terrified worker was on duty alone.
Peter Bennett targeted the Go Local Extra store in Bootle on two occasions in four days, stealing hundreds of pounds in cash from the till. The employee who was on shift during both incidents was left "fearing for his life" as a result and had to quit his role.
Bennett was subsequently arrested on May 20. The court heard of his staggering record of 51 previous convictions for 112 offences, dating back to 1994 and including a count of robbery in 2014 for which he received 27 months behind bars.
He admitted two counts of robbery earlier this year and was jailed for seven-and-a-half years on Tuesday.
Andrew Fearnley-Hill
A man with a string of convictions for sexual offences was caught performing a sex act at a bus stop on his birthday. Serial flasher Andrew Fearnley-Hill now has 12 convictions following the incident of indecent exposure.
On the latest occasion, Fearnley-Hill, 52, was spotted by police officers passing in their car "naked from the waist down" as he performed a sex act on a busy Warrington street.
was told on Monday that the police officers saw him stood in the bus stop in Folly Lane, Bewsey, just before midnight on July 2. He was holding his penis, while his trousers and underwear were on the pavement next to him.
The court heard that he could be seen by drivers, pedestrians and residents living nearby. Police believed he was under the influence of alcohol as he was "slurring his words and smelled strongly intoxicated".
Fearnley-Hill admitted indecent exposure and was jailed for a year. However, he is already serving a prison sentence and the new sentence will not affect his release date.
Karl Townsend
A killer who stabbed a burglar to death was jailed for 19 years.
Jordan Brophy was attacked with such ferocity that two shards of a broken blade were left lodged in his skull. He died aged 31 as a result of his injuries following the incident in Halewood in October last year.
On Thursday, Karl Townsend was cleared of his murder by a jury of six men and six women. However, he was convicted of manslaughter by a majority of 10 to two and returned to Liverpool Crown Court for sentence on Friday.
Judge Andrew Menary handed him 19 years, describing the attack as a "deliberate and armed response to an attempt to steal his drugs". Townsend must serve two thirds of this term before he is released on licence.
Sentencing, the Honourary Recorder of Liverpool said: "On that night, soon after you had left and while your partner and child were out of the house, the deceased Jordan Brophy and three other accomplices broke into your house. This was plainly a targeted attack - a smash and grab where the burglars were not concerned about making a noise and plainly did not expect to be in the house for very long.
"I have no doubt that they were after your stash of controlled drugs, because I have no doubt that at that time your principal source of income was dealing in class A and B drugs. No other explanation makes any sense.
"What that means is this was not a home invasion with a terrified and unsuspecting householder. As soon as you saw these men on the camera, you knew exactly what they were after.
"What resulted is the sort of violent encounter which so often accompanies this type of criminal activity. You were provoked by Jordan Brophy's actions, but your response was not in any way justified.
"I also find as fact that Jordan Brophy was not armed with any weapon while in the house, and in particular was not armed with a knife. He did not expect a confrontation that night.
"Equally, I find that none of the burglars had a gun. That is an embellishment invented by you.
"The verdict of the jury means that they could not be sure that when delivering a fatal blow, you intended to kill or cause serious harm. But on any view, the level of unlawful violence used by you was shocking.
"In a matter of seconds and without any delay, after entering the property you stabbed Jordan Brophy multiple times to the head, face and arms. Mr Brophy attempted to protect himself, but stood no chance.
"He tried to flee the scene but was caught again by you in the street, where you used the remains of the blade to stab him repeatedly in the neck. The notion that you were at any stage acting in reasonable self-defence is frankly absurd.
"Jordan Brophy was no angel. But whatever he was doing on the night, he did not deserve to die as he did.
"He was a loved and cherished son, brother, partner and uncle. Their lives have been damaged irreparably.
"This is an especially bad case of manslaughter. Mr Brophy was killed in the course of a series of unlawful attacks which must have involved an intention by you to cause harm falling just short of grievous bodily harm.
"You express remorse for what you did and the loss of life involved. I hope that is genuine."
Gerald Cole
A stalker called his ex an average of 325 times a day during a campaign of threats and harassment against her.
Gerald Cole told the woman he would throw acid in her face and burn her house down over the course of weeks of abuse as he called her from inside prison. A judge told him he was convinced he had no remorse and showed no acceptance of the trauma he had inflicted on the “emotionally unstable and vulnerable” woman.
Cole was serving a jail term for assaulting the woman when he called her thousands of times over the space of a few weeks, threatening her multiple times. Cole was jailed for 16 months and a restraining order prevents him from contacting the victim.
Darren Baptiste
A mum was confronted by a masked gang of robbers brandishing a machete during a terrifying break in.
The woman had a second knife held to her face and believed the raiders were also armed with a gun. The "ringleader" of the "shocking" break-in, her ex-boyfriend Darren Baptiste, was jailed earlier this week.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the single mother was home alone showering at her address in Rock Ferry, Wirral, at around 5.45pm on December 4 last year. She then heard a bang, and her dogs began barking.The woman got out of the shower and found herself confronted by two men in masks and gloves. They had smashed a window at the rear of the property and climbed through in order to gain access.
One of these invaders was armed with a machete, while the other was carrying a flick knife. They demanded cash and took £300 which she had been saving for her children's Christmas presents.
But the pair demanded more, believing there was a "substantial sum" of up to £50,000 in the house, which they "ransacked". The knifeman pressed the blade into her cheek as he threatened her, causing a cut.
She also believed a third offender had been armed with a gun. The court heard that she and Baptiste - of Burnard Crescent, Kirkby - had previously been in a relationship, although he denies this.
Baptiste was jailed for 14 years.
Anthony Carroll, Anthony Hollywood and Daniel Kelly
A gang took nearly £40,000 in cash after raiding seven convenience stores in the space of just over a month.
The Liverpool-based organised crime group targeted Co-op shops across the North West, arming themselves with "heavy duty" tools and breaking in after the premises has closed for the day. Three dads - Anthony Carroll, Anthony Hollywood and Daniel Kelly - were today locked up over their respective roles in the operation.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this morning, Monday, that the crime spree would see the burglars force the shutters of stores open before stealing cash from the safe. The first came at the Co-op on Knutsford Road in Latchford, Warrington, at around 10.30pm on February 10.
Two men with a crowbar entered the building while another remained outside and stole £7,480. The following day saw a branch in Southport targeted at 11.15pm, with just over £6,500 taken.
A shop in Runcorn was then raided to the tune of £3,185 before two attacks on Valentine's Day. One incident in Salford saw more than £10,000 taken shortly before midnight on February 14.
Then, at around 1.30am, the offenders travelled to a convenience store in Hoylake and pinched £6,500. Later that same day, Hollywood was stopped by police and arrested.
Officers subsequently discovered £6,900 in cash in his bedroom, while clothing recovered matched that worn by an offender seen on CCTV footage. The raids continued on March 12 though, when a Co-op in Formby was burgled for £2,697 in cash at around 11pm.
The spate of break-ins ended at the Co-op on Chaise Meadow, Lymm, after men brandishing a crowbar entered late at night and took more than £2,000. The money stolen during all seven burglaries totalled £38,487.
Carroll and Kelly were linked to the crimes by automatic number plate recognition cameras and mobile phone cell siting data. The former had acted as a getaway driver and had only been involved in two of the offences.
All three defendants admitted conspiracy to commit burglary, while Hollywood also pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property. He was jailed for 40 months, while Kelly was locked up for 45 months.
Carroll received 28 months behind bars.
Andrew Holland
A sick paedophile locked a 14-year-old girl in his attic and sexually abused her.
Andrew Holland's victim was branded a liar after police dropped their initial investigation into the child molester. Decades later, he finally confessed to his sickening crimes and has now been brought to justice for sexual offences for a second time.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday that the attack occurred in the attic room of the 60-year-old's then home on Merseyside.
Holland - who has a total of seven previous convictions for 23 offences - admitted indecent assault during an earlier hearing. He was jailed for 32 months.
Thomas Hawkes
A drug dealer used the Encrochat handle ‘Goldgrape’ to collect £1.4m for other criminals.
Thomas Jefferson Hawkes was jailed on Tuesday, August 9, at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting conspiring to supply cocaine and cannabis. The 30-year-old, of Valerian Road in Claughton, was also convicted of money laundering.
That related to a six month period between January and June 2020 where it is believed he collected in excess of £1.4m in cash on behalf of other Encrochat handles. The court also heard he was responsible for collecting and distributing 14kg of cocaine and 75kg of cannabis. He worked with other criminals, two of whom have already been jailed.
Hawkes, of Valerian Road in Claughton, was jailed for 11 and a half years.
Keelie Murphy
A woman "infatuated" with her childhood best friend began harassing her again as soon as she was released from prison.
Keelie Murphy has previously been locked up three times for obsessively pestering Gemma Ellison. But after being freed from jail, she immediately resumed her campaign of harassment - bombarding the mum's workplace with constant phone calls which caused the family business to grind to a halt.
Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday that the pair had been friends since the age of 10 but the relationship "soured" after Murphy, from Woolton, "developed an infatuation" with Ms Ellison. The two had not spoken for many years, but got back in touch during 2017.
But in 2020, the 36-year-old was convicted of harassment and handed a restraining order barring her from contacting her former pal or attending her Widnes-based company Ellison Motors for five years. And Murphy, of Halewood Place, has repeatedly flouted this ban since.
Her latest breach of the ban saw her jailed for 30 months - and a judge warned her her prison terms would simply get longer if she continued to reoffend.
Oliver Roughley
An evil paedophile sexually abused a boy when he was aged as young as seven and raped him at a water park.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the now 24-year-old carried out the abuse over a three-year period when he was in his late teens. Roughley, from St Helens, groomed the boy by buying him presents including toy cars and teddy bears.
He also used violence to ensure his silence, including by twisting his arm behind his back. The pervert kept a pair of the child's underwear in his bedroom and messaged him telling him that he loved him.
Roughley - of Bailey Way in Windlehurst - first assaulted the boy when he was aged seven by touching his penis. He then "told him not to tell anyone or he would go to jail and never see him again".
His abuse escalated to raping the youngster in the cubicles of a swimming baths in South Liverpool and Splash World in Southport.
He was convicted after a trial - and continues to maintain his innocence. A judge jailed him for 21 years.
Shaun Kelly
A “career criminal” led police on a 100mph chase before crashing into a lamp post and fleeing the scene to hide in someone's garden.
Shaun Kelly, 37, was behind the wheel of a stolen Vauxhall Zafira with false plates when officers were alerted to the car in Runcorn at around 7.15pm on November 17, 2020. Ben Berkson, prosecuting, told Chester Crown Court on Wednesday how a constable set off to intercept the Zafira, which proceeded to tear up the rules of the road.
Mr Berkson said the dangerous actions included “speeding through a red light, performing a dangerous U-turn at speed, straddling double white lines, travelling at 70mph in a 40mph zone, undertaking vehicles which were also on the road, travelling at over 100mph in a 60mph zone, and travelling at 60mph in a narrow residential street with a 30mph limit.” The “prolonged” pursuit ended when the Zafira crashed into a lamp post outside Co-op.
He later pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to dangerous driving, criminal damage over a fence he broke while trying to escape, and aggravated vehicle taking in the context of knowing the car was stolen and crashing it into a lamp post. He was handed 16 months in prison.
Christopher Smith
A vile man said he "would like to be there" after watching a video of a little girl being being sexually abused.
Christopher Smith, 31, sent messages to paedophile, Vicki Bevan, online and responded to a clip of her abusing a young boy with "that’s hot" and to one of her abusing a girl with "I would like to be there". Bevan was part of a paedophile ring based in St Helens and carried out some of her appalling sexual fantasies alongside Paul Rafferty and Tony Hutton by raping and abusing a young girl.
Bevan also spent time discussing with another man their desire to “kidnap, rape, torture, kill and then eat children” after sexually abusing them. The vile woman made contact with Smith, who lived 230 miles away, on internet chat rooms before sending at least two clips to him.
Charlie Barrass-Evans, prosecuting, said Smith was caught by an undercover police operation, where officers posed as chatroom users on Kik. Smith was using the hashtag andysmith01 and offered to "trade" child images before being traced through his phone.
Smith of Clare Drive, Tiverton, Devon, admitted two counts of distribution and four of making, by downloading, indecent images of children and was jailed for two years and four months by Judge Peter Johnson at Exeter Crown Court.
Leslie Radley-Braithwaite
A stables worker was jailed after a fight erupted there over a dead horse.
The scuffle involved a 'vikingologist', a Liverpool FC fan who is banned from matches and his mother-in-law. They all squared off after the aggrieved family barricaded the entrance to the site in Formby.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday that Lisa Masterson had seven horses housed at Kentonwood Stables, Freshfield, but one died. Afterwards, there was "some upset as to the cause of death of the horse".
The 54-year-old also had "difficulties paying" and was instructed to find another site to house her animals. The court was told that there had been an unspecified "incident" at the stables on August 16 2020.
Masterson, of Maple Close in Croxteth, returned the following day with family members in tow. They blocked the entrance to the premises with three vehicles, intending to retrieve equipment she owned.
But the mum became "verbally abusive and aggressive" to staff members, pushing one. Her daughter's 23-year-old boyfriend Sam Lomax, of Camp Road in Woolton, then retrieved a craft knife from his car.
Stables worker Leslie Radley-Braithwaite, of Redgate in Formby, armed himself with two large kitchen knives in response and the arguing "escalated". The hearing was played mobile phone footage of part of the dispute, during which Masterson was heard to say "f*** off, will you get our stuff?".
The police were called, but "things had calmed down" by the time officers arrived. Masterson admitted using threatening behaviour and was handed a 12-month community order with 150 hours unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 20 days.
Lomax pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article in a public place and possession of cannabis, after a small quantity of the class B drug was found upon him during his arrest. He was given a 10-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months, plus 150 hours of community service and a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
Radley-Braithwaite admitted affray and two counts of possession of a bladed article in a public place. He was locked up for 10 months.
Darren Owens, Anthony Saunderson, Paul Mount and six others
A Merseyside gang who produced hundreds of kilograms of drugs have been jailed for more than 187 years.
The men, who were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court this morning, shipped large quantities of their injectable amphetamines across England, Scotland and Wales as part of a multi-million pound scheme. They were also involved in dealing cocaine, heroin, ketamine and other drugs, while two of the gang’s ringleaders made attempts to get hold of weapons in the months before they were brought to justice.
A judge at Liverpool Crown Court said this morning that the gang’s leaders, who got 93 years in jail between them, were characterised by their rock solid commitment to producing huge quantities of illegal drugs and trading them across Britain. Nicola Daley, prosecuting, told the court earlier this week that the gang’s huge drug production operation was initially discovered after the Encrochat messaging service was breached by investigators in 2020.
The National Crime Agency then discovered a slew of messages alluding to a drugs lab on the outskirts of Chester, which appeared to be used to produce amphetamine.
Officers from Merseyside Police and North Wales Police later discovered the cottage, on Deeside Lane, was being used by a gang to produce drugs there on a massive scale.
The North Wales Factory was eventually closed down and another one opened elsewhere but the gang were caught after police raids in June 2020.
They were sentenced as follows:
Anthony Saunderson, 42, of Formby, was jailed for 35 years after being convicted of conspiracy to produce and supply Class A and Class B amphetamine, conspiracy to supply other Class A drugs, conspiracy to supply other Class B drugs and conspiracy to transfer a prohibited weapon.
Paul Mount, 38, of Halsall, was jailed for 34 years after being convicted of conspiracy to produce and supply Class A and Class B amphetamine, conspiracy to supply other Class A drugs, conspiracy to supply other Class B drugs and conspiracy to purchase a prohibited weapon.
Darren Owens, 48, of Huyton, was jailed for 24 years after being convicted of conspiracy to produce and supply Class A and Class B amphetamine and conspiracy to supply other Class B drugs.
Kieron Hartley, 32, of Knotty Ash, was jailed for 23 years after being convicted of conspiracy to produce and supply Class A and Class B amphetamine and conspiracy to supply other Class B drugs.
Steffon Beeby, 42, of Halifax, West Yorkshire, was jailed for 15 years and six months after being convicted of conspiracy to produce and supply Class A and Class B amphetamine.
Lee Eccles, 33, of Maghull, was jailed for eight years and nine month after being convicted of conspiracy to produce and supply Class B amphetamine.
Stephen Shearwood, 38, of Maghull, was jailed for 14 years and four months after being convicted of conspiracy to produce Class B amphetamine, supply Class A and Class B amphetamine and to supply other Class A and Class B drugs.
David Kelly, 44, of Ormskirk, was jailed for 15 years and three months after being convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B amphetamine and conspiracy to supply other Class A and Class B drugs.
Michael Pope, 35, of Maghull, was jailed for 17 years and six months after being convicted of conspiracy to supply Class B amphetamine and conspiracy to supply other Class A and Class B drugs.
Jordan McMullen-McCourt, Jamie Chesterton and Callum Miller
A gang stopped off at McDonald's before torching a man's home over a drug debt.
Jordan McMullen-McCourt, 25, Jamie Chesterton, 29, and Callum Miller, 22, from St Helens and Haydock all appeared in Caernarfon Crown Court after they travelled to North Wales in a stolen car on April 29.
The gang bought a canister and filled it with unleaded petrol before going for food at McDonalds. They then left the petrol as an accelerant by the front door of the house of multiple occupancy in Wales before fleeing. The man they had targeted, Darren Fleming, lived in the middle floor, with other tenants on the ground floor and second floor,
Prosecutor Oliver King said the victim had met McMullen-McCourt in prison and they had become friends. But the friendship soured when the victim owed money for drugs.
At 8.30pm on April 29 McMullen-McCourt went to Mr Fleming's flat demanding immediate payment and threatening to burn his partner's house down. He then left. Mr Fleming rushed to that property, but then got a message from a friend to return as his own flat was engulfed in flames.
Caernarfon Crown Court heard witness Thomas Rowlands saw three men near an alley by the flat at 9pm. He saw two of them get out of a silver car, go away and come back smelling of petrol. One threw a container onto the railway tracks and they drove away.
The three men were later apprehended and all admitted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. McMullen-McCourt also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.
Judge Timothy Petts said McMullen-McCourt, of Chadwick Road, St Helens, had been the "prime mover". His driving had been "incredibly dangerous" which could have had "horrendous and calamitous results...killing or injuring many people".
He jailed him for six years for arson and six months consecutively for dangerous driving. He also disqualified him from driving for six years and three months and until he passes an extended retest.
He sent Miller, also of Chadwick Road, St Helens, and Chesterton, of Maple Avenue, Haydock, to prison for five years and three months each.
Connor Kelly
The thug stabbed a sixth form student after flying into a rage at a party.
Connor Kelly had only recently been handed a suspended sentence for arson when he attacked his victim at a party in Wirral earlier this year. The 22-year-old had an argument with his ex before taking a knife and lunging at his victim, an A-level student who had done nothing to provoke him.
He was left with a puncture wound to his left hand as a result. Kelly fled after the attack but was quickly arrested.
Despite his young age, the knifeman has a slew of convictions - including for robbery. He was jailed for two years.
Phil Hudson
The vile pervert sent his partner a video of himself performing a sex act in front of a young girl.
Phil Hudson said "what have I done" as police stormed his home. Three months after the 33-year-old and the woman broke up, she went to Huyton Police Station and reported his disturbing behaviour.
His ex told officers he had "started to disclose his fantasies and desires around children". Seven indecent images of children aged as young as eight were discovered on the Pets at Home worker's phone after the raid, as were extreme pornographic images.
The video in question, which lasted just over a minute, showed Hudson naked and holding his phone recording the incident. He admitted offences including engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and was jailed for 27 months.
Jozef Plavnicky
A biker was left lying on the road with his bone on show after the drunken driver crashed into him.
Jozef Plavnicky, 42, was trying to make an illegal manoeuvre by ignoring a no U-turn sign when his Audi A3 "jumped forward" and crashed into a motorbike. Rider Aston Connerty was knocked from his bike and suffered a life-changing injury to his right foot.
It was feared he would have to have the foot amputated, but doctors were able to save it. Plavnicky, who works for a bedding company, initially pulled over at the scene at the junction of East Lancashire Road and Back Gilmoss Lane, Fazakerley, but then reversed direction and drove off.
About five minutes later police officers, unaware of the collision, saw him at Randles Farm Interchange with substantial damage to the front offside of his vehicle. They followed the 42-year-old onto the M57, where he was seen swerving and travelling at 45mph on a 70 mph section.
After being pulled over at the end of the motorway, his speech was "slurred" and his eyes "glazed" and he was found to be more than double the drink driving limit. Plavnicky admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was jailed for 34 months.
Michael Walker
The knifeman pulled out a blade in a corner shop before being chased down the street and stabbed in the head with a machete.
Michael Walker brandished the knife in front of shocked customers, including terrified children, after a row erupted over parking. He produced the "very large" weapon from the waistband of his shorts, held it above his head and made a stabbing movement in a downwards motion.
His neighbour then attempted to run him over with his car and "hacked" at him with the fearsome weapon. The 34-year-old was left with blood "spurting" from his head after the incident at the Go Local Extra store on Roughwood Drive in Kirkby.
Walker admitted affray and possession of a bladed article in a public place. He was jailed for a year.
Thomas Crawford
The dealer was found with drugs with a street value of up to £110,000 in a Kirkdale house.
Thomas Crawford's part in the county lines drugs operation to supply cocaine and ketamine was busted when police made the discovery. The raid was carried out as part of Merseyside Police's Project Medusa on July 18, with more than £8,000 in cash also seized.
The 28-year-old, of Keithley Walk in Speke, was jailed for six years.
Anthony Bowden
The heroin smuggler was a key member of a major gang run led by "Jabba the Hutt".
The Merseyside-based organised crime group imported and supplied millions of pounds of class A drugs. Anthony Bowden, one of Jabba's most closely trusted associates, was locked up for 21 years over the ring.
This large-scale operation was organised on encrypted communications platform EncroChat. The OCG's boss used a device with the handle JabbaTheHutt as he directed the sale of more than 84kg heroin and 17kg cocaine.
Of this amount, the gang had been responsible for the importation of more than 20kg of heroin and 4kg of coke. Personal trainer Bowden operated under the handle HyenaJaw and was "closely trusted" by the Star Wars-inspired "head of the operation", arranging the purchase and sale of drugs "on a commercial scale".
Keenan Fairclough
A woman was jogging in a park when she was grabbed by the neck from behind and dragged into bushes.
The victim was left fearing for her life after Keenan Fairclough placed her in a chokehold and demanded cash while desperate for ketamine. Afterwards, the runner posted about her ordeal on Facebook.
She was then messaged by the 21-year-old's step-mum, who was concerned from the description given that he was the culprit. She sent pictures of the defendant, and it was confirmed he had been the attacker.
The dad was then caught lurking in the same area again three days later in suspicious circumstances and arrested. Fairclough was jailed for 40 months after admitting attempted robbery.
Peter Lynch
The drug dealer used the pseudonym "Eager Ape", had close links to Spain and was involved in the supply of nearly 300kg of cocaine and cannabis.
Peter Lynch "entered the big time" of the criminal underworld after losing his job in the construction industry due to ill health. The dad went on to trade in huge quantities and paid his underlings wages of thousands of pounds every month to carry out illicit activities on his behalf.
The 43-year-old deployed encrypted communications platform EncroChat in order to conduct his shady dealings, using the handle EagerApe. This saw him arrange to deal 277kg of cannabis and two kilos of cocaine.
The father-of-three had contacts in Spain, with images found on his Encro phone showing drugs being packaged in the country and discussions referencing "boats being ready for a dummy run" for the importation of drugs into the UK. Lynch was jailed for seven year and four months after admitting conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis.
Lee Ashton
A man who was stabbed by a gang could have died if he had not been saved by a passing ambulance.
Lee Ashton knifed his victim, who was living in a tent in a park at the time, in the back due to his jealousy that he had begun a new relationship with his former partner. The frightening attack followed a crime spree in which the thug stole firearms during a burglary and robbed a cyclist at gunpoint.
Robert Bassnett was left with the blade left lodged in his chest cavity after the assault, but happened to be discovered lying injured in the street by paramedics. One emergency services worker said they "didn't think he would have been able to tolerate that level of blood loss for much longer".
Ashton then had a friend pick him and his new girlfriend up and asked him to dispose of the clothes he had been wearing as he checked into a hotel. The 23-year-old was found guilty of wounding, and was jailed for eight years.
Joshua Moorcroft
The scammer fraudulently claimed more than £75,000 in bogus travel insurance claims.
Joshua Moorcroft, from Dovecot, invented reasons for why he was unable to catch the flights to claim huge sums of cash. In October 2019, he took out a multi-trip worldwide travel insurance policy in and submitted a claim for a missed flight from Manchester to New York just nine days later.
The conman told his insurer his taxi broke down on the way to the airport due to an exploded tyre. Around two months later, Moorcroft made another claim for a missed flight - this time from Manchester to Qatar, stating he was involved in a car crash on the way to the airport.
Three false claims were then submitted in February 2020 over missed trips while he was apparently having surgery on a fractured hand. Moorcroft admitted fraud and was jailed for 16 months.
Kenneth Kavanagh
The child rapist branded one of his victims a liar as he was jailed for 20 years.
Kenneth Kavanagh raped a seven-year-old boy and sexually assaulted a girl when she was aged as young as six. Decades later, he has finally been brought to justice - but attempted to heckle the woman he abused as a child as she outlined the devastating impact his crimes have had on her.
The morbidly obese 74-year-old - who appeared in court via video link to HMP Liverpool in a wheelchair - was heard saying "money, money, money, money" at the beginning of the hearing, before being placed on mute. He also shook his head throughout and made hand gestures, including rubbing his thumb against his index finger and middle finger.
The pensioner appeared to mouth the word "liar" as the victim bravely read a statement to the court. Kavanagh was convicted of seven counts of indecent assault, two of buggery and one of indecency with a child following a trial.
William Rumsby
The paedophile attempted to pin the blame on his own son when he was caught with videos of boys having sex.
William Rumsby accessed the dark web in order to collect a stash of indecent images of children for the second time and installed a multitude of software on his tablet computer in a bid to cover his tracks. He then told a "series of lies" when police came knocking at his door.
The pensioner was handed four-month imprisonment suspended for two years and a seven-year sexual harm prevention order in December 2016 after being convicted of possessing and making indecent images of children. But the 71-year-old flouted this SHPO by downloading similar vile materials again.
Rumsby falsely told police that the Samsung device that the pictures and videos were found on belonged to his son. He admitted possession of indecent images, two counts of making indecent images and breaching a sexual harm prevention order and was jailed for 20 months.
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