This list includes 49 people jailed in May for crimes linked to Merseyside.
Courts across our region heard a range of cases, including a man who murdered his dad for no apparent reason and a paedophile jailed after police found a video he made of himself raping a child. This month also saw a woman jailed for breaking a love rival's nose and a coked-up brute who made his girlfriend's life hell.
A yob who was found with 2.5kg of MDMA and tried to tell the police he was just "holding it" for his drug dealer was also sent to prison, as were two thugs who threatened to shoot a man in Childwall.
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Gerrard Foott
Drunken arsonist Gerard Foott told police "lock me up" when they arrived to arrest him for setting fire to his own home.
He admitted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. The 54-year-old said he started a blaze in a utility room paint cupboard at his home in Sextant Close, Murdishaw, Runcorn after he'd glugged down "12 cans".
When Foott initially called 999 to report the fire on November 9, he claimed not to know how it began, only for the call to go dead. Foott then rang again and confessed.
Four fire engines were called to tackle the blaze and Foott was taken to hospital, suffering from smoke inhalation, where he spent three days. The fire caused "severe smoke damage" to the two-storey terraced house and fire damage in the store room.
Foott, who had past convictions including robbery and violence, was jailed for three years and four months.
Saeed Ahmed
Saeed Ahmed shot at a home where children were living while high on cocaine and booze.
The 40-year-old, who said he was looking after two weapons and ammunition for drug dealers, shot one of the guns immediately after a man had fled his flat. When police arrived in Wellington Road, Wavertree on the morning of December 17 last year, they found a strike mark from a bullet on the wall of a family's home.
Ahmed, who lived in the street, tried to flee on an electric scooter but was arrested. His flat was searched and two women were found there, but no weapons.
A cartridge was discovered on the pavement outside his home and a bullet in the garden of a nearby house. The next day, a police dog handler found a North Face rucksack on open land behind Wavertree Sports Centre.
It contained a loaded black Glock pistol fitted with a magazine, plus a Zoraki gun. There were another 37 bullets and a silencer and the defendant's DNA was found on both weapons, which had the serial numbers removed.
Ahmed, now of Eversley Street, Toxteth, admitted possessing the Glock with intent to cause fear of violence, and possessing a prohibited weapon, the Zoraki. He had past convictions including a robbery conspiracy and was subject to a four-month suspended prison sentence for possessing a knife.
He was jailed for seven years, with an extended three years on licence.
David Lavender
David Lavender murdered his dad just days before his 80th birthday in an unprovoked attack.
He drank heavily before battering his father with a glass kettle last December and fleeing their Old Swan home. A judge said 79-year-old Anthony Lavender's death at the hands of his son was "a tragedy beyond words".
Lavender, 37, had been living at his dad's Woodhall Street home since returning from London during the covid pandemic. He had been drinking heavily on the evening of December 29 before he picked up a glass kettle and hit his father multiple times across the head, causing injuries to his eyebrow and cheek.
The victim called 999 to report the attack, but when officers arrived he was unconscious on the stairs. His son had fled the house, speeding away in his black Audi before he crashed it on the Queens Drive flyover a short time later and was taken to Aintree Hospital.
Lavender, who said he didn't know why he killed his dad, admitted murder and was jailed for life with a minimum of 14 years.
Gareth Davis
Gareth Davis filmed himself raping a baby in sex attacks a judge said were the worst he had ever seen.
The 43-year-old, of Ashridge Street, Runcorn, was arrested after the National Crime Agency (NCA) discovered indecent photographs had been uploaded to a Google account in his name.
NCA investigators had suspicions Davis featured among the 512 child abuse images and raided his home. He was arrested and his Samsung phone seized.
Enquiries established some of the images were of Davis himself abusing a baby. He had shared some of his depraved collection online with other paedophiles and simulated strangulation with a child doll.
He admitted rape of a child under 13, sexual assault by penetration of a child under 13, and three counts of making indecent images: 36 of the most heinous type Category A, 382 Category B, and 94 Category C.
Judge Steven Everett, the Recorder of Chester, jailed him for life with a minimum of 27 years.
Stuart Cornmell
Stuart Cornmell broke a restraining order stopping him from seeing his parents for a ninth time when he burgled their home.
The 32-year-old was banned from going to the address in Peter Mahon Way, Bootle, "due to a previous domestic incident". The order also barred him from contacting them.
But on June 18 last year a neighbour saw Cornmell trying the door handle of the family home. He was then seen to climb through a first floor bedroom window and after about two minutes he was seen to leave out of the front door.
Cornmell returned 20 minutes later and entered and left again. He took £50, a £400 gold bracelet and a crate of beer. His parents didn't report it to the police and said they would give him his Universal Credit money if he returned the bracelet,
However, he failed to, became angry and was reported to the police. Cornmell later admitted the burglary and has since been jailed for three years and nine months for robbery.
He was jailed for 12 months to run consecutively.
Thomas Cawley
Thomas Cawley pinned down a teenage boy before hitting him in the face over and over again with a hammer.
The 32-year-old attacked his 17-year-old victim outside the Red Lion Pub in Robins Lane, St Helens, at around 7.45pm on Monday, November 19 last year. Cawley poured a household corrosive substance over his victim before pinning him down.
Once pinned down, he hit the teen in the face over and over again with a hammer and threatened him with a knife. The victim was left with extensive bruising, cuts and facial swelling and lost two teeth in the attack.
Cawley, of no fixed address, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He was jailed for eight years and one month.
Adam Higginson
Catcalling thug Adam Higginson knocked a woman out after she confronted him over his "disgraceful" comments.
Higginson and another man made Maeve Brooks feel intimidated and frightened when she was walking home alone. But she decided to stand up to the drunken friends.
They continued taunting her until she aimed a kick at Higginson's shin. After kicking her back in the body, Higginson pursued the retreating woman and punched her to the head, leaving the victim with a permanent scar by her mouth.
The incident took place outside the Railway pub in Birkenhead Road in Meols, Wirral at around 11pm on June 12 last year. Higginson, 32, of Shelley Street, Bootle, who has a history of violence, admitted wounding.
He was jailed for 18 months.
Ramijah Hindes
Sex predator Ramijah Hindes handed himself into police after reading a story in the ECHO appealing for information about him.
The 21-year-old sexually assaulted a teenage girl on her way home from a chip shop in Garston on March 17. He grabbed the 17-year-old and subjected her to a violent sexual assault, before she managed to break free and he ran off.
After turning himself in, Hindes was arrested and charged with sexual assault, but he initially denied he had sexually assaulted the victim and instead claimed he was attempting to rob her. Hindes' phone was seized and he was found to have searched for violent and underage pornography on the device.
He admitted sexual assault. Hindes was jailed for three years and nine months.
Mohammed Mohammed
Mohammed Mohammed set fire to a young family's home on the orders of a 16-year-old gang boss.
He was a cannabis dealer for Harry O'Brien - the baby-faced yob behind three terrifying shootings and a firebombing. Mohammed, then 19, carried out the arson attack for O'Brien by pouring petrol over the front door of a mum's home and setting it ablaze.
The victim and her children were having breakfast when flames engulfed their address in Dingle Lane. They ran for their lives as the fire spread from their hallway to the staircase and upstairs.
Mohammed, now 20, carried out the arson attack at around 8am, on February 5, 2021. But he left a petrol canister outside the house and its screw cap contained his DNA.
The young crook, who also supplied cannabis for O'Brien from February 17 to March 26, 2021, admitted conspiring to commit arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered and conspiring to supply cannabis.
He was locked up for five years.
Vicki Bevan, Paul Rafferty and Tony Hutton
Vicki Bevan organised the rape and sexual abuse of a young girl alongside two men and told them there were "no boundaries".
The 37-year-old carried out some of her appalling sexual fantasies alongside Paul Rafferty, 62, and Tony Hutton, 42, 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 three paedophiles from St Helens were all involved in the systematic abuse of a girl. She was asked by one of the men at one point if she had any boundaries and she answered: "No, none at all…"
Images of the abuse were found on Bevan’s phone. They were shared between the three and also by Bevan to other perverts online on Kik Messenger.
Their sick crimes came to light when a fourth man was arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children. His phone was examined and images of the abuse carried out by Bevan discovered, before police recovered a video showing Bevan sexually abusing the child.
Bevan, of Napier Street, St Helens, admitted one count of raping a child under 13; five counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration; two counts of sexual assault on a child under 13; one count of sexual activity with a child; and one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
The rape, one of the counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration and one of the counts of sexual assault on a child under 13 were carried out jointly with Rafferty, of Fry Street, St Helens.
One of the other counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 involved Bevan and Hutton, of Liverpool Street, St Helens, both performing a sex act on the victim. Bevan also admitted 17 counts of making and three counts of distributing indecent images of children, plus two counts of possessing extreme pornography.
Rafferty admitted one count of raping a child under 13; one count of assault of a child under 13 by penetration; one count of sexual assault of a child under 13; and six counts of making indecent images of children. Hutton pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault of a child under 13 and three counts of making indecent images of children.
Bevan was jailed for life with a minimum of 10 years. Rafferty was jailed for 10 years with an extended four years on licence. Hutton was jailed for four years.
Stephen Crook
Coked-up brute Stephen Crook made his girlfriend live her life "on edge" and "always waiting for the next assault".
He sobbed as a court heard how for seven years he subjected his partner to "consistent abuse". The 32-year-old would punch, kick, strangle and spit at his victim.
Much of the abuse centred around Crooks' demands for cash for cocaine or to pay off drug debts. He even threatened to "chop off her head and put it in a box".
The woman, who the ECHO chose not to name, said Crook, of Exeter Street, St Helens, wouldn't let her shower or go to the toilet alone, have friends or contact with family, or go on social media. On February 21 this year, when she didn't answer his demands for money for cocaine, he threw a cupboard door that had come off its hinges at her.
Crook then put his hands around her throat and squeezed her neck. He continued until her nose began to bleed.
He admitted controlling and coercive behaviour between 2015 and 2022 and assault causing actual bodily harm, in relation to the February 21 attack.
Crook was jailed for two years and three months.
David Welsh
David Welsh who dragged an 81-year-old woman down the road "like a rag doll" asked a judge to give him the maximum sentence.
The 22-year-old interrupted his sentencing hearing to apologise for his behaviour. Welsh relapsed into drug use after his dad's cancer diagnosis and tried to grab the pensioner's handbag so he could feed his habit.
The victim determinedly hung onto her bag, which was wrapped around her body, despite him kicking her as she lay on the road between two parked cars. People nearby heard her screams for help and came to her aid. Welsh was detained and arrested.
Welsh, of Vanbrugh Road, Walton, admitted attempted robbery over the incident, at around 4pm on February 10 this year, in Priory Road, Anfield. The court heard he has mental health problems and was the son of a crack addict who was put in care as a toddler.
Judge Gary Woodhall accepted Welsh was genuinely remorseful and took into account his "tragic, traumatic extreme upbringing". He pointed out that it did not excuse his behaviour, but his duty was to impose the least possible sentence commensurate with his offending and jailed him for three years and eight months.
Thomas Wright
A Huyton joiner was part of a gang who transported heroin and crack cocaine between Liverpool and Wrexham.
The group was blown apart after officers busted several doors and discovered the true scale of the operation. Seven of the 11 members of the Wrexham-based crew were sentenced this week, including "trusted" courier Thomas Wright.
They were operating a major drug supply chain over roughly a year between March 2020 and 2021. Their patch was predominantly in and around Wrexham, a place that the judge said was already "suffering greatly" from a drug problem.
Thomas Wright, 44, of Fairfield Avenue, Huyton, was branded as the "upstream supplier". Wright - who sourced "kilos upon kilos" of hard drugs for the gang to shift in the Wrexham area and was convicted of being part of the Class A drug conspiracies - was jailed for 10 years.
His defence barrister, Julian Nutter, claimed the "respectable" joiner was threatened into joining the trade. It was said he had been "forced" to work for criminals higher up the drugs supply chain.
Ethan Birch
Social media cyber groomer Ethan Birch drove to Widnes with children's underwear in the boot to meet an '11-year-old girl'.
The 20-year-old turned up at the car park of the DCBL Stadium on Lower House Lane, Widnes, on Friday, January 21, with "knickers and crop tops" and a change of boxer shorts for himself after 10 days of messages online including sexual incitement and sending obscene images of himself.
Unbeknown to Birch, of Little Lowes Meadow, Lowton, Warrington, the supposed child was really an adult decoy out to snare paedophiles preying on the young online. When Birch arrived, adults from a group called Cobra UK confronted Birch and rang Cheshire Police, who arrived and arrested him.
Birch admitted five counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, attempting to meet a child following grooming, attempted sexual communication with a child, and attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual communication.
He was locked up for four years and eight months.
Steven Mallon
Jewellery shop robber Steven Mallon was tackled to the ground by police after being hit by an SUV while fleeing.
CCTV footage of the "blatant and audacious" raid - carried out in front of passers-by - was played in court after the only gang member caught appeared for sentencing. Mallon's five accomplices leaped onto two motorcycles when police rushed to the scene, Rebecca's Jewellery Shop in Southport, taking the other bike out of action.
Mallon was tackled to the ground and arrested when he tried to flee on foot and was knocked over by a small SUV. The raid was carefully pre-planned and the gang was equipped with an angle grinder, axe, hammer and crowbar.
The "clearly organised" burglary happened just after 9pm on Monday, March 21 this year. Three of the men, all in black and wearing helmets, waited on the motorbikes while the others, including Mallon, were involved in breaking in during an estimated £80,000 raid.
One of them used an angle grinder, from which large showers of sparks were seen, to cut through the metal shutter and then a grille inside the shop. Mallon, 43, of Briarwood Road, Aigburth, admitted robbery.
He was jailed for two years and eight months.
David Houghton
David Houghton jumped into the Manchester Ship Canal after speeding the wrong way up the M6.
At 1.17pm on Wednesday, April 6 this year, officers spotted a white Volkswagen Transporter on the M6 southbound near to junction 21 at Woolston Interchange. Intelligence suggested the driver of the van, Houghton, 43, did not have a licence and officers tried to stop the van.
He pulled off the motorway onto the A57 roundabout and appeared to stop for officers. However, he then made off at speed.
Houghton drove the wrong way down the M6 on two occasions and travelled at speeds well above the 50mph limit. Despite abandoning a chase on two occasions due to the manner of his driving, officers followed Houghton from a safe distance to the A50 Knutsford Road.
Houghton eventually turned off onto Thelwall Lane, a dead-end road. He abandoned his vehicle and fled before jumping into the Manchester Ship Canal. He was arrested as he got out of the water on the other side.
Houghton, of no fixed address but from Liverpool, admitted dangerous driving and failing to provide a specimen. He was jailed for 16 months.
Lisa Fletcher and Lee Owens
Burgling mum Lisa Fletcher wept as she was led to the cells for a jail term which means she might not see her father alive again.
Fletcher and her then partner Lee Owens stole more than £1,200 of stock from an independent shop in Maghull last year. The couple were caught after an off duty police officer spotted them in an Indian restaurant and recognised them from CCTV.
The pair targeted Ryat Menswear on Moreton Way on November 21, waiting until the owner went out to get lunch before ransacking the shop in the space of a minute. They took £1,285 in stock from the shop.
Police found CCTV of the pair but were unable to locate them until the next month, when an off-duty officer went for a meal at a restaurant with his partner. He spotted the thieves at another table and rang the police.
Owens tried to pickpocket another diner and the officer got him on the floor before he and his girlfriend were arrested. The couple, both of Drake Crescent, Fazakerley, admitted burglary and Fletcher told the court she cared for her father who is seriously ill with cancer.
Owens was jailed for three years and a tearful Fletcher for 16 months, as she moaned through tears: "But my dad is going to die."
Gary Stanley
A man found a loaded gun at the bottom of his garden after two thugs threatened to shoot him.
The homeowner disturbed the masked men lurking outside his house in Childwall. They issued the chilling threat before fleeing on a motorbike.
When he searched around his property, the victim spotted a holdall in woodland backing onto his address. It contained a Russian semi-automatic pistol - bearing the DNA of fugitive crack dealer Gary Stanley.
Stanley dived off a boat into a canal in a futile attempt to swim away from police when caught by officers in June 2020. He was wanted at the time for crimes including threatening to skin his ex-girlfriend alive and biting her.
Stanley, of Kingsland Road, Norris Green, was jailed for five years that summer. He was back in the dock in connection with the discovery of the firearm, in Lanfranc Close at around 7.20pm on February 14, 2020.
He wasn't located until June 17 that year, when he jumped off a boat into the Leeds and Liverpool canal at Burscough. Stanley, now 33, admitted possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a certificate.
He was jailed for six years.
Behnam Tavakoli-Juibari
Behnam Tavakoli-Juibari who helped run a £9m plot to distribute cocaine across Britain kept details of his gang's deals in notebooks.
He acted as the bookkeeper for a crew responsible for shifting huge amounts of Class A drugs. The 37-year-old is the last of the gang to be sentenced but was finally jailed after being extradited from the Netherlands and admitting his role in the plot.
The group supplied hundreds of kilos of drugs in England, Wales and Scotland throughout the first half of 2016, with eight members jailed for a total of 106 years in May 2018. The plot, which focused on the supply of cocaine but also included heroin, MDMA, and diazepam, was mainly run from the Wirral, but collapsed after Merseyside Police's Operation Wessex.
Officers raided an address used by the group, seizing a £1.4m stash including more than 9kg of cocaine, 7kg of unadulterated heroin, 10,000 MDMA pills and 11,000 diazepam tablets.
Bookkeeper and courier Tavakoli-Juibari, of Woodlands Avenue, New Brighton, admitted his role in the plots.
He was jailed for 15 years.
Rebecca Chisnall
Rebecca Chisnall "ragged" her love rival up and down the street leaving her with a broken nose and two black eyes.
Long-standing animosity between Chisnall, 23, of Newton Road, Parr, St Helens, and the victim, mum-of-two Rebecca McGrath, boiled over in the early hours of January 15 this year. Both women had been in a relationship with the same man, who had two children with Ms McGrath.
At the time of the assault he was with Chisnall, who falsely accused Ms McGrath of not allowing him to "see his kids". The pair first clashed in a bar in the town that night, which led to the victim being thrown out.
They next met near a taxi rank. Chisnall was seen on camera to grab and drag Ms McGrath to the ground, drag her along by the hair, and punch and kick her.
The victim - who is now back with the man - suffered a broken nose and two black eyes. Chisnall admitted assault causing actual bodily harm.
Chisnall was jailed for 16 months.
Peter Neild
Peter Neild who recorded himself sexually assaulting a toddler was caught out by police who recognised his tattoos.
His attacks on the little girl came to light after police found a phone hidden in the headrest of a chair in his Little Sutton home and matched his tattoos to those captured in the video. Officers had gone to arrest him on suspicion of downloading indecent images from the internet, but were faced with vile footage of Neild himself carrying out abuse.
The 50-year-old, who told police "I need help, I cannot continue like this", was labelled a danger to children after police raided his home on January 27 this year. Officers have since been able to identify the child and she and her family are being supported by social services. Neild admitted sexual assault against her.
Neild was also sentenced for an earlier set of sexual offences committed when he was living in Southport, when he was caught out by paedophile hunters trying to groom a young girl online and then arrange to meet her in 2018. He admitted attempting to meet a child following grooming, to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, to incite a child to watch sexual activity, and to engage in sexual communication with a child.
Neild, of Chester Road, Little Sutton, had previously been jailed for rape, unlawful sexual contact with a child and sexual assault of a child.
He was jailed for 10 years and 10 months, with an extended five years on licence.
Harry Beardsmore
Harry Beardsmore cuckooed the home of two drug addicts and used their flat to package and sell Class A drugs.
A lockdown raid at a flat in Torquay saw police find Beardsmore and Brandon Murray packaging and selling heroin and cocaine. The legal tenants of the flat were drug addicts who lived in the bedroom while the two men slept in the living room.
More than 20g of cocaine and heroin was seized, along with £1,500 in cash, on June 22, 2020. Beardsmore, 21, of Bedford Road, Birkenhead, was found guilty of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and possession of criminal property.
Beardsmore was jailed for four and a half years. Murray, also from Merseyside, will be sentenced at a later date.
Paul Devine
Paul Devine threatened to stab a shop worker before smashing up his shop in a robbery sparked by a row over a mobile phone top up.
He launched the terrifying attack at the Day 2 Day convenience store in Everton Valley on December 20 last year, swinging a large kitchen knife at a terrified worker. The 34-year-old later told police he couldn't remember the incident and wept as he was shown footage of the chaos he caused.
Devine had asked to top up £10 on his phone. The money appeared to go from his account but he couldn't yet see it on his phone records and argued before leaving the shop, then returning in a drink and drug fuelled rage.
The dad-of-one, who shouted "I'll stab you, I'll stab you," admitted attempted robbery, possession of a bladed article and criminal damage.
Devine, of Jason Street, Everton, was jailed for five years and three months.
Joseph Helps
Joseph Helps strangled his partner during brutal domestic abuse.
The 48-year-old, of Main Street, Halton Village, Runcorn, was arrested following the attack on the woman in Main Street on Saturday, May 14.
Court papers said the offence was considered "so serious" and only custody would suffice because Helps had a "flagrant disregard for people and their property". The court heard he had a history of domestic abuse, strangulation was involved, and he was already on a community order. He admitted assault causing actual bodily harm.
A three-year restraining order was imposed banning him from contacting his victim and visiting two named street addresses. Helps was jailed for 12 months.
Andrew Tinton
Andrew Tinton "heard voices telling him to kill" before he beat his elderly mum to death then jumped in front of a train.
He leapt from a railway bridge near Kirkdale station hours after killing his mum by beating her with a lump hammer at least 30 times. It was only when police went to inform Rose Marie Tinton of her son's attempt on his own life that they found the 82-year-old dead in her home in Folkestone Road, Southport.
Tinton, 55, had lived with paranoid schizophrenia since at least 2007. He had largely managed to cope with it, but his mental health deteriorated significantly throughout 2020.
Tinton appeared to be taking his medication and was in regular contact with mental health workers, but the lockdown caused upheaval in the way he was treated. Groups and appointments he would normally attend in person were done remotely and lockdown restrictions impacted on his mental state.
This worsensed even further when his dad, who a judge described as "the key" in his life, died from cancer that August. On January 29, 2021 he killed his mum.
Tinton said voices told him to kill his mum and then kill himself and it was right the two of them die together. He was charged with murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
He was given a hospital order meaning he will be detained until psychiatrists and the Ministry of Justice assess he does not pose a risk to the public.
Andrew Graham
Drug dealer Andrew Graham will miss the birth of his first child after police caught him moving a block of crack cocaine from Liverpool to Scotland.
He hid 107g of Class A drugs in the wheel arch of his car as he tried to ferry it out of Merseyside, but officers discovered it after searching his car. They also found he and another man in the car, Justin Richmond, were dealing cannabis, on November 7, 2020.
Graham and Richmond's phones were seized and it then emerged both had been dealing cannabis on a low level for the preceding two months. Both admitted being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs and possessing cannabis, while Graham also admitted possessing crack cocaine with intent to supply.
Graham, 21, of Tiree Court, Dreghorn, was jailed for three years and two months. Richmond, 19, of Annick Drive, Dreghorn, was spared jail.
Aaron Rowe
Aaron Rowe who vandalised nine police vehicles could have put lives at risk, a senior police officer said.
The 36-year-old, of no fixed address, admitted threatening behaviour towards a woman in Widnes on March 11; two separate assaults by beating against two men on May 11 in Widnes; criminal damage to the ceiling of a Halton Borough Council disabled toilet on May 11; criminal damage towards nine police vehicles in Runcorn; and a supervision breach.
Court papers said the crime spree was "so serious" due to being committed while on licence, a domestic offence, assaulting people at work, and because of his previous criminal record. Cheshire Police said he could have put vital vehicles out of action, leaving patrols unable to get to incidents, which could be the difference between life and death.
He was jailed for 24 weeks.
Ava Jones and Trevor Carr
A 12-year-old child was abducted outside of a busy train station and driven 120 miles away.
Trevor Carr, 40, and Ava Jones, 28, threw a blanket over the child's head and told them to turn off their phone so they couldn't be tracked. The pair abducted the child, who was in school uniform, at Wigan North Western railway station and drove to a campsite in North Wales.
The pair argued during the journey, with the police calling them during the drive, resulting in the child screaming. Jones put a hand over the child's mouth and told officers that her name was David Jones, and that she was camping in Ireland.
But when detectives tracked Jones' phone, they discovered they were at Fferm Cedris Farm Campsite in Abergynolwyn, North Wales. Jones had pitched up a tent and was staying in it with the child, in separate sleeping bags.
The child had started speaking with Jones online in September 2021, when they discussed gender identity. The child's gran told Jones to stop and warned her it was "grooming", but that October 4, Jones and Carr abducted the child.
Carr, of Burns Street, Bootle, and Jones, of no fixed address, both admitted abduction on the basis the crime was not sexually motivated. Carr was jailed for two years and Jones for two years and two months.
Ryan Blake
Scrambler yob Ryan Blake was caught with more than 2.5 kilos of MDMA but told police he was just holding it for his drug dealer.
Police seized around £100,000 of ecstasy when they raided his Hughes Street, Garston home in 2019. Yet in a bizarre claim, the 26-year-old told officers his own dealer, known simply as "Gary", had asked him to hold the colossal amount of the Class A drug - then never asked for it back.
A judge told Blake, who has been jailed before for a cowardly scrambler bike attack on police, his excuse was unbelievable. Police raided Blake's home on November 11, 2019, and found 2.62kg of ecstasy. The drugs, at 32% purity, were judged to have a street value of between £78,000 and £130,000.
Blake admitted possession of the MDMA with intent to supply but said his role was a minor one and he was actually just holding drugs for a dealer to whom he owed a £800 debt.
A judge rubbished his claims and noted he had a past conviction for drug dealing. Blake also admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply, over a separate haul of eight wraps of cocaine, weighing 3.9g, found during a separate police search in July 2020.
He was jailed for seven years and 11 months.
John Neild
John Neild threatened to bury his girlfriend in a hole if she spoke out about his vile domestic abuse.
The 30-year-old attacked the woman - who the ECHO chose not to name - twice in separate attacks just over a month apart, trying to strangle her during the first incident and then knocking her out in the second, breaking bones.
Neild turned aggressive with his partner of nearly three years at home, at around 10pm on Boxing Day last year. He slapped the woman, tried to strangle her, then grabbed a kitchen knife and demanded their friends leave, before pushing her face down onto a bed. When she screamed, he threatened to bite her ear off.
On December 27 he made the threat to bury her and on February 4, after going out drinking, he attacked her, leaving her with facial fractures requiring surgery. Neild, of Barnes Close, Widnes, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm and threatening behaviour over the February 4 incident and assault causing actual bodily harm over the Boxing Day assault.
He was jailed for 16 months.
Joseph Byrne
Joseph Byrne who used the EncroChat handle "FoxHedge" blew kisses to his partner as he was being sent down.
Byrne was a drug broker and courier who supplied narcotics across the country. The 44-year-old was involved with at least 30 kilos of cocaine and heroin, as well as thousands of pounds of cannabis.
In one message he told another EncroChat user he was carrying £38,000 he owed when driving through a police stop check area. Byrne said: "It was heavvvyyy s*** myself."
When police raided his home in Radway Road, Huyton on July 15 last year they found passports, £7,000 in cash, cannabis and scales. Byrne admitted three conspiracies to supply drugs involving cocaine, heroin and cannabis between January 1 and June 4, 2020.
Byrne, whose previous convictions include conspiracy to supply amphetamine, was jailed for 12 years and nine months.
Michael Brandrick and James Donnelly
Michael Brandrick and James Donnelly dealt cocaine and cannabis out of a car in a Toby Carvery car park.
They were caught out when police spotted them sitting in a Volkswagen Tiguan in the car park of the restaurant in Aigburth Road, Aigburth. The pub, formerly known as the Kingsman, was closed because of lockdown. The Tiguan was parked with its lights on next to another car with its lights on, on January 4 last year.
The car stunk of cannabis and when Brandrick, 30, was searched officers found two wraps of cocaine in his jacket pocket and two clear bags in his waistband which contained 13g of the same drug. He also had £300 of cannabis and his mobile phone was vibrating.
He was arrested and when strip searched at the police station a further four wraps of cocaine were found, before officers seized amphetamine at his home in Dovedale Avenue, Eastham. He had £1,700 of drugs in total.
When 37-year-old Donnelly's home in Arranmore Road, Mossley Hill was searched, police found a red bag containing £1,500 of heroin. A bag of £2,070 of cocaine was also found.
Brandrick admitted possessing cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply and possessing amphetamine. Donnelly admitted possessing heroin and cocaine with intent to supply.
Brandrick and Donnelly, neither of whom had previous convictions, were both jailed for two and a half years.
Allan Breen
Allan Breen who ploughed into a man trying to cross the road had more than seven times the legal limit of cocaine in his blood.
He also had his son in the car as he crashed into Paul Tyler on Prescot Road last year, putting him in hospital for four weeks. The 43-year-old dad, who was already serving a sentence for drug offences, was jailed for two years and eight months after admitting causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Amber Owen, 23, who was driving directly in front of Breen before the accident but swerved to avoid Mr Tyler directly before Breen crashed into him, admitted careless driving. Breen and Owen both stopped at a red light next to each other on the evening of April 14, before driving off at speed when it turned green.
The pair, who do not know each other, then turned on to Prescot Road and sped down it. Owen claimed she felt threatened by Breen and was trying to get away from him - but he denied this.
Breen was tailgating Owen's car and when she swerved to avoid the victim, Breen hit him, catapulting him across the road. Mr Tyler suffered open fractures to one of his legs, plus head and facial injuries, required two surgeries and spent a month in hospital.
Breen, of Regal Road, Croxteth, was jailed for two years and eight months. Owen, of Heather Brow, Claughton, was fined £450.
Anthony Byrne
A woman was in agony after her drunken partner poured a kettle of boiling water over her.
Liverpool Crown Court heard Anthony Byrne, 55, was in a relationship with his victim for three years at the time of the offence on March 8 this year. On the night of the attack his victim asked Byrne for the key to her house back due to his drinking.
He threw the key at her, she picked it up and went into the kitchen, but he followed and pushed her. He then picked up the kettle, which he knew had boiling water inside because she had told him so, and poured it on her, said Paul Blasbery, prosecuting.
Recorder Blakey said that as a result she suffered a scald burn and he said he had seen photographs showing “a substantial blister” on her back. He has previous convictions including harassing previous partners and the judge said that showed “a history of domestic abuse but nothing like this matter.”
Byrne, formerly of Alpine Street, Newton-le-Willows, who had pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, was jailed for four years.
The judge imposed an indefinite restraining order on Byrne to keep away from the victim and Alpine Street.
Huw Thomas
A paedophile who sent dozens of messages to what he thought were young teenage girls was caught after vigilantes managed to get into the accommodation unit where he was living.
Huw Thomas didn’t realise he was messaging self-described "paedophile hunters" as he sent a slew of vile messages to accounts he believed belonged to underage girls. Yet members of the Lancashire-based group, Fleetwood Enforcers UK, discovered the address he was living at and went there to try to catch the 46-year-old themselves.
It was only after they accosted other people living at the supported living unit and found out Thomas wasn’t there that police were contacted about his behaviour.
The judge, Brian Cummings, QC, said that Thomas accepted he had a sexual interest and children and that this was dangerous but said he had only stopped when there was intervention from the police rather than through his own efforts. He said: “There was a level of persistence in that you continued offending after one of your phones was seized.”
Thomas, of Queens Road, Southport, was jailed for three years and four months.
Luke Dwyer
A man who tried to take a flare into a Liverpool FC away match was jailed after twice breaching a suspended sentence.
Luke Dwyer was originally hauled before the courts last year after being convicted of dangerous driving while barred from getting behind the wheel. Despite being given a chance on that occasion, the 29-year-old went on to commit two more offences and cried in court today as he landed himself in prison for the first time.
Dwyer was described by the judge, Recorder Daniel Prowse, as having an “appalling” driving record and had narrowly avoided prison in 2021 after a judge handed him a 10-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.
He was then caught as he tried to get in to Selhurst Park with a flare to see Liverpool play Crystal Palace on Sunday, January 23 this year. Months later, officers also found him driving erratically and believed him to be under the influence of cannabis, though he refused to be tested. He later admitted driving while disqualified, failing to provide a sample and possession of cannabis, in addition to the offence at Selhurst Park.
Dwyer, of Sunnyside Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, was sentenced to a total of six months. That included an eight-week prison term for the offences committed earlier this month and four months of his suspended sentence.
He is also disqualified from driving for four years and banned from regulated football matches for three years. Dwyer cried at various points during the hearing but was emotionless as he was led to the cells.
Michael Fowell
A man being held in a secure mental health unit headbutted a nursing assistant after flying into a rage.
Michael Fowell, 40, of no fixed abode, was a patient at the Scott Clinic in Rainhill when the incident occurred in July 2020. The clinic has now closed and been replaced by a new mental health facility near high-security Ashworth hospital.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Fowell became annoyed when his exercise time was delayed by another patient who had become unwell and was being looked after by staff.
The court heard that Fowell had a history of violent offending, which included jail terms for aggravated burglary, GBH with intent, and assaulting a prison officer.
Fowell was found guilty of the offence of assault on an emergency worker by a jury last month. He was due to appear by videolink from the prison where he is currently being held for sentencing, but he refused to attend.
He also chose not to be represented in court. Recorder Mr Simon Parrington said Fowell's behaviour was "wholly unacceptable" and he had a serious record involving violence. He sentenced him to eight months in prison.
Daniel Colebourne
A man dragged his mum from her bed and smashed her head against a wall in a brutal attack in their home.
Daniel Colebourne left Margaret Colebourne “black and blue” after a vicious assault in their home earlier this year. The 27 year old’s actions were so serious a judge didn’t just jail him but barred him from contacting her after she told prosecutors she never wanted to see him again.
Colebourne attacked his mum back in April last year, leaving her with an 8cm gash and extensive bruising across her head. He later claimed the injuries were caused by an accident but eventually admitted wounding as well as criminal damage for causing damage to his mum's fridge during the same incident.
Colebourne, of HMP Altcourse, was jailed for 18 months.
Peter Wilson
A paedophile's sick stash of child sex abuse videos included a half-hour film of him molesting a child.
Convicted sex offender Peter Wilson moved to Merseyside after being released from prison and going "missing". The 32-year-old was eventually tracked down to a hotel in Litherland.
Police discovered he had downloaded twisted files including a video of a baby being raped, which left a judge speechless when it was described in court. But a further movie showed Wilson himself sexually abusing a young girl - then turning to the camera to reveal his face.
The judge jailed him for five years, with an extended eight years on licence. This means Wilson must serve at least two thirds of the sentence - three years and four months - behind bars, before he can ask for parole.
However, he will only be released at that stage if the Parole Board considers he is no longer a risk. He will then be on licence for whatever remains of the five years, plus the extended eight years.
If he offends again, he could be recalled to prison to serve all of that time in jail.
James Gibney, Peter Mallon, Youssif Ahmed, Quaynan Browne and Claire Rowson
A gang of thugs launched lit fireworks at Liverpool fans as they celebrated the Reds winning the Premier League in 2020.
James Gibney, 39; Peter Mallon, 20; Youssif Ahmed, 28; Quaynan Browne, 21; and Claire Rowson, 38, all appeared at Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing on Friday after they pleaded guilty to affray.
A video compilation of their behaviour on the night of June 26 and the early hours of June 27, 2020, showed individual members throwing lit fireworks and other missiles, attacking police vehicles, fighting in the street, and at one point climbing all over a Greggs lorry which had been brought to a halt on a city centre street.
Each of the defendants were defended by their own counsel at the sentencing hearing, with the exception of Browne who chose not to be represented. They accepted responsibility and expressed remorse on behalf of their clients for the part they had played in the disorder that night, and blamed their actions on excessive drinking.
Recorder Mr David Knifton QC said: "The evening of June 26, 2020, should have been a proud day for many in this city, as Liverpool FC achieved a prize which had eluded them for 30 years, being crowned Premier League champions.
"Despite the strict Covid lockdown restrictions in place at that time, large crowds gathered illegally at the Pier Head on that day. By the evening, a 1,000-strong crowd had gathered, intoxicated and jumping on to the traffic. Officers attempted to disperse the crowd, but many were intent on remaining. The mood had changed from high-spirited celebration to a violent and angry scene.
"This was a case of serious or sustained violence which left people in severe fear or distress. Some were left hiding in doorways crying, attempting to avoid missiles being thrown.
"Each individual act of violence or disorder inflames or encourages others. Anyone engaging in mob violence must expect severe sentences to deter others. In my judgement your offences were so serious that nothing other than a custodial sentence can suffice."
Gibney, of St Paul's Close, Kirkby, was sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment, plus another 10 months for a separate offence of dangerous driving.
Mallon, of Broad Lane, Kirkby, who is already serving a sentence for a separate offence of wounding, was given 18 months' detention in a young offenders institute, to be served in addition to his current five-year sentence.
Ahmed, of Fairfield Street, Kensington, who appeared by videolink from prison, was sentenced to 21 months plus another four for breach of a suspended sentence.
Browne, of Kirkburn Close, Toxteth, was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment, while Rowson, of Shaftesbury Avenue, Kirkby, was sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment.
