These are some of the criminals jailed this week for crimes linked to our region.
Strikes continue to affect the region’s courts as barristers continue to lobby for increases to legal aid funding, a crucial aspect of the legal system.
That means far fewer cases are moving through the courts than usual. However, some cases are still being dealt with.
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Among the people jailed this week are burglars who targeted homes across Liverpool and a paedophile who inflicted a campaign of sexual abuse on a young girl.
Cole Thomas
A pervert attacked a woman, sexually assaulted her and stole her possessions on a busy city centre street.
Cole Thomas headbutted and throttled his victim before groping her during a shocking incident outside St Johns Shopping Centre. The 22-year-old then made vile threats to rape her and her family.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Monday, that the incident occurred shortly before midday on November 9 last year. Thomas, from Aigburth, "began shouting at" the complainant before grabbing her fingers and headbutting her.
She pushed him away, but he responded by "grabbing her round the throat and digging his fingers into her neck". The defendant continued to be "verbally abusive", calling her "disgusting" and saying that her mum was a "paedo".
Thomas, of Mossley Hill Drive, then told her: "I hope you get raped. I will rape your mum and siblings while I'm at it."
He then began "stroking her face" and grabbed her breasts over her clothing as she was pinned up against a wall. The sex offender "suggested she was enjoying it" and added: "How does it feel to be touched without consent?"
Thomas, who appeared in court via video link to HMP Styal with two of his fingers in a bandage, took her purse from her handbag - causing the bag to rip - stole three bank cards and ripped up her train ticket before leaving. Police attended the scene and found the victim "very distressed and crying", while her assailant was located nearby and arrested.
Thomas admitted sexual assault and theft and was jailed for 30 months. He was also handed an indefinite restraining order and a 10-year notification requirement.
Jake Burrows and a 17 year old accomplice
Two burglars targeted 11 properties in one day and stole games consoles, tablet computers and bicycles.
Jake Burrows and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, broke into houses and garages in Aigburth and Mossley Hill during their crime spree. The heroin and crack cocaine dealer and the youth burgled addresses on Rose Lane, Brodie Avenue, Lugard Road, Cherrydale Road, Benmore Road and Mentmore Road on February 8 this year.
Two mobiles phones and a Samsung tablet were taken during a burglary on Avenmore Road while two Nintendo Switch consoles, a wallet and car keys were pinched from a home on Heatherdale Road. The pair also swiped a backpack, an Amazon Fire Stick and bank cards from a house on Bridge Road.
The teenager, from Toxteth, was locked up for a year and three months at Liverpool Magistrates Court on Monday, after admitting six counts of burglary, four of attempted burglary and one of theft. Burrows, of Maud Street in Toxteth, was previously jailed for four-and-a-half years over the same spate of offending.
The 22-year-old also received an imprisonment of two years and four months at Chester Crown Court last month after being convicted of possession of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply - resulting in a total term of six years and 10 months.
Shaun Wilkinson
A cocaine-fuelled thief took police on a chase past children walking home from school.
Shaun Wilkinson, of Woodchurch Road, Oxton, Birkenhead, stole the keys to a red Honda Civic and a mobile phone from a locker at the Waterworld Leisure and Activity Centre in Wrexham on Friday, June 17. The 28-year-old then used the keys to get into the car, which was parked outside the leisure centre, and drove off in it.
The owner discovered that her car, keys and phone had been stolen at around 2.10pm and called the police. Officers looking for the car spotted it in Chester at around 3.15pm and pursued the car into Ellesmere Port.
During the chase, a rucksack was thrown out of one of the car's windows. Police said due to the dangerous manner in which the car was being driven and the presence of a significant number of children walking home from school, a decision was made to abort the pursuit in the Sutton Way area of Ellesmere Port for public safety reasons.
A short time later, officers located the Honda Civic in the Flatt Lane area of the town after it had crashed into a parked car. Wilkinson had fled the crash scene on foot, without any shoes on.
One of the officers who had been pursuing him found him a short distance away and he immediately recognised Wilkinson as the Honda driver and arrested him at around 4.10pm. The phone Wilkinson had stolen was inside the car, and the rucksack that was thrown out of it was located by officers, the bag contained bolt cutters.
Wilkinson pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, going equipped for theft, theft of the car keys and mobile phone, dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and without insurance and failing to provide a blood test for analysis.
The 28-year-old was jailed for two years and banned from driving for three years. He also has to pay a £156 victim surcharge.
Thomas Forshaw
A teenage dealer who "joined the family drugs business" was caught with nearly £20,000 worth of luxury goods and earned "hundreds every day".
Thomas Forshaw was caught with the huge stash of designer gear when police raided his Liverpool city centre apartment. The "feral" 19-year-old had been involved in the operation of three separate county lines gangs which flooded areas in Lancashire and Cumbria with heroin and crack cocaine, which he boasted was "dynamite" and the "best in town".
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday that he was "wooed" into the underworld, which several of his relatives were already caught up in, and went on to earn hundreds of pounds per day. On June 20, 2021, a car driven by a relative and carrying Forshaw as a passenger was stopped on the M6 heading to Barrow-in-Furness.
One flare text, a message sent to multiple numbers advertising drugs for sale, found on the device read: "Best about, dynamite. Mitch".
Forshaw was released on bail but, on March 16 this year, Merseyside Police executed a search warrant at his flat on Marlborough Street. Upon entering the bedroom, the teen was seen by officers with another Nokia phone in his hands.
He "actively resisted" arrest though, and had to be restrained on the bed as a result. During a search of the property, the force seized six mobiles, a "large quantity" of caffeine and paracetamol which were being used as cutting agents, heroin with a purity of around 50% and valued at up to £5,016, £2,000 in cash, a block of cannabis resin and a jar of the class B drug.
Also discovered were "designer clothing and shoes", an Apple watch and a PlayStation 5 with an estimated combined value of around £19,000. Analysis of two of the phones discovered they had been used in the 'Real Jackkk' and 'Kai' county lines, which supplied heroin and crack in Barrow and Morecambe respectively over the previous three months.
Forshaw - who has one previous conviction for possession of a bladed article in a public place and possession of cannabis - admitted conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine, possession of cannabis and possession of criminal property.
He was jailed for four years and four months.
Chris Morriss
A teenage girl had her "childhood stolen" after a vile paedophile raped her 10 times.
The actions of Chris Morriss, 49, formerly of Denecliff, Stockbridge Village, came to light after he was found in breach of the terms of the sex offenders register after being released from prison for previous sexual offences. He had tried to evade detection by changing his name, but was jailed for three and a half years for that offence in July 2021.
While officers were investigating the breach, officers were made aware a 13-year-old girl was raped 10 times by the vile paedophile. Morriss groomed the youngster by buying her presents before assaulting her to satisfy his perverted sexual urges.
The girl described how her whole family had changed because of what Morriss had done and how he had robbed her of the chance to be a normal teenager. Morriss was convicted of 10 rapes on the 13-year-old and was jailed for life in court earlier this week. He must serve at least 11 years before he is eligible to apply for parole.
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