The coronavirus crisis may have changed the way the justice system is running but North East judges have not stopped handing down long jail terms to criminals.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, video technology is being used in court rooms to keep cases flowing.
Concerns over social distancing have resulted in all jury trials being halted, and barristers at Newcastle Crown Court are prosecuting and defending cases from their homes, via the likes of Skype.
Meanwhile, defendants are not appearing in person but are attending hearings via video links.
Indeed the only people currently sitting in courtrooms at the Quayside law courts are judges, their clerks and representatives of the media.
ChronicleLive is continuing to cover court in these difficult times.
And here we have rounded up some of the cases that have resulted in lengthy prison stints for criminals so far in 2020.
Brett and Blaine Fenwick
A raging lover who tried to murder a woman he was having an affair with was jailed for 25 years.
Brett Fenwick had been seeing Louise Pearce behind the back of Gareth Mallaburn but became angry when she failed to leave the father of her children.
A court heard the two men were both kitchen porters at Alnwick Garden at the time, where Louise also worked, as a cleaner.
After drinking heavily, Brett and his brother, Blaine, turned up at Louise and Gareth's home in Alnwick looking for trouble.
They barged into the house and Brett, supported by Blaine, ended up knifing Gareth in the neck.
When he fled, bleeding profusely, Brett then launched a shocking, sustained knife attack on Louise, acting "like a man possessed" as he tried to kill the woman who had viewed him as her best friend.
She was lucky to survive her terrible injuries and was left scarred for life, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
Brett, who admitted the attempted murder of Louise and was found guilty of wounding with intent on Gareth, was locked up for 25 years while Blaine, convicted of wounding with intent on Gareth, got 10 years.
Read the full story here.
Darren Davidson
An agoraphobic and anxious burglar who managed to overcome his fears to repeatedly go out and burgle houses is back behind bars.
Time and time again Darren Davidson has broken into homes across the North East and stolen valuables.
He had only been out of prison a few months when he struck again in Heaton and Jesmond, Newcastle, leaving victims traumatised.
By his own admission, the "institutionalised" 45-year-old has been "unable to succeed" on the outside and believes it is best if he is in custody, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
This week, the 45-year-old, of no fixed address, was sent back to prison for five years after admitting two burglaries, having a bladed article and two counts of handling stolen goods. He also asked for another burglary to be taken into consideration.
Read his full story here.
Kenneth Thompson
A gunman carried out a drive-by shooting in a residential street in broad daylight when a feud exploded into "lawlessness".
It was a teatime on summer's day in a cul-de-sac in the West End of Newcastle when the peace was pierced by the sounds of gunshots.
Kenneth Thompson was firing expanding bullets from a semi-automatic pistol out of a moving vehicle at a car to "intimidate or send a message", a court heard.
After firing at least five rounds at the Dacia vehicle in Elswick, he fled the area and disposed of the weapon, which was then thrown into the River Tyne.
The 45-year-old was jailed for six years at Newcastle Crown Court after he admitted firearms and ammunition charges.
Thompson, of Bentinck Street, Elswick, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to having a firearm with intent to commit an offence of criminal damage, possessing a firearm and more than 80 cartridges of ammunition and criminal damage.
His full story is here.
Ryan Ellis
Prolific thief Ryan Ellis, 33, was jailed for seven years after admitting a string of offences committed across Sunderland.
On December 14 last year Ellis stormed into Ray's store in Hendon, Sunderland and tried to climb over the counter to steal money from the till.
A brave shop worker managed to talk Ellis down, who then left empty-handed before targeting the Premier store on Villette Road a short time later.
He overpowered a woman working alone before making off with cash, prompting a three-day police manhunt.
In court, Ellis admitted his role in both of the raids as well as a burglary he committed at Spar on Ewesley Road in Sunderland on November 25 last year when he stole a worker’s bag.
He also confessed to stealing jewellery and cash worth more than £5,500 from a home on Cleveland Road last November– after forensic experts spotted a trace of blood that he had inadvertently left on a door handle.
Ellis admitted further offences of shoplifting, dangerous driving and assault on an emergency worker after he threw cup of water over a police officer when detained at Southwick Police Station.
In March, a judge jailed him for seven years and he was also handed a five-and-a-half-year driving ban.
Read his full story here.
Paul Watson
Dangerous Paul Watson was lucky he didn't kill a man by repeatedly stamping on his head after lying in wait to attack the victim and his partner.
Watson had previously served eight years of an indeterminate sentence for GBH with intent and had only been deemed safe for release around a year before striking again.
After a brief confrontation in a pub, he was ushered out - but instead of going home he waited to carry out a savage attack.
When the couple left the Royal Marine pub, in Seaburn, Watson attacked them as they headed along Sea Road to the Marriott hotel, where they were staying that night.
Newcastle Crown Court heard Watson, 39, repeatedly stamped on the man's head and punched his girlfriend away when she tried to come to his aid.
Judge Tim Gittins sentenced him to five years behind bars, with an extended licence period of three years.
Read his full story here.
John McDonald
A terrified schoolgirl was raped by a pensioner in a "depraved and disgusting" attack.
John McDonald, 72, ignored the child's pleas for him to stop as he forced himself on her, a court heard.
Newcastle Crown Court was told the young victim, who was "bubbly, happy and caring, who loved animals and trusted adults" is now scared to go out playing or even leave her mother's side.
The girl's mum said, in victim impact statement read out in court: "She won't leave my side, she won't go out and play at all.
"She thinks being away from me means this will happen again to her.
"She wakes up screaming and kicking out. She calls this her night terrors. I hear hear screaming 'stop' and 'no'.
"She is too young to have had any sexual experiences. What she will remember is how an old man forced himself on her and how scared she was, how there was no-one there to help her.
"The future will be hard for her. She won't trust people. I can't begin to think how this will effect her.
"These are all things she has to live with every day. The harm he has done to my daughter and our family will never be able to be quantified."
McDonald, of Haltwhistle, Northumberland, pleaded guilty to rape of a child under 13.
Judge Tim Gittins sentenced him to seven years behind bars with a one year extended licence period.
The full story is here.
Jake Lancaster
A man was jailed after he held two people hostage and attacked them with ammonia because he claimed he was owed £20.
One of the victim's said Jake Lancaster was "like a crazed lunatic" when he kicked his way into the home in Sunderland where he held a man and woman for two and a half hours.
Once inside the address in Roker, he dragged a sofa across the doorway and kept the pair inside threatening to hurt them.
The 26-year-old went on to squirt ammonia in the face of both victims and viciously assaulted them during the terrifying ordeal.
Lancaster, of Poole Road, Sunderland, was arrested and charged with a string of offences but refused to cooperate with police in interview.
In March 16, a jury found him guilty of aggravated burglary and two counts of false imprisonment.
He was jailed for 10 years and handed restraining orders banning him from contacting both victims in the future.
The full story is here.
Ryan Heslop
A violent thug stuck a fork in a woman’s face after getting drunk following his grandad’s funeral.
Ryan Heslop had been drinking at the wake when he launched the painful attack - first stabbing the woman’s hand, then bending her fingers back before thrusting the piece of cutlery into her face.
Heslop, 29, then made repeated phone calls to the victim while remanded in custody, “leaning heavily and emotionally” on her to drop the charges until she withdrew her support for the prosecution.
Despite her retraction statements, the case against Heslop, of Devonshire Street, South Shields, proceeded and he pleaded guilty to assault and attempting to pervert the course of justice. He also pleaded guilty to criminal damage in relation to a television at the victim's house.
Judge Stephen Earl jailed Heslop for five years and two months.
The full story is here.
Ryan Harland
A mother branded her son a "vicious horrible animal" after he subjected her to a brutal attack with a piece of wood and made her lie on the floor "like a dog".
Ryan Harland left his vulnerable mum terrified and with broken bones in the degrading onslaught.
A court heard he repeatedly hit Angela Harland with the wood, ignored her pleas for mercy and left her so petrified she soiled herself.
The 29-year-old, who lived with his mum in Pegswood, near Morpeth, at the time, was jailed for seven years for inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.
Harland, formerly of West View, Pegswood, had 133 previous convictions.
Read her full story here.
Graham Lane
A paedophile who subjected a little girl to a campaign of rape was caught after she told her school friend what was happening to her.
Predatory Graham Lane raped and sexually assaulted the child when she was less than 10 years old.
He had frightened her into silence but her ordeal was finally ended when she told her friend the secret and she told her mum.
Lane, 58, of Blyth Street, Chopwell, Gateshead, was jailed for 19 years. He admitted a series of offences, including rapes and sexual assaults on the girl.
He was also found to have indecent images of children, including of the girl and others from the internet. And he admitted sex offences in relation to another young girl.
Read the full story here.
Mitica Gheorghiu
A young schoolgirl who was lured to hotel rooms by a predatory paedophile saw her abuser jailed for more than 13 years.
Mitica Gheorghiu, 40, of Newcastle, threatened the girl, saying he would kill her and her family if she told anyone about the abuse.
A court was told how he would force her to skip school before abusing her in a hotel room. He even filmed the abuse on one occasion.
The schoolgirl kept quiet about what had happened to her out of fear of repercussions, but last September she bravely confided in her mum and Gheorghiu was arrested.
Hotel staff confirmed his frequent and unusual hotel stays during a two-week period in September last year, where he would check in mid-morning and check out hours later in the afternoon.
He was also captured on CCTV at the premises with his victim.
Despite the evidence, Gheorghiu initially denied the offences but then changed his plea on the day of his trial on March 3.
He admitted four counts of rape of a child under 13, eight counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of making indecent images and videoing a child.
He was handed a 13-and-a-half year prison sentence.
The full story is here.
Thomas Wright
A former councillor was jailed for more than 15 years after he was exposed as a "prolific paedophile".
For decades, Thomas Wright had been an upstanding member of the community, serving on Sunderland Council and as chairman of the Tyne and Wear Fire Authority.
But he was hiding a terrible secret from his younger years, when he subjected four children to horrific abuse.
The 67-year-old was finally been brought to justice for his sexual offending, which took place between the 1960s and 1980s.
Judge Stephen Earl jailed Wright for 15 years and four months, with lifelong sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order.
Read the full story here.
Peter Dodds
Murdered Scott Patterson's heartbroken children write notes wishing they had their daddy back and look to the stars at night to say goodnight to him, a court heard as his killer was jailed in February.
When Peter Dodds stuck a knife in Scott's chest for absolutely no reason, he robbed five youngsters of their hero and ensured that his newborn baby, Olivia, will never know her dad.
As Dodds was told he will serve a minimum of 19 years behind bars for 30-year-old Scott's murder, his grieving partner told how the children can't understand how they dad could die so young.
Danielle Sanderson read out a statement from the witness box at Newcastle Crown Court setting out how the senseless killing had impacted on so many lives.
“It’s so difficult to put into words how this has affected me and my family," she said.
”I find it difficult to show my emotions in public and I may appear like a person holding it together but this is far from the reality.
”The only word I can use is devastated."
Read the full story here.
Christopher Graham
A savage murderer who mutilated and desecrated the body of a grandad was told he must serve at least 26 years behind bars.
Christopher Graham subjected Simon Bowman to a horrific attack during which he snipped off his fingers and toes and caved in his face with a hammer.
Mr Bowman had more than 100 injuries on his body, some of which - including some of the digit removal and a gaping gash to his throat - had been inflicted after death.
The 30-year-old was found guilty of murdering his 54-year-old friend at his flat in Jarrow after a trial in December and in January he was jailed for life.
The full story is here.
David Nicholson
A paedophile who confessed to raping a child after agreeing to a lie detector test by police was locked up for more than nine years.
David Nicholson was arrested after being snared trying to meet a child by paedophile hunters Dark Justice and was asked to undergo a polygraph test.
The court heard he went on to reveal he had raped an 11-year-old girl.
In January, Nicholson was jailed for nine years and four months, with an additional two year extended licence period.
The 46-year-old, of Gatacre Street, Blyth, pleaded guilty to rape and three offences of indecent assault.
The full story is here.
