DRUG dealers, sex offenders and violent thugs were among those facing justice at Teesside Crown Court.
OCTOBER
Leon Parkinson
A GUNMAN started a 'wild west' shoot-out when he blasted the home of a man who has since been allegedly murdered.
Leon Parkinson targeted convicted drug dealer Carl Eland's home with the improvised 20-bore shotgun before being chased down the street by his intended victim – who had armed himself with an air pistol.
A weapon charge against Eland, who police believe was murdered in a deliberate hit and run, has been formally dropped following his death.
Two men have subsequently been charged with murder.
The 20-year-old was then captured picking up the shotgun cartridges fired from the homemade ‘slam-gun’ before getting back on the motorbike and riding away.
Parkinson, of Outram Street, Middlesbrough, eight years and four months for the shooting.
Daniel Burn
A FORMER youth team football coach is back behind bars after he was convicted of sexually abusing a young boy when he was a teenager himself.
Daniel Burn used a fake profile on social media to get the attention of his victim before encouraging him to take part in sexual activity on numerous occasions over a three month period in 2014.
The 28-year-old was sentenced to eight years in custody in 2015 after he used his connections in youth football and with a local cricket team to target some of his victims on the internet, trying to incite them into meeting him for sex.
The court heard how Burn's sent the youngster pictures of his genitals before persuading the him to meet up and he carried out a number of sexual offences.
Burn, of Hawkesbury Mews, Darlington, was convicted of eight sexual offences following a trial earlier this year.
Judge Timothy Stead jailed Burn for five years.
Matthew Pattison
A CHILD rapist who destroyed the lives of his two young victim has been locked up for 18 years.
Matthew Pattison repeatedly raped and sexually abused the young girls over a number of years before his victims plucked up the courage to speak out.
The 28-year-old carried out the sickening abuse on both victims when they were under 13, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Nick Adlington, prosecuting, said Pattison's crimes finally came to light in 2019 when one of his victims broke down and told a school education officer about what he did to her.
Recorder David Gordon told Pattison he had used 'emotional blackmail' to control his two victims.
He added: "These are grave offences, which have had a devastating affect on these two young women for the rest of their lives.
"You robbed them of their innocence, you ruined their childhood and the damage will be long lasting."
Pattison will be on the sex offenders' register indefinitely, and was made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
He was also given an indefinite restraining order.
Daniel Yule
A 'NARCISSISTIC' rapist who left his victim fearing for her life after he threatened her with a hammer and knife has been jailed for 14 years.
Daniel Yule subjected his victim to violence and intimidation to satisfy his perverted needs, Teesside Crown Court heard.
The 34-year-old placed the weapons on the bed before attacking his victim and leaving her begging to die.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said Yule had destroyed her life and left her traumatised.
Yule, of Cranmore Road, Middlesbrough, was found guilty of three counts of rape and one sexual assault offence following at trial.
He said: "You were offering a choice symbolised by three symbols – a ring, a knife or a hammer – telling her should could either chose a beating with a hammer; stabbed to death with the knife; or rape.
"She asked for death but you replied 'that won't be any fun – I'm going to rape and beat you'."
NOVEMBER
James Vayro
A SEX beast who carried out a campaign of horrendous abuse on a young girl has been locked up for 20 years.
James Vayro systematically abused the girl over a protracted period until his reign of terror was finally brought to an end when she bravely spoke out.
The 33-year-old bullied and threatened the youngster into performing a number of sickening sex attacks to satisfy his depraved urges.
Vayro, of Darlington, was found guilty of a number of rapes and sexually assault following a trial.
Judge Timothy Stead sentenced Vayro to 20 years in custody – 19 years in prison with an additional year on extended licence for the abuse he carried out on the 'brave and dignified' victim over a number of years.
“The effect on the child has been significant," he said. "She has been badly affected by this, as one would anticipate, and I fear she will continue to be badly affected."
Adam Jackson
A TODDLER suffered fatal head and internal injuries after she was brutally beaten by her mother's then-partner.
Adam Jackson killed Grace Thorpe in November last year after she suffered fatal injuries, including a broken jaw, a broken leg, a bleed on her brain, and bruising to her face and body.
He denied kicking and stamping on the two-year-old but finally admitted that he was responsible for her fatal injuries.
The toddler died in hospital after being severely beaten in her home in New Marske two days earlier.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Grace was spotted with bruises on her body and face in the weeks leading up to her murder.
Nick Dry, prosecuting, told the court that Jackson had left the toddler seriously injured for a lengthy period before he called emergency services.
Cleveland Police were called to a property on Dale Street, New Marske, to a report of an injured child.
Jackson, of Dale Street, New Marske, was jailed for life and told he will serve a minimum of 15 years and 166 days after pleading guilty to murder.
Jake McCabe
A THUG who killed a young dad when he crashed a stolen car is back behind bars after stabbing a man three times with a nine inch ‘zombie’ knife.
Jake McCabe attacked his victim when he was already involved in a fight with the brother of man's former partner, Teesside Crown Court heard.
The 25-year-old plunged the blade into the knee, thigh, and buttock of his victim when violence erupted in Darlington in the summer.
Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, told the court how McCabe had been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for causing the death of father-of-three Andrew Corfield by dangerous driving in 2014.
The injured man's wounds were treated at hospital.
McCabe, of Crosby Street, Darlington, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article.
Recorder Simon Goldberg sentenced McCabe to four years in prison with an additional two years on extended licence after branding him a ‘significant risk of harm’ to the public.
Keith Hall
A MANIPULATIVE and violent man who preyed on a vulnerable teenager before killing her in a fit of rage has finally been brought to justice.
Keith Hall kept his secret for 20 years before finally owning up to what he did when he started to lose control of the vulnerable young woman and gave her a ‘beating which went too far’.
The 62-year-old forced Rachel Wilson into a life of prostitution after getting her addicted to crack cocaine, Teesside Crown Court heard.
The 19-year-old's family have been able to take their first step towards full closure after he was jailed for 18 years and six months after admitting the manslaughter of the teenager.
Jonathan Sandiford QC, prosecuting, said the precise cause of Rachel’s death was never ascertained as her skeletal remains, recovered from a drainage ditch in 2012 on the outskirts of Middlesbrough, revealed very little forensic evidence.
Hall, of Lambton Road, Grove Hill, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, living off immoral earnings and perverting the course of justice, in May this year almost 20 years after he killed her.
He said the overwhelming evidence is that if Rachel didn’t earn enough money by working as a prostitute Hall would regularly beat her and leave her covered in bruises.
Jake Douglas
A TEENAGE killer is back bars for crashing a car into a pedestrian crossing after taking police on a dangerous pursuit through a busy town centre.
Jake Douglas, who was jailed for four and a half years for his role in the killing of Shane Tunney in 2016, was recalled on licence following the crash in May as he was sentenced to 20 months in prison for a string of burglaries in July last year.
Now the 23-year-old can add another 12-months to his ‘unenviable’ record after admitting dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and no insurance following a crash on May 6.
"The dangerous driving involved on that occasion was such that you failed to stop for police officers, fled in a vehicle and were ultimately apprehended."
Douglas, of David Road, Stockton, was also banned from driving for 30 months.
When he was 18, Douglas was sentenced to four-and-a-half years for Mr Tunney's manslaughter and for assaulting his friend Anthony Kirk on Norton High Street on June 27, 2015.
DECEMBER
Matthew Clark
A BANNED driver who took police on a high-speed chase has been warned that his behaviour will eventually kill someone.
Matthew Clark was spotted travelling along the A66 towards Darlington when police attempted to pull him over but instead of stopping he accelerated away from the officers in the blue Mercedes he was driving.
The 30-year-old’s dangerous driving came to a shuddering halt when he smashed into a fence in the town centre before trying to leg it away from police, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Clark, a father-of-one, was eventually arrested hiding in some bushes near a riverbank after a police dog managed to successfully track him down.
Recorder Andrew Smith MBE told Clark that his driving was putting his own life at risk as well as innocent people going about their daily business.
Clark, of Sutcliffe Court, Darlington, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance.
Andrew Turton, in mitigation, said his client had been affected by the suicide of a friend just days before his arrest.
Christopher Edminson
A MAN who killed a 'loving' ex-serviceman with a single punch when he got involved in an argument outside a pub has been jailed for more than five years.
Christopher Edminson knocked Eric Hunter 'out cold' when he attacked him outside The Lobby bar, Middlesbrough, in the early hours of the morning.
The father-of two was acting as a 'peacemaker' when his friend became involved in a row with the bar manager before Edminson entered the fray and punched Mr Hunter in the face.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the ex-serviceman's skull cracked on the pavement as he was knocked to the ground in the early hours of Saturday, July 25, last year.
He was taken to James Cook Hospital but died there on Monday, July 27.
The 20-year-old pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the day of his trial in October.
Edminson, of Bull Lane, York, pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Judge Howard Crowson sentenced Edminson to five years and three months in custody.
He said: "He made no aggressive move and it was not your argument, you punched him with moderate to severe force causing facial bruising, lacerations to his mouth and nose.
"Those who were there, and were sober enough to recognise it, knew he was unconscious before he was falling."
Alexander Layton
A MAN who brutally murdered a dad when he callously stabbed him to death in front of his young son has been jailed for life.
Alexander Layton stabbed James Stokoe multiple times after a road-rage row descended into extreme violence.
The 40-year-old bled to death in his BMW following the angry confrontation on Trenchard Avenue, Thornaby, after Layton walked out in front of the car after getting off a bus on May 15 last year.
The 34-year-old had a history of violence against his own mother, including holding a cushion over her face, and was convicted of a robbery while living in Amsterdam, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Mr Stokoe's heartbroken wife and mother made emotional victim impact statements but were too upset to read them out themselves.
Reading them on their behalf, Peter Makepeace QC, prosecuting, said Layton's actions had left a gaping hole in their lives which will never be filled.
Judge Howard Crowson sentenced Layton to a minimum of 21 years and 162 days in custody.
He told Layton that Mr Stokoe had done nothing to deserve the fatal attack he launched on him while he was sitting in a 'defenceless position'.
Christopher Blakemore
A MAN has been found guilty of attempting to murder his ex-partner in a fit of rage after finding a condom wrapper in her bin.
Christopher Blakemore stabbed Amy Johnson 31 times in front of their young son when he forced his way into her home following a row over cash.
The six-foot six defendant caused Miss Johnson multiple stab wounds to her neck, shoulders, chest, stomach and thighs before managing to lock herself in the bathroom and call 999.
Teesside Crown Court heard how she was 'one very lucky lady' after all mayor organs and arteries were missed during the frenzied attack.
Miss Johnson, who suffered a punctured lung, was interviewed by police from her hospital bed.
Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, had said Blakemore's account of what happened on October 13, 2019, at Miss Johnson's home on Marske Lane, Bishopsgarth, Stockton, did not stack up with the weight of the evidence examined by forensic specialist Nicola Taylor and pathologist Dr Jennifer Bolton.
Miss Johnson told jurors that the 33-year-old turned up at her back door asking for money and when she turned him away he lost his temper, forced his way into her home before knocking her to the ground and stabbing her.
Blakemore, of Ammerston Road, Middlesbrough, denied attempting to murder her or cause her grievous bodily harm, maintaining that he acted in self-defence.
Jurors convicted the 33-year-old after four hours of deliberation.
He will return to court to be sentenced in February.
Judge Jonathan Carroll ordered that a psychiatric report should be compiled before Blakemore's next appearance in court.
Cocaine-fuelled twins
VIOLENT twins who stabbed and headbutted a man before stealing his car had been drinking and taking cocaine all night, a court heard.
Tyrone and Thomas Hornby attacked the man when he pulled up outside his daughter's home in his Ford Fiesta in July this year.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Tyrone started attacking the 63-year-old victim before encouraging his twin brother to stab him before they dragged him out of the car and sped off.
CCTV footage watched by the judge showed the man fleeing the attack with blood dripping from a head wound after he was stabbed with a a large knife.
In a victim impact statement, the 63-year-old said the attack had a traumatic effect on his life.
He said: "When I'm out and about I have now lost confidence and if I see young men on the same side of the road, I will cross over as I feel anxious and vulnerable.
"This is something I have not done before."
The incident happened at around 9.30am on July 24 in the Hardwick area of Stockton, and has only been able to visit his daughter's house once since the attack.
They were both charged with wounding with intent, robbery and possession of a sharp or bladed article in a public place.
Thomas Hornby was also charged dangerous driving, which resulted in a woman suffering significant injuries when Hornby smashed head-on into her car as they fled the scene.
The twins pleaded guilty to all charges.
Judge Timothy Stead jailed Tyrone for a total of nine years and Thomas to a total of eight years and six months for the 'appalling attack'.
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