Perverts, thugs, burglars and robbers are among those locked up so far this month.
And these are just some of the people who faced justice. The Northern Echo has pulled together a list of some of the most prolific.
See them below and find out why they were locked up.
Stockton burglars
A pair of burglars made a blunder when they crept into a family home and stole two mountain bikes after the front door was inadvertently left unlocked following a pizza delivery.
Jonathan Rogers and Gary Skerritt sneaked into the property to steal a Muddy Fox and a Carrera Vengeance mountain bike before fleeing the house in Thornaby.
The mother-of-four, who was in the house with three of her young children at the time, called out when she heard the front door slam closed before heading downstairs to find both bikes missing.
Rogers, 41, and 38-year-old Skerritt, both of Stainsby Street, Thornaby, admitted the burglary on July 29 this year at the first opportunity. Skerritt also pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis which was found on him during a police search following his arrest.
He said: “That left the opportunity for you two thieves, nothing more and nothing less, made worse by the fact that you actually know her.
“Not only were you thieving within your local community; you were thieving from somebody you knew.”
Rogers was locked up for a total of 25 months and his co-accused, Skerritt, was jailed for 16 months.
Pub singer
A pub singer has been jailed after admitting carrying out a catalogue of vile sexual abuse on four young boys.
David Donald, who performed as David Michaels in pubs and clubs around the region, plied the four boys with booze and drugs before inflicting his perverted sexual desires on them.
The sick pervert was branded a dangerous offender as a judge locked him up for 20 years.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the horrific abuse took place over a number of years in the 59-year-old’s Teesside home and his caravan at Crimdon Dene holiday park.
All four victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered multiple sexual assaults over a protracted period which started when they were all under the age of 16.
In heart-breaking victim impact statements, they all said their childhood had been stolen by the sex offender with some turning to drugs to help them cope with the mental torture.
One of the victims said he had attempted suicide to the trauma of the abuse after he started taking drugs as a child.
Another of his victims said he was unable to trust anyone to look after his own child and had lived homeless for a number of years after struggling to deal with the fall-out and perceived shame of the abuse he suffered.
Judge Chris Smith sentenced Donald to a total of 20 years for all offences but made it clear the sentence would not undo all the damage his sexual abuse had caused all four of his victims after he ‘blighted’ their young lives.
Cruel couple
A cruel couple have been locked up after a lengthy campaign of physical and emotional abuse left three children traumatised as they entered their adult lives.
Lorna Dennington would regularly slap the three children for any minor indiscretion while her husband, Christopher, would idly stand by and watch.
Her husband also fleeced almost £60,000 from one of the victims after he was left in charge of a trust fund set up in the wake of the death of the boy’s father, robbing him of his future dreams.
Teesside Crown Court heard how one of the three children, who are all now adults, was forced to eat her food off the floor after being sick at the table.
Another of the victims was pushed into the bath and had the shower turned on him after he returned home from school in wet trousers.
The pair, both of Bedford Street, Darlington, admitted three charges of cruelty to a person under the age of 16 between January 2006 and April 2017.
The charges relate to the three children, who are all now adults.
Christopher Dennington also pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud, dating between March 2016 and May 2017 when abused his position while acting as guardians and spent around £58,000 from a trust fund set up for one of their victims.
“All the children are now adults and have left the address but what I have heard is the dramatic affects of this course of offending that was set out in the victim impact statements,” he said.
Dealing with the fraud charge, the judge said: “To systematically run the fund down, which was there for him when he reached maturity, was callous beyond belief.”
Brick attack
A thug who chased down a teenager before knocking him out with a brick and launching a sustained violent attack on the unconscious boy has been locked up.
Anthony McLoughlin flew into a rage when the windows of his home were put through with bricks and targeted the innocent 15-year-old he believed was responsible for the attack.
CCTV footage showed the 41-year-old smash the brick into the youngster’s head from a short distance before stamping and kicking him to the head and throwing a flurry of punches.
The court heard how the victim turned up at the defendant’s home after he received a phone call from a female friend and when after he arrived a gang of girls threw a number of bricks at the terraced house.
Emma Atkinson, prosecuting said: “The victim suffered bruising to his right eyebrow, a cut to his forehead and a deeper cut to the back of his head.
“He described have sore ribs, bruised hand and knuckles.”
McLoughlin, of Carlow Street, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent in June.
Judge Timothy Stead jailed McLoughlin for a total of four years after he also admitted breaching a suspended sentence when he committed the violent offence.
Five times
Justice has finally caught up with a serial offender as he was locked up for a catalogue of offences involving the seizure of £100,000 worth of drugs.
Michael Collins was initially arrested in August 2017 when he was arrested with high-grade cocaine and amphetamine.
The 61-year-old was arrested again the following month when found with almost £10,000 in cash and more high-purity cocaine.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Cleveland Police believed the Hartlepool man’s involvement in the drug supply network was connected to the long-running Operation Spoonbill investigation into the flow of drugs from the North West into the region.
The court heard that Collins was arrested three times last year for another raft of drug-related offences, all committed while he was under investigation for the 2017 charges.
Collins was arrested in February, March and May, last year after he was caught cocaine, amphetamine and a large quantity of prescription drugs as well scales, mobile phones and a ‘tick’ list.
Paul Abrahams, prosecuting, said the total value of drugs recovered totalled in the region of £100,000 when officers raided his former home in Hartlepool and a pub in Port Clarence connected to the defendant.
Collins, of Crosby Terrace, Port Clarence, near Stockton, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A, B and C drugs as well possession of criminal property – the cash.
Recorder David Gordon sentenced Collins to a total of seven years and four months for all offences.
He said: “You have, on multiple occasions, been arrested by the police in relation to possession with intent to supply drugs."
Callous robber
A callous robber targeted a vulnerable pensioner and stole a wad of cash after targeting his victim in the toilets of a shopping centre.
Paul Clark followed the 74-year-old before accusing the pensioner of being a shoplifter before patting the man down and grabbing a handful of £20 notes.
The 58-year-old, who was living in a tent at the time of the robbery, then fled the Middleton Grange Shopping Centre, in Hartlepool, leaving his victim in a distressed state.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the pensioner had a habit of withdrawing £20 a day from a cashpoint and was unsure of the exact amount of cash that was stolen but thought it could have been in the region of £1,000.
In a victim impact statement, the pensioner said he felt ‘absolutely terrified’ and thought he could ‘lose his life’.
The court heard how the defendant had 38 convictions for 81 offences, including for violence and burglary.
Clark, of Lewis Grove, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to robbery following his arrest on July 26 this year.
Recorder Jeremy Barnett sentenced Clark to three-years in custody for the robbery.
“This was an offence has to be viewed as a targeted offence on a vulnerable victim,” he said.
Violent thug
A thug who left his partner fearing for her life as he strangled on her bed when he ‘completely lost it’ has been locked up for two years.
Mark Stokes attacked the woman when they got home from a night out in March this year after they argued in a restaurant.
Teesside Crown Court heard the victim called 999 and told the operator that Stokes was ‘trying to kill her’ before police arrived at her flat in Middlesbrough.
Jenny Haigh, prosecuting, said Stokes grabbed her hand before violently bending her fingers back.
The 49-year-old smashed up the woman’s flat as he left the scene, including damaging a television and mirror.
In a victim personal statement, the woman said he was left suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and suffering from anxiety and flashbacks.
Stokes, of Roseberry Road, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage following his violent outburst.
Stephen Constantine, in mitigation, said his client had served in the armed forces and had managed to stay out of trouble for a number of years before the assault in March when he ‘completely lost it’.
Recorder Jeremy Barnett locked Stokes up for two-years for the violent unprovoked attack.
He added: “You totally lost control and you strangled her for a long period of time. I have seen the photographs of her injuries, there is substantial bruising to her neck and injuries to her fingers.
“She thought you were going to kill her.”
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