Here are some of the most serious offenders who have faced justice at Teesside Crown Court in October.
The cases include killers, rapists, a drug dealer and violent thugs from across the region who have been locked up.
Army veteran
An army veteran who violently attacked his partner a few months after he was released from prison for a previous attack on her has been locked up again.
Steven Files flew into a jealous rage when he returned to the woman’s home after spending the night drinking while watching England lose the Euro 2024 final on July 14.
The 36-year-old reacted angrily to a comment he believed had been made towards his victim before ripping the flesh inside her mouth as she tried to scream for help while trapped inside her Darlington home.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Files grabbed the woman twice around the throat after he grabbed her mobile phone off her but she managed to break free and try to get help.
In October last year, the defendant was sentenced to a total of 64 weeks after he twice strangled her and broke a police officer’s leg when they tried to arrest him.
Judge Richard Bennett branded Files a danger to the public as he locked him up for 28 months.
He said: “When police attended, they found the victim covered in blood with obvious injuries with blood throughout the home and on furniture."
Vigilante killers
An armed gang of killers who took part in a fatal mob attack on an innocent and defenceless dad have been locked up.
Michael Richardson rounded up a posse to track down the man he suspected of burgling his County Durham home.
The gang, armed with a knife and a baseball bat, managed to find the man they were looking for but he managed to escape their grasp.
Undeterred the 53-year-old and his accomplices, Karl Jones, Craig Dent, and a teenager who cannot be named for legal reasons, turned their attention towards Lee Clarkson.
He was kicked, punched, and stamped on before a teenager fatally stabbed him in the abdomen when they dragged him out of his Bishop Auckland home in November last year.
The 42-year-old tried to drag himself back to the safety of his home but bled to death in the street despite paramedics battling to save his life.
The ringleader Richardson and the teenager were convicted of murder while the other two defendants were cleared of murder but were convicted of manslaughter following a trial at Teesside Crown Court.
The teenager was told he will serve 15 years in custody. Firstly, in a young offenders' institute before being transferred to an adult prison.
Jones, of General Bucher Court, Bishop Auckland, was sentenced to 14 years for manslaughter and told he must serve two-thirds of his sentence before being considered for parole.
Dent, of Gray Street, Eldon, was sentenced to nine years and six months for manslaughter after he pleaded guilty to the offence before the trial got underway.
Obsessive stalker
An ‘obsessive and paranoid’ drunken man who grabbed his girlfriend by the throat before assaulting a police officer attempting to arrest him has been locked up.
Kriss Wilson downed a bottle of rum before becoming argumentative and aggressive towards the woman in her home while the children were sleeping upstairs.
The woman tried to get the 40-year-old to leave but instead, he grabbed her by the throat, clenched his other fist, and said threateningly ‘I will show you real abuse’.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the police were called and Wilson attacked the officer by knocking him to the ground before he was overpowered and arrested.
Cole Cockburn, prosecuting, the couple had broken up previously due to allegations of domestic abuse but the victim asked for bail conditions to be changed to rekindle their romance.
The court heard how things came to a head when the victim asked him to leave her home when he started making comments about her former partner having access to his child.
Wilson, of Peel Street, Darlington, pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation and assault on an emergency worker in the early hours of August 23 this year.
Wilson was also made subject of a ten-year restraining order.
Sex assault
A pervert who took advantage of a vulnerable woman and sexually assaulted her as she relieved herself in a back alley has been jailed.
Harmandeep Singh followed his victim into the alleyway before carrying out the sickening attack while she was unable to protect herself.
CCTV footage showed the defendant with his victim before he fled the scene, a judge heard.
The 34-year-old attacked the woman after she had spent the night drinking in Consett town centre, Teesside Crown Court heard.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said she was now too scared to leave her home or to go into Consett and was receiving counselling to help her address her trauma.
Singh, of Newmarket Street, Consett, was found guilty of assault by penetration following a trial.
David Callan, representing the defendant, said his client worked in the kitchen of a restaurant after saving up to move to this country from his native Punjab.
Judge Richard Bennett sentenced Singh to three years and six months in custody for the sex attack.
He said: “Your assault on her has had a considerable effect and she has struggled to leave her house at times.”
Singh was told that he must sign on the sex offenders’ register for life unless he is deported following his release from custody.
Darlington thug
A screwdriver-wielding thug intent on ‘taxing’ a drug dealer has been jailed after entering the wrong flat and threatening to stab an innocent victim.
Leroy Hewitt let himself into the man’s flat in the early hours of the morning before demanding that he hand over his cash and drugs while he was looking for ‘sniff’.
The 46-year-old forced the man to show him the contents of his wallet before threatening him with a screwdriver as he held it against his body.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the man was able to escape when Hewitt started searching his bedroom and he fled to a neighbour’s flat to call the police.
The court heard how Hewitt had a previous conviction from June 2020 when a man was forced to jump out of an upstairs window to escape the violent defendant.
The defendant was searching for drugs and money at the time and the victim was so scared that he chose to jump out of a window where he suffered life-changing injuries, including broken back, broken leg and facial injuries.
Jonathan Walker, mitigating, said his client is determined to turn his back on crime once he is released from custody for his latest offence.
“You demanded to have his coke and you then said you were going to stab him while you held what he thought was an ice-pick but was in fact a screwdriver and you held it to his stomach,” he said.
“Your intention that night was to enter the premises of somebody you believed to be a drug dealer and steal drugs and money – that activity is commonly called taxing."
Machete slasher
A thug who slashed a man across the face with a machete during a row about a missing mobile phone has been locked up.
Benjamin Binney used the large knife to attack the man in his own home after his partner’s phone went missing.
The 27-year-old went looking for a man he believed was responsible before the confrontation descended into violence in the victim’s Darlington home.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the man collapsed in the nearby hospital as a result of blood loss from his facial injury.
Binney, of Longfield Road, Darlington, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.
The defendant read out a letter to the court apologising for his violent behaviour on January 18 this year.
Judge Richard Bennett sentenced Binney to a total of three years and five months for both offences.
He said: “You barged your way into the address and then you produced that knife and started lashing out. You hit the victim.
“You were aggrieved about a missing phone belonging to your partner – it was a lifeline for her."
Ferryhill bully
A violent bully who attacked a young boy when arguing with his former partner went on to attempt to strangle another woman.
Ryan Turnbull grabbed the boy by the arm and threw him to the ground before smashing a basketball into his face during the row with his mother.
Teesside Crown Court heard how he had been in a controlling relationship with the boy’s mother for four years before his violence became too much for her to endure.
Paul Newcombe, prosecuting, said Turnbull called the boy’s mother 30 times asking if he could come and apologise, she refused and told him he ‘had gone too far’.
He told the court how the defendant started a new relationship but his controlling behaviour continued, he would repeatedly call her to check where she was and accuse her of having an affair.
Turnbull, of Bessemer Street, Ferryhill, was found guilty of coercive and controlling behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on the young boy in September 2022.
The 29-year-old was also found guilty of intentional strangulation and assault on his next partner in June and July last year.
“You became controlling and verbally aggressive and then increasingly physically aggressive,” he said about the first set of charges.
“You created an unpleasant atmosphere in her home for her and her children. When her son asked why you were shouting at his mother, you grabbed him by the arms and pushed him to the floor.
“Whilst he was lying on the floor crying, you picked up a basketball and threw it full force into his face. That blow made him feel dizzy and upset.”
Turnbull was also issued with indefinite restraining orders to protect his two victims.
Prolific burglar
A prolific offender is back behind bars after he carried out a spate of burglaries on businesses, a school and a charity shop to fund his drug habit.
David Soley caused thousands of pounds worth of damage as he carried out the spree of offending over a six-week period across Darlington.
The 40-year-old was branded a menace to small and large businesses as he was jailed for his latest catalogue of offences.
Tabitha Buck, prosecuting, said the repeat offender broke into the Barnardo’s shop before conducting an untidy search and ransacking the backroom before stealing £80 cash and doing £2,000 worth of damage.
His second burglary took place at Northwood Primary School where he removed a window before carrying out an untidy search causing damage of £475.
Miss Buck said the next burglary took place at SEM Electrical where he forced entry to the premise, again conducting an untidy search and stealing a hedge trimmer and a camera.
In May, Soley broke into a car parked on Eldon Street, Darlington, and stole loose change, a bank card and washing pods.
The second theft occurred the following day where he broke into a Mercedes van and stole two DeWalt drills worth £500.
On May 20, he used a hacksaw to remove metal bars from the Style Council and stole drills, a hammer drill and a box of cannulas worth £600.
On his arrest, he was found to be in possession of cannabis.
He was found guilty of a burglary of a shop on Northgate and an attempted burglary of a tyre centre.
Miss Buck said he stole cash from a corner shop as well as vapes, cigarettes and Red Bull before attempting to break into Tyre Corner nearby.
Soley, of Corbridge Crescent, Darlington, was convicted for four non-dwelling burglaries, one attempted burglary, two thefts and possession of cannabis.
Judge Richard Bennett jailed the serial burglar for a total of 18 months for all offences.
He said: “You have a longstanding chronic addiction to drugs and it is clear that when you are in the throes of your addiction you simply do not care who you target.
“That includes the mean offences of burgling a charity and a primary school."
Wimbledon rapist
A bodyguard working at the Wimbledon tennis tournament has been locked up after he molested and attempted to rape a woman in her hotel room.
Phillip Harrison partied into the early hours of the morning drinking and taking cocaine before conning his way into the woman’s room and sexually assaulting her.
The 33-year-old former army Lance Corporal persisted with his attack on his victim despite her repeatedly telling him to stop, a judge heard.
Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court heard how the defendant bombarded her with text messages before trying to twice kiss her only for her to reject his unwanted advances.
Harrison also gave the woman cocaine before coercing her to delete the messages so that he didn’t risk losing his security licence.
The father-of-one continued bombarding the woman with messages even after he had sexually assaulted her, the court heard.
“Despite her making it clear that she was not sexually interested in you, you would not take no for an answer,” she said.
The judge read out the contents of the messages Harrison sent to his victim before he persuaded a member of the hotel staff to give him a key to her room after watching pornography in his room and taking cocaine.
Harrison, of Market Crescent, Wingate, County Durham, was convicted of attempted rape and sexual assault by penetration following a trial in the summer.
Lucy Organ, mitigating, said her client was addicted to cocaine at the time of the offence but has since addressed his drug problem and has shown remorse.
She added: “I suggest this offending was out of character for a 33-year-old man who had previously conducted himself without previous conviction as an upstanding member of society.”
Harrison was also made subject of an indefinite notification requirement order meaning he has to sign on the sex offenders’ register for life.
Sainsbury's arsonist
A paranoid man set fire to the toilets of a Sainsbury’s store when he barged his way in, claiming he was being followed during booze and cocaine bender.
Gavin Speck entered the shop in an agitated state before locking himself inside the staffroom toilets and starting a fire when police arrived on the scene.
The 34-year-old arsonist was found to be in possession of cocaine when the officers forced the door and arrested him.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the arson took place just two days after he was arrested for breaking into his partner’s home and creeping around her bedroom.
The court heard how the Eston store was forced to close for two days and damage caused was estimated to have cost the company £31,396.42.
Dealing with the criminal damage charge, Victoria Lamballe, prosecuting, said the defendant had smashed a window to gain entry to his partner’s home before launching a tirade of abuse towards her and then fleeing.
Speck, of Margaret Street, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to criminal damage, arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, possession of cocaine and failing to surrender to bail.
He said: “At the time you committed the offences you had, in your own words, been on a bender which had lasted several days with you taking cocaine and drinking heavily."
Defecating burglar
A burglar who targeted several properties in one night was also caught on CCTV defecating on the doorstep of someone’s home.
Gerald Dunion carried out the spree of the offences in the early hours through to early morning when he crept into two properties and attempted to gain entry to several others.
The 50-year-old was caught by the visually impaired occupant of one the properties before fleeing the scene, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Jonathan Gittins, prosecuting, said Dunion’s first offence saw him captured on Ring doorbell footage entering a property before he defecated on the doorstep of another home on Carlton Street, Hartlepool.
He said a couple of hours later he spotted in Belmont Gardens trying door handles after carrying out an untidy search of one home and stealing the occupant’s iPhone.
The final burglary happened two hours later when he was spotted opening a window and sticking his head through a window and shouting hello before walking away after he spotted the occupant in the house.
Mr Gittins said the woman whose mobile phone was stolen managed to track him down and recover her iPhone before the police arrived.
Dunion, of Stockton Road, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to three burglaries, attempted burglary and damaging property on September 9 this year.
He said: “At the time, you were homeless and you had resorted to drinking very heavily.”
Scooter thief
A teenager who lashed out with a metal weapon when he was confronted by members of a scooter club as he was trying to steal one of their bikes has been jailed.
Morgan Handley-Todd was spotted trying to take the bike from outside a pub before he was chased down an alleyway where he attacked the man and left him with an injury to his hand.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 19-year-old attacked another man when he was trying to break into a BMW and steal contents from inside.
Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, said during the first offence the defendant was challenged by members of the scooter club who were meeting in the Marine Hotel in Saltburn.
Mr Soppitt said the teenager then attacked a man when he was confronted as he rifled through a BMW looking for items to steal.
The teenager then threatened to burn down the man’s home.
Handley-Todd, of Lismore Gardens, Thornaby, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent, two charges of attempted theft, battery and possession of an offensive weapon from April 25 this year.
Judge Chris Smith sentenced the teenager to a total of three years and two months for all offences.
“One person had parked their scooter outside the pub and you thought you would try to help yourself, you were seen by somebody, but you bit off more than you could chew."
Police attack
Five members of a lager-swilling gang who violently attacked two police officers when they had bombarded them with rocks and bottles have been jailed for more than 20 years.
Craig Bradley was described as the ringleader as he encouraged his friends to attack the officers to prevent him from being arrested after he became abusive as he resisted arrest.
Macauley Owen, Josh Blackston, Martin Rivers, Samuel Lane, and an unidentified male, launched a barrage of missiles or taunted the officers after they attended the report of a fire in the middle of a road.
Now four of them have been locked up for their role in the disgraceful disorder which left one officer facing the end of his career due to the injuries he suffered in the early hours of November 26 last year.
Judge Chris Smith labelled the outbreak of violence, near Fonteyn Court, Hemlington, Middlesbrough, as disgraceful as he sentenced the group of thugs.
“Each of you played your parts in what was a pitched battle with those two police officers,” he said.
“You armed yourselves with an array of makeshift weapons, grabbing whatever was close to hand, beer cans, bottles, rocks, bricks and lumps of concrete, in a disgraceful piece of mob violence."
The officer suffered significant injuries and is waiting to be discharged from the force due to trauma and the impact the attack had on his physical wellbeing.
Owen, 26, from Alwinton Court, Ormesby, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and violent disorder. He was jailed for six years and one month.
Rivers, of no fixed address but formerly of Alstread Court, Hemlington, pleaded guilty to violent disorder. He was sentenced to two years and five months.
Lane, 20, of Eddison Way, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and breach of a criminal behaviour order. He was sentenced to two years and ten months.
A warrant was issued for the arrest of their co-defendant Josh Blackston.
The 23-year-old, of Fonteyn Court, Middlesbrough, was jailed for six years and one month in his absence after pleading guilty to wounding with intent and violent disorder.
Jealous outburst
A young thug who smashed his way into his ex-partner’s home and attacked the occupants has been jailed following his jealous and violent outburst.
Charlie Dobbing was joined by his pal Bruce Coffey to carry out the retribution after he was kicked out of a Darlington nightclub after confronting the mother of his two children.
The 19-year-old stormed to her address and smashed a number of windows before returning a couple of hours later armed with knife and a bike seat pole.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the two teenagers crept into the house before Dobbing started attacking his ex-partner and 19-year-old Coffey struck a male across the head with a metal bar before fleeing the scene.
Paul Cleasby, prosecuting, said Dobbing continued to attack his ex-partner and her a female friend before starting to fight a male friend.
Dobbing, of Coxwold Drive, Darlington, pleaded guilty to affray, three counts of criminal damage and two charges of assaulting an emergency worker following the events of January 26 and 27 this year.
Coffey, of Neasham Road, Darlington, pleaded guilty to a single charge of affray as a result of his involvement in the offending.
Judge Deborah Sherwin sentenced Dobbing to 67 weeks in custody while Coffey received a six-month sentence suspended for two years and ordered to attend 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.
Young rioter
A young rioter who threw a rock at police officers when a town centre was enveloped in violence has been locked up.
Mother-of-one Tamsyn Cerr was caught on camera confronting the police cordon in Hartlepool before throwing an object at an officer.
Drone footage of the incident also captured the 21-year-old running away as police officers moved forward in an attempt to disperse the violent disturbance.
Teesside Crown Court watched footage as she passed a missile to another rioter which was then thrown towards the cordon.
Cerr, of Firby Close, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to violent disorder following the civil unrest in Hartlepool on July 31.
Calum McNicholas, mitigating, said the young mother helped her blind father to get around as well as taking her child to medical appointments.
He said: “This is somebody who prides herself on the care that she provides to her young daughter, to her vulnerable father and also on the work she has done in the community."
“You were observed, firstly, throwing a missile at police officers from close quarters. Secondly, handing a missile to another who also threw it towards police lines,” he said.
Urine attack
A man who threw urine at police officers after dowsing them in lighter fluid and battering one with a baseball bat has been locked up.
Mohammed Hussain launched the violent attacks during a lengthy stand-off with officers when they attempted to arrest him after he threatened to stab his former partner’s new lover.
The 34-year-old told officers the only way he would leave his flat was in a body bag before climbing onto the roof and throwing tiles at officers on March 3 this year.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Hussain also set bedding alight before throwing at the officers forcing them to extinguish the flames at the block of flats in Hartlepool.
Paul Newcombe, prosecuting, said Hussain hit one officer several times to the head with a baseball bat but thankfully he was wearing protective head gear and didn’t suffer any significant injury.
Mr Newcombe said Hussain threw items at the officers, including a radiator, a chest of drawers and a vacuum cleaner.
The judge heard how the defendant then set light to bedding and threw them at officers which set fire to the carpet.
The defendant then hit the officer five to six times with a baseball bat before brandishing a large kitchen knife and threatening them.
The stand-off lasted for several hours and eventually came to an end when they tasered the defendant and arrested him after he threw urine at the officers.
Hussain, of no fixed abode but formerly of Elwick Road, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to reckless arson and five counts of assaulting an emergency worker.
“You were violent and aggressive and abusive from the outset. You told them that you hated the police and had attacked them in the past which was right as you have previous convictions for assaulting emergency workers and resisting arrest,” he said.
“You poured lighter fluid down the stairwell and squirted it at the officers – that is dangerous behaviour.”
Child rapist
A convicted child rapist caught hiding two mobile phones in the glovebox of his mother’s car when police arrested him has been jailed.
Police were tipped off that Chris Leyburn was using an online alias of ‘Lizardman1990’ while using Snapchat despite being banned from going online unless following strict guidelines.
The 34-year-old was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and notification requirement order (NRO) following his conviction for serious sex offences on a young boy and girl.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the serious sex offender had breached both orders multiple times since it was imposed following his conviction for rape of a child in 2006.
Dan Wilberforce, prosecuting, police were tipped-off that the defendant was using a fake alias on Snapchat under the name of Lizardman1990.
Leyburn, of Aylton Drive, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to two breaches of his SHPO and one charge of breaching his NRO following his arrest on September 12.
The court heard how Leyburn claimed that the court orders were a breach of his human rights and he wasn’t aware that he had to declare his alias on Snapchat.
“I’m satisfied that your use of Snapchat was a persistent breach as you were using the app for nine months without telling the police," he said.
“You have convictions for raping a girl under 16 and a boy under 13, together with other child sexual offences and the order was imposed to manage the risk that you pose to young children."
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