Fifteen of the most dangerous criminals locked up in Leeds in 2023 so far
Nick Frame
·8-min read
Some of the most dangerous criminals who have committed the most despicable offences and handed lengthy jail terms this year. (pic by WYP and National World)
From murder to rape, from paedophiles to terrorism, to terrorism and even people trafficking, these are the some of the most dangerous people to have been dealt with and removed from the streets for a lengthy spell.
Some have been given such long terms, it seems likely they will die behind bars, but few will mourn their loss.
Sick Aiden Ramsdale was handed a minimum 33-year jail term in April for the brutal murder of Bradley Wall. Ramsdale was caught on an audio recording boasting to his dad that it was "like an Isis killing" after he beat him to death with a paving slab after Mr Wall either fell or was thrown from Ramsdale's second-floor-flat window in Beeston. Despite this, and CCTV picking up 25-year-old Ramsdale with the slab, he continued to deny the murder. But the jury were not convinced by Ramsdale's flimsy defence and unanimously found him guilty. (pic by WYP)
Obsessed Rawden Ibbitson brutally beat his Leeds neighbour to death and even bit off parts of her body in the most gruesome way after she spurned his advances. The 32-year-old not only caused extensive abrasions to Jennifer Andrews' head, neck and body, he fractured her jaw and inflicted such bruising to her head it caused a bleed to the brain. He admitted killing her and in May was jailed for life, and ordered to serve a minimum of 29 years. (pic by WYP)
Vengeful Singh Gandhi stabbed his estranged wife to death on the doorstep of her Headingley flat after refusing to believe their relationship was over. He was even caught on camera days before buying the kitchen knife in Asda which he used to murder her. The court heard that 32-year-old Harleen Kaur Satpreet Gandhi had finally plucked up the courage to leave her abusive husband, but he would not accept her decision. He admitted her killing and in January was jailed for life with a minimum 23 years and four months to be served. (pic by WYP)
Described as being "extremely dangerous" and "the stuff of nightmares", paedophile Hutchinson-Schofield was jailed for life in January for the repeated rape of a four-year-old boy. The 55-year-old from Sheepscar put the youngster through a four-year campaign of abuse but continued to deny any wrongdoing until the bitter end. A jury unanimously found him guilty on multiple counts of sexual assaults. He had been previously jailed for raping a 16-year-old girl at knifepoint after breaking into a house. He was told he must serve a minimum 14 years, but the judge said he may never be released. (pic by WYP)
Liburd was jailed in August for his part in a terrifying incident on a Leeds street in which a gun was fired twice as children played nearby. The 28-year-old did not possess the rifle but was recognised as the gunman's accomplice. They had intended to fire at a van they had been following, but fragments from the bullets fired left two bystanders with minor injuries. Liburd has previous convictions involving firearms. The judge deemed him to be a dangerous offender and handed him a life sentence, telling him he must serve a minimum of eight years. (Photo: WYP)
Cavanagh was handed a 25-year sentence for rapes against a woman and a child dating back three decades. The 69-year-old denied the offences but was found guilty following a trial. Speaking after the sentence in August, a West Yorkshire Police officer said it was the most horrific case she had ever dealt with. She said: "For 30 years, his two victims have had to live with the horrific abuse inflicted upon them by this man. He caused them unimaginable suffering which changed their lives forever." (Photo: WYP)
Christopher Hennigan from Crossgates was jailed in August after he admitted a string offences, including smuggling Albanians into Britain. The 35-year-old was the mastermind behind a plan in which he orchestrated a mother and a daughter in a campervan to smuggle the immigrants in the vehicle's luggage compartment. He was jailed for more than 14 years at Leeds Crown Court, which included sentences for separate violence and firearm offences, in which he fired a gun in a house in Leeds. (pic by WYP)
Lee was part of a violent masked gang that broke into a house in Whitkirk and threatened a terrified woman with a hammer. They got away with £15,000 worth of items but only after putting the woman through an “unimaginable” traumatic experience. They cruelly told her to place her hand on a kitchen counter, raised the hammer and counted down from three unless she told them where her valuables were. The hammer was left behind and forensic analysis found it contained 40-year-old Lee's DNA. He was given an extended 12-year jail sentence at Leeds Crown Court in July. The remaining three gang members have never been arrested. (pic by WYP)
Downend was arrested and charged with attempting to buy grenades to endanger lives after an operation was carried out by officers from the National Crime Agency in July 2022. The 21-year-old tried to buy the US-made M67 fragmentation bombs online before arranging for them to be shipped to an address in Wakefield. He was found guilty following a six-day trial at Leeds Crown Court, while his co-defendant, 22-year-old Richard Jawadnass admitted the charge. In July, Downend was given 13 years' jail, while Jawadnass got eight years and eight months. (pics by NCA)
Former Leeds police constable David Crossley was found guilty after a trial of indecent assault on a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual touching and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. The offences occurred between 1995 and 2014. Crossley started his employment with West Yorkshire Police in 1997. No offence was committed while Crossley was on duty and he was still serving in 2020 when he was arrested. The 60-year-old shamed former officer was told in July he must serve at least 10 years. (pic by WYP)
Monster Gareth Conlon was finally jailed more than two decades after he raped a teenage girl as she slept. Conlon, who only has one leg, was found guilty after a trial in which the jury heard that the 41-year-old, who only 19 at the time, told the girl to "shut up" as he assaulted her. Telling him he had "shown no remorse or contrition", the judge jailed him for 11 years in July. (pic by WYP)
Dangerous predator Creek, who nicknamed himself "The Beast", was jailed after he attempted to sexually assault a woman in Holbeck in broad daylight. Putting a noose around her neck from behind as she walked under a railway arch, the masked 31-year-old dragged her to the floor, but she kicked and screamed until he relented. Police had been able to piece various chunks of CCTV footage together to map his escape route and eventually found a clear image of his face. A public appeal helped track him down hours later. Creek, who has learning difficulties, has a history of outraging public decency and exposure with multiple convictions for masturbating in public. He was jailed for 12 years at Leeds Crown Court in May. (pic by WYP)
Leeds paedophile Ashmore was deemed a danger to youngsters after he sexually assaulted a seven-year-old girl repeatedly, bit her and made her watch vile pornographic videos involving animals. The 51-year-old confessed to his crime, but only after he was found guilty by a jury of 11 offences in total, including multiple sexual assaults. Leeds Crown Court was told that Ashmore gave the terrified youngster a sex toy as a present and encouraged her to use it. He also bit her shoulder and earlobe for sexual gratification. He was given an extended 10-year jail sentence in May. Ashmore is already serving an 11-year sentence for GBH, and is eligible for release in November of next year. However, his new sentence will begin once his previous term finishes. (pic by WYP)
Paedophile Vickers sexually assaulted two young girls at a flat in Leeds more than 30 years ago –then later tried to force a witness into having the charges dropped. Pensioner Vickers targeted the girls at his Harehills home in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They were between the age of seven and 12 at the time. The retired kitchen porter, 68, was cleared of two charges after a trial, but found guilty of two counts of indecent assault. He was given a 10-year jail sentence at Leeds Crown Court in March. (pic by WYP)
Pervert Shackleton, who is "sexually pre-occupied with children" raped a youngster up to five times a week for seven years. The 40-year-old from Burmantofts was found guilty of multiple charges having targeted the two girls, the first being a 13-year-old whom he groomed and then raped until she reached the age of 19. He was handed an extended 20-year sentence in January. (pic by WYP)
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