Yahoo News Leicestershire's locked up in April - from baby killers to Uber robbers
April has seen several big court stories hit the headlines, including the end of the shocking case of Michael Davis and his partner Kayleigh Driver, whose month-old baby boy died from days of severe abuse at the hands of Davis while Driver did nothing to stop him.
Another case in April was the retrial of Daniel Rounce, 18, who killed a complete stranger. The teenager walked into a home in Eyres Monsell and stabbed a 79-year-old great-grandad in the heart with a knife.
Both Davis and Rounce have been given life sentences, while Driver was jailed for seven years. Others locked up in April included a Coalville trio who tried to rob a cash-less Uber driver.
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Shane Woolley, Joseph Woolley and Louise Horrobin
Three people tried to force the Asian driver of cash-less Uber taxi to give them money. The driver was racially abused and beaten up by one of the three.
The drunken trio, brothers Shane and Joseph Woolley and Joseph's girlfriend Louise Horrobin, approached the car in Bakewell Street, Coalville. They jointly tried to rob the driver, demanding money, but because Ubers only use online payments he did not have any cash on him.
The ringleader, Shane Woolley, tried to force the driver to get cash from a cash machine, but he was unable to because the trio had stolen the driver's wallet, containing his bank card, and then thrown it away.
The three already had 90 previous offences between them when they carried out the robbery at about 1.30am on Wednesday, March 29, last year. Leicester Crown Court heard that the whole thing, including an audio recording, was caught on CCTV.
Shane Woolley was jailed for 64 months, Joseph Woolley was sentenced for 43 months and Horrobin was jailed for 30 months. All three will serve half their sentences, minus the time they have already spent in custody since last year.
Daniel Rounce
A teenager who carried out a "chilling" knife attack, fatally stabbing a stranger in the heart, was called "one of the most difficult and manipulative" prisoners ever encountered by the judge who sentenced him. Daniel Rounce, 18, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 25 years behind bars.
Rounce was kept in handcuffs while in the dock at Leicester Crown Court, where the judge condemned his inexplicable and "merciless" murder of 79-year-old Gerald Wickes as a "truly wicked" act. Markfield resident Rounce was convicted by a jury after failing to provide an explanation for the brutal killing of Mr Wickes at the elderly man's former partner's residence.
At his sentencing, the 18 year old, through his defence counsel, claimed he had panicked and intended only to rob Mr Wickes, having followed the victim's former partner into the home on Queens Park Way, Eyres Monsell, on February 22 of the previous year. Rounce, who had previously lashed out at security staff during his trial, necessitating restraint, was closely guarded by five dock officers as he received his sentence.
Michael Davis and Kayleigh Driver
Michael Davis, who beat his infant son to death, was jailed for life with a minimum of 22 years last month. The baby's mother, Kayleigh Driver, was jailed for seven years for the crimes of causing or allowing the death of a child and causing or allowing a child to suffer serious physical injury.
In March Davis had been found guilty by a jury at Leicester Crown Court of murdering his son Ollie Davis after he physically abused the month-old child and caused 40 bone fractures, including a snapped neck, which ultimately killed the infant.
Paramedics were called to Driver's mother's home in Upper Temple Walk, Beaumont Leys, Leicester, in October 2017, after Davis found the baby unresponsive in the crib next to his bed. At first there were no signs of abuse but a post-mortem examination revealed horrific injuries including brain damage and wounds all over his body that experts said could not have been caused by one incident, but by days of abuse.
Davis, 29, denied causing the fatal injuries but the jury found him guilty after hearing that the horrific injuries had been caused over several days - most of the wounds, including the fatal neck fracture having been caused between 10 and four days before his death.
The baby's mother, Driver, 31, was also charged with murder but the jury at Leicester Crown Court found her not guilty of that charge but guilty of two others. Davis and Driver, both of Carlisle Street, West End, Leicester, appeared at Loughborough Magistrates' Court, sitting as a crown court, for their sentencing hearing today (Wednesday).
Leigh Moore
A man was jailed after raping a teenage girl at a New Year’s Eve house party in Leicestershire after he gave her alcohol. Leigh Moore (44) pleaded guilty to rape and sexual assault by penetration and was sentenced to six years and four months in prison at Leicester Crown Court.
The incident happened at a property in the Glen Parva area on Monday, January 1, 2024, when the victim, a 17-year-old girl, was attempting to sleep off the effects of alcohol. It said she recalled laying down in one of the rooms before Moore entered and closed the door and curtains.
As she drifted in and out of consciousness Moore slid his hand into her underwear before climbing on top of her and raping her. It said she then froze and was unable to push Moore off.
Moore was arrested at his home address in Whitecross Gardens, Derby. He initially denied any sexual activity with the victim but after police disclosed they had vital DNA evidence he pleaded guilty to rape and sexual assault by penetration at an earlier hearing.
Emil Emilov
A young woman walking home along New Walk in Leicester was punched to the ground, beaten and then dragged into bushes by her hair before being subjected to a "horrific" sexual assault. The assault lasted more than 10 minutes and afterwards the attacker fled the scene and booked a flight home to Bulgaria the following day.
Emil Emilov was arrested after flying back into the UK nearly six months later. He appeared for sentencing at Leicester Crown Court, having pleaded guilty to the attack.
Emilov had been at the Fan Club nightclub in Leicester city centre from 1.20am until about 4am on the morning of Sunday, May 23, last year, where CCTV in the club showed him trying to chat up women.
He collected his jacket, left the club and walked up London Road, past Leicester Crown Court and onto New Walk where he sat on a bench near the Waterloo Way footbridge to wait for a victim. He had taken off his t-shirt ready to use it as a gag or a restraint as part of his plan.
Emilov, 25, of Rosebery Street, Spinney Hills, Leicester, pulled out the t-shirt and tied it tightly around the woman's mouth. The sexual assault continued for several minutes.
Emilov was jailed for seven years and four months. Because of the length of the sentence he will not be automatically released until he has completed two thirds of the sentence.
Jack Weston and Joshua Woods
A gang of armed Leicester thugs pointed a gun at a elderly shopkeeper during a terrifying robbery at his store. Joshua Woods and Jack Weston, along with a third man called Callum Groves, escaped with thousands of pounds' worth of items after storming the corner shop in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire.
Security cameras captured the robbers raiding the shop on Sunday, September 23, last year, before threatening the shopkeeper with a knife and an air pistol spray-painted to look like a real firearm. The shopkeeper, aged in his 70s, suffered minor injuries after being restrained by one of the group while the others tried to rip out the till from the counter.
When their attempts were unsuccessful, the frustrated trio trashed the store, while continuing to wave their weapons in the man’s face. He feared he would be killed.
Groves, 25, Woods, 29, and Weston, 23, then raided the cigarette counter before making their way out of the exit and into a waiting getaway car. A police investigation launched following the three-minute robbery identified the gang members.
All three pleaded guilty to robbery, having an imitation firearm with intent and threatening a person with a blade. Groves, of Hartshorn Close, Thurmaston, near Leicester, was jailed for four years while Weston, of Cuffing Drive, Braunstone Frith, Leicester, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison. Woods, of Chilcombe Walk, Beaumont Leys, Leicester, was locked up for four years and three months.
Laura Neale
A notorious shoplifter has been jailed again after stealing meat and cheese, bringing her total number of offences to 278. Leicester Magistrates' Court heard that Laura Neale, 34, stole for financial gain and due to her "thrill-seeking" personality.
Having been released from a prison sentence for shoplifting at the end of February, Neale, of the Dawn Centre in Conduit Street, Leicester city centre, was once again stealing on Friday, March 29.
CCTV footage showed her walking into the Co-op in Clarendon Park Road, Leicester, loading a trolley full of steaks worth about £70 and wheeling it out of the shop. She went back for more items two days later on Sunday, March 31, when a shop assistant confronted her and called 999.
Leicestershire Police arrived in time to catch Neale, who pleaded guilty to two counts of theft. The magistrates locked Neale up for 10 weeks.
Matthew Liley
An Ashby man needed to be shot with a Taser after beating up his girlfriend in the street before putting a police constable in a headlock. Matthew Liley was arriving back home after a night out when he attacked his girlfriend while still in the back of their Uber.
Liley, 31, put his hands around her neck and strangled the woman and then, after getting out of the taxi, punched her in the face and kicked her while she was on the ground before taking his anger out on a garden fence and three parked cars in the street, kicking in the vehicles' side panels and breaking a wing mirror and a door handle. After the rampage had been going on for about 30 minutes he walked away from the area and phoned Leicestershire Police to tell them he had assaulted his girlfriend and that they should arrest him.
Meanwhile, his girlfriend was outside their home suffering from symptoms of concussion, including nausea and confusion, and needed to be taken to hospital. The police, who had also been called by a worried resident, arrived at Abbey Drive in Ashby and tried to arrest Liley but as he was approached by a police constable he clenched his fists and yelled "come on then" at him.
The officer tried to get Liley's arm behind his back but Liley got the officer in a headlock, leading to him struggling to breathe. Another officer fired a Taser at Liley, which also caused the officer in the headlock to feel the effects of the electric current.
Liley, who lives in Abbey Drive, had been in a relationship with the woman since August 2023 and the incident happened shortly after midnight on Saturday, December 16, last year. Liley, who also urinated in a police car after his arrest, later pleaded guilty to two counts of causing actual bodily harm and five counts of criminal damage.
Ms Knott said Liley was due to be charged with grievous bodily harm for the attack on his girlfriend but there was a lack of medical evidence because she refused to let the prosecution have her medical records.
Liley was jailed for 33 months. He will be released after serving half of the sentence.
Alan Aldous
A prisoner angry that bosses at HMP Stocken were not bothered about his mental health problems threw a mix of urine and faeces at two prison guards, covering their bodies and faces in the mix. The incident happened at the Rutland jail where Alan Aldous was a serving prisoner.
The 33-year-old, who has since been moved to HMP Wealstun in West Yorkshire, appeared at Leicester Crown Court by videolink. The burglar, who has 50 previous crimes on his record, pleaded guilty to two counts of maliciously administering poison or noxious substance with intent to injure, aggrieve, or annoy.
In their victim impact statements, one of the guards said he felt "demoralised and degraded" by what happened. The other said he was "in complete shock" and that he felt "really dirty" and the smell remained with him.
Aldous, who was due for release in September this year, was given a 20-month jail term, of which he will serve at least half, meaning he will remain behind bars until at least July 2025.
Lee Bevan
A couple caused chaos in a Jobcentre after they were denied money after they had got out of prison. Lee Bevan and his partner went into the Job Centre in Charles Street, Leicester city centre, and Bevan's girlfriend got angry when they were both told they could not get any money.
After his girlfriend threatened staff and was detained, Bevan, 37, of Grange Drive, Glen Parva, picked up a chair and shouted, "What are you going to do?" at the security guards. The couple were arrested and Bevan, who has 81 previous offences on his record, was jailed for theft a few days later.
He appeared by videolink from prison at Leicester Magistrates' Court and pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour with intent to cause fear of violence. He was given a four-week jail term and ordered to pay a £75 victim surcharge.
Bevan told the magistrates: "I don't know how I'm going to pay that. I'm going to have to go shoplifting."
