The nicknames used by Nottingham's most notorious criminals including Prentice, Jay and Mushroom Waffle

Their monikers have become infamous, etched into Nottingham's criminal history for all the wrong reasons. These offenders, now behind bars, are known not just by their deeds but also by their nicknames.

"Reds", named for a distinctive birthmark, is the triple killer whose identity became almost as notorious as his crimes. "Prentice" is another name that sends shivers down the spine of locals, belonged to one of the murderers of 14-year-old Danielle Beccan, tragically caught by a bullet intended for someone else in St Ann's while Prentice and accomplice Mark Kelly were at the wheel.

But it's not only the infamous who bear curious aliases; a group of criminals earned attention for their peculiar nicknames such as "Bluff Pizza", "Organic Shoe", and "Mushroom Waffle". These were the pseudonyms they chose to conceal their identities from the authorities.

The case in question involved two men from Nottinghamshire caught up in an audacious scheme to smuggle a metric ton of cannabis into the UK via yacht from Morocco. Their plans, however, were scuppered by the lockdown restrictions.

Prentice

As for Prentice, real name Junior Andrews, he was captured on video prowling around St Ann's, boasting about his so-called courage to venture into rival turf. In a self-recorded mobile phone video, he brags about his presence in enemy territory at 2am, making gang signs associated with the Waterfront gang.

The origins of his nickname "Prentice" remain unclear, yet in the footage, he confidently refers to himself by this alias. His words in the video were chilling: "I'm on the creep. I haven't even got no gun. I go anywhere on my own. I'm a real killer, you can't see any Waterfront man come this way. I robbed stuff man down here."

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"Which Waterfront man can say they've been down here at two o'clock in the morning? I don't really know anybody like me who's a real killer. I come up here. I haven't even got my bullet-proof vest. I've got one at home."

"Prentice walking about the St Ann's Ville this time of year with no gun, no vest, all I got is one broomstick". Closing his monologue, he stated: "Waterfront, I've been, I've sawn and I've conquered".

Andrews, who claimed to be the leader of the infamous Waterfront Gang in The Meadows, lived in a fantasy world influenced by gangster culture, complete with gun and bullet-proof vest. Just eight days post-filming, Andrews reappeared in St Ann's, gun in tow. He indiscriminately fired bullets towards a group of youngsters making their way home from Goose Fair, tragically killing 14-year-old Danielle Beccan.

At the time he committed the murder, Andrews was 24 with no fixed address. He was convicted alongside Mark Kelly, then 21, of Wilford Crescent, The Meadows, for Danielle's murder and in October 2005, both men were sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 32 years.

Reds

The nickname Reds originates from a birthmark under his right eye that led to bullying during his school years. The name followed him into adulthood and resurfaced when Mark Martin, an Ilkeston native, became infamous for murdering three women.

He was later charged with the murders of Katie Baxter between December 31, 2004, and February 1, 2005; Zoe Pennick within the same timeframe; and Ellen Frith between January 23 and 25, 2005. The bodies of the women were not discovered in the sequence they were murdered. Ellen was the first to be found, in a burnt-out squat in Marple Square, on 25 January 2005.

The location was a known refuge for the city's homeless as some of the flats, due for demolition, still had gas and electricity. Detectives quickly identified Ellen and located those who frequented the squat, including Martin and John Ashley, aged 34.

Investigations within the homeless community led to the identification of the accused. One individual recounted seeing Martin in an alleyway after the Marple Square fire. Martin confessed to him that he had strangled and killed Ellen over a refusal to lend him £10. Another person reported overhearing a conversation outside his Marple Square flat, recognising the voices as Martin and another man.

He claimed Martin admitted to killing a girl by strangulation and needing to return to the flat to set her body alight. Within days, testimonies from other homeless individuals led police to charge both Martin and Ashley with murder. However, rumours circulated among the homeless community suggesting Ellen might not have been the sole victim.

This sparked a new line of inquiry into the whereabouts of two additional women, Katie Baxter and Zoe Pennick. Katie, 18, was last seen at her sister's house in Gamston on 29 December, while Zoe was last spotted alive in the city centre on New Year's Eve.

The police continued their investigations, searching the old packing houses off Great Northern Close. It was here, on February 11, 2005, that they discovered the partially decomposed remains of Katie, crudely buried near an old wall heater.

Her body was hidden under "carefully placed" soil, bricks and foliage, with a charred piece of wood nearby. As forensic scientists began to excavate her remains, they were unaware that Zoe's body was buried less than two metres away.

After Katie's body was removed, specialist officers continued their meticulous search of the area, while divers searched the nearby canal bed. Zoe, aged 26, was eventually found on February 16.

Her grave was marked by a burnt piece of wood, and the debris - foliage and bricks - piled over it was similar to that used at Katie's burial site. The trial began at Nottingham Crown Court on January 16, 2006.

On February 24, after more than 21 hours of deliberation, the jury returned its verdicts on Martin and his co-accused. Dean Carr, 30, of no fixed address, was found guilty of murdering Ellen Frith and was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 14 years before being considered for parole.

John Ashley, then 34, also of no fixed address, was found guilty of the murders of Katie Baxter and Ellen Frith, but was acquitted of murdering Zoe Pennick. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and told he would serve at least 25 years.

Mark Martin, at age 26, was convicted for the murders of Katie Baxter, Zoe Pennick and Ellen Frith, resulting in a life sentence. He is now serving a whole life tariff with no possibility of release.

Jay

Michael O'Brien, also known as "Jay", fatally shot Marvyn Bradshaw in the head as he was driving his Renault Laguna out of the Sporting Chance pub car park in Bulwell. O'Brien and Gary Salmon were independently convicted of the murder of 22-year-old shopfitter Marvyn.

Nottingham resident O'Brien, 23 years old at the time and living on Wendover Drive, Aspley, was sentenced to life by the Nottingham Crown Court in July 2004. Initially told he would serve a minimum of 24 years behind bars, this term was later reduced to 18 years.

Three years onward, Salmon, aged 34, was given a similar sentence: life with an 18-year minimum term.

Organic Shoe, Bluff Pizza and Mushroom Waffle

Certain criminals even adopted unusual pseudonyms such as "Mushroom Waffle" and "Bluff Pizza" in attempts to obscure their identities. Bristol Crown Court heard that two men from Nottinghamshire were implicated in a plot to smuggle a metric tonne of cannabis into the UK from Morocco via yacht and another boat.

However, lockdown restrictions derailed their plans. Their intention had been to navigate the illegal cargo through the English Channel and then shift it onto an inflatable boat to reach England's south coast.

Daniel Parrott, a Hucknall man, was jailed for three-and-a-half years for his role in a plot to import cannabis into the UK, Nottingham Crown Court heard. Messages retrieved from an encrypted EncroChat network disclosed that during a seven-week window from March 30, 2020, to May 19, 2020, plans were being formulated despite Covid-19 restrictions.

Using the pseudonym "Bluff Pizza", Parrott was tasked by co-conspirator Rupert Kelly with procuring fuel for a boat. The proposed scheme entailed importing 1,000 kilograms of high-quality cannabis by yacht with the aim to sell it for between £3,000 and £3,500 per kilogram.

However, the operation was eventually thwarted due to ongoing pandemic restrictions and the culprits were apprehended following an investigation by the National Crime Agency. In court, Parrot's legal representative, Simon Eckersley, admitted that his client had been recruited after the conspiracy had begun but clarified: "It's accepted he was to invest in the boat," adding "As we know, no investment was made".

Kelly, 29, formerly of Broadwindsor, Dorset, who received a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence, was known by the alias "Organic Shoe" and was identified as the main culprit and orchestrator of the operation, according to the court.

His plan involved chartering a vessel and crew to retrieve narcotics from a yacht stationed off the UK's shores. However, he was not implicated in the commercial trading of drugs. The court heard that Kelly's role would have netted him £175,000, with £40,000 earmarked for a RIB (rigid inflatable boat), but the scheme was ultimately disrupted by the lockdown and had to be abandoned.

Gavin Challis, 46, from North Street, Nazeing, Essex, operated under the moniker "Mushroom Waffle". He was tasked with acquiring and distributing the drugs.

Challis, before being sentenced to three years' imprisonment, was said to have been involved in the plot for six weeks, which ultimately did not materialise.

His plea indicated his intent to conspire in the supply of cannabis, specifically to procure and distribute at least 50 kilograms. He entered a guilty plea to the charge of conspiracy to supply cannabis.

Jason Tongue, 47, residing at Bodill Gardens, Hucknall, was handed an 18-month prison term. Known as "Bluff Pizza", he faced financial difficulties last May and only became entangled in the affair from May 10.

Tongue, alongside Kelly and Parrott, pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiring to import cannabis.