Rioting couple, twisted paedophile and arsonist among criminals jailed in January

-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


A twisted paedophile, an arsonist and a rioting couple were among the criminals put behind bars during January. Also locked up during the course of the month were drug dealers and crime gang members.

Our reporters cover the latest proceedings at North Staffordshire Justice Centre, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, Stafford Crown Court, and other courts when local people are in the dock.

Here's a round-up of the cases where criminals have been sent to prison by courts in and around the area during January...

READ MORE: Four criminals in North Staffordshire magistrates

READ MORE: Five defendants in North Staffordshire's courts

Peter Wiggins

Peter Wiggins -Credit:Cheshire Police
Peter Wiggins -Credit:Cheshire Police

A man was caught with 'a boot full of cocaine' after being stopped by police near the M6 Stafford Services. Officers discovered the lucrative stash when they pulled over Peter Wiggins' Vauxhall Astra on Tuesday, November 26 last year.

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The 55-year-old was jailed for five years and five months after appearing at Stafford Crown Court. He had previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs and possession of an offensive weapon.

Read more here.

Daniel Tunney

Prolific sex offender Daniel Tunney
Prolific sex offender Daniel Tunney

A twisted paedophile caught with nearly 50,000 child abuse images and videos was jailed. Daniel Tunney was sentenced to 10 years after appearing in court for his wicked crimes.

The 42-year-old - described as a prolific sex offender - had a gigantic stash of indecent pictures and videos on his devices which underwent digital forensic analysis. These included at least 603 category A images - the most serious - 240 category A videos, 735 category B images, 40 category B videos, 46,045 category C images, and 13 category C videos.

Read more here.

Jake Hammersley

Jake Hammersley.
Jake Hammersley pictured in 2018.

A 'bully' dad was locked up after he punched his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach after luring her to a remote location. Jake Hammersley, 32, launched his violent attack at Park Hall Country Park after taking his victim's Vauxhall Corsa using a spare key.

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Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Hammersley - who was drunk - was initially 'nice' to his victim before calling her a 'slapper' and a 'rat', as well as labelling her mum 'fatty'.

Read more here.

'Scouse Chris' gang members

Seven members of a notorious gang were jailed for a total of 37 years for their involvement in a drugs plot. Fifteen defendants - including nine men and one woman from North Staffordshire - were involved in the conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine and cannabis across Stoke-on-Trent between August 1, 2019 and January 16, 2020.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard the 'County Lines' operation involved drug users in the Potteries contacting the 'Scouse Chris' drugs line and ordering drugs. The line was operated from Liverpool and drugs were transported from Merseyside to Stoke-on-Trent. The North Staffordshire defendants jailed were:

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Daniel Tew, aged 40, of Park Avenue, Wolstanton, was jailed for five years, three months, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drug heroin, conspiracy to supply class A drug cocaine, and conspiracy to supply class B cannabis.

Aaron Dawkins, aged 34, of Hempstalls Lane, Newcastle, was jailed for two-and-a-half years after he was convicted after trial of conspiracy to supply class A drug heroin and conspiracy to supply class A drug cocaine. He pleaded guilty to production of class B drug hemp.

Jordan Smith, aged 29, of Pepper Street, Silverdale, was jailed for two years, two months, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drug heroin; conspiracy to supply class A drug cocaine; conspiracy to supply class B drug cannabis and possession of a bladed article.

Read more here.

Colin Stonehouse and David Kirkbride

Colin Stonehouse (left), 36, and David Kirkbride (right), 28, who have been jailed for 21 months each
Colin Stonehouse (left), 36, and David Kirkbride (right), 28, who have been jailed for 21 months each

A couple who joined a riot outside a Staffordshire hotel because they were 'unhappy their taxes were being spent on housing asylum seekers' were both jailed for 21 months. Colin Stonehouse, 36, and David Kirkbride, 28, turned up at the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth on August 4 wearing matching football shirts with their initials on, and joined a crowd of hundreds of protesters who caused nearly £100,000 worth of damage to the hotel.

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The pair spent around an hour at the scene, where others were throwing missiles including fireworks, a petrol bomb, bricks, chunks of concrete and lampposts at Staffordshire Police officers who were trying to protect staff and residents inside the hotel.

Read more here.

Stephen Lockley

Stephen Lockley
Stephen Lockley

A dad was caught with a huge 30kg drugs haul worth around £3m during a sting on the M6 in Staffordshire. Officers from the Regional and Organised Crime Unit stopped Stephen Lockley in a white transit van at Norton Canes Services on the M6 Toll on July 23 last year.

Inside the van, officers found 24kg of heroin, with an estimated street value of £2.4m. There was also 5kg of cocaine, believed to worth £500,000. Lockley, 39, of Liverpool, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply heroin and cocaine in August. He was jailed for six years at Stafford Crown Court on January 10.

Read more here.

Linda Lawrence

Linda Lawrence
Linda Lawrence

A woman was caught with a whopping £750,000 cocaine haul after being stopped on the M6 in Staffordshire. Linda Lawrence had more than 9kg of the class A drug in the boot of her Mitsubishi ASX, which 'would have gone on to cause untold misery on the streets of the UK'.

Staffordshire Police officers pulled the 58-year-old over at Norton Canes Motorway Service Station on October 8 last year, as it was suspected drugs would be found inside. During a search of her vehicle, nine blocks of cocaine were found in an open cardboard box in the boot.

Lawrence, of St Neots, Cambridgeshire, admitted possession with intent to supply class A drugs and was jailed for six years at Stafford Crown Court.

Read more here.

Lee Bould

Lee Bould was convicted after a trial of arson.
Arsonist Lee Bould. -Credit:Staffordshire Police

Arsonist Lee Bould had taken monkey dust when he set fire to a car - because he was 'a nasty bugger who does nasty things'. The fire spread to a second car leaving both vehicles written-off.

The 41-year-old was jailed for 25 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. The arson attack happened on Southbank Street, in Leek, in 2022.

Read more here.

Stephen Higgs

Stephen Higgs.
Stephen Higgs, aged 39, was convicted after a trial of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault.

Aggressive drunk Stephen Higgs headbutted his partner, punched her to the floor and grabbed her throat in horrific attacks. And the 39-year-old told his victim, 'That's what you are worth' as he spat in her face.

Higgs was jailed for 15 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. Prosecutor Emmanuel Coniah said the defendant had been in a relationship with his victim for four months when they argued on December 22, 2023. He had been drinking for most of the day.

Read more here.

Thang Nguyen

Thang Nguyen has been jailed
Thang Nguyen has been jailed

A man was jailed after officers seized more than 300 cannabis plants which could have been worth over £200,000 on the streets. Thang Nguyen, of no fixed abode, was found inside the property when officers swooped.

A total of 369 plants were recovered. Drug analysis experts estimated the plants could yield between £30,000 and £217,500 worth of drugs. Nguyen was locked up for 18 months after he was arrested at the scene in Crewe on July 27 last year.

Read more here.

Steven Kennedy

Steven Kennedy
Steven Kennedy

A dad with a 'terrible driving record' was caught behind the wheel of a BMW on a trip to the pharmacy. Steven Kennedy, of Mount Street, Hanley, was stopped by police on Waterloo Road as he made his way to pick up medication for his girlfriend.

North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard the 31-year-old 'foolishly' decided to choose a chemist further afield than the one closest to his home. He was sent to prison for 17 weeks.

Read more here.

Bobby Machin

Bobby Machin in 2015.
Bobby Machin in 2015.

Balaclava-clad Bobby Machin stormed into the women's toilets in a pub and launched a ferocious attack on his ex partner. The 37-year-old was eventually pulled off by his victim's friend before he left and got into a Mercedes.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard the pub manager tried to take the keys from the ignition and told Machin to get out. But the defendant reversed over his feet leaving him with two fractures.

And he reversed over the foot of another man as he left the car park. Machin was jailed for three years and 11 months.

Read more here.

Freddie Carruthers

Freddie Carruther. He is pictured in 2017.
Freddie Carruthers pictured in 2017.

Drunken Freddie Carruthers smashed his way into a flat when a woman was inside. The 33-year-old alerted the victim when he made a noise and was told to leave.

But he was not deterred and forced his way inside the Bradwell home. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard he had a smile on his face and told her 'I am high on life'.

Carruthers then climbed out of the window and smiled at her again. The defendant - who was arrested nearby - was jailed for 25 months.

Read more here.

Azahar Bukhari

Azahar Bukhari
Azahar Bukhari

A drug-dealing dad has been locked up - despite 'turning his life around'. Azahar Bukhari has kept out of trouble for the past four years and had a child with his latest partner.

But the 48-year-old has now been handed a 32-month prison sentence after twice being caught with cocaine in two Audi cars within the space of 42 days four years ago.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Bukhari was first pulled over in an Audi A5 in Cobridge with cocaine, £280, and a mobile phone found inside. Police searched his home and found £4,100 as well as 360 Euros. It was a month later when Bukhari was pulled over in an Audi A3 near Hanley Bus Station. Police found cocaine and a phone - and the defendant was jailed for drug-driving.

Read more here.

Alfred Mustafa and Cao Khanh

Cao Khanh, left, and Alfred Mustafa, right
Cao Khanh, left, and Alfred Mustafa, right

Two illegal immigrants arrested inside a large-scale cannabis growing operation in Stoke-on-Trent are facing deportation. Albanian Alfred Mustafa, aged 29, and Vietnamese Cao Khanh, also known as Minh Thanah Ngo, aged 25, were inside the former curry house in Swan Square, Burslem, when police swooped on September 12.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that in a surprising move, Khanh had called the police and alerted officers to the factory at the old Badsha restaurant. Both defendants were arrested at the scene. Recorder Robert Smith jailed Mustafa for 12 months and Khanh for 14 months. He ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the cannabis plants and made a deprivation order for phones and £201.40 seized.

Read more here.

Car theft gang

Members of the gang have been put before the court
Members of the gang have been put before the court

Members of a car theft gang in Staffordshire targeted vehicles worth around £1.1 million in a huge crime spree. They were hit with a combined jail term of just over 16 years after the enterprise was brought down by county detectives.

The 11-strong gang are said to have been behind 43 thefts and attempted thefts of vehicles across Staffordshire, the wider West Midlands and Derbyshire. Detectives overseeing the case estimate the value of those vehicles targeted to be around £1.1 million.

Read more here.

Burgling couple

Nicola Clewes and Gary Betts
Nicola Clewes and Gary Betts

Despicable drug addict Nicola Clewes targeted pensioners as she carried out burglaries with her partner - and even helped herself to food. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Clewes knocked on an elderly woman's door and pushed her way inside.

The 46-year-old tried to take the victim's purse and pushed her as she repeatedly demanded money. The victim took £20 out of her purse and Clewes snatched the cash and left.

Clewes returned to the victim's house a week later. She again pushed her way in and tried to get the woman's purse out of her pocket. Once again, she snatched the money out of her hand and left. Clewes and her co-defendant Gary Betts, also aged 46, turned up at another elderly woman's home and entered uninvited.

Clewes, of Pinewood Crescent, Meir, pleaded guilty to robbery and three charges of burglary. Betts, of the same address, pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary. Judge Graeme Smith jailed Clewes for six-and-a-half years and locked up Betts for 40 months.

Read more here

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