Yahoo News Rioting war veteran, killer reveller and pervert grandad among criminals jailed in November
A rioting Hanley war veteran, a reveller who killed a clubber with a single punch and a 77-year-old pervert are among the criminals put behind bars during November. Also locked up during the course of the month were drug dealers, a killer A500 driver, two refugees and a number of individuals involved in August's riots in Staffordshire.
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 November...
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Kelten Taylor-Williams
Baby-faced drug dealer Kelten Taylor-Williams smashed a takeaway with a crowbar and threatened the staff. He was just 17 when he was first caught selling cocaine and cannabis.
But he was not deterred by his arrest and he became further embroiled in the murky world of narcotics. Aged just 18, he was involved in disturbance at the Munch House fast food restaurant in Blurton Road, Blurton, and caused £2,000 damage to a window with a crowbar.
Now at the age of 21, Taylor-Williams is a dad and is said to have matured. But he will be spending the next part of his life behind bars after his offending caught up with him. Taylor-Williams was sentenced alongside his co-defendant Brandon Lovatt who was aged 16 when he sold heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis from a Nissan Qashqai parked behind City Road, Fenton.
Marian Durac
A man arrested for drug matters in 2020 was sentenced. Marian Durac was in a car stopped by police in September 2020. Officers recovered a large amount of heroin and crack cocaine.
But he failed to attend his sentence at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court in 2021 and had remained 'at large'. However, Durac, now aged 23, was brought before the court this month and jailed for 14 months.
Durac, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two charges of being concerned in the supply of class A drug and failing to surrender to court. Stuart Muldoon, mitigating, said Durac's wife has secured accommodation at Catharine Road, Chell Heath, and she is expecting their first child in January. He will move in with her when he is released from prison.
John Millington
Pervert John Millington was snared by paedophile hunters as he tried to meet up with a '13-year-old girl' for sex. The 58-year-old started having sex chats with the 'girl' who was in fact a woman.
He called her 'babe' and his 'secret girlfriend' and arranged to meet her at Stoke Railway Station with a view to having sex with her in the back of his car. But he was met at the station by male members of the group and was detained until the police arrived. He was in possession of thongs which he wanted the 'child' to change into.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard his phone was analysed and contained a small number of indecent images of children. Now Millington, of Sheaf Street, Shelton, has been jailed for three years.
Aimie Hodgkinson-Hedgecox
A woman who took a young boy to a post-Southport riot which saw an arson attack on a Staffordshire hotel was jailed for more than two years. Aimie Hodgkinson-Hedgecox - who has 14 previous convictions involving 30 offences - pleaded guilty to violent disorder after being recorded shouting “incendiary and racist” remarks at police protecting asylum seekers housed at Tamworth’s Holiday Inn Express a day after trouble broke out in Hanley.
The 37-year-old reacted angrily to being handed a 27-month sentence at Stafford Crown Court, looking towards friends and relatives in the public gallery and complaining: “It’s a joke, it’s a f***ing p*ss-take.”
Mikey Isaacs
Drunken Mikey Isaacs punched a teenager in the mouth in an unprovoked attack. The 20-year-old approached a group in a park.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard he assaulted one lad and knocked him to the floor. He then punched another teen once, knocking out his tooth. Isaacs was sentenced to 15 months in a young offenders' institution.
Gary Porter
Pervert Gary Porter was jailed after he had sex chats with who he believed was a 13-year-old girl. The 52-year-old called himself 'the horny devil' and told her he wanted to take her virginity and he wanted her to be his girlfriend.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard he encouraged her to touch herself and sent her sexual images and a video. His phone was seized on his arrest which contained nine indecent images of children. Porter, of HMP Featherstone, was jailed for 12 months.
Fatos Maci
A man was caught inside a Stoke-on-Trent cannabis factory with 234 plants. Albanian Fatos Maci was arrested after police raided the end-terrace property in Tunstall in October.
Police discovered a significant cannabis grow and the plants had a potential street value of up to £52,000. The 42-year-old, who has a previous conviction for a similar offence in Sheffield, was jailed for three years at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.
Jessica Howson and Gareth Perry
Two more members of a group who smashed their way into a city centre shop in the early hours and stole sportswear were jailed. Gareth Perry, aged 48, and mum Jessica Howson, aged 44, were involved in the raid at Sale Lab, in Upper Market Square, Hanley, at 4,08am on May 31.
They, together with prolific offender Mark Haddon, broke a panel in the door to get inside. They stole clothing and coats before running off.
Haddon, aged 36, of Abbey Road, Abbey Hulton, pleaded guilty to burglary and was jailed for nine months in July. Perry, of Halton Green Road, Blurton, and Howson, of Brakspeare Street, Goldenhill, also admitted burglary. They were jailed for eight months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.
Luis Ferreira
A drug dealer was jailed for four-and-a-half years after around £15,000-worth of crack cocaine and heroin were seized in Stoke-on-Trent. Luis Ferreira, 38, was arrested after officers from the major and organised crime team carried out a raid at an address in Etruria in May.
Heroin and crack cocaine, were discovered, along with around £8,600 in cash. Two mobile phones - including a suspected main drug line believed to be used to co-ordinate deals - were also found.
Ferreira, from Newport, Wales, was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court after changing his plea from not guilty to guilty of possession with intent to supply a class A drug (heroin), and possession with intent to supply a class A drug (cocaine).
Cameron Bell
A care worker who joined a group of masked men and livestreamed them making racist comments on TikTok during a Staffordshire riot was jailed for nine months.
Cameron Bell, 23, was caught on CCTV wearing her work uniform as around 20 people, many armed with planks of wood and what appeared to be lengths of metal, walked through Tamworth town centre on the night of August 4 - the day after a riot erupted in Hanley.
Benjamin Wallbanks
Police welcomed the sentence handed to a city centre reveller who killed a clubber with a single punch. Benjamin Wallbanks started a nine-year extended sentence after admitting killing 30-year-old Benjamin Grosvenor, from Burslem.
The 41-year-old, of Opal Road, Fenton, had left Mr Grosvenor in a coma. The victim never recovered and died two years after the attack on Trinity Street, in Hanley.
The extended sentence includes a six-year prison sentence for the manslaughter. Wallbanks was also sentenced for knocking out clubber David Regan with a single punch outside Hanley Pink earlier in 2021.
Corey Gilchrist
A dealer was jailed after monkey dust and cannabis worth up to £22,000 were found in a house. Police detained Corey Gilchrist after finding him near a house that officers were preparing to search on Lansdowne Road, in Hartshill.
The 31-year-old, from Hartshill, later pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing class B drugs with intent to supply. He was jailed for 16 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. The raid was carried out in March.
Courtney Saunders and Kevin McDaid
Two men were jailed after violence erupted in a town centre takeaway. Courtney Saunders and Kevin McDaid were sent to prison for their roles in the disturbance at Dixy Chicken, in Newcastle, at 2.30am on May 12.
A third man - 29-year-old Marcus Kelsall - dodged jail for his involvement. Recorder Robert Smith jailed Saunders for 10 months and McDaid for seven months. He handed Kelsall a three-month prison sentence, suspended for one year; a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement; 60-hours unpaid work; and ordered him to pay £150 costs.
Marcus Ramsden
A dad who took part in the Hanley riots will miss his son's first birthday after being locked up for two years for spitting at police. Marcus Ramsden was invited to the Hanley riots by friends and family.
CCTV footage captured the 22-year-old - from Latebrook Close, in Goldenhill - shouting, swearing and spitting at police officers on Town Road. Ramsden pleaded guilty to violent disorder and two counts of assaulting an emergency worker.
Roy Edwards
A 77-year-old pervert was jailed after breaking a court order - again. Roy Edwards had twice previously dodged jail after being caught with indecent images of children and then breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
But it was not third time lucky for the grandad, from Zennor Grove, in Bucknall, after he was jailed for 30 months for having a mobile phone and accessing TikTok and Instagram. He had accounts under the name 'Roy Boy' and software installed to delete browser history and admitted breaching his SHPO.
Lee Whitby
Iraq veteran Lee Whitby was at the 'forefront' of the Hanley riots. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard the 41-year-old was caught on camera near Salahuddin Mosque, on Town Road, as well as at the front of police lines outside Hanley Library and in Shelton during the August 3 troubles.
Whitby - who has 42 previous offences on his record - was jailed for 26 months after admitting violent disorder. Tours of Kosovo and Iraq have left him with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Ryan Perry
A 23-year-old man who has worked in Hanley Market for 12 years was locked up - after 'stumbling across' the city centre riots 'by chance'. Ryan Perry was on a Saturday off when he dropped his girlfriend off in Hanley and went to the shops and a pub.
But he later joined the Hanley riots, struck police officers' shields, and made an obscene gesture to a group outside Salahuddin Mosque, on Town Road. Perry, of Mount Street, Hanley, was jailed for 22 months for violent disorder and assaulting two police officers.
Alison Cooper
A killer A500 driver was jailed. Alison Cooper, of Badger Brow Road, Loggerheads, was driving home from work in her Ford Fiesta when she braked harshly on the A500 thorough Barthomley.
It led 29-year-old Chris Parsons, from North Wales, to take evasive action, veer onto the opposite carriageway, and crash into an oncoming car. Cooper, 60, was handed a 40-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
It was back in June 2022 when tragedy struck. Cooper was also handed a five-year driving ban when she was sentenced at Chester Crown Court.
Levi Jones
A man was jailed for five years - after police found his DNA on a gun. The firearm had been found in a Skoda Octavia on false plates in Whitmore Street, Shelton.
The discovery of the DNA led officers to Levi Jones who has 14 convictions for 27 offences on his record. The 31-year-old, of Warwick Street, Shelton, was convicted of possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing a firearm when prohibited from doing so.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard the discovery was made in April 2023. A second gun was also found in the vehicle.
Dominic Cartwright
Dad Dominic Cartwright hurled missiles towards a mosque and was up for a fight at the 'forefront' of the Hanley riots. The 34-year-old says he had only gone to Hanley after finishing his night shift to have a drink in Wetherspoons and watch Stoke City.
But he instead endured the 'worst day of his life' after becoming caught up in the August 3 riots. Now Cartwright, of Shawport Avenue, Bradwell, was jailed for 28 months after admitting violent disorder.
Jordan Forster
A one-man crimewave was jailed after pilfering items worth hundreds of pounds from shops including Tesco and Home Bargains. Prolific shoplifter Jordan Forster swiped £890 of goods from supermarkets in Congleton, as well as The Original factory shop.
The 27-year-old's offending came to an end when officers recognised him from CCTV. Forster, of Maskery Place, Congleton, was locked up for 37 weeks after admitting five theft offences at Crewe Magistrates Court. He was also fined the total cost of the items he stole from the shops.
Yousef Ahmed and Wleed Mohmed
Two men are now wary of ever returning to Hanley after being viciously attacked on a night out. The victims were both kicked and punched after a fight erupted outside a nightclub.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard trouble started after Yousef Ahmed, aged 22, assaulted a woman in the city centre on the evening of September 4, 2021. Despite not knowing each other, Wleed Mohmed, aged 31, got involved and the pair appeared to act together. They approached and had a conversation with a woman and two men.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Ahmed, of Malkin Way, Middleport, also admitted assault by beating. The court heard both men are refugees and have either received or applied for asylum. Mohmed, of Hollings Street, Fenton, had drunk heavily and could not say how he came to become involved in the incident.
Judge Graeme Smith sentenced Mohmed for 45 months and jailed Ahmed for 40 months. He said: "They were two very nasty and vindictive attacks."
Reece Slade
Homeless Reece Slade hit a man with a brick after a fight erupted in Tunstall town centre. The 26-year-old was the first to be attacked in trouble-plagued Tower Square.
But Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard his reaction was over the top and he armed himself with weapons and he hit and kicked a man to the ground. Slade was jailed for nine months.
Imran Khan
A bully who beat and strangled his wife in their home is back behind bars for breaching a restraining order. Imran Khan was banned from seeing his ex partner or going to her Tunstall home for 10 years on November 3 after he subjected her to verbal and physical abuse.
But the 36-year-old visited her home twice on the evening of July 4. Prosecutor Emily Calman told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court: "He attended the complainant's address twice, just before 8pm and 10.45pm. He knocked on the door. He was drunk. He said, 'Open the door'.
