Locked up in March: One-punch killer, murderer's 'besotted' girlfriend and 'entitled' rapist

A one-punch killer, 'entitled' rapist and a murderer's 'besotted' girlfriend have all been put behind bars this month.

Killer Jamie Smith is now behind bars for his 'unnecessary, powerful blow' to loving husband Anthony Littlewood who was 'unwell' in Hartlepool. The 39-year-old was knocked unconscious to the ground, suffering a fractured skull and sadly died days later in hospital.

Computer games student Haider Ali is also beginning a long stretch banged up after raping two women within hours of each other in Stockton. The sex attacker sobbed in court as he was jailed, repeatedly telling the judge that he was innocent.

Teesside Crown Court has also heard details surrounding Carl Eland's murder as killer Joey Matthews' "on-off" girlfriend Samantha Reader was hauled before a judge. She helped the murderer hide from police by booking into a hotel room. She even searched: "How long do murderers serve in prison?"

The 27-year-old will now spend the next two years in a cell for assisting her partner. Here's the names, faces and stories behind the 42 criminals who have been locked up in March:

Ryan Rule

This cocaine dealer was caught with more than £7,000 of the class A drug after being spotted inhaling laughing gas in Middlesbrough . Ryan Rule, 29, was seen inhaling nitrous oxide in the passenger seat of a vehicle in a car park off Saltersgill Avenue.

When police went to search a wash bag in the boot of the car, Rule snatched it from them and tried to make off. Following a struggle, Rule was arrested and later hauled before the courts.

A Cleveland Police spokesperson told how the events unfolded at about midday on August 13 last year. "After a struggle with officers, Rule, who actively resisted officers and refused to release the bag he had snatched, was arrested." The bag was found to contain suspected cocaine valued at more than £7,300.

Rule, of Brettenham Avenue in the Easterside area of Middlesbrough, was charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs and was remanded. He was sentenced to three years in prison at Teesside Crown Court .

Read the full story here .

Danielle Nellis

Danielle Nellis has been locked up and banned from entering the grounds of a Stockton church after she hurled abuse at a council enforcement officer.

The 42-year-old was slapped with a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) at Teesside Magistrates' Court after she continually breached Stockton Council's public space protection order, which has been in place in the town centre since 2023. She was repeatedly found in possession of alcohol and the court heard how she was abusive to enforcement officers on a number of separate occasions.

The CBO granted forbids Nellis from being in a group of more than two people in the town centre or from entering grounds of Stockton Parish Church for two years. Nellis was jailed for 12 weeks for a public order offence and two counts of failing to surrender to court.

Teesside Live previously reported how Nellis, who in 2019 has 54 previous convictions for 121 offences, pleaded guilty to possession of a class A drug after she was found with a bag of white powder. Read the full story here.

Darren Cooper

An in-debt crack cocaine addict fractured police officer's knee in Asda scuffle over £79 toothbrush. Prolific thief Darren Cooper returned to Tesco Express seven times, stealing £2,363 of alcohol in total.

On his eighth visit to the same Hartlepool shop, Cooper opted for laundry detergent. He walked out of Tesco, on Belle View Way, with £191.24 of washing products. The 39-year-old targeted the shop over a four day period in August.

A week later, he stole a £79 toothbrush from Asda, on Marina Way. When two off-duty police officers saw his struggle with the security guard, they stepped in to help.

But Cooper left PC Kieran Hogg with a sore arm and elbow before he kicked out, as he was restrained and taken to the floor, injuring PC Lexi Howe. She has been left in a full knee brace after suffering a fractured knee.

A member of the public tried to distract the police officers, to help Cooper try to escape, Teesside Crown Court heard. In a statement read out to the Middlesbrough court, PC Howe said that she has been moved to a desk job because of her injuries and it has affected her career progression.

In a ten-day period Cooper, of Kathleen Street in Hartlepool, stole:

• August 4 - £330 worth of alcohol

• August 4 - he returned an hour later and left with £521 alcohol

• August 5 - 12 bottles of spirits worth £341.75

• August 5 - he returned at 8pm and stole another £400 of spirits

• August 6 - £330 of alcohol

• August 6 - returned to steal £440 of alcohol

• August 7 - £191.24 of laundry product

• August 14 - £79 toothbrush from Asda

Cooper later pleaded guilty to eight counts of shop theft; assaulting an emergency worker; and causing grievous bodily harm. He has 50 previous convictions for 193 offences - which include numerous thefts and violence.

He was on a suspended sentence for assaulting emergency workers and for driving offences, when he carried out these offences. In mitigation, Kate Barnes told the court that Cooper had returned to a crack cocaine addiction at the time - and that he owed large sums to drug dealers.

Ms Barnes said that her client has sought help for his addictions, whilst he has been held on remand in Holme House prison and that he intends to move back in with his partner, when he is released. Judge Tom Mitchell activated Cooper's 26-week suspended sentence.

He will serve that before starting 26-months for his latest offences. Read the full story here.

Andrew Weir

A paedophile 'who now has a girlfriend the same age as him' had a 'nauseating collection' of abuse videos. Andrew Weir sent explicit messages to a 14-year-old boy in Thailand before instructing him to perform sex acts on Skype.

During multiple video chats in 2016, Weir who was 22 at the time, pretended he was 15 and threatened to hack into the boy's phone if he did not carry out his instructions, on camera. In May 2022, Weir began chatting to a 13-year-old British girl on Snapchat, sending her explicit images and videos of himself - before persuading her to send him images. He performed sex acts on himself as the child watched online. The girl's parents later found Weir's messages and contacted police.

When he was arrested in December 2022, police examined his online devices and found he had been downloading indecent videos of children; and a picture of a dog being sexually assaulted. Weir had downloaded 10 category A videos showing underage girls; seven category B videos; and five classified as category C.

He was convicted by a jury, after standing trial in January, of causing a girl to engage in sexual activity and causing a child to watch sexual activity. Read the full story here.

Sunil Debnath

A drug dealer’s supplies were found stashed under a mattress at a property in Middlesbrough. Sunil Kumar Debnath was found with heroin, crack cocaine and £295 in cash.

On January 18, Middlesbrough Proactive Team officers attended an address on Farndale Court, Grove Hill, in relation to another matter. However, whilst at the property they located the 57-year-old with class A substances hidden under the bed. Debnath was charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

On Wednesday, March 5, Debnath, of Farndale Court, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison at Teesside Crown Court. Read the full story here.

Toni Lee Patterson, Ellie Patterson, Abbie Patterson, and Tonia Louise Stott

Three sisters and their friend have been labelled as 'feral bullies' after they left an innocent woman blinded following a savage, unprovoked attack.

The assault, which involved the brutal kicking and punching of a woman in her 50s, was described by police as 'vicious', while onlookers referred to the attackers as 'vile'. The incident took place in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, and involved sisters Toni Lee Patterson, 32, Ellie Patterson, 20, Abbie Patterson, 19, and their friend Tonia Louise Stott, 35.

The victim was enjoying a night out in the early hours of October 28, 2023, when she was ambushed by the four women. She was punched and kicked until she lost consciousness. The victim, who was not known to the defendants, had just purchased food from a nearby takeaway when she was attacked on St Thomas Street.

Even after she fell unconscious, the group continued to punch and kick her head and body. All four women pleaded guilty to affray, with Toni and Ellie Patterson also admitting to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Prior to the attack, the group had been denied entry to a nearby bar and had been abusive towards the doormen before heading towards their unsuspecting victim, who had no connection to them whatsoever.

The victim, who was already blind in her left eye, has been left with a facial fracture and a brain bleed after the attack, resulting in partial sight in her right eye. The women received their sentences at York Crown Court:

• Toni Lee Patterson, of Cross Street, Scarborough, was jailed for eight years for causing grievous bodily harm and 18 months for affray.

• Ellie Patterson, of Springhill Road, Scarborough, was sentenced to seven years and three months’ custody in a Young Offenders Institute for causing grievous bodily harm, and 18 months’ custody for affray.

• Abbie Patterson, of Springhill Road, Scarborough, was sentenced to four months in a Young Offenders Institute, suspended for 18 months. She was also given an Alcohol Abstinence Requirement and monitoring requirement, ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work and issued with a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

• Tonia Stott, of Cross Street, Scarborough, was jailed for one year for affray.

Read the full story here.

Jordan Marsh

A violent thug stabbed a man 'with the largest knife in the kitchen' because his sister said she was taking the remaining alcohol home after a night of drinking. Jordan Marsh, 29, went towards the woman, who was getting up to leave, but her brother intervened. Marsh then picked up a knife from his girlfriend's kitchen and stabbed his victim in the chest.

The man was bleeding heavily. He stumbled outside and collapsed. The group had enjoyed a night out in Middlesbrough on July 22. The siblings were drinking at The Green Tree Pub in Captain Cook Square before they got talking to Marsh and his girlfriend, and went on to Sapphires, on Newport Road.

Teesside Crown Court has heard that "a fair amount of alcohol and cocaine was taken" as the night continued at Marsh's girlfriend's home. The female victim later said she was taking the remaining alcohol home with her, because she had contributed most to the pot.

Paul Cleasby, prosecuting, said that Marsh hadn't contributed at all. He argued with the woman and "he appeared agitated. He was abusive towards his girlfriend," Mr Cleasby said, before Marsh stabbed his fellow drinker.

Outside the house, Marsh picked up a child's scooter and "intended to continue" his attack, but the victim's sister got in between Marsh and her brother. She was left with injuries to her head in the scuffle.

Her brother suffered a punctured chest wall and a punctured lung. He was rushed to hospital for a blood transfusion. Marsh fled on a pedal cycle.

"The victims were scared by the defendant's behaviour and initially they did not tell the police who was responsible for the attack" Mr Cleasby said.

The court heard that Marsh originally denied charges of wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The victims were told they had to attend court to give evidence at his trial, in January, or they would face arrest. On the second day of his trial, as the victims prepared to be cross-examined by Marsh's barrister, Marsh

Marsh, of Tranter Road in central Middlesbrough, was locked up for 55-months. Read the full story here.

Ernest Callaghan

A child abuser will likely 'spend the rest of his life behind bars' after he was jailed for more than 20 years. Between 1978 and 1994, Ernest Callaghan subjected young boys to countless incidents of sexual assault.

For decades he evaded justice and lived his normal life, until one of his courageous victims, now an adult, contacted Durham Constabulary to report the abuse he had suffered at Callaghan's hands. Now the 78-year-old, of Stephens Road, South Bank, has been jailed for 22 years at Teesside Crown Court after he was found guilty of 10 offences. He will be placed on the sexual offenders register for life and he will be 93-years-old before he is eligible for parole.

After the brave victim spoke to officers from the complex safeguarding team, Callaghan was arrested and interviewed where he denied the allegations of sexual assault. But as the investigation continued, another victim was identified and he also bravely told officers what had happened to him.

Callaghan was arrested and questioned again however he continued to fully deny the allegations. But officers saw through his web of lies and charged with seven counts of indecent assault on a boy and as well as three further sex assaults on a boy without consent. He denied the offences but was found guilty by a jury. Read the full story here.

Samantha Reader

A 'besotted' girlfriend helped a murderer hide from police by booking into a hotel room and sharing a detective's phone number. Samantha Reader was the "on-off" girlfriend of Joey Matthews in 2021, when Matthews and pal Brandon Ali murdered Carl Eland.

Matthews drove directly at Mr Eland who was cycling along the pavement of Homerton Road in Pallister Park, Middlesbrough, when he was hit. The 37-year-old died in hospital five days later, on August 26, 2021. Matthews and Ali were both jailed for life, with a minimum term of 21-years in August 2022.

This month, Reader, 27, stood in the dock at Teesside Crown Court to be sentenced, after pleaded guilty to assisting an offender at an earlier hearing. She wept as the court heard that she hung up on the police when they called her asking where Matthews was.

She then texted Matthews' mother to share the detective's number - warning her to "be careful". Reader and Matthews stayed in The Days Inn hotel, in Wyndham, between September 29 and October 8, 2021, as the murder investigation took hold.

Reader's phone showed that she contacted her sister, asking for pyjamas and a firestick. Internet searches made on her phone included: "How long do murderers serve in prison?"

The two were stopped by police whilst travelling in a taxi, on October 7, 2021 - after eight days on the run. Reader told the probation service and her barrister that she wasn't aware of what Matthews had done.

The Middlesbrough court heard that the couple had been in an "on-of relationship" for 12 months. Reader, previously of Queen's Square in Middlesbrough, sobbed as she was jailed for two years and two weeks. Read the full story here.

Michael Stewart

"Career criminal" Michael Stewart was spotted at the wheel of a stolen Volkswagen, hours after it was taken in a burglary. The 35,-year-old was driving the 15-plate car on Yarm Road in Darlington at 9.30am on September 15 last year.

Teesside Crown Court has heard that police were out looking for the Volkswagen Up, and PC Dodd immediately recognised the driver, but Stewart drove off. The car was stolen hours earlier, at 4.30am, from a house on Marlborough Drive.

CCTV at the house showed a man in a black balaclava, stealing both sets of keys. The householder didn't realise his car was gone until he woke up later that morning.

Steward appeared at Teesside Crown Court to be sentenced after had been due to stand trial, but changed his pleas at he last minute, admitting charges of handling stolen goods and driving whilst disqualified.

Stewart, of Holme House prison, was locked up for 16-months. He was disqualified from driving for one-year. Read the full story here.

Riccardo Nathaniel Donalds

It has taken 'the best part of six years to secure justice' but the ringleader of ‘Ghost’ line drug dealers has finally been put behind bars. The head of the conspiracy which flooded Scarborough, North Yorkshire, with heroin and crack cocaine, was Riccardo Nathaniel Donalds.

The 36-year-old failed to appear for sentencing back in November and a warrant was issued for his arrest. This month justice caught up with him. Donalds ,of Oscott Road, Birmingham, was sentenced to seven years and one month at York Crown Court. Read the full story here.

Andrew Harston

A former Durham University director dubbed a "sexual predator" by a judge has been jailed for 14 years for sexually assaulting two women. Andrew Harston attacked one victim while under investigation by police for sexually assaulting another in a separate incident.

The 39-year-old pervert denied the crimes, but was convicted after a trial at Teesside Crown Court. Harston was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration last month.

The charges, one which took place on Teesside, date back to when Harston was Director of Development and Alumni Relations at the prestigious university. The jury found that Harston sexually assaulted a drunk, sleeping woman at a home and committed assault by penetration. The second sexual assault related to another woman, who was also said to be intoxicated at the time.

In police interviews, Harston maintained that any sexual activity with one of the women was consensual. You can read the full story here.

Lewis Theasby

A sofa-surfing thug stabbed a man with a foot-long knife in a Hartlepool street after accusing him of owning money. 'Dangerous' Lewis Theasby has been slapped with a five-year jail term following a string of offences, including burglary, criminal damage, possession of a bladed article and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 23-year-old knifed his victim in the abdomen during a short struggle in Stephen Street. Matthew Bean, prosecuting, told the court how the bleeding victim had flagged down a taxi where two members of the public came to his aid on October 4, last year, calling for an ambulance. He had a stab wound to his lower abdomen and an attending police officer applied pressure to the wound.

"He asked if he knew who had stabbed him," said Mr Bean. "He replied that it was Lewis Theasby. He said the defendant had accused him of owning him money." The victim then fell unconscious and chest compressions commenced before the ambulance transported him to James Cook University Hospital.

The court heard that Theasby was spotted in the area and was chased down by a police officer. Theasby had attempted to evade capture by climbing a fence but became stuck and was arrested. Read the full story here.

Raymond Coates

Raymond Coates, 45, was sitting on a sofa in a Middlesbrough street, in a distressed state - when a passer-by offered him refuge at his house, out of the rain. Coates left Thornton Street on May 23, went back to the stranger's flat.

But Teesside Crown Court heard that the man asked Coates to leave after he made "a series of bizarre comments". "Coates grabbed the man and pushed him across the room," Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, told the court. The householder told Coates to leave and he was opening his front door, when he felt a "burning sensation" down his back. Coates had taken a steak knife from the kitchen. "The victim felt another 'sting'" Mr Dryden said, "and he ran".

Coates had stabbed his victim twice in the back. He chased the man out into he street where alarmed passers-by called the police. Coates accused his victim of "taking his drugs".

The victim had a 10cm long wound and another which was 4cm long and 4cm deep. Both of his lungs collapsed and two chest drains were inserted in hospital.

Coates told police that he could not remember the incident but that there "must have been a reason if he behaved like that". Judge Charles Thomas told Coates: "One could say a good Samaritan saw you in distress, and he kindly let you into his house to get out of the rain. You stabbed him twice in the back. He was left in a very serious condition.

"You had a belief that he had taken some of your drugs. Your mental health conditions are complex and overlanded by your misuse of drugs." Coates, of Ryedale Street, North Ormesby in Middlesbrough, was jailed for two-years-and-four-months.

Read the full story here.

Caleb Wilkinson

A teenage thug lured a youth to Stockton before attacking him with a knife and a knuckle duster.

Caleb Wilkinson, 18, stabbed his 17-year-old victim twice in the face. He told the boy: "You're dead now, son" and punched him with the knuckle duster, with so much force it touched his teeth.

The victim had arranged to meet a pal in Stockton on June 20 - but his "friend" messaged him to say he was near the Hilton Hotel. The teen headed towards the hotel, but when he was walking down steps into Asda's carpark on Bath Lane, Wilkinson appeared at the top of the stairs, armed with his weapons.

The pal was at the bottom of the stairs and the victim realised he had been set up. After the attack, Wilkinson picked up the teen's phone from the ground, saying, "it's mine now, son" and fled.

Teesside Crown Court heard that the victim has been diagnosed with PTSD and he is too scared to leave him home, unless he takes a knife with him. He has lost his place at college, because he couldn't leave his home to get there. Wilkinson handed himself into the police after three weeks of avoiding arrest.

Wilkinson, of Adderley Street in Stockton, was jailed for five-years-six-months. Read the full story here.

Callum Hay

A Stockton bricklayer has been jailed for the shocking violence and threats he made towards his partner.

Callum Hay, 27, told his girlfriend that she must be "available to him every second of the day." He left her a voice note, when she was at her friend's house, asking "if another man was there...all I'm saying is, if you're cheating I will chop your mother******* head off with a machete."

The voice note and a video, showing Hay whacking his partner's hands and leg with a wooden stick, were played to a judge at Teesside Crown Court. Hay, of the High Street in Stockton, pleaded guilty to three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and to coercive behaviour in the relationship, between September 2023 and August 2024.

Mr Morrison said that both of Hay's parents are heroin users but that his grandmother has offered him a room at her home in Hartlepool, when he is released from prison and that a contractor has offered him bricklaying work. Hay was locked up for 30 months. You can read the full story here.

Haider Ali

An 'entitled' student who raped two women in Stockton has been caged for decade. Haider Ali, 31, finished a shift at his brother's pizza takeaway and then went to Yarm Road in Stockton - an area known to be used by prostitutes. The defendant, a computer games student at Teesside University, raped the first woman he met, after speaking to her on the street, attacking her inside a disused building on Spring Street.

During his trial, Ali insisted that he had agreed a price of £20 for sexual activity with the woman. But his victim testified that she is not a prostitute, and that that conversation never happened. Ali pushed her to the floor and raped her twice in an ordeal that lasted for an hour.

He fled, but later returned and approached a second woman. This victim said that she agreed to perform a sex act for £20, but Ali raped her.

He claimed he did not pay the woman as he did not finish the act, but Teesside Crown Court heard how the woman called the police, as Ali begged her on his knees, to stop the call. When she said she would accept £10 - Ali still did not pay, and a friend of the victim chased Ali, as he ran away.

During sentencing at the Middlesbrough court, the student broke down in tears on video link from Holme House prison, and repeatedly told the judge that he is innocent. He was convicted of three counts of rape, on the two women, by a jury, after standing trial in January.

Ali told the judge: "Probation lied about me, I do charity work in Pakistan. I do charity work here. How can a person who does charity work be dangerous? I am innocent. Check my background. Ask my teachers. I didn't do this, sir."

Ali was handed a total sentence of 12 years - made up of 10 years in prison and two-years on extended licence in the community. You can read the full story here.

Theo McLean

A young woman escaped from a first-floor window and ran after a delivery driver to flee the hands of her abusive husband after a tirade of horrifying abuse. 'Dangerous' Theo McLean has been locked up for six years and nine months and will serve an additional two years on licence after pleading guilty to the crimes.

Teesside Crown Court heard how McClean, 49, repeatedly punched his wife's face, cut her thigh with a pair of scissors, threw her down the stairs, strangled her and urinated on her. Prosecutor Jon Harley told the court how she tried to escape but was stopped by McClean and the beatings and abused continued.

It was the following day when a delivery driver came to the door that she saw her opportunity to flee by dropping from the first-floor window in Darlington, while wearing only a T-shirt. She hit her head but was able to chase down the driver and get in his car.

The court heard how the driver took her straight to a police station and called for an ambulance. In hospital, medics found a long list of injuries including a bleed on her brain, a fractured eye socket, two nasal fractures and a fracture to her right cheek.

McLean pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Judge Robinson jailed McClean, of no fixed abode, for six years and nine months. He also found an extended sentence was necessary to protect the public. You can read the full story here.

Rosa Boanson

Rosa Boanson has been jailed for 16 months after admitting affray, inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent, assault by beating and being in possession of a bladed article. It follows an incident in November last year where the 45-year-old defendant attacked a woman and two men, one of whom was her partner.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Boanson had been socialising before she and her partner were invited to one of her victim's flat in Darlington. It was here she took offence to the presence of another woman and attacked her.

Her attention then turned to her partner. Boanson broke a glass and used the sharp end to jap towards the man's face. The court heard he put his hands up defensively and the broken glass caught the back of his hand.

The injury required sutures at hospital. A third victim returned to the flat to find Boanson's partner bleeding. Boanson came at the man, described as an innocent bystander, with a steak knife. He thre a can of Fosters at her, which hit her in the face, in an attempt to stop her and also ran down the street away from her.

Boanson was jailed for a total of 16 months.

Christopher Storey

Jealous brute Christopher Storey has been jailed after choking his girlfriend and throwing a glass in her face. Teesside Crown Court heard that Storey became enraged because other men at a party in Redcar had previously ‘asked her out’.

Adrian Strong, prosecuting, said he questioned her ‘relentlessly’ about her admirers as they made their way home on April 27, last year. He said Storey, 41, of Simpson Close, South Bank, Middlesbrough, became violent when they were in her bedroom, even though her children were also in the house. Mr Strong said: “The defendant jumped on the bed and began strangling her.

"He placed both hands on her throat, choking her. She described how she was unable to speak and her breathing was affected. She started to panic. The defendant continued to shout while he strangled her.”

In spite of the violence the pair remained together until July 6 when troubled flared again following a day out drinking together. Mr Strong said the couple had been in pubs in Redcar but an argument broke out when he accused her of taking cocaine, which she denied. The court heard she took off her engagement ring and told Storey: “We’re done”.

Mr Strong said: “The defendant reacted by taking his drink and throwing the contents of the glass in her face. He then threw the empty glass in her face which left a cut above her lip and a bruised chin.”

Storey pleaded guilty to three charges: intentional strangulation, unlawful wounding and harassment. Mitigating, Gary Wood said: “He has fully acknowledged his offending and has made no attempt to minimise his offending. What he says is, he realises that his jealousy and his very poor behaviour stems from his problem with alcohol."

Storey was jailed for two years. You can read the full story here.

Chleo Sunter

Registered sex offender Chleo Sunter put a phone under public toilet cubicles to secretly record men using the loo. The 37-year-old was caught with 790 pictures and 15 videos of men inside toilet cubicles and standing at urinals.

Sunter took the photos in the men's loos at an Aldi supermarket and a shopping centre in Middlesbrough, and at Darlington Train Station. Sunter, previously known as John Leslie Graham, admitted the latest offences at Teesside Crown Court pleading guilty to two counts of voyeurism; "recording a person doing a private act... for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification" between January and November 2023. Sunter also admitted six breaches of a sexual harm prevention order.

Sunter was caught with the material when a sex offender manager turned up at Sunter's home in Thornaby, to check that a court order was being complied with. Photos and videos of victims using public conveniences near Middlesbrough's Captain Cook Square shopping centre, at a Middlesbrough Aldi; and at Darlington station, were stored on Sunter's phone.

Paul Newcombe, prosecuting, told the court: "Some of the males were stood at the urinals. Some were recorded under the cubicles." On a police visit in November 2023, Sunter wasn't at home, but was found nearby. Police investigators found 695 chats, 712 photos, and four videos had been deleted from the gay dating app, Grindr.

Sunter had also been using a phone in incognito mode so that internet history couldn't be seen. Sunter breached the terms of the order by resetting the phone to factory settings. Judge Geoffrey Marson jailed Sunter, of Avon Close, Thornaby, for 26 months. You can read the full story here.

Lee Duffy

A man who turned up at his ex's house with an axe in his hand was later found to have ammonia on him. Lee Duffy, 23, threatened to smash his victim's windows after she said she didn't have his Zopiclone tablets, on October 5. The couple had split up over three years earlier when Duffy turned up outside her Middlesbrough home.

The judge told Duffy that he is "clearly a nuisance" after he changed his pleas at Teesside Crown Court as his trial was due to start. The court heard that Duffy, of Erimus House, Middlesbrough, was intoxicated when turned up at the house in Brambles Farm; and that the victim's son was at home. Duffy left and kept returning. He was arrested and taken into custody.

John Nixon, mitigating, said that prison has been beneficial for Duffy: "He's put on three stone in weight," Mr Nixon said, "he really believes he's over the hurdle of drugs."

Judge Christopher Knox said: "He's a nuisance, running around with an axe whilst clearly on drugs." The judge jailed Duffy for 10-months, telling him: "You look as if you are a man who might be regarded in public as a dangerous nutter.

"I can see your family are sitting in court. You can't be turning up at people's houses with an axe threatening to smash their windows. The ammonia was not actively used, but it is a serious offence." Read the full story here.

Andy Iwela and Muketar Ahmed

Two men who repeatedly raped a woman after a night out have been locked up for a total of 24 years. Andy Iwela, 34, and Muketar Ahmed, 33, subjected their victim to an horrific two-hour long attack. The woman met Iwela on a night out in Middlesbrough, and went back to his house for an "after-party".

Teesside Crown Court heard Iwela "latched onto" the victim later having consensual sex with him. But the court heard Iwela "slapped and choked" the woman and told her he "owned her", before ringing his friend Ahmed to come over.

The two men, high on alcohol and drugs, then attacked the woman together. Judge Richard Clews told the court: "She was degraded, abused, assaulted and injured. You treated her as a mere object of your desire."

Iwela, of Bush Street in Middlesbrough, and Ahmed of Staindale Road in Thornaby, were each convicted of two counts of rape; attempted rape and sexual assault, by a jury after standing trial in February. Iwela was given a total of 16 years, made up of 13 years in custody and three years out on extended licence. Ahmed was handed a 14 year total sentence, made up of 11 years in custody and three years on extended licence. You can read the full story here.

Alastair Weightman

A would-be carjacker 'with evil look on his face' dragged a terrified churchgoer from a Mercedes. It was on Christmas Eve when Alastair Weightman's victim left a carol service at Stockton Parish Church, on High Street, to charge her phone in her sister's car, which was parked nearby.

The woman put the keys in the ignition and was sitting in the vehicle, when Weightman approached and opened the door. He said: "Let me speak to who's on the phone. I know who's on the phone." Weightman, 34, reached into the Mercedes touching the steering wheel. The woman, who is 46, told him to go away. She rang her brother, who was at the carol service with her sister.

Weightman grabbed her by the arms, hair and jacket, and dragged her out of the car, onto the ground. The victim managed to get the car keys out of the ignition and throw them away, to prevent the car from being stolen.

Teesside Crown Court has heard that Weightman was sitting in the car, when her siblings arrived. The victim's brother and Weightman got into a scuffle, before the crook fled.

Weightman handed himself into the police on Boxing Day and later pleaded guilty to attempted robbery. Judge Richard Clews jailed Weightman, of Gilpin Road in Thornaby, for three years. Read the full story here.

Luke Jack Ridley

The Northallerton man was jailed for eight years this month after raping a teenage girl more than a decade ago. Ridley, 29, residing at HMP Holme House, Stockton, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape when he appeared before the court last month.

He was sentenced at the court on Friday, March 21. The sexual assaults happened when he was a teenager and forced himself on the girl, who was several years younger than him. It was in September 2022 when the victim came forward and reported the rapes to North Yorkshire Police.

Following the sentencing DC Readman said: "The victim has been courageous throughout this ordeal. I hope the outcome at court gives her strength as she begins to rebuild her life knowing justice has been served. It also proved once again that it is never too late to make a report and seek professional help. We are here for you." You can read the full story here.

Karl Croaker

A Middlesbrough rioter gesticulated and shouted at a line of police to 'come forward and fight him'. Karl Croaker screamed at riot police: "F****** try it. Come on!" before he pushed an officer.

The 32-year-old has spent the last seven months in prison on remand, since being arrested during the Middlesbrough riots on August 4. His solicitor Michele Turner told the judge that he is an "isolated individual or lives with his parents".

Ms Turner said that Croaker received messages about the planned protest, which started at the Cenotaph, and saw thousands walk along Linthorpe Road. "He thought it was a protest about the rise in knife crime," Ms Turner continued, " and he was swept along with the emotion that day."

Croaker was caught on CCTV, "bouncing on his feet and gesticulating at officers to come forward and fight him," Jenny Haigh, prosecuting, said. Croaker could be seen on the footage in a black baseball cap, with a gold chain around his neck, making obscene gestures and goading a line of police. He screamed at them:: "F****** try it. Come on!" before he pushed an officer.

Croaker, of Longford Street in central Middlesbrough, was jailed for 20 months. You can read the full story here.

Brian Doddsworth

Paedophile Brian Doddsworth who believed he was having a sexual conversation with a 12-year-old girl asked her to send indecent images and footage of her mother. Sickening details of vile messages from Doddsworth were read out as he was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court in March.

Doddsworth was unaware he was sending messages to an adult volunteer from Cobra, an online child protection group. The 52-year-old sent graphic pictures of himself and asked the girl - Tilly - to send pictures of herself. Omar Ahmad, prosecuting, said he contacted the decoy on a social media platform calling himself ‘Barry18’.

The court heard Doddsworth gave his age as 18 and was told by the decoy she was 12. Doddsworth sent a series of disturbing messages relating to her ‘mother’ and asked for pictures of her. The decoy told him her school had told her never to send pictures of herself to people, but he replied: “No one will know if you don’t say.”

He sent her photographs of a boy he claimed to be and asked for her mother’s number. Doddsworth began communicating with another decoy who posed as the mother and he sent more explicit pictures and sexualised messages.

He eventually was persuaded to send his address which led to three male members of the group attending to confront him, closely followed by police officers and he was arrested. Mr Ahmad said: “His mobile phone was downloaded and it contained evidence of conversations with the decoy.”

Mitigating, Alisha Marsay said: "Since these offences his property has been damaged by members of the public as he has become a target. His own family, including his mother, have disowned him.

"He has no friends or family as a result of this incident, other than one person who he is residing with and his ex-partner. When asked about these offences Mr Doddsworth said he is disgusted with himself and that it has not just affected him but everyone around him, for which demonstrates remorse.”

Doddsworth, of Barden Moor Road, Darlington, was jailed for two years. You can read the full story here.

Darren Genery

Drug-addicted burglar Darren Genery watched as an accomplice climbed through a window to steal a purse from an elderly woman with dementia. CCTV played at Teesside Crown Court showed a man climbing feet first into the kitchen before he opens cupboards and finds a purse.

The pair flee but, just seconds later in the heartbreaking footage, an elderly woman in her nightdress enters the room and is clearly distressed as she realises her home has been broken into. Genery, 44, of Hartington Road, Stockton, admitted being part of the burglary in Thornaby on November 1, last year.

Ms Haigh said the purse contained £80 to £100 as well as some small change. The court was told Genery took part in the burglary to feed his longstanding drug addiction.

Andrew Turton, mitigating, said: “He is a lifelong drug addict and is still prone to problems in that regard. This offence was drug-related for him. He maintains he was unaware of the particular difficulties of this lady."

Judge Jonathan Carroll sentenced Genery to two years and four months imprisonment. Read the full story here.

Jamie Smith

A passenger who got out of a car and fatally attacked a man who was standing in the road has been jailed for over five years. Jamie Smith, 24, exchanged words with Anthony Littlewood on Hart Lane, Hartlepool, on June 8, last year. Smith's friend, who was driving the car, beeped his horn at Mr Littlewood, who was thought to be "having an episode" in the road, near the junction with Serpentine Road.

Teesside Crown Court has heard that Mr Littlewood swore back at Smith, who got out of his car and punched him. Witnesses said that Mr Littlewood had been backing away, before Smith attacked him in the street delivering an 'unnecessary, powerful blow'.

Mr Littlewood, 39, was knocked unconscious to the ground. He suffered a fractured skull and died days later, on June 15, at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. When police arrived, Smith and his friend drove away. He was later arrested and pleaded guilty to manslaughter at an earlier hearing in February.

Smith, of Mereston Close in Hartlepool, was jailed for five-years-and-three-months.

Bailey Cooke

A street dealer and banned driver who fled from police through the streets of Stockton told a court his life had 'changed for the better' while awaiting sentence. Bailey Cooke addressed a judge at Teesside Crown Court where he appeared to be sentenced for offences committed last year. The 20-year-old from Stockton said he had been rehabilitated during his time in custody and was remorseful over his offending.

On the day of his trial, Cooke pleaded guilty to: being concerned in the supply of cocaine; careless driving; driving while banned and driving without insurance. He had previous convictions for dealing and had been banned from the roads for an offence of dangerous driving. The court was told how, on May 21 last year, police officers on patrol in Stockton spotted Cooke driving a blue Land Rover. Aware he was banned from driving, they signalled for him to stop.

Cooke accelerated away and was chased through several streets during which time the car collided with a silver Peugeot. He was not apprehended at that time.

Two days later, police seized the mobile phone of a person arrested for others matters and found a series of messages to Cooke which showed he was involved in the supply of cocaine. He was arrested and had been held in custody from that day.

Judge Ella Anderson jailed Cooke, of Faraday Drive in Stockton, for 30 months and banned him from driving for 27 months.

Jessica Prentice

A burglar who raided a student’s home just hours after being in court for the same offence is back behind bars. Jessica Prentice was caught red-handed with the MacBook computer, wallet and 17 packets of cigarettes she had stolen from the student house on the steps of Durham Crown Court, where she had only been dealt with at earlier that day. The 34-year-old, along with accomplice Kasey Willis, sneaked into the student home in Durham on January 28 after a door had been left open.

A neighbour, who knew the student was out at the time, witnessed the pair acting suspiciously around the house and contacted the victim. When the student returned they realised their possessions were missing. The stolen computer had a tracker device attached which led the student and their neighbour to the nearby court steps where Prentice and Willis were smoking some of the stolen cigarettes. The pair claimed to have retrieved the stolen property from the ‘real’ burglars and should be rewarded, but the police were called and both arrested with the stolen items still on them.

Despite giving no comment interviews, both were charged with burglary and put before the court. Both pleaded guilty and appeared by video link at Teesside Crown Court on Friday, March 21.

Prentice, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to two years and four months in prison and ordered to pay £228. Willis, 32, of Hartlepool, was sentenced to eight months in prison and ordered to pay £187.

David Taylor

A man threw tools and electrical items out of his window at the police, whilst he kept a hostage inside his home. David Taylor threatened to set himself on fire and blow the house up, Teesside Crown Court heard. High Northgate, in Darlington, was evacuated and roads were closed, as police tried to persuade Taylor to leave his home on Saturday August 17, last year.

The 37-year-old poured petrol on the officers outside and later set his curtains alight. The court heard that the fire spread though the soft furnishings in Taylor's accommodation. He barricaded his front door shut with a washing machine, and told his former pal to 'keep his mouth shut'. He poured petrol on the man and refused to let him leave, throughout the three-and-a-half-hour stand off.

The victim had been enjoying a few drinks with Taylor, before he said Taylor "kicked off." The hostage said he was "absolutely terrified." Officers stormed their way into the flat when Taylor set it alight, at around 10pm. Taylor's flat was part of multi-occupancy accommodation, in an end terraced building.

He was arrested and spat in the face of a female officer. At the police station, Taylor got hold of another officer's taser and pointed it at him, before it was wrestled away. Taylor, now of Edmund Street in Darlington, plead guilty to arson; false imprisonment; assaulting an emergency worker; affray; criminal damage; and to the possession of a prohibited weapon.

He was locked up for six-years-and-three-months.

Peter Simpson

A pensioner who was 'struggling to manage his son's behaviour' stabbed him in the neck with a kitchen knife. Teesside Crown Court was told that Peter Simpson had 'snapped' on the evening in question and had gone to the kitchen for a knife and stabbed his adult son in the neck.

The court heard that the son has autism and ADHD and that Simpson, 68, found it difficult to cope with his behaviour. Police had been called to his home in Stockton's Belle Vue Court on a number of previous occasions following violent incidents from both parties.

Michael Budge, prosecuting, told the court that on July 29 last year, shortly after 4pm, Simpson rang the police telling them that he had stabbed his son in the neck during an altercation and that his son was heard in the background saying the blood was 'gushing'. He said when officers arrived: "(The son) was in the living room with a blood-soaked tea towel pressed against his neck."

The younger man told officers there had been an argument over a bank card. Mr Budge said: "(The son) told his dad he did not want him to be arrested or go to jail." But, Simpson insisted on telephoning the police and reporting what he had done.

The son was taken to hospital where he was treated for the injury, which thankfully had not damaged any major vessels and he made a good recovery. Simpson admitted a charge of wounding with intent and was jailed for four years and five months. Read the full court details here.

Alexandra Brady and Ian McMenamin

A man out celebrating his winnings from a day at the races was targeted by two homeless people who saw him out alone near a side street. Alexandra Brady, 30, and Ian McMenamin, 45, walked past their victim late at night on Middlesbrough's Parliament Road.

The homeless duo were operating with at least one other man, who has never been traced. When the victim left his friend and began walking home on April 14 last year, Brady and McMenamin hit him on the head. The man went to the ground. McMenamin and one other man, kicked him.

They stole his phone and £600 winnings. The victim got up and chased them, and they threw his phone back at him, when he asked for it.

The court heard that the two were living on the streets of Middlesbrough at the time. They were jailed for six years each. Read the full story here.

Joshua Norman

A "prolific" offender led police on an 80mph chase "which could have very easily ended in tragedy". Disqualified driver Joshua Norman was behind the wheel of a white Mini Cooper in the early hours of Thursday, February 20, when he was spotted by cops. The 30-year-old ignored requests to pull over after officers illuminated their blue lights.

Instead he drove off at high speed through the centre of Darlington. A pursuit began which saw Norman driving at 80mph in a 30mph zone, on the wrong side of the road, and through a red light in an attempt to evade capture.

He eventually crashed the car on John Williams Boulevard and tried to run off, but was detained by police officers at the scene. Appearing at Teesside Crown Court on March 21, Norman was jailed for two years and six months and disqualified from driving for a further five years.

Liam Ainslie

A 130mph danger driver was caught by a police drone following a crash on the A19. While Liam Ainslie was driving the stolen Citroen, which also had false number plates, he narrowly missed oncoming vehicles and failed to stop when traffic cops tried to pull him over.

The 35-year-old was spotted near Castle Eden at around 8pm on July 3, last year. Durham Constabulary said that in his attempt to escape, Ainslie reached speeds of over 130mph before losing control when he made a sudden right turn.

Crossing onto the opposing carriageway and mounting the grass verge at high speed, the car came within inches of two oncoming vehicles. Ainslie fled from the car into a nearby field but made it only half a kilometre before noticing a police drone, which had been immediately deployed by pursuing officer PC Hawman. Ainslie was given a 12-month prison sentence.

Kane Walker

A violent son strangled mother until she was “struggling to breathe” over a £250 dispute. Kane Walker “lost control”, grabbing his mother’s neck and squeezed tightly until she felt “dizzy and lightheaded” at her Stockton home.

The 20-year-old launched the vile attack after threatening to ‘stab her up’ over a row that she owed his dad money, Teesside Crown Court heard. The mum managed to dial 999 and Walker’s ex-girlfriend, who was also inside the mum's home, “pulled” Walker off.

The attacker then fled the scene and was arrested 10 days later on February 27. Gary Wood, mitigating, stated Walker he “regrets his actions” and “he takes the view that drugs played an important feature in his past offending”.

Walker, of Rochester Road, Stockton, was jailed for 18 months. You can read the full court story here.

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