Birmingham Crown Court Sentencing Results

Allan Richards, a former West Midlands Police officer and scout leader from Tile Cross, committed dozens of sex offences against 17 boys aged 8 to 19 between 1976 and 2014. He exploited his positions to indecently assault boys during scouting trips, at swimming pools, in his home, local parks, and even at Steelhouse Lane police station. Offences escalated to serious sexual assaults and rapes, including raping boys aged around 15 after grooming them under pretexts of police investigations. Diaries found at his Thaxted Road home detailed the abuse.

Adrian Monk, from Little Eaton in Derbyshire, was charged in August 2023 after a warrant at his former home in Rugeley, Staffordshire, where several terrorist documents were seized. He admitted 10 offences of possession of a document containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 Terrorism Act 2000. He was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court.

Adam Mahmood, a TikTok user with over 27,000 followers, was convicted after a September trial of holding a recording likely to be useful for terrorism. He had asked another user for a detailed guide on making explosives similar to those used in UK terror attacks. Police seized the bomb-making video in October 2023, which detailed how to build a bomb using a detonator and shrapnel. Officers also found swords, knives, an axe, a catapult, and ball bearings in his bedroom.

Abhay Singh, 33, from Crown Mews, Abingdon, conspired to launder stolen funds from a nationwide malware fraud scheme that stole tens of thousands of pounds from victims.

Connor Scothern was a member of the banned neo-Nazi group National Action. He joined before the group was proscribed in December 2016 and after the ban, continued to communicate covertly using encrypted messaging. He attended secret meetings to discuss a race war and recruited other young people, while sharing images mocking the Holocaust and glorifying Hitler.

Cyrus Bassiri owned a four-storey property in Edgbaston with serious fire safety breaches including two non-working fire alarms, an escape route blocked by a washing machine and display cabinet, incorrectly fitted emergency lighting, and a damaged fire door. Problems were identified at Hagley Road premises in 2010 and new breaches after a March 2013 complaint. He failed to act on improvement demands over six months, conditions deteriorated, and he responded aggressively and with bullying behaviour to firefighters' concerns.

David Dixon, 38, of Biart Place, Rugby, was one of three men caught in a police operation in the car park of a Wolverhampton pub in March 2017 as they attempted to sell a bag of over 50 rounds of ammunition. The trio discarded the bag and tried to flee; one drove into a concrete bollard and another hid in bushes. Dixon pleaded guilty to conspiring to transfer or sell ammunition and was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court.

Garry Jack was a member of the banned neo-Nazi group National Action. He joined before it was proscribed in December 2016 and after the ban, continued to communicate covertly, attend secret meetings, and recruit others while sharing extremist material including Holocaust-mocking images and glorification of Hitler.

Harpal Singh Gill, 67, from Smethwick, previously a textile trader, set up a number of bogus clothing and textile companies between May 2007 and May 2013 to launder £35 million of drug money for crime groups across the country. No actual transactions took place; false invoices were used to disguise the money movement. He adapted the business model to meet minimum UK money laundering regulations.

Jason Andrews took part in the savage torture and murder of former soldier the victim in Yardley, Birmingham. the victim, 64, a father of two who served 22 years in the Army including in Northern Ireland and the Gulf, was found dead in his Yardley flat on May 19, 2012. He had been stabbed, had broken ribs, and suffered severe bruising.

Jacobus Martinus Samson was part of a gang running a £60million drugs empire from a small office on a farm in Kempsey near Worcester. The operation involved smuggling cannabis, amphetamines and MDMA from the Netherlands using legitimate hauliers unaware of the cargo. Drugs were taken to haulage yards in West Mercia and Midlands before distribution to organised crime groups across the UK. Operation Goal by Warwickshire and West Mercia Police seized £13.5million worth of drugs including over 1000kg cannabis, 107kg MDMA and 64kg amphetamines.

West Midlands Police executed a warrant to arrest Keane Carter, of Pendrell Close in Fordbridge, in connection with an assault on a man at a bar on Broad Street last September. The victim sustained serious head injuries. When officers searched his address on 21st November last year, they uncovered a sawn-off shotgun along with 13 cartridges. He later pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in January, and to inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent in February. Following a hearing at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, 21st May, he was sentenced to five years and 11 months in prison.

Justin Brook targeted the Co-op store on Haslucks Lane, Shirley over a 10-month period, stealing chocolate, alcohol and cigarettes. On two occasions, he entered the store, stuffed a bag with chocolate and threatened staff with a knife. On another occasion, he threatened staff with a needle before stealing alcohol and cigarettes. He was arrested on 17 June after attempting to break into a hairdresser’s in Moseley. He was charged with six thefts, possession of a blade, assault, burglary and four counts of making threats with a blade.

John Brookes of Erdington was involved in money laundering by receiving cheques from fraud victims targeted by Lee Evans and Andrew Blythe, which were converted to cash on the same day. Part of fraudulent property repair scam targeting elderly across the Midlands from 2007 to 2012.

John Dodd, aged 21 in 2007 and from Longmore Road in Solihull, used a chat-room on Bearshare to groom girls as young as 12 with flirty online chat. He lured a 13-year-old girl from Derby into exchanging contact details, invited her to stay overnight at his home, and began a two-year sexual relationship when she turned 14, deceiving his family into believing she was over 16. Arrested in December 2013 after the victim disclosed the abuse during counselling. His laptop contained sexually explicit conversations, incitement, and indecent images of children. He attempted to groom tens of girls.

Khuram Razaq was part of a high-end vehicle theft ring that stole four luxury Audis worth almost £200,000 over five days in late September and early October 2013 from locations in Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Willenhall. The group used a key-copying device to extract security data from on-board computers and program it onto blank keys. Stolen vehicles included two Audi RS5s, an A5 and an A4. The cars were stripped at a chop shop in an industrial unit owned by accomplice Nakash Javaid.

Louise Jogia, official director of BHJ Consulting Ltd, aided her husband Bharat Jogia in breaching his 13-year director disqualification by providing signed documentation and support, while he dealt with key matters such as instructions to lawyers, IT decisions, and payments. The company's bank account was used to pay personal bills for Bharat and Louise Jogia.

Manjit Gill, 40, from Edgbaston, son of Harpal Singh Gill, acted as a director for a number of the bogus companies used to launder £35 million of drug money between May 2007 and May 2013.

Hughes was part of a group that dumped more than 26,000 tonnes of waste at a former industrial unit in Lichfield and at other sites across the country. The gang offered genuine waste facilities the chance to dispose of baled rubbish at a reduced price, then broke into or leased locations under false pretences to dump the rubbish. Environmental health officers discovered the Lichfield site being filled with lorry loads of rubbish after a tip-off.

Mahmood Khalid, 37, from Cherrywood Road in Bordesley Green, was found inside the lock-up unit in Walford Road, Sparkbrook, stripping a Range Rover stolen from Old Warwick Road, Solihull, just 30 minutes after theft on June 26, 2014. Surrounded by engines, gearboxes, body panels and seats from stolen cars taken from Birmingham, Tamworth and Northampton between April and June 2014. Work glove in car had his DNA; 18 phone calls with brother Usman in two hours before theft.

Matthew Davies, 30, of Maple Avenue, partner of Sarah Martin, perverted the course of justice in the investigation into the victim's manslaughter.

Mohammed Asif, 47, from Coventry, was speeding in excess of 100mph on the M42 northbound near Solihull shortly before 3am on 3 September 2022. His Audi Q7 struck the back of a Skoda Rapid exiting at junction 6. Front seat passenger the victim, 53, suffered severe head and chest injuries and died two weeks later. The victim's partner, who was driving, was also injured. Asif pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

Mohammed Siddique and Mohammed Waqar beat a 10-year-old boy at the Jamia Mosque in Sparkbrook as punishment for reciting the Koran incorrectly. The boy was repeatedly slapped and hit with various objects including sticks and brushes kept for inflicting pain. The mother noticed bruising and reported to police after previous assurances from Siddique.