Bristol Crown Court Sentencing Results

Between June 10, 2023 and December 3, 2024, Bryan Adams received more than £166,000 from a vulnerable client to construct a single-storey side extension. He failed to complete the agreed work, failed to supply materials already paid for, and grossly overcharged for the work undertaken. Instead of using the funds for suppliers and labour costs, he used a large proportion to fund his gambling addiction, with total gambling losses exceeding £60,000. Adams repeatedly lied to obtain further payments, including falsely claiming his bank account was frozen and insisting on cash for materials. He claimed to have reached his daily cash-withdrawal limit despite making no withdrawals. In one instance, he told the homeowner the boiler had failed and charged for a replacement, placing a Bosch boiler sticker on the existing unit to make it appear new, though no new boiler was fitted. The workmanship was described as 'quite appalling' by a specialist building surveyor, carried out by unskilled and incompetent individuals, rendering the annex structurally unsound and leading to its demolition. The homeowner was left with an uninhabitable property and losses exceeding £166,000.

Simon McDonagh targeted 11 vulnerable victims, ranging from a student to men in their eighties, during a ten-week spree between March 24 and June 5 of last year. He faked car accidents in the Kingswood, Staple Hill, Speedwell and Soundwell areas by making victims believe they had damaged his wing mirror. He convinced them to pay cash for repairs to avoid insurance claims, following them to cashpoints or requesting PayPal transfers. He used vehicles with false plates for each offence and stole more than £5,500 in total, with the most significant amount being £1,495 from a man in his 70s.

Ross Sandwell, 42, from Saltdean, held the mobile phone for the 'Charlie' drugs line, which was controlled by Charlie Harris. The line came to police attention in May 2025. On 14 May 2025, officers executed a warrant at his address in Suez Way, Brighton, seizing two mobile phones and a quantity of cannabis. Sandwell was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and possession of a class B drug. He was later charged with being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine, possession of a class B drug, and being concerned in the offer to supply heroin. He changed his plea to guilty before trial and was sentenced at Brighton Crown Court.

Charlie Harris, 23, from Crawley, controlled a drugs line known as the 'Charlie' line, which came to police attention through mobile phone intelligence in May 2025. Ross Sandwell held the associated mobile phone. Warrants were executed on 14 May 2025 at addresses in Suez Way, Brighton, and Johnson Walk, Crawley. Officers seized mobile phones, SIM cards, cannabis, and £245 in cash from the Crawley address, where Harris was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs. He was also recalled to prison for breaching licence conditions from a previous drug supply sentence imposed in May 2024. Harris was charged with being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine, possession of a class B drug (cannabis), and being concerned in the offer to supply heroin. He changed his plea to guilty before trial and was sentenced at Brighton Crown Court.

Gary Browne was arrested after warrants were executed in October at addresses linked to him in Peasedown St John and Paulton. Officers seized 877g of heroin, 1.6kg of cocaine and 1.6kg of ketamine, along with £20,000 in cash. More than 4kg of drugs were recovered in total. He pleaded guilty to the offences before being sentenced.

On October 17, 2025, police executed a warrant at Alfie Bailey's address in Archer Walk, Stockwood, South Bristol. Bailey attempted to flee through the back garden carrying a carrier bag and entered a car, which was stopped by police. The bag contained 54 grams of cocaine worth £4,400 and paraphernalia. Additional cocaine, over £10,000 in cash, weapons, unusable ammunition, and multiple mobile phones were found at the property. An electric motorcycle and charger worth £11,180 were seized as criminal property.

Ben Bicknell, 37, from Whitchurch Lane, Bristol, served as the main drugs distributor for the OCG in Bristol. He was arrested in June 2022 and found in possession of snap bags containing cocaine. A search of his home revealed a small amount of cocaine and almost £20,000 in cash. He was forensically linked to three kilos of heroin and 660 grams of cocaine seized from his niece Kasey Cotterell’s address in Hartcliffe, Bristol, on the same day.

Thomas William Gall was one of two men who ran more than 40 misleading websites imitating government services, including the Dartford Crossing and London ULEZ. The sites used sponsored links and Google adverts to appear above official results, charging inflated fees or charging for free services such as SORN applications. Gall and his co-defendant generated over £2.25 million in revenue. More than 780 penalty charge notices were issued to customers who used the sites to pay Dart Charge, though these were later cancelled.

Justin Pearce, aged 45 of no fixed address, was part of an organised crime group involved in supplying class A drugs (heroin and cocaine) and class B drugs (amphetamine). Police uncovered over 40kg of drugs worth £1.8m, including 10kg of heroin found in a business park off Staunton Lane on November 18, 2024, where Pearce was present. Additional drugs including 10kg of cocaine, 9kg of heroin, and 21kg of amphetamines were found in a garage in Down Lane, along with cutting agents and paraphernalia.

Joshua Batt, aged 28 from Whitchurch, was part of an organised crime group involved in supplying class A drugs (heroin and cocaine) and class B drugs (amphetamine). Police uncovered over 40kg of drugs worth £1.8m, including 10kg of heroin found in a business park off Staunton Lane on November 18, 2024, where Batt was present. Additional drugs including 10kg of cocaine, 9kg of heroin, and 21kg of amphetamines were found in a garage in Down Lane, along with cutting agents and paraphernalia.

Mark Glover, aged 48 from Henbury, was part of an organised crime group involved in supplying class A drugs (heroin). Police uncovered over 40kg of drugs worth £1.8m, including 10kg of heroin found in a business park off Staunton Lane on November 18, 2024, where Glover was present. Additional drugs including 10kg of cocaine, 9kg of heroin, and 21kg of amphetamines were found in a garage in Down Lane, along with cutting agents and paraphernalia.

Mark Bourne, aged 49 from Horfield, was part of an organised crime group involved in supplying class A drugs (heroin). Police uncovered over 40kg of drugs worth £1.8m, including 10kg of heroin found in a business park off Staunton Lane on November 18, 2024, where Bourne was present. Additional drugs including 10kg of cocaine, 9kg of heroin, and 21kg of amphetamines were found in a garage in Down Lane, along with cutting agents and paraphernalia.

Curtis Tucker, 43, of Worcester Road, Kingswood, engaged in persistent shop thefts over recent months, stealing bakery products, alcohol, meat, high-value tools, and other items from various retailers in South Gloucestershire. He also committed theft from a vehicle and threatening behaviour with intent to cause fear, resulting in significant losses to targeted businesses.

Carl Davies, 32, formerly of Lloyd Baker Street, Islington, London, was identified as a ringleader directing the fraud operation. Between January and December 2022, the group targeted older and vulnerable victims across Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, and Herefordshire, luring them with offers of low-cost guttering work and pressuring them with false claims of roof damage to pay for unnecessary and poor-quality repairs, stealing over £370,000 in total.

David Chalk, 30, formerly of Green Acres Mobile Home Park, Chertsey, Surrey, was identified as a ringleader directing the fraud operation and recruiting others. Between January and December 2022, the group targeted older and vulnerable victims across Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, and Herefordshire, luring them with offers of low-cost guttering work and pressuring them with false claims of roof damage to pay for unnecessary and poor-quality repairs, stealing over £370,000 in total.