Bristol Magistrates' Court Sentencing Results

Victoria Goldsmith admitted a charge of possessing 0.2g of crack cocaine on 11th April. At Bristol Magistrates' Court on 29th September 2026, magistrates ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drug and fined her £120 with £85 prosecution costs.

Duran Amet failed to stop for police on the A4174 near Wick Wick Roundabout on 10 September 2026. He sped away in a red Ford Focus, drove into the path of oncoming traffic, mounted a pavement, travelled at excessive speeds and drove the wrong way around a roundabout while carrying a minor passenger who was not wearing a seatbelt. He continued through Longwell Green before abandoning the car in the Emerald Park area and running off. He was arrested after a short foot chase. Officers said his driving showed a complete disregard for the safety of other road users and pedestrians.

Brian Trent, 71, was followed by officers in a Land Rover after drinking at a pub less than 300 metres from his home. He was stopped outside his home at around 7pm on 15 April and failed a roadside breath test. He was taken into custody and charged the following day with driving over the alcohol limit.

Stuart Elmes, of Bournemouth, falsified a HSE commercial diving medical certificate while seeking employment as a PADI instructor in March 2025. The document was identified by a local diving school and subsequently reported to HSE. An investigation by the HSE, supported by the Approved Medical Examiners of Divers (AMED) board, confirmed that the certificate had been falsified.

Richard Dawson neglected two underweight female English bulldog puppies, aged approximately five months, by keeping them in a cage covered in diarrhoea and urine at his home in Portishead, Bristol. The RSPCA investigated after welfare concerns were raised and found the puppies severely underweight with visible ribs, spine, and hip bones; one had a body condition score of 1/9 weighing 2.72kg (should be 10-15kg for age) with ulcerated, bleeding foot pads, stunted growth, dehydration, and long-term malnutrition and diarrhoea; the other had a score of 2/9 weighing 3.67kg and was covered in soft faeces. The neglect was due to unmet nutritional needs over several months. The puppies were seized and examined by vets but sadly died despite veterinary and rescue care.

Paiwand Siamand, 25, was driving a gold Volkswagen Golf R uninsured on the M5 southbound between junctions 24 and 25 in Somerset. At around 11.20pm on Saturday, November 8, 2025, he passed a patrolling roads policing officer in an unmarked police car at speed in lane three. The officer followed and recorded speeds of up to 149mph on a damp, unlit section of the motorway during moderate traffic. Concerned about the risk of a serious collision, the officer activated emergency lights and followed the vehicle off the motorway at junction 25 in Taunton, where Siamand was arrested.

David McCallum, 58, trading as McCallum Plumbing & Heating, attended a property in Bournemouth, Dorset in February 2023 to relocate a gas boiler and flue. The installation was not sealed or correctly positioned, creating an immediate risk of carbon monoxide leaking into the property. Homeowners noticed issues and had another engineer inspect it, who deemed it 'immediately dangerous'. McCallum had no training in gas work and was not registered with the Gas Safe Register, despite knowing he should be as he had previously been a director of a registered company. The work breached gas safety regulations and put lives at risk.

On May 7, 2025, three underweight rabbits were found in Michelle Alice Hitchens' home in Cranmoor Green, Pilning, Bristol, in hutches without bedding, food, or water. The conservatory was hot (25°C), filled with rubbish, and had a strong ammonia smell. A decaying carcass was found in a locked cage. The rabbits were seized by police and handed to the RSPCA; a vet confirmed they were at risk due to neglect and unsuitable conditions. Hitchens had rehomed the rabbits after a prior disqualification but took them back.

Council officers found correspondence addressed to Darren Blake's home among illegally dumped waste on Packgate Road in Avonmouth. He was caught dumping rubbish and prosecuted after ignoring the initial fixed penalty notice.

Rosa Kovacs stole candles and beauty items from two Bristol shops on December 6 and December 9. She was caught by police on December 23 and later pleaded guilty to the offences.

Piersaverio Finizio, 30, of St Pauls, stalked four lone women in Bristol earlier in 2025, approaching them on Newfoundland Way, Bond Street, and Wade Street. He made unsettling comments to gain their affection, such as 'it must be scary being a girl at night', 'you will be an angel soon', and 'you look lonely, I want to be your Valentine'. In one incident on February 14, he followed a victim after she fled. He grabbed one woman's arm and persistently asked for phone numbers, even calling and messaging one victim after obtaining her number. He was identified via his mobile phone and arrested.

Curtis Tucker, a prolific shoplifter, was sentenced for multiple shop theft offences in the Kingswood area, including Regent Street and Kings Chase Shopping Centre. The sentencing follows ongoing police operations targeting shop theft and anti-social behaviour in the area.

Sylvia Grezlik, 35, of Bishopsworth, was arrested on October 14, 2025, at Tout's convenience store in Cleeve for shoplifting and drug possession. She was caught stealing items and found in possession of a class A drug.

Bryan Smith, of no fixed address, led police on a 27-minute high-speed chase in a stolen Volkswagen Scirocco, driving onto pavements, through red lights, reaching 80mph in a 30mph limit, and crashing into two vehicles on Ledbury Road in Fishponds. He continued attempting to flee after the crash and was Tasered. The pursuit was captured on police video and helicopter footage.

Kola Adetu persistently approached his victim with propositions in the street and at her home in Staple Hill over several months from May 2024.

Samantha Ann Lerway of Stoke Lodge, Bristol, was found to have kept cats in squalid conditions. The RSPCA was called after concerns about abandoned cats, discovering starving cats, dead cats, and a rabbit in the home, which was cluttered with animal faeces and rubbish. The surviving cats were underweight and had fleas, and they were signed over to the RSPCA for rehoming.

Barry Geering, a former police constable and firearms officer with Wiltshire Police, attempted to sexually communicate with a child under 16. He was arrested in April 2024 as part of a proactive operation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit targeting online child sexual abuse and exploitation. Following his guilty plea, he was sentenced, and an allegation of gross misconduct was upheld.

Ashley Thomas Doyle was seen kicking his dog Keisha three times while she was inside the boot of his car on Gatehouse Avenue, Withywood. A passer-by reported the incident to the RSPCA and police. Following an investigation, Keisha was signed over to the RSPCA for rehoming.

Adam Baker was stopped in a BMW 1 Series on the A370 near Backwell on 6 April 2026 after police received intelligence that a disqualified driver was at the wheel. A roadside drug test indicated cannabis, and further checks confirmed he was disqualified and uninsured. He was travelling with family members including young children. Officers also found a quantity of cannabis in his possession.

On the afternoon of Wednesday 4 February, Mr Blackwood approached two young girls under the age of 16 who were walking home from school near Bath and asked them a sexually explicit question before running off. The incident was reported by the mother of one of the victims to police. Following a swift investigation, Mr Blackwood was arrested.

Giuseppe Sutera breached an Emergency Prohibition Order (EPO) served by South Gloucestershire Council’s Private Sector Housing Team by continuing to let a property in Patchway with serious fire safety issues, including a Category 1 hazard for fire due to no safe escape route, shared kitchen in the main escape route, no fire doors to bedrooms, no working smoke alarms, and a blocked secondary escape route. He also failed to respond to a notice requiring his address and property details.

Henry Smedley admitted animal cruelty after a cat died and a dog was badly injured. Vets found the cat had been dead for several hours when brought in; she was emaciated and had 31 rib fractures, three spinal fractures and a dislocated sternum, with injuries consistent with trauma rather than drowning as Smedley had claimed. A dog kept in a small cage was underweight with visible ribs, spine and pelvic bones, and radiographs showed seven rib fractures at different stages of healing that had not been treated. Smedley was sentenced to 23 weeks immediate imprisonment and banned from keeping animals for life.

Lee Varga repeatedly stole from shops in Downend, pleading guilty to 11 thefts from supermarkets in the area. He was sentenced as part of a police crackdown on prolific shoplifters and was made subject to a criminal behaviour order lasting three years.

Mateusz Skowyra admitted two counts of arson, two counts of possessing a knife and one count of intentionally exposing his genitals.

Mahamoud Jama, 57, of St Pauls, ran Euro Discounts in Stapleton Road, Bristol, selling illegal oversized vapes and illicit tobacco. Trading Standards officers and Avon and Somerset Police visited in October 2024, seizing 219 vapes (some containing up to ten times the 2ml legal nicotine limit, none MHRA approved) and 774 packets of illegal cigarettes worth £5,500. Further illegal items found in October 2025 after prior closure order in February 2025 extended in May.

Rio Woolley was caught riding an e-bike dangerously and without a licence or insurance in central Bristol in March this year.

Michael Marshall rode an electric scooter while uninsured and disqualified from driving. He was given a prison sentence because of his flagrant disregard for court orders and because the offence was committed during the operational period of a suspended sentence.

Shay McVeigh attended an address in Henbury in August in breach of a restraining order imposed in October 2025.