Carlisle Crown Court Sentencing Results

Jurgen Toli was involved in an industrial-scale cannabis cultivation operation uncovered at a unit on Lancaster Street, off Botchergate in Carlisle, on May 10, 2023. Police recovered a significant quantity of drugs and valued the operation at an estimated £4.5 million, believing it to be the largest find of its kind in Cumbria. Toli attempted to escape but broke both legs, resulting in a delay to his court proceedings.

Sean Worley, a convicted sex offender subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sex offender notification requirements, was visited by officers on 5 July 2026 for a routine compliance check. His mobile phone showed that his search history had been deleted that morning, breaching the order. Further investigation found he had deleted several social media and dating apps, which he had used to contact hundreds of women without permission from his offender manager.

David Winkley-Balmer, 30, from Penrith, was arrested after attempting to communicate with what he believed were 14-year-old children online. He pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to sexually communicate with a child and one count of attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity. The conversations were of a sexual nature, and he was aware the fictitious children were 14. No actual children were involved. He was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court to 12 months in prison, which was added to existing burglary offences to total two years and four months.

Daniel Carter, aged 26, set fire to household items in a flat at Citadel Row, Carlisle, in the early hours of 16 June 2025, sparking a blaze that set off the fire alarm and forced police to evacuate surrounding properties. He made significant comments at the scene admitting responsibility for the fire.

Rosie Nelson and her sister Violet Nelson kept 30 horses at Low Woodbank, Houghton, in inadequate conditions. In September 2023, RSPCA, World Horse Welfare, police, and a vet attended the site following concerns. They found 14 horses in a barn and 16 in a field suffering from untreated issues including laminitis causing foot deformity, dental problems, and infections. One pony was euthanised on site due to severe, untreated laminitis and pain lasting up to a year. The remaining 29 horses were seized by police and placed in RSPCA care, where they have been rehabilitated and are now available for rehoming.

Rosie Nelson and her sister Violet Nelson kept 30 horses at Low Woodbank, Houghton, in inadequate conditions. In September 2023, RSPCA, World Horse Welfare, police, and a vet attended the site following concerns. They found 14 horses in a barn and 16 in a field suffering from untreated issues including laminitis causing foot deformity, dental problems, and infections. One pony was euthanised on site due to severe, untreated laminitis and pain lasting up to a year. The remaining 29 horses were seized by police and placed in RSPCA care, where they have been rehabilitated and are now available for rehoming.

Kian Rowe, of Croft Close, Millom in Cumbria, carried out a determined, persistent and sinister campaign of control against his partner earlier in 2025. This involved verbal abuse, assault, strangulation by pinning her down with knees and placing hands around her throat, restricting contact with family and friends, dictating what she wore, creating fake social media profiles to make threats, bombarding her with 100 phone calls and dozens of messages, tracking her movements, and offering people £400 to beat her up. Police became involved after Rowe fabricated reports of the woman slapping and stalking him, leading to her initial arrest as a pre-emptive strike.

Stephen Young, a 46-year-old army veteran from Carlisle, previously of Southwell Square, stalked his ex-partner after their 18-month relationship ended. Despite a two-year restraining order, he was released from custody on 24 June 2025 and immediately bombarded her with over 150 calls, texts, emails, and TikTok messages, including one stating 'One day I will win. I will keep trying.' He also hid in a bush to intercept her on her way to work. The victim expressed ongoing fear in her impact statement. Young's history includes similar offences against other ex-partners, exacerbated by alcohol misuse and mental health issues from service in Iraq, Serbia, and Afghanistan.

Paul Connor, during a pub brawl at The Kellbank Hotel and Restaurant in Gosforth, West Cumbria, on July 8, 2023, grabbed the victim's head and bit off his left ear after being provoked, then spat it on the ground. The incident escalated from initial verbal provocation and physical altercations involving multiple people, including punches exchanged.

Antonia Holliday, during a pub brawl at The Kellbank Hotel and Restaurant in Gosforth, West Cumbria, on July 8, 2023, punched at another customer and was involved in physical altercations, including being kicked and punched, as part of the escalating violence initiated by others.

Christopher Hewer, while intoxicated, acted as a 'bar room bore' at The Kellbank Hotel and Restaurant in Gosforth, West Cumbria, on July 8, 2023, aggressively approaching and punching towards Paul Connor, which escalated into a violent brawl involving multiple participants and resulting in his left ear being bitten off.

Ryan Cruden, 25, of Egremont, posed as a teenage girl online using a photo messaging app to target 20 victims aged eight to 14 years old. Between 2022 and 2024, he incited the children to engage in sexual activity, coerced them into sending indecent images of themselves, communicated with them in a sexual manner, and distributed the received images to others, causing further harm. He went to great lengths to conceal his offending with a fake account. Arrested in May 2024 following a report from an external law enforcement agency about indecent images accessed at his home.

Curtis Clarke, a former teacher, engaged in highly controlling and narcissistic behaviour, including revenge porn and other brutal offences, which tore apart a woman's life. The judge listened to the devastating impact of these crimes during the proceedings.

Sitar Ali managed a car wash in Carlisle where trafficked Romanian workers were exploited, forced to work long hours without proper breaks or time off, and paid minimally despite gruelling conditions. Workers reported chemical burns from unsafe practices and poor living conditions, describing their experiences as horrific and describing it as one of the worst periods of their lives. This exploitation occurred as part of a criminal enterprise active from 2016 to 2017.

Defrim Paci orchestrated a modern slavery ring that trafficked Romanian workers to the UK and forced them to work long hours at a car wash on Warwick Road in Carlisle. Workers endured dire conditions, including using chemicals without protective clothing, which caused burns, and were housed in rat-infested accommodation. They were paid as little as £20 per week despite working up to 11 hours a day, six days a week, during a period spanning 2016 and 2017.

Blake Stuart, 32, was first reported to Cumbria Police in January after his card was declined at MyKebab in Middlegate and he allegedly used a racial slur against an employee. He was arrested and bailed with a condition not to go back. On 12 April, after drinking for over 12 hours, Stuart returned to the shop at 20:30 BST, producing a BB gun and threatening to burn the premises down if the complaint was not dropped. He was identified from CCTV and the BB gun and a matching gilet were found at his home. He later admitted the offences.

Jordan James Black was sentenced after admitting false imprisonment and non-fatal strangulation of a woman, and false imprisonment of a second woman, following incidents at a property in Keswick on 21 February. He had previously denied the charges but changed his pleas to guilty after receiving an advance indication from a judge. The offences placed him in breach of a suspended sentence imposed for threatening another person with an offensive weapon in Cockermouth, where he repeatedly swung a claw hammer towards the man. The judge activated nine months of that suspended sentence, making a total of 17 months imprisonment.

Juraj Toli was involved in a large cannabis farm operating in a disused nightclub on Lancaster Street, Carlisle, which was raided by police on 10 May 2023. Officers found multiple kilograms of cannabis drying at the site, with an estimated street value of £4.5 million. During the raid, Toli jumped from the roof and sustained extensive fractures requiring surgery. He denied the offence but was convicted after a trial.

Shamir Chandran, formerly of Houghton near Carlisle and an oncologist at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, was convicted of two counts of engaging in coercive behaviour and one count of cruelty to a person under 16. He was sentenced in his absence after fleeing the UK.