Central Criminal Court Crown Court Sentencing Results

Xyaire Howard, along with Chelsea Grant, targeted the victim, a 71-year-old vulnerable woman, due to her bank account balance. On or around 6-7 September 2023, Howard broke into her home in Neasden, northwest London, where he tied her up, blindfolded her, exposed her, and forced her to reveal her PIN under terror. He strangled her to death with a shoelace and left her body to decompose while using her card for a spending spree, withdrawing £13,000 on luxury items at places like Westfield Shopping Centre.

Romain La Pierre was part of a group that forced their way into multiple homes in Croydon on 1 July 2021, armed with knives, seeking revenge for a stabbing incident involving their associate. They held a knife to a taxi driver's throat, stole his car, and later entered the victim's home, where they brutally attacked and killed the 16-year-old victim. The group was linked to the crime through DNA evidence and CCTV footage.

Jordan Tcheuko was part of a group that forced their way into multiple homes in Croydon on 1 July 2021, armed with knives, seeking revenge for a stabbing incident. They held a knife to a taxi driver's throat, stole his car, and later entered the victim's home, where they brutally attacked and killed the 16-year-old victim. The group was linked to the crime through DNA evidence and CCTV footage.

Juned Sheikh, 48, and his then-girlfriend murdered her stepfather, 62, at her home in Highbury, north London, on the evening of August 28, 2021. They photographed him in a humiliating position, forced him to make a staged filmed confession to assaulting her as a child, and subjected him to a painful and protracted death through significant and sustained violence. They then hid his body in a remote location beside a motorway, covering it with branches, and engaged in a wicked and sustained deceit by lying about his disappearance. The body has never been found, preventing the family from laying him to rest.

Surie Suksiri, 32, and her ex-boyfriend murdered her stepfather, 62, at her home in Highbury, north London, on the evening of August 28, 2021. They photographed him in a humiliating position, forced him to make a staged filmed confession to assaulting Suksiri as a child, and subjected him to a painful and protracted death through significant and sustained violence. They then hid his body in a remote location beside a motorway, covering it with branches, and engaged in a wicked and sustained deceit by lying about his disappearance. The body has never been found, preventing the family from laying him to rest.

Emmanuel Tamwesigire was part of a group that chased and attacked the victim after an argument at the former Discoteca No Problem club in Ilford on March 7, 2020. The group beckoned the victim outside, pursued him up and down Ilford High Road, and stabbed him three times, resulting in his death in hospital hours later.

Ifor Whittaker, a former Church of England priest, admitted to raping a six-year-old boy in the vestry of St John the Baptist Church in Sedlescombe, East Sussex, in the late 1990s. He abused his position of trust as a priest under the name Colin Pritchard. He was also previously convicted for abusing a boy between 1987 and 1991, and for abusing two children in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, between 1979 and 1983.

Joshua Bowles, a 29-year-old former GCHQ worker from Cheltenham, ambushed and stabbed a US spy three times outside and inside a leisure centre in Cheltenham on March 9, 2023. He had plotted the attack after failing to secure a permanent job at GCHQ, stalking the victim online to learn her netball schedule and lying in wait armed with two knives. The attack was motivated by his grudge against the intelligence services, describing himself as a terrorist and expressing disgust at their ethics and activities. The victim suffered wounds to her abdomen, liver, leg, and chest, requiring intensive care and emergency surgery. Bowles also assaulted the victim's friend and a bystander who intervened.

Raphael Kokkinos killed the victim at his home in Streatham, south London, around September 2020, after the victim demanded repayment of £40,000 for cocaine stolen from Kokkinos's flat in August 2020. Kokkinos claimed self-defence but inflicted blunt force trauma to the victim's face and head. He then orchestrated a cover-up, disposing of the body on Mitcham Common, setting it alight, and cleaning the crime scene with help from others.

Dalvane Greenaway was part of a gang involved in a shooting on 14 December 2020 in Middleton Road, Hackney, where he and associates fired multiple shots from a vehicle at a car with five innocent young men celebrating a birthday. The victims had no connection to the gangs; three were shot, one left with permanent life-changing injuries. The attack stemmed from territorial disputes glorified on social media.

Julien Kalala participated in a gang-related shooting on 14 December 2020 in Middleton Road, Hackney, firing multiple shots from a vehicle at a car containing five innocent young men aged 21-22 celebrating a friend's birthday. The victims were uninvolved in the gang rivalry; three sustained gunshot wounds, one suffering permanent blindness and loss of future prospects as a university student.

Marius Draghici, 50, from Romania, was involved in the conspiracy that led to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in a lorry container discovered on an industrial estate in Grays, Essex, in October 2019. The hearing was told that conditions in the trailer must have been unspeakable.

Muhammad Arslan suffocated the 21-year-old victim with a floral patterned face mask in a jealous rage at his shared flat in Ilford, east London, on July 11, 2022, after confronting her over alleged naked photographs. He forced the mask into her mouth to quieten her, leading to her death by asphyxiation. Arslan then concealed her body in a large suitcase, stored it overnight, and the next day transported it to an industrial estate near Upminster by the M25, where he dumped it in undergrowth. He deleted contacts from her phone, lied to police about her disappearance, and attempted to cover his tracks. Arslan had been obsessed with the victim since she was 11, following her from Pakistan to the UK, enrolling at the University of Essex despite already having a masters degree and a job. The victim had rejected his advances and had boyfriends in Pakistan and the UK.

Leon Murray, 35, stabbed his partner the victim, 32, 17 times at their home in Tanner’s Hill, Deptford, on October 2022, the day after she told him she wanted to end their 13-year relationship. After the attack, he changed his clothes and picked up their six-year-old daughter from school, where he made statements leading staff to call emergency services. He was subsequently arrested and convicted.

Ilyas Suleiman and Vanushan Balakrishnan mistakenly believed the victim was part of a rival gang and chased him while he was walking home after spending time with friends in Southall. The victim tripped and fell on Raleigh Road, where Suleiman stabbed him at least ten times, contributing to a total of 15 stab wounds. The attack lasted 27 seconds, and the victim was left defenceless on the floor. They were captured on CCTV fleeing the scene and were identifiable by their clothing and Covid masks.

Vanushan Balakrishnan and Ilyas Suleiman mistakenly believed the victim was part of a rival gang and chased him while he was walking home after spending time with friends in Southall. The victim tripped and fell on Raleigh Road, where Balakrishnan stabbed him at least five times in the back, and Suleiman stabbed him at least ten more times, resulting in a total of 15 stab wounds. The attack lasted 27 seconds, and the victim was left defenceless on the floor. They were captured on CCTV fleeing the scene and were identifiable by their clothing and Covid masks.

Nathaniel Reece pulled the trigger in the revenge shooting. He used a Find My Phone app to locate the robbery site and shot the victim multiple times in a residential cul-de-sac in Islington, north London, on 4 July 2020. The victim was in the wrong place at the wrong time and had no involvement in the initial robbery. The shooting occurred in front of children and was described as ruthless and merciless.

Darren Dredge participated in the planning of the revenge shooting after a robbery of drugs, iPhones, and a Rolex. He was part of a group that met at the robbery victim’s flat and travelled to the location in Islington, north London, on 4 July 2020, where the victim was shot dead in a children’s playground area.

Demetrios Kyriacou planned a revenge attack after his drugs, iPhones, and Rolex were robbed. He met with accomplices at his Islington flat on the 6 Acres estate to discuss the shooting. On 4 July 2020, they located the target using a Find My Phone app and gunned down the victim, an innocent bystander, in a residential area near a children’s playground in Islington, north London. The killing was witnessed by members of the public, including children.

Matthew Hardy was involved in the revenge plot following a robbery of cocaine, iPhones, and a Rolex. He was part of the group that used a Find My Phone app to locate the target and participated in the events that led to the shooting of the victim in a residential area in Islington, north London, on 4 July 2020.

Reuel Briscoe participated in a gang-related shooting on 14 December 2020 in Middleton Road, Hackney, driving the vehicle from which multiple shots were fired at a car containing five innocent young men aged 21-22 celebrating a birthday. The victims were not involved in gang activities; three were injured, one permanently blinded. Briscoe was arrested the day after, with his phone providing key evidence including a group chat for planning violent incidents.

Dean Smith threw his four-week-old daughter across the room into her cot in August 2000 after becoming frustrated at her crying while his partner was out of the house. The assault caused severe physical and mental disabilities, leading to her death in Terrington St Clement in 2014, shortly before her 14th birthday. A post-mortem examination established a causal link between the injuries and her death.

On June 6, 2020, Danyal Hussein, aged 19, murdered two sisters, aged 46 and 27, in Fryent Country Park, Wembley, northwest London. The sisters were celebrating one sister's birthday with friends when Hussein, who had been stalking them from the undergrowth, attacked them with a carving knife in the early hours after the other guests left. He stabbed one sister eight times, killing her quickly, and then attacked the other sister in a frenzied assault, inflicting 40 stab wounds as she fought back, severely injuring his hand in the process. Hussein dragged their bodies into bushes, positioned them in an embrace to defile them and conceal the crime, and attempted to cover up evidence by clearing picnic items. His blood at the scene linked him to the murders. Police discovered a contract signed in his blood promising sacrifices of six women every six months to a demon in exchange for winning the Mega Millions Super Jackpot, along with lottery tickets. He had purchased the knife, gaffer tape, shovels, and a face mask prior to the attack. CCTV footage tracked his movements, leading to his arrest on July 1, 2020.

On January 3, 2020, in Charteris Road, Finsbury Park, north London, Nathan Smith, driving a white VW Caddy van, engaged in a road rage incident with the victim, a 30-year-old part-time Deliveroo moped rider and chef. After the victim made a right turn that upset Smith, words were exchanged. Smith exited his van armed with a knife, despite having no lawful reason to carry it, and attacked the victim, who defended himself with his crash helmet. Smith ducked under the helmet and stabbed the victim in the chest with a 7.5cm wound. The victim collapsed and died at 7.42pm despite medical efforts. Smith drove home, said nothing to his family, and fled the next day to Austria using his brother's passport, remaining on the run for 17 months before returning to the UK on June 3, 2021. Police recovered his van with the victim's blood. The attack occurred in public, alarming witnesses.

Yusef Ibrahim, formerly of Abbots Way in Beckenham, raped a woman in the toilets of the Shooshh nightclub in Brighton shortly after meeting her on the dancefloor in the early hours of September 24, 2021. CCTV footage showed the pair entering the toilet, and the woman leaving visibly distressed. She reported the incident to club staff, leading to Ibrahim's arrest. He was convicted of rape, assault by penetration, and sexual assault.

Eammon Harrison was involved in the illegal people-smuggling operation causing the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese nationals in a lorry on 22 October 2019.

Maurice Robinson was involved in the people-smuggling operation leading to the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese nationals in a lorry on 22 October 2019, and acquired criminal property from the operation.

Brusthom Ziamani, 25, originally from Camberwell, south London, and Baz Hockton, 26, from Dagenham, attempted to murder a prison officer in an Islamist terror attack at HMP Whitemoor on January 9, 2020. They lured the officer to a store cupboard on the pretext of asking for a spoon, then attacked him with makeshift bladed weapons, targeting his head, upper chest, and neck while shouting 'Allahu Akbar'. Ziamani also punched a nurse and a prison officer, and exposed a fake suicide belt threatening a bomb. Hockton charged at another officer. The attack left the officer with cuts to his scalp, arm, and shoulder, covered in blood, and two female staff members injured. Ziamani had previously been jailed for 22 years for plotting to behead a soldier in 2014.

Brusthom Ziamani, 25, originally from Camberwell, south London, and Baz Hockton, 26, from Dagenham, attempted to murder a prison officer in an Islamist terror attack at HMP Whitemoor on January 9, 2020. They lured the officer to a store cupboard on the pretext of asking for a spoon, then attacked him with makeshift bladed weapons, targeting his head, upper chest, and neck while shouting 'Allahu Akbar'. Ziamani also punched a nurse and a prison officer, and exposed a fake suicide belt threatening a bomb. Hockton charged at another officer. The attack left the prison officer with cuts to his scalp, arm, and shoulder, covered in blood, and two female staff members injured. Hockton was three years into a prior 12-year sentence for violent offenses.

In August 2019, Jonty Bravery, then 17, threw a six-year-old French boy from the 10th floor balcony of London's Tate Modern art gallery while the boy was on holiday with his parents. The boy survived a 100ft fall but suffered life-changing injuries, including a brain bleed and broken bones.