Cheltenham Magistrates' Court Sentencing Results

Alex Oakley was prosecuted by Forest of Dean Council following a raid on the property in March 2025. Officers found overwhelming evidence of poor hygiene and an accumulation of waste, with animals confined in conditions consistent with neglect, causing suffering over a long period of time. A cat and a parakeet belonging to him were seized; the bird had visible irritation to its head and missing tail feathers. He pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the cat and the parakeet and to failing to meet their needs.

Lianne Hudson, 39, repeatedly breached a non-molestation order protecting her former partner, with whom she shares three children. The order was made in May 2026. In July 2026 she sent abusive messages and social media posts, threatened to 'chop up' the victim, and followed him by car to a railway station. The victim described feeling afraid and constantly looking over his shoulder. She pleaded guilty to five breaches of the order.

Charlie Fox drove a VW Golf dangerously on the A48 at Minsterworth on 1 December 2025. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was given a community order with a mental health treatment requirement and rehabilitation activity days.

Nuno Gouveia was driving a grey Nissan Qashqai on the B4070 in Birdlip, Gloucestershire, on 2 July 2024 when he swerved onto the wrong side of the road and collided with a silver Kia Picanto. The driver of the Kia, a 58-year-old man, died at the scene. Gouveia told police he had glanced down at his sat-nav and had ended a phone call minutes before the collision, but initially denied being at fault and gave differing accounts.

Lana Moseley was sentenced for repeatedly breaching a restraining order imposed in November 2025, which barred her from attending a particular address. She admitted the breaches and received an eight-week suspended prison sentence. She later admitted returning to the address in breach of the order and was remanded in custody pending a pre-sentence report.

Benji Griffiths, 37, of Tufthorn Avenue, Coleford, Gloucestershire, made two threatening phone calls to the Ibis Hotel in Corinium Avenue, Gloucester, on September 9 and 12, 2025. Angered by the presence of asylum seekers housed there, he threatened to bring a bomb to the hotel and blow up the immigrants. The first call was at 2.30pm on September 9, where he said 'I’m going to bring a bomb to the hotel' and 'Be prepared. I’m going to bring a bomb to the hotel, UK all the way.' The second call at 4.15pm on September 12 included 'How would you feel if I brought a bomb to the hotel and blew up all the immigrants?' The threats followed an anti-migrant protest outside the hotel on August 30, 2025. He was identified, arrested, and charged after the hotel reported the calls to police.

Ben Daye, from The Beeches, committed eleven shoplifting offences in Cirencester and Fairford. He appeared in court two weeks prior to the article date of 24 March 2026, was found guilty, and sentenced. The offences impacted local retail outlets, prompting the Neighbourhood Policing Team to request the Criminal Behaviour Order to deter further shoplifting.

On March 14, 2025, during the Cheltenham Festival, Aneel Hussain, a licensed private hire driver with Tewkesbury Borough Council, was pulled over by a Cheltenham Borough Council officer and Avon and Somerset Police's taxi compliance officer for having non-working lights. It was discovered that he had picked up passengers on the roadside outside the Queen's Hotel without a pre-booking, which is illegal for private hire vehicles and invalidates the driver's insurance.

On 14-15 November 2022, Timothy Juckes, a 48-year-old farmer from Tredington House Farm, Tredington, near Tewkesbury, illegally discharged slurry into the River Swilgate due to a leaking pipe laid within the watercourse while pumping slurry from one lagoon to another. The Environment Agency received reports of pollution on November 16, 2022, and officers identified the source at the farm, noting a strong slurry smell, brown discoloured water, dead fish, low oxygen levels, and elevated ammonia in water samples. Jukes explained he did not support the pipe over the river to avoid damaging a wet re-seeded field and could not place it across the bridge due to tending sheep.

Philippa Tovey caused unnecessary suffering to a puppy, resulting in its euthanasia due to severe injuries, and failed to meet the needs of five dogs and two guinea pigs. A warrant was executed at her premises in Drybrook on November 7, 2023, where the animals were seized because of concerns over their health and living conditions, involving multiple agencies including Forest of Dean District Council and Gloucestershire Police.

Kennedy Kipchirchir was reported for swerving across the road while driving under the influence on May 3, 2025, narrowly avoiding collisions. He was found over the drink drive limit, without a valid driving licence, and with an expired MOT. Despite a previous disqualification in May 2024, he continued driving and attempted to evade arrest by swapping seats with a passenger. He was remanded in custody for nearly four weeks before sentencing.

Martin Nistor, a former shop owner, operated International Mini Market at 155 Barton Street, Gloucester, between August 2021 and March 2023, where illegal cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco were regularly sold. Undercover trading standards officers made several purchases of illegal tobacco from the shop in January, February, and March 2023, with cigarettes sold for £7.50 per packet. These products lacked proper English labelling, health warnings, and were not intended for the UK market. On March 24, 2023, a search warrant on a vehicle linked to the shop revealed 307 packets of cigarettes worth around £2,700 and 47 pouches of hand rolling tobacco. The shop was closed via a closure order on March 29, 2023, as part of Operation Vanquish.

Gregory Games illegally dumped an old shed, timber planks, wood, and roof material on the public highway and Forestry England land at Pope’s Hill in the Forest of Dean on December 1, 2023. The incident was reported by a member of the public, and despite requests from Street Wardens and Forestry England to remove the waste, he failed to do so, leading to enforcement action by Forest of Dean District Council.

On April 13, 2025, Michael Thomas Stack, aged 23, of Severn Road, Weston-Super-Mare, led police on a high-speed pursuit reaching over 120mph while trying to evade officers on the M5, B4059 in Tortworth, residential roads, country lanes, and the M4 and M32 motorways. He failed to stop for police despite being recently disqualified from driving. During the pursuit, he ran red lights, undertook on the hard shoulder, and put other motorists at risk. The chase ended when he drove into a dead-end road and ran off, after which he was detained with support from Avon & Somerset Police and the National Police Air Service. Previously disqualified on March 25, 2025, for 12 months. Blood tests showed cocaine levels more than three times the legal limit and benzoylecgonine nearly five times the limit.

Kelly Webb was involved in animal welfare offences where dogs in her care were found in poor, filthy, and cramped conditions at a premises in Arlingham. A warrant was executed in June 2023, leading to the seizure of seven dogs and a litter of puppies due to health concerns identified by an independent vet. Stroud District Council gained possession of the dogs under Section 20 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, with most later re-homed.

Charlotte Mace, 33, of Foxglove Close, Moreton-in-Marsh, used threatening, abusive and insulting words and behaviour with intent to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence in Moreton on September 1. She also possessed a kitchen knife in a public space at Foxglove Close.

Kayleigh McConnon, aged 36 and of Vittoria Walk, Cheltenham, admitted to shoplifting perfume sets worth £387 from a shop. She appeared in court following multiple incidents of shoplifting in the area.

On June 5, 2020, police searched a shared address in Gloucester under a warrant unrelated to Starkie and found two wraps of heroin in his room. He admitted the drugs were for his personal use. This possession breached his parole, leading to recall to prison where he remained for 20 months awaiting trial.

Rebecca Drain-Leyshon committed a series of six shoplifting offences between 28 March and 3 July 2026 at supermarkets and convenience stores in Cinderford, Mitcheldean, Coleford and Cheltenham. On 28 March she stole £1,187.57 worth of food and alcohol from Waitrose in Cheltenham. On 14 April she stole £45.20 of food from a Co-op in Mitcheldean; four days later she took £13 of food from the same store. On 14 June she stole £460 of foodstuffs from Tesco in Cinderford. On 29 June she stole £35.35 of food from a Co-op in Coleford, and on 3 July she stole food worth £3.97. The offences were committed while she was subject to a suspended jail term.

Paul Moody cultivated four cannabis plants in Lydbrook on 12th October last year. He pleaded guilty at Cheltenham Magistrates Court and was given a six-month conditional discharge, with an order to pay £85 costs and a £26 surcharge. The court also ordered forfeiture and destruction of the cannabis plants and paraphernalia.

Jeremy Miller, 72, of Westbury-on-Severn, drove a BMW 530 estate on the A48 at Chaxhill on 22 July 2026 with 57 micrograms of alcohol on his breath; the legal limit is 35 micrograms. He pleaded guilty and was disqualified from driving for 14 months, fined £143, and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £57 surcharge.

David Hill, 43, of Newent, was caught driving a Mercedes 320 in Henrietta Street, Cheltenham, on 6 February 2026, several months after his driving licence had been revoked because of disability. He admitted the offence at Cheltenham Magistrates Court.

Deborah Oakley was prosecuted in connection with the same March 2025 council raid. She admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a dog and three fish. The court heard there was overwhelming evidence of poor hygiene and an accumulation of waste, with animals confined in conditions consistent with neglect, causing suffering over a long period of time. She signed over ownership of a dog and two cats to the council.

Jake Edwards resisted a constable in the execution of his duty on 8th May 2026 in Drybrook. He pleaded guilty and was fined £80.

Christopher Forrester sent an indecent or grossly offensive email to a woman on 25 September 2025, in breach of the Malicious Communications Act. He pleaded guilty at Cheltenham Magistrates Court and received a 12-month conditional discharge.

Christopher Villis committed two sets of motoring offences three months apart. On 6 November 2025 he drove a Nissan X-Trail without insurance or a valid licence in Newent and failed to co-operate with a roadside drug swipe. On 9 February 2026 he drove the same vehicle without due care and attention in Dymock, failed to stop for a police officer, and again had no insurance or valid licence. He also breached bail by failing to attend court on 14 April.

Elaine Trigg admitted 14 thefts from stores including Next, H&M, Skechers, Tesco Express, Superdrug, The Cosmetic Company, TK Maxx and Diechemann in Gloucester Quays and the city centre. The offences took place over a three-month period between mid-February and mid-May 2026, and included four separate thefts from Next and three from Skechers. The highest value theft was of £269 worth of cosmetics from Superdrug. The court heard she committed the offences while subject to a suspended jail term, which was activated.

Fannina Banes was driving a Range Rover on the B4215 past Highleadon Filling Station between Newent and Gloucester on 5 March 2025 when a crash occurred, leaving another woman badly injured. She pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by driving without due care and attention. The court ordered that she pass an extended driving test before returning to the road and described the accident as catastrophic, resulting from a lapse of concentration.

Finlay Thomson was caught driving on Belle Vue Road, Ruardean on 8 July 2026 while over the alcohol limit, with a breath reading of 40 micrograms of alcohol, above the legal limit of 35. He also had no third party insurance for his Peugeot 206 and was found in possession of cocaine. He pleaded guilty at Cheltenham Magistrates Court. The magistrates disqualified him from driving for three years, fined him £500 and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £200 surcharge. They ordered confiscation and destruction of the cocaine.

Adrian Hardman, former leader of Worcestershire County Council, was stopped on Bredon Road, Tewkesbury at 7.45pm on December 22, 2015. He failed a roadside breath test and was taken to a police station where he recorded 58mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, one and a half times the legal limit.

Andrew Wilson, of Bedlam Forge, Hayden Road, Swindon Village, was caught exceeding a temporary 40mph speed limit on March 20, April 1 and April 4, 2025, on each occasion driving a Ford Fiesta van on the A417 at Crickley Hill between the Shurdington Road roundabout and Leckhampton Hill junction.

Charles Scott of Kilcot Lane, Newent, admitted five charges of using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour towards three victims (two women and one man) on 17th May, 23rd May and 20th June 2025. One woman was targeted on two occasions.