Chester Crown Court Sentencing Results

Rebecca Culley, 34, from Seneschal Court in Runcorn, Cheshire, stole £90,360.11 from her elderly grandfather, a widower in his 70s, between March 2021 and February 2023. She set up online banking for him while helping care for him after her grandmother's death. Although permitted to use his debit card for 'bits and bobs', she secretly transferred money to her own account on at least 100 occasions, made contactless payments for over 57 items, and spent £2,500 on an Argos store card for Christmas presents for her children. The thefts emptied his HSBC account, leading to police involvement. HSBC refunded the amount. Culley, a mum-of-three and psychology graduate, initially claimed permission but later confessed to exploiting his generosity.

Christopher Stokes, along with Thomas and Edward Stokes, was involved in a series of thefts from motor vehicles starting in June 2025 across Cheshire and Greater Manchester, including Chester, Northwich, Winsford, Tarporley, and Manchester. The gang forced entry into vans to steal high value power tools worth over £65,000, intending to sell them. They were arrested on 7 July 2025 following a vehicle stop on the M6. A search at a North Wales holiday park recovered hundreds of stolen tools, five stolen caravans, and two stolen vehicles.

Edward Stokes, along with Thomas and Christopher Stokes, was involved in a series of thefts from motor vehicles starting in June 2025 across Cheshire and Greater Manchester, including Chester, Northwich, Winsford, Tarporley, and Manchester. The gang forced entry into vans to steal high value power tools worth over £65,000, intending to sell them. They were arrested on 7 July 2025 following a vehicle stop on the M6. A search at a North Wales holiday park recovered hundreds of stolen tools, five stolen caravans, and two stolen vehicles.

Thomas Stokes, along with Edward and Christopher Stokes, was involved in a series of thefts from motor vehicles starting in June 2025 across Cheshire and Greater Manchester, including Chester, Northwich, Winsford, Tarporley, and Manchester. The gang forced entry into vans to steal high value power tools worth over £65,000, intending to sell them. They were arrested on 7 July 2025 following a vehicle stop on the M6. A search at a North Wales holiday park recovered hundreds of stolen tools, five stolen caravans, and two stolen vehicles.

Matthew Tyrer, 51, of no fixed abode in the Congleton area, sold crack cocaine and heroin on the streets of Congleton as part of the 'Wez' county lines operation run by Leon Crawford. The line had been active since December 2024. Following an investigation into mobile numbers advertising drugs, Tyrer was arrested during a warrant execution on March 29, 2025, at an address in Holmes Chapel, where quantities of crack cocaine, heroin, cash, a list of dealers, and drug paraphernalia were seized.

Leon Crawford, 46, of Roby, Liverpool, operated the 'Wez' county lines drug network, transporting crack cocaine and heroin across the county border from Liverpool to sell in Congleton, Cheshire. The operation began in December 2024. An investigation was launched after detectives identified three mobile numbers advertising drug sales in Congleton. On March 29, 2025, a warrant was executed at an address in Holmes Chapel, where Crawford was arrested along with drugs, cash, a list of dealers, and paraphernalia such as scales.

Lewis McCallum, 31, of Allerton, Liverpool, was a leader of the 'Scouse AJ' organised crime group, recruiting members like Joe Tyrer and Anthony Proctor, and directing the supply of class A drugs from Merseyside to Macclesfield. He operated from a base in Macclesfield in February 2021, sending flare messages to buyers, and fled after arrests with assistance from Connor Millea.

On May 5, 2025, at around 4.55pm, Billy Perks drove a Honda into a car park off Station Road, Chester, with Craig Rodham as a passenger. Shortly after 6pm, when the victim returned to his BMW, Perks and Rodham stopped him, possessed knives, threatened him to hand over his car keys, and stole his mobile phone during an altercation. After the victim escaped and called for police, Perks drove towards the victim at speed, smashing the windscreen with a traffic cone used for protection. Perks then fled the scene but was later arrested in Dutton.

Leon Cook, 27, of Runcorn, was involved in the supply of class A and B drugs in the Runcorn area. He used a mobile phone number to advertise the sale of cocaine, cannabis, and ketamine on a daily basis. Officers spotted him riding an illegal e-bike near the Knoll in Runcorn and he fled but dropped his mobile phone, which was seized. A digital forensic download revealed significant evidence of his involvement. He was arrested on September 3, 2025, at an address in Runcorn.

Jack Watkin, 26, from Alderley Edge, Cheshire, defrauded victims including friends and his father out of over £195,000 between April 2019 and October 2021 by promising investments in exclusive Hermes handbags for resale profit. Instead, he funded a luxury lifestyle, including a £140,000 bill at London's Dorchester Hotel, despite having no job or income. He was made bankrupt. Following arrests in March and October 2024, his phones revealed 637 indecent images (including 274 category A), 307 category B, 158 category C made images, six extreme pornographic images of animals, and five prohibited images of children on the first phone; and additional category B and C images on the second. He appeared on Channel 4's Rich Kids of Instagram.

The investigation began in early 2025 after officers became aware of a mobile phone number used to sell illegal drugs in the Winsford area. The phone was linked to flare messages advertising cocaine sales. Officers identified Drummond as the owner and arrested him at his home in Winsford, on 28 January 2025. A search of his bedroom recovered two mobile phones, a small amount of cannabis, a 69cm samurai sword, and an extendable baton. Videos on his phone showed him handling large amounts of illegal drugs and cash, as well as a large collection of weapons spread out on his bed.

On Friday, June 6, officers spotted Parkes driving a black Audi SQ5 in Rudheath. The vehicle was stopped on Station Road, where a search revealed cannabis, digital scales, cash, two phones, and prescription drugs. During a strip search in custody, approximately £2,000 worth of cocaine and heroin was found hidden in his underwear. Parkes had been under surveillance for months as a suspected drug dealer in Northwich.

Trey Breeze, 20, of Flint, North Wales, attended the Creamfields Music Festival in Daresbury in 2024. While walking through the security area, he was stopped by officers after a drugs dog indicated he was in possession of illegal drugs. He was taken to a side area and handed over a number of illegal drugs. Breeze was ejected from the site and later interviewed under caution, initially claiming the drugs were for personal use. However, in court, he admitted he had taken the drugs to the festival to sell to other people.

Simon West was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving in July 2023 in Alsager, during which police discovered six wraps of cocaine in a glasses case that he claimed was for personal use with friends. A subsequent search of his address uncovered a cannabis bud in a kitchen cupboard, £1,985 in notes and £15.26 in coins, weighing scales, and snap bags, indicating involvement in drug supply.

On September 29, 2023, police raided a property in Chester where Sam Carroll was believed to be living and selling drugs. They discovered cannabis buds, cocaine with an estimated street value of £5,000, digital weighing scales, small plastic bags, approximately £110 in cash, and a mobile phone with evidence of drug supply activities. Traces of Carroll's DNA were found on the bags containing the drugs.

Connor Harrison, 33, used his social media account to deal cocaine and cannabis in the Crewe area. The case began in May when officers identified the account linked to drug supply. A search of his home in the Crewe area on June 20 revealed digital scales, snap bags, blue tablets, £210 cash, a small amount of cannabis, documentation related to drug dealing, and a mobile phone that confirmed his involvement.

Kevin Ozemelam, from Salford, was linked to drug dealing after a mobile phone containing messages about drug supply was left in a Chester taxi and handed to police on April 5, 2024. Police investigation revealed messages indicating the supply of cocaine, MDMA, ketamine, and cannabis. Ozemelam was arrested in Merseyside on June 2, 2024, and his phone showed connections to another individual involved. There was evidence of coercion in the drug selling, leading to the other person being treated as a victim. Ozemelam faced additional charges of assault and requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour, though these were not pursued further.

Rebaz Mohammed was involved in supplying class A drugs in Crewe via flare messages as part of the CJ County Line Group, with operations dating back to November of the previous year. Police raided his property on March 5, seizing multiple mobile phones, a large amount of cash, pepper spray, crack cocaine worth £1,240, and heroin worth £530. He was also convicted for offences in Greater Manchester in 2022, which included threatening someone with a bladed article, possession with intent to supply heroin and cocaine, and possession of cannabis.

Janet Davies fraudulently applied for attendance allowance on behalf of her elderly mother without her knowledge, receiving payments totalling £19,577.45 from the Department for Work and Pensions between 2017 and 2021, which she then used for her own benefit. The matter was reported to Cheshire Police, leading to her arrest and eventual guilty plea.