Derby Crown Court Sentencing Results

At about 4am on 2 July 2023 outside The Association nightclub in Ripley, the victim pushed Jack Locke’s then partner. CCTV showed Locke then repeatedly punched the victim to the head. The victim did not fight back and tried to move away. He was taken to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, where scans revealed bleeding to his forehead and two collapsed lungs; a neurologist described the injuries as severe.

Jamie Mewis attacked his ex-partner at a Derby hotel in August 2024 after an argument over messages found on his phone. He grabbed her by the throat and threw her onto the bed, causing her to fall and hit her head on a wall. She fled to the hotel reception and staff called the police. Mewis fled the scene but was arrested three days later. He later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Jamille Marsh, along with Benjamin Hughes and later Antonio Olivieri, carried out armed robberies using stolen shotguns across Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Leicestershire between August 2019 and January 2020. They stole shotguns from Twinlakes Theme Park near Melton Mowbray after tying up and threatening a security guard, starting a fire causing £2m damage. They robbed post offices including Stretton, Overseal, Cheadle, Hollington; a Domino’s pizza shop in Hilton; pubs like Bonnie Prince in Chellaston and Tap House in Annwell; and homes including an elderly widow's flat in Rolleston on Dove and premises in Hixon. In Stretton, they hit the postmaster with a crowbar, fired a shotgun into a wall, tied up the family and threatened him.

John Paul Barrett admitted affray on 14 September 2021 in Derry, and burglary and criminal damage on 15 September 2021 at a bakery in Derry. CCTV of the affray showed him starting a fight with three other men; he punched one man several times and aimed a knee at his head. The following night the front window of a bakery was smashed and Barrett was one of three men who entered through the broken window. He was seen on CCTV rummaging through the shop. He was stopped by police nearby carrying four charity boxes taken from the bakery, and overall damage was estimated at £1,000. He was extradited from the Republic of Ireland after serving a lengthy sentence there.

Ryan Colclough, a former Altrincham footballer, assaulted a fellow pub-goer in the toilets of a pub in Brimington on 27 January 2024. The victim was hit with considerable force, lost consciousness, and suffered bruising to his head and body and two serious facial wounds. The court heard a victim impact statement describing the effect on the victim and his family. Judge Jonathan Straw described Colclough's behaviour as 'violent, grotesque, uncalled for and unnecessary'.

In the early hours of December 16, 2024, Ryan McLaughlin entered a house in Derry through an unlocked back door while the householder was in bed. He stole car keys and a Nissan Qashqai valued at £1,000 and drove it to a car park. He was seen by a passing police patrol, threw the keys under the vehicle, and was arrested. Forensic examination found his DNA on an empty vodka bottle in the car and on the steering wheel. The sentencing judge described it as opportunistic offending in the form of a creeper burglary.

On 17 April 2021, police were called to an address after Noel David Quigley had phoned 999 threatening self-harm. Officers found him sitting in a chair holding a knife in each hand and refusing to put them down. Irritant spray was used without effect. He then stood up and stabbed and slashed at an officer about the head, causing a slit in the officer's cap and a head wound requiring treatment. The attack ended when an officer discharged his firearm and shot Quigley, who was taken to hospital in Belfast.

Michael Booth committed a series of offences between March and December of the previous year. On August 26, he stole two mountain bikes from properties in Moult Avenue, Spondon. On December 5, he robbed a man of his e-scooter in Waterford Drive, Chaddesden. He also handled stolen property including bikes, an electric scooter, an Xbox controller and fishing equipment. After evading capture for months, a public appeal offering a £1,000 reward led to his arrest. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Derby Crown Court.

Stephen Cyril Farr grabbed his then partner by the throat and pushed her against a wardrobe after an argument about a hotel bill. Police responded to a report of a domestic incident. He denied the assault when arrested. The defendant had 32 previous convictions and a pattern of violence.

William Zygmuntowski entered the One Stop store on Charlotte Street, Ilkeston, on 1 May with his face covered and carrying a knife. He went behind the counter, pushed a shop worker aside, and used the knife to separate the cash drawer from the till before leaving with it. Customers were present. The worker feared being stabbed and was unable to return to work for two days.