Leeds Crown Court Sentencing Results

Paul Benstock committed more than 40 offences between 1998 and 2020, including physical and sexual assaults against adults and children and 14 counts of rape. He was convicted at Leeds Crown Court and sentenced to 37 years imprisonment. He was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Mukisa Kibaya, who was on licence for child sex offences and subject to a sexual harm prevention order, approached an 11-year-old girl in the street in Leeds within hours of being released from prison. He was in a state of undress, with his trousers undone and underwear showing, and asked her for a glass of water before following her into her home, where her father told him to leave. He had made similar requests to other residents and was later arrested at his bail address.

Aleena Ramzan, 27, took part in a six-month campaign of harassment, abuse and violence against a neighbouring family in Leeds. The offending started in March 2025 and included throwing nitrous oxide canisters at the family's home, smashing windows, setting fire to a car and the front garden, and painting offensive language on a fence. Ramzan sent messages in a family group chat encouraging attacks, including sending an image of a baseball bat and saying she wanted to knock a family member out. The court heard the hostility was linked to the victim's daughter marrying a mixed-race man.

Ateeq Hussain, 22, subjected a neighbouring family in Leeds to a six-month campaign of harassment, abuse and violence. Incidents included throwing nitrous oxide canisters at the property, smashing windows, kicking in a car door, and setting fire to a car and the family's front garden. Hussain filmed some of the damage on his mobile phone for a fake TikTok account and was heard saying he had a new car to smash. The offending was said to be linked to the victim's daughter marrying a mixed-race man.

Reece Manley was riding a Kawasaki motorcycle on the A6110 ring road in Leeds on 26 March 2022 when he struck a 75-year-old pedestrian as the victim crossed the road. The victim died in hospital later that night. Manley told a witness and a police officer that the pedestrian 'came out of nowhere'. The court heard Manley held a full A2 licence permitting motorcycles up to 35kw, but the Kawasaki had an output of 53kw, so he was not licensed or insured to ride it. He was also convicted of a number of driving offences, including driving at 100mph in a 40mph zone.

Baqa Haider was convicted of money laundering for his involvement in a £266 million money laundering operation linked to a Bradford-based scrap jewellery business. Evidence showed he was involved in creating fake shipping invoices and travelling to Dubai to export and deliver gold purchased with criminal cash. He was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court.

Joe Conway, 40, was subject to a sexual harm prevention order following a 2021 conviction for making indecent images of children. During a routine police check at his home on 16 November 2022, officers found a deleted category B indecent image of a child on a Sony Xperia phone. On 13 February 2024, during a further check with a detection dog, he initially produced a phone and a laptop, but after being warned, he revealed numerous other devices, including mobile phones, cameras, SIM cards, a USB stick and storage devices. He admitted making indecent images of children and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Nathan Rivers was a staff member at a Bradford-based scrap jewellery business used to launder criminal cash. He was convicted of money laundering for his part in an operation that processed criminal cash on a large scale between 2014 and 2016, with funds used to buy gold exported under fake invoices. He received a suspended prison sentence with a curfew requirement.

Gabriel Levy made anonymous telephone calls to two Manchester mosques on the afternoon of 4 October 2025. He told one person who answered that he would come to the mosque and kill them, and told a member of staff at the second mosque that he would kill them, using Islamophobic language. He later told police the calls were made in response to an attack on a Manchester synagogue two days earlier. Mobile phone examinations uncovered hate speech and Islamophobic and racist messages.

On 1 March 2024, Rosemarie Ozsko stopped at traffic lights at the junction of Waterton Road and Dewsbury Road in Lupset, Wakefield. Her view was obstructed by stuffed toys hanging from the rear-view mirror. As she took the left-hand filter lane, she struck an 80-year-old pedestrian who had begun to cross the road. The pedestrian died in hospital the following day. Ozsko stopped at the scene and passers-by assisted with first aid until emergency services arrived. Investigators determined the stuffed toys had a significant effect on visibility.

Robert Hunter, 37, carried out a 10-month campaign of harassment against his former partner of 16 years after she ended the relationship due to his persistent drug abuse. He sent repeated threats, including threats to stab her in the face and burn her house down, and left a voice note saying he would cut her throat and stand over her lifeless body, which was overheard by a family member. The victim said she was left exhausted and mentally broken. Hunter told police immediately after his arrest that he was not sorry. His defence said his sustained drug abuse had led to a period of psychosis and that he had begun detox in custody.

Ellis Thornton fired four shots at a residential property in Halifax in January 2023, hitting two ground-floor windows; the occupant was not injured. He fled the UK that month and was later arrested in the United States for an unrelated incident before being extradited back to the UK in April 2026.

Usman Khan had been reported as a missing person before he was caught driving dangerously in Brighouse. An officer signalled him to stop; he almost stopped but then accelerated, reaching speeds of 70mph and 90mph in a 30mph zone, and drove through two red traffic lights before losing control of the car.

Antony Cox, 51, targeted a teenage girl and exchanged more than 5,300 sexually explicit messages with her via Snapchat. He encouraged her to send naked photos of herself performing sex acts and sent similar images in return, telling her she would be 'in trouble' with police if anyone found out. The messages were discovered by a family member, who alerted West Yorkshire Police. Police later found deleted internet searches indicative of a wider sexual interest in pre-teen and young girls. The victim's father described the abuse as having transformed his daughter from a friendly and loving girl into someone scared to leave home.

After the breakdown of a relationship in 2022, Jamie Stogdale was blocked on social media by his former partner. He was made subject to a non-molestation order in 2024 after continuing to send the victim drunk messages in which he threatened to kill her. Despite the order, he carried out a persistent series of breaches, including attending a pub the victim frequented and shouting abuse at her, and throwing a pint glass that smashed near her. He later posted a copy of a further non-molestation order on Facebook and attempted to blame his new girlfriend after his arrest. The victim said the harassment caused sleepless nights, anxiety, and depression. The court heard Stogdale had a pattern of alcohol-related domestic violence and had struggled with alcohol and cocaine abuse, debt, and depression.

Keishawn Ewing was out in Leeds in the early hours of June 26 last year when he got into a fight with friends. The disagreement escalated when he began brandishing a knife before lunging at one of the individuals and falling to the ground. He suffered knife wounds, including to his head, groin and stomach, and required surgery on a front skull fracture. The incident was caught on CCTV and a witness raised the alarm. Police located blood spots and the knife, and Ewing later gave a no comment interview.

Kyle Bennett led police on a 30-minute high-speed pursuit through Leeds after officers spotted the motorbike he was riding had no number plates and he was wearing no helmet. He reached speeds of 120mph, ran a red light and drove the wrong way around a roundabout before hitting another vehicle. Bennett and his passenger attempted to flee but were arrested. The motorbike had been stolen. When shown dashcam footage of the pursuit, he laughed.

The defendant was involved in a gang that doctored genuine Gambian passports with British visas by adding clients' photographs to the biometric page and visa, allowing people to enter the UK illegally. The gang received more than £1 million, arranged travel, collected arrivals, and supplied accommodation and work. The defendant admitted conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

The defendant was involved in a sophisticated gang that doctored genuine Gambian passports with British visas by inserting clients' photographs into the biometric page and visa. The gang made travel arrangements for those coming to the UK, collected them from the airport, and provided places to stay and work. The operation received more than £1 million. The defendant admitted conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and laundering the proceeds of the criminal activity.

The defendant was involved in a gang that doctored genuine Gambian passports with British visas by inserting clients' photographs into the biometric page and visa. The operation received more than £1 million and brought hundreds of people into the UK illegally, providing travel, accommodation, and work. The defendant admitted assisting illegal migration.

The defendant was involved in a gang that doctored genuine Gambian passports with British visas by inserting clients' photographs into the biometric page and visa. The group made travel arrangements, collected arrivals from the airport, and provided accommodation and work between January 2022 and July 2025. The defendant admitted conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and laundering the proceeds.

The defendant led a UK-based Gambian crime gang that obtained genuine passports, usually from Gambia, with British visas and doctored them by adding clients' photographs to the biometric page and visa. Between January 2022 and July 2025 the gang helped several hundred people enter the UK illegally, making travel arrangements, collecting arrivals from the airport, and providing accommodation and work. The defendant's mobile phone contained images of 559 unique passports. He had previously been sentenced to more than six years in 2024 for facilitating the illegal entry of two migrants.

The defendant was involved in a gang that doctored genuine Gambian passports with British visas by adding clients' photographs to the biometric page and visa, enabling people to enter the UK illegally. The gang made travel arrangements, collected arrivals from the airport, and provided accommodation and work. The defendant admitted conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

The defendant was involved in a gang that doctored genuine Gambian passports with British visas by inserting clients' photographs into the biometric page and visa. The gang made travel arrangements, collected arrivals from the airport, and provided accommodation and work to those entering the UK illegally. The defendant admitted conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and entering the UK without leave.

The defendant was involved in a sophisticated gang that altered genuine Gambian passports with British visas, adding clients' photographs to the biometric page and visa to enable illegal entry to the UK. The gang received more than £1 million and provided travel, accommodation, and work for migrants. The defendant admitted conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and laundering the proceeds of the criminal activity.

Dylan Phelan, 21, of Leeds, was a member of a private Discord server called 'Recovery4all' which was supposedly for mental health support. In October 2024, the victim, 21, from Louisiana, who had joined the group seeking help after the drowning deaths of the victim's mother and sister, was instead taunted and groomed by Phelan and two other men. They convinced the victim to carve their initials into his skin and spend his money on drugs and alcohol. During a video call that month, Phelan goaded the victim to kill himself, telling him to 'pull the trigger' while laughing. The victim died by suicide during that call. Phelan's parents brought him to a police station after a woman informed them of his involvement.

Jamie Frosdick lost control of his car and crashed into a fence in Leeds in February 2026, then attempted to flee on foot. A police officer chased him and was violently assaulted, sustaining a serious shoulder injury. The officer detained him until backup arrived.