Leeds Crown Court Sentencing Results

On August 12, 2025, in Middleton, Aaran Barden racially abused a taxi driver, claiming to have a bomb in his bag and threatening to blow him up. He shouted racist abuse at a group of Asian women on the street. He targeted a family outside a charity shop, abusing a seven-year-old girl and her aunt, threatening to kill them and telling them to go back to their country. He followed them into a shop, claimed to have a bomb, sprayed an inhaler inside, and attempted to enter through a side door. He then followed one woman to her car, kicked the doors, and counted down from 10 claiming a bomb would go off, causing her terror. Police arrested him after recognizing him on CCTV.

Luke Marsh groomed and sexually abused a vulnerable teenage girl in the Kirklees area. The offences took place between July 2021 and July 2022 and were first reported in April 2023. He was arrested days after the report was made and later charged in April 2024. He pleaded guilty at the start of his trial on 25 November 2025.

Uzair Hamid, 30, of Huddersfield, was arrested at his home in May 2025 as part of an investigation into a suspected drugs supply network in Kirklees. He was caught with ketamine with an estimated street value of between £511,000 and £1,460,000.

Tai Phan was arrested during a police raid in June 2025 on a large-scale cannabis farm in Pudsey with 4,500 plants spread over 22 rooms and three levels, potential yield over £1 million. He ran away from an officer but was caught. He was a badly paid gardener operating under direction with awareness of the commercial scale.

Tuan Nguyen-Van, 32, was arrested outside the building at ground level in June 2025 during a police raid on a sprawling cannabis farm in Pudsey with 4,500 plants and potential yield over £1 million. He had awareness of the operation's scale and was involved in running it as a badly paid gardener out of desperation.

Phan Khac Tung, 34, was one of four Vietnamese men arrested in June 2025 at a large-scale cannabis farm in an old electrical engineers building in Pudsey, spread over 22 rooms and three levels with around 4,500 plants at various growth stages, potential yield over £1 million. He ran the farm but was badly paid and operating under direction. He fled from police but was arrested.

Khamh Vo, 35, was arrested just outside the Pudsey building at ground level in June 2025 during a raid on a large cannabis farm with 4,500 plants across 22 rooms, potential yield over £1 million. He was tricked into the job after moving to Leeds for a legitimate cleaning role but ended up at the farm out of financial need.

Rica Palaghia admitted an offence of violent disorder connected to the Harehills unrest. He was sentenced to three years at Leeds Crown Court and became the 34th person convicted over the disorder.

Megann Gibson, a 26-year-old rookie prison guard at Wealstun Prison, engaged in a forbidden three-week relationship with an inmate starting in early 2023. She exchanged explicit love letters and had graphic late-night phone sex calls lasting up to an hour, discussing marriage and future life. Gibson visited the inmate's mother's home and sent over 900 WhatsApp messages to her. Intelligence reports flagged 102 corruption concerns, including suspicions of contraband smuggling and improper behaviour with other inmates, though no evidence was found for smuggling.

Declan Marsden, of Batley, stalked his victim between July and August 2025, continuing despite a restraining order preventing contact. He was arrested on August 21, 2025, and charged with various offences.

Emirjon Gjuta, an Albanian national, was deported from the UK in August 2020 after being sentenced for drugs offences, including conspiracy to produce cannabis and possessing identity documents with intent. He returned illegally and was jailed for eight months in March 2022 for breaching the deportation order and false document offences, then deported again in March 2023. He re-entered the UK in November 2024, breaching the deportation order, and was arrested in Leeds in September 2025.

On May 16, 2025, Regan Kemp, 26, was driving a Ford Focus ST at 80mph on a 30mph road in Middleton, Leeds, when he struck and killed the 19-year-old victim on a pelican crossing. Kemp fled the scene but handed himself in days later. He was recorded on a mobile phone by a backseat passenger and described by a witness as driving 'like a maniac'. Kemp denied responsibility during the trial.

Costel Tambac and Mariana Iova trafficked two women from Romania to the UK under the false pretence of jobs in a meat factory. The women were sold to them and forced to work as sex workers in brothels in Harehills and Holbeck areas of Leeds, as well as in Dewsbury, Oldham, and Nottingham. They seized the victims' earnings, leaving them with as little as £10 a day, retained their ID documents and money, and enforced control through violence and threats. The investigation began in 2016 when one victim came forward.

Costel Tambac and Mariana Iova trafficked two women from Romania to the UK under the false pretence of jobs in a meat factory. The women were sold to them and forced to work as sex workers in brothels in Harehills and Holbeck areas of Leeds, as well as in Dewsbury, Oldham, and Nottingham. They seized the victims' earnings, leaving them with as little as £10 a day, retained their ID documents and money, and enforced control through violence and threats. The investigation began in 2016 when one victim came forward.

Marie Thompson, a former South Yorkshire Police officer, blackmailed a man she had arrested in October 2022 on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children. She posed as a paedophile hunter using a fake ProtonMail email address and demanded £3,500 from him, providing bank details. The email threatened to expose his arrest unless payment was made as a 'donation'. When the man reported the blackmail to her, Thompson, who was investigating his original case, lied about being unable to trace the perpetrator, falsified reports, and used her personal phone number disguised in records. She sent a follow-up email attempting to cover her tracks. The blackmail was uncovered when her caseload was transferred in March 2023, revealing the phone number match. The victim, who later received a suspended sentence for his charges, expressed anger in his impact statement over the betrayal of trust.

Markel Ible, 32, of Leeds, made a hoax bomb threat call to the Sinai Synagogue in Roundhay, Leeds, on October 6, 2025, claiming he had left a bomb set to explode the following day. The call was made from an unknown number, four days after the fatal terror attack at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester on October 2, 2025, during Yom Kippur, which killed two victims.

Gary Lewin, 42, of Rawthorpe, manipulated and sexually abused a teenage girl starting in 2024 after his release from prison. He bought her gifts including a PlayStation 5, iPhone Pro Max, and jewellery, supplied her with alcohol and cannabis, sent romantic messages, and engaged in sexual activity with her on multiple occasions, including at her home, in Huddersfield, and at an AirBnB in August 2024. The abuse caused the victim to stop attending school and led to her being reported missing. CCTV installed by her mother captured an incident. Despite bail conditions prohibiting contact, he continued to see her. The victim initially sought to protect him but later confirmed the abuse. Lewin gave 'no comment' interviews, claiming the allegations were revenge.

Yusuf Egberongbe, 67, of Shakespeare Lawn, Leeds, preyed on young girls by offering them lifts, alcohol, drugs and cash to gain influence and control over them before repeatedly sexually assaulting them. He targeted two girls jointly with Delroy Scott. The investigation was launched in August 2021 after one victim spoke to a family member. Egberongbe was arrested the same day. The offending would likely have continued without the report.

Qabir Hussain, 54, was driving a van and using his mobile phone to check emails moments before he ran over and killed the 85-year-old victim as he crossed Barnsley Road in Wakefield in January 2022.

Police found a handwritten recipe for black powder during an intelligence-led search at Gilleard's home in Leeds on 28 May 2025. The recipe was later verified by experts as potentially viable. Gilleard was remanded in custody after his arrest and pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court on 20 June 2025.

On November 24, 2022, Luke Boocock, after fighting his love rival earlier that day over a girlfriend, contacted the man to arrange a one-on-one fight. Instead, he arrived with his brother Lewis, Grant Bower, and others, totaling at least seven men armed with weapons like metal poles, glass bottles, and a shopping trolley handle. They attacked the family home in Birstall, throwing bottles and causing a school lockdown. Luke fought with the two sons and appeared armed, though he claimed otherwise.

On November 24, 2022, in Birstall, Lewis Boocock joined his brother Luke and others in attacking a family home after a love-rival dispute. The group of at least seven men came out of a ginnel armed with weapons including a metal pole, glass bottles, and a shopping trolley handle. Lewis showed enthusiasm for violence, running towards a woman with a metal pole, striking the door with a stick, kicking it, and smashing the window. The attack caused a nearby school to go into lockdown for half an hour.

On November 24, 2022, following a dispute over a girlfriend, Grant Bower participated in a violent attack on a family home in Birstall. He drove his Transit van at speed towards the victims' house, causing it to shake, reversed into railings, and nearly ran over a pedestrian and the family dog. The incident involved at least seven men emerging from a ginnel, armed with weapons like metal poles, glass bottles, and a shopping trolley handle. Glass bottles were thrown at the house, and a nearby school was placed on lockdown for half an hour due to reports of men with knives.

On April 11, 2023, Muzaffer Mir, 35, of Shipley, was driving his modified BMW M2 at grossly excessive speeds between 86mph and 96mph on the 40mph A647 Bradford Road. He struck and killed the victim, 26, who had just alighted from a bus and was crossing the road. The victim stepped into the eastbound carriageway, raised his arm to signal Mir to stop, but was hit, suffering catastrophic injuries and dying at the scene. Mir stopped at the scene and expressed remorse. Prior complaints about his speeding had been made to his dental surgery.

Samuel Hunter, 33, of Dewsbury, engaged in a campaign of harassment and stalking against his ex-partner, her mother, and an innocent man he mistakenly believed was involved with her after their split in September 2024. He tracked her car using a device, sent threatening messages, including threats to 'send the boys round', and contacted the man under a false profile. He also harassed her family, including visits by associates pressuring to drop charges. Additionally, in a separate incident at his Holmfirth quarry, he assaulted a man photographing the area by barging, punching, tripping, and setting dogs on him, causing injuries.