Leeds Crown Court Sentencing Results

Ryan Armitage was part of an organised crime group that imported cannabis from California via the post. They used delivery apps to track parcels containing the drug, which were falsely labelled and had a combined street value of £800,000 upon arrival in the UK.

Michael Fitzell, 58, of Keldregate, Huddersfield, made 53 calls to emergency services over 24 days between April 21 and May 14, 2025, causing annoyance and breaching a criminal behaviour order imposed on October 29, 2024. The calls involved begging to be arrested and imprisoned due to his mental health struggles, despite the order prohibiting contact with West Yorkshire Police except in genuine emergencies.

Callum Kitchen participated in a scheme to import cannabis from the US by mailing parcels from California. The operation involved purchasing the drugs overseas and distributing them in the UK, with more than 260 packages sent and a street value of £800,000.

Dane Martin participated in a plot to import cannabis from the US West Coast to Yorkshire. Members of the group travelled to California to purchase the drugs, which were then mailed to the UK disguised as clothing, with parcels tracked and collected across the region, totalling a street value of £800,000.

Daniel Kaye was involved in a conspiracy to import cannabis from the US West Coast. The group used the postal service to send over 260 parcels containing the drug, which were falsely declared and later sold in the UK, amounting to a street value of £800,000.

James Laycock conspired to import cannabis by sending it through the mail from California. The group bought the drugs in the US, packaged them deceptively, and distributed them in Yorkshire after over 260 parcels arrived, with a total value of £800,000.

Joseph Morton was involved in importing cannabis from California through the postal system. The group sent over 260 parcels containing the drug, falsely declared as clothing, with a total street value of £800,000, which were then sold across Yorkshire and Humber.

Jordan Lilliu was convicted for his role in conspiring to import cannabis from California. The operation involved travelling to the US to purchase the drug, mailing it to the UK in disguised parcels, and distributing it, with the total importation estimated at £800,000 in street value.

Jon Paul Sharp engaged in a conspiracy to import cannabis from California to the UK. The scheme included buying cannabis in the US, disguising it in parcels labelled as clothing, and tracking them for collection, resulting in drugs worth £800,000 being distributed in the region.

Karl Callaghan was involved in a conspiracy to import cannabis from California to the UK. The group bought high-grade cannabis in the US, packaged it as clothing, and sent it through the post. Over 260 parcels were sent, with a street value of approximately £800,000, which were distributed across Yorkshire and Humber.

Lewis Tindall, while disqualified from driving, drove his partner's vehicle to withdraw cash from a machine in Milnsbridge. On August 10, 2024, police attempted to stop him, but he sped off at tremendous speeds, leading to a chase on narrow roads. He drove at grossly excessive speeds, endangering lives, but no injuries or damage occurred. His actions were motivated by fear of missing his child's birth.

Richard Calvert, 34, drove a silver Seat Ibiza with false registration plates from his home to the victim's house in Huddersfield. He lay in wait and, on October 28 of the previous year, shot the victim in the legs with a shotgun as the victim left his home around 8.57am. The victim sustained multiple pellet injuries to his thighs, with four small pellets removed from the wounds. Calvert fled the scene, abandoning the car where his DNA was found on the gear stick and a latex glove with gunshot residue.

Ronald Barton, 57, added a profile on Facebook that he believed belonged to a 14-year-old girl and engaged in sexualised conversations, including sending an image of his torso and making suggestive comments. He was caught by a paedophile vigilante group, Angels of Innocence, and this marked his second such offence. In 2022, he was previously jailed for arranging to meet another fake profile for sex while carrying alcopops and sex toys. Officers inspected his phone, and he was arrested in June 2025 after breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Taghan Bal and a friend stole fuel from an Esso garage in Normanton, near Wakefield on October 19, 2024. When a staff member attempted to stop them with a broom, Bal reversed and drove forward, colliding with the complainant, knocking him over and driving over him. This caused severe injuries including tyre marks on his chest, broken ribs, internal bleeding, a collapsed lung, complex skull fractures, and bleeding to the brain. The victim was hospitalised and remains unable to speak or interact meaningfully, with a poor prognosis.

On April 2, 2024, Bogdan Ungurasu, while under the influence of alcohol, drove at excessive speed on a 30mph road with a sharp bend, colliding with a woman's car as she was picking up her six-year-old daughter from nursery. The impact pushed her car back at least three car lengths, up a curb, and through a garden wall, causing her significant injuries including two fractures to her right forearm, which required surgery with a plate and screws. She is awaiting further surgery and undergoing assessment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Her daughter witnessed the event and was unharmed physically but traumatised.

Luke Hillier, 35, of Drighlington, preyed upon a girl when she was 10 years old, including attacking her in a swimming pool. He targeted her again twice when she was 13. After the matter was reported to the police, he stalked the girl's mother, sending threatening messages such as 'Watch what is coming. No-one will find you,' calling her 72 times in one day, threatening to smash her house, and deflating her car tyres. He had a previous conviction for stalking the same woman.

Seedy Egunu carried out a shooting at a house in Wakefield, on July 20, 2022, using a shotgun to discharge bullets at the door, causing damage. He was enlisted by Javed Hussain and used another individual as a driver for the incident.

Javed Hussain was involved in a dispute with a family and ordered an associate to shoot at their house in Wakefield, on July 20, 2022. He sent messages via Snapchat instructing the act and provided the address. Additionally, he dealt heroin and crack cocaine to an undercover officer in January 2023.

Aiden Stevens, 25, of Bramley, subjected a woman to a terrifying ordeal by stalking her from prison. He sent her takeaways, made hoax calls to the fire brigade causing fire engines to arrive at her home, and called her up to 60 times a day from prison. Prior to his custody, he strangled her for around 20 to 30 seconds, nearly lifting her off her feet.

Keiran Hunt drove a Volkswagen Golf that hit cyclist the victim on Ridge Road in Micklefield, east Leeds, at around 2pm on April 28, 2025, causing catastrophic injuries that led to the victim's death at the scene. Hunt failed to stop, abandoned the vehicle, which was later found burnt out in the Potternewton area, and attempted to destroy evidence.

Shaun Robinson broke into a flat on Thornhill Lees in Dewsbury on March 27, 2025, and set fire to the living room, causing serious damage. The flat was adjoined to other properties, including one occupied by a young family, which posed a significant risk to life. Emergency services contained the blaze, and Robinson was arrested shortly after.

Mohammed Umar Taj, 31, of Hyrst Garth, Batley, launched a calculated cyber-attack against his Huddersfield-based employer shortly after being suspended from work in July 2022. Leveraging his insider access, he unlawfully entered the company’s premises and accessed its computer systems, altering login credentials and disrupting core business operations. Within a day, he escalated his sabotage by changing login credentials and manipulating multi-factor authentication settings, disrupting the company’s UK operations and clients overseas in Germany and Bahrain. Investigators recovered forensic evidence including phone recordings where he boasted about the attack.

Christopher Bairstow, 31, of Leeds, was involved in the disorder in the Harehills area of Leeds on 18 July 2024, where a double-decker bus was torched and a police car flipped on its side as hundreds of people took to the streets.

Giovani Badaru, 20, of Leeds, was involved in the disorder in the Harehills area of Leeds on 18 July 2024, where a double-decker bus was torched and a police car flipped on its side as hundreds of people took to the streets.

Niall Pretty stalked his neighbour, whom he wrongly believed had informed the police about incidents involving him and his partner. The stalking started on December 22, 2024, involving shouting threats, smashing windows with a tile, damaging property including a gas meter and a van with an axe on Christmas Day, and making threatening phone calls. On March 20, 2025, he and an accomplice confronted the victim at a friend's house, where Pretty stabbed the victim in the arms and jaw with a key during an altercation. He led police on a dangerous chase after the incident.

PC Charlie Valente was found guilty of three counts of sexual touching offences committed against two female victims between November 4 and 5, 2022, in Leeds. The incidents involved unwanted sexual touching, as reported by the victims and supported by CCTV evidence, making them extremely uncomfortable.

Jason Mortimer, 36, breached an indefinite restraining order from 2019 by sending repeated messages to his former partner on WhatsApp in November 2024, declaring his love, making sexual comments, and blaming her for their breakup. Police attended his mother's house in Leeds, West Yorkshire, where he barricaded himself in his bedroom and threatened to kill officers and himself. He used a wardrobe door to resist entry, then stabbed one officer above the eye with scissors and slashed at another's stomach, though a stab vest prevented injury. Officers used PAVA spray and a baton to subdue him. The injured officer required hospital treatment for a wound that was cleaned and glued shut.

Peter Woolner, 74, of Fairway in Normanton, targeted a girl with non-recent sexual offences when she was between the ages of eight and 14, from 2001 to 2007. The victim reported the abuse to police in 2021, leading to his arrest, charges, and a complex investigation. He stood trial at Leeds Crown Court in April 2025 and was found guilty of multiple offences despite his denials.