Leicester Crown Court Sentencing Results

Dale Parker, a 40-year-old homeless man, entered the Tarboush Cafe in Market Street, Loughborough, on June 2, 2025, while visibly drunk and armed with a hammer and a plank of wood, claiming he needed them for protection as he believed he was being chased. On the same week, he stole a crate of cider worth £40 from Morrisons on Maxwell Drive and threw cans at staff during a confrontation. On June 15, 2025, he was seen swinging a metal baseball bat at another man on Jubilee Way, Loughborough, leading to his arrest. He also damaged police property by spitting, urinating, and smearing excrement in a police van and cell.

Carlene Francis was walking along Regent Street in Hinckley when men outside The New Baron of Hinckley pub spoke to her. She ran across the road, pulled a knife from her bra, and threatened the men with it on the afternoon of May 20. CCTV footage showed her waving the blade and attempting to approach them further, though she was pulled away by a friend. This incident was influenced by her history as a victim of attacks, including domestic abuse and sexual assaults, as well as her struggles with drug addiction and mental health issues.

Paul Fisher made multiple threatening calls between April 13 and May 5, 2025, claiming bombs had been planted at various locations, including pubs in Boston and Lincoln, Heathrow Airport, St Pancras railway station, Scotland Yard, Birmingham Airport, a hotel in London, and others. These actions led to significant police resources being deployed and public disruption.

Helen Brindley-Walker ran an operation selling counterfeit goods, including fake Adidas, Nike, Paco Rabanne, Tiffany, Apple, and Yves Saint Laurent products, through Facebook Marketplace. Complaints about poor quality and refused refunds were made to Leicestershire County Council's Trading Standards team between July 2020 and October 2021. Trading Standards conducted test purchases and seized 3,558 items from her home and storage units. The business had an estimated turnover of at least £480,000.

Lisa McArdle assisted in selling counterfeit goods, including fake Adidas, Nike, Paco Rabanne, Tiffany, Apple, and Yves Saint Laurent products, through Facebook Marketplace. The operation received complaints about poor quality and refused refunds between July 2020 and October 2021. Trading Standards seized 3,558 items during searches, with the business estimated to have a turnover of at least £480,000.

Baram Tofiq, owner of Booze Zone in Loughborough, sold counterfeit and non-compliant tobacco products on multiple occasions, including in October 2021 and December 2022. Officers discovered illicit items during searches, and Tofiq tried to discard evidence by throwing products over a fence into a neighbouring garden. The offences involved selling genuine cigarettes not intended for the UK market and fake copies of brands like Richmond and Lambert & Butler.

Claudiu Cristea possessed a terrorist document, 'The Anarchist’s Cookbook', which provided instructions on making explosives. He was involved in an online far-right group suspected of planning attacks and claimed his interest was academic, but investigations proved otherwise. He was arrested at his home in February 2024.

Tyler Webb met a woman online on a suicide support forum and repeatedly urged her to take her own life and self-harm for his enjoyment. He instructed her on how to do so, threatened to abandon her if she resisted, and expressed disappointment when her attempts failed. She made two suicide attempts, suffered serious physical harm including permanent scars, and required hospitalisation. Webb was arrested in July of the previous year and remanded in custody before being transferred to a psychiatric hospital in November.

Colin Robson-Durrance communicated with a decoy account on Snapchat that posed as a 13-year-old boy, encouraging the 'boy' to perform sexual acts on himself, sending explicit videos, and asking if the boy would meet up. He became suspicious and stopped the contact. He was arrested in January 2025 and pleaded guilty in July 2025.

Claudiu Stefan Cristea was found in possession of 'The Anarchist’s Cookbook', a document providing instructions on manufacturing explosives, weapons, and drugs. He was part of the online far-right group 'Einsatz14', suspected of planning a terrorist attack in Leeds. He was arrested at his home in Knighton, Leicester, in February 2024, following an intelligence-led investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East.

Kevin Joseph stole a delivery van that was parked in Netherhall, Leicester, with keys in the ignition, and led police on a 20-minute chase through countryside and areas including Northfields and Belgrave. He drove dangerously, jumping red lights, overtaking aggressively, mounting the kerb, and crashing into an ambulance in Highfields. The incident occurred in December of the previous year, and he claimed he stole the van to raise £800 for his mother to move house.

Rohith-Reddy Kananala pretended to be a fraud investigator and contacted eight victims aged between 79 and 88 years old over a few days in March, tricking them into withdrawing and sending him approximately £30,000 through the post to help fund fraud enquiries related to their accounts. The money was delivered to his home address, where he signed for the packages under the name 'William' and filmed himself counting it. He was identified and arrested by detectives from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit.

Ziaed Rauf attempted to interfere with a police investigation by removing two computers from an office while a search warrant was being executed. CCTV showed he entered the office, unsuccessfully tried to cover a camera with a glove, removed two computer towers from a desk and left the premises. There were four phone calls between him and his brother before the incident.

Gareth Wignall, a 41-year-old dad-of-two, contacted what he believed was a 14-year-old girl on social media in late August 2024, moving conversations to WhatsApp and Telegram. He sent explicit pictures of himself, pornographic videos, and made sexual comments, including offers to take her to school and remove her clothing. The girl was a decoy created by vigilante group Justice Reborn. Wignall was confronted by the group while attending an under-16s football match near his home on September 2, 2024, where he made admissions. He was arrested, and police were involved.

Connor Williams, 27, was involved in 19 known burglary offences targeting homes in Newark, Grantham, Melton Mowbray, and Rutland areas between November 2024 and January 2025. The primary target was car keys for high-value or high-powered cars, with some incidents occurring while young children were at home. Victims reported stolen car keys or unsuccessful vehicle theft attempts. Similarities between cases led to a police investigation, resulting in his arrest in January 2025. Data from his seized mobile phone linked him to all incidents. Total loss to victims was nearly £120,000, with lasting emotional impact on families, including children.

William Heggs, a former special constable with Leicestershire Police, accessed and photographed sensitive material on his personal phone, including body-worn footage of the victim as he lay dying from head injuries on October 25, 2021, in Bedale Drive, Leicester. He also shared graphic details of a woman's injuries from a road traffic collision, footage of a police officer falling, and details of a man convicted of a sexual offence, among other breaches, over a six-month period between July and December 2021.

Farishta Jami, a 36-year-old woman from Stratford-upon-Avon, pledged allegiance to Islamic State, researched one-way flights to Afghanistan, and saved £1,200 to fund her travel. She shared graphic and violent extremist material on social media between September 2022 and January 2024, including videos of children engaging in terrorist activity, and administered pro-IS groups with hundreds of members. She obtained and shared instructions on explosive devices, firearms, and chemical explosives, and promoted Jihad and martyrdom. Her plan involved relocating to Afghanistan to commit a terrorist act, such as a suicide bombing, but she was arrested in January 2024 before purchasing tickets or visas.

In March 2023, while employed as a police officer with Derbyshire police, Reece Beattie engaged in a sustained period of aggression towards his partner while under the influence of alcohol. This included banging his head on a wall, punching a hole in the wall of his partner's home, throwing his phone which damaged blinds, damaging a light switch, and breaking the door of a cabinet containing a boiler, causing substantial distress to his partner.

Terrence Casey, aged 26, was linked to several burglaries in January and February 2025, targeting properties in Mountsorrel, Melton Mowbray, Lincolnshire, and moving to Wales where he and his brother burgled six addresses in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, followed by three properties in Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, and one in Newark. A total of 37 offences were linked to the brothers, involving theft of cars, cash, jewellery, and causing damage.

Daniel Casey, aged 34, was linked to scores of burglaries between October 2024 and January 2025 across the East Midlands, including Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire, before moving to Wales. He targeted homes in Birstall, Loughborough, Mountsorrel, Leicester, Oadby, Whetstone, Hinckley, Melton Mowbray, and others, stealing cars (e.g., Toyota Yaris), drones, cash, jewellery, and causing damage by forcing entry. In Wales, he and his brother burgled six addresses in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. A total of 37 offences were linked to the brothers.

Rosana Awan, a former cheerleading coach, groomed and sexually abused a teenage girl in hundreds of incidents over two years while in her 20s. The abuse involved repeated inappropriate touching and digital penetration. The victim reported the offences to Leicestershire Police in 2019. Awan was arrested in 2019, first appeared in court in April 2020, and the trial began in October 2024 after delays due to Covid backlog. She gave birth to a daughter shortly before conviction, who was placed in the care of Social Services.