Lincoln Crown Court Sentencing Results

Police raided a house in Heath Lane, Great Ponton near Grantham on 27 February following intelligence about cannabis production. Found 244 plants growing in four rooms and the loft, electricity supply bypassed, camp bed in kitchen, £90 cash in Phan's footwear. Phan, 41, Vietnamese illegal immigrant of no fixed address, answered door after police smelt cannabis. Drugs expert valued yield at £66,920 to £200,760.

Appleyard entered 17 prohibited retail premises in Skegness in February, stealing high-value products such as meat, coffee, cleaning and washing products totalling £1,400.

Anthony Doherty, 41, of Darley Dale Crescent, Grantham, and his brother James ran paving companies and admitted 10 counts of flytipping in North and South Kesteven, investigated by South Kesteven District Council. Incidents included household waste on Grange Lane, Brandon (between Caythorpe and Dry Doddington), with bedding, refuse bags containing food waste, pallets, cardboard boxes, bulk waste bags and builders’ rubble; correspondence addressed to a Doherty family member’s home found. A bank card linked to another site resident recovered from a flytip in the A52 layby at Cold Harbour, Grantham. Business cards for Inset Driveways found in rubbish at the A607/A153 junction in Honington. Separate fly-tips off Main Street, Normanton-on-Cliffe, included domestic waste, building materials such as pallets, tree and shrub cuttings, broken concrete, block paving, shed or caravan parts, cement-bonded asbestos and loose aggregate.

James Doherty, 34, of Ballyclare, Northern Ireland, and his brother Anthony ran paving companies and admitted 10 counts of flytipping in North and South Kesteven, investigated by South Kesteven District Council. Incidents included household waste on Grange Lane, Brandon (between Caythorpe and Dry Doddington), with bedding, refuse bags containing food waste, pallets, cardboard boxes, bulk waste bags and builders’ rubble; correspondence addressed to a Doherty family member’s home found. A bank card linked to another site resident recovered from a flytip in the A52 layby at Cold Harbour, Grantham. Business cards for Inset Driveways found in rubbish at the A607/A153 junction in Honington. Separate fly-tips off Main Street, Normanton-on-Cliffe, included domestic waste, building materials such as pallets, tree and shrub cuttings, broken concrete, block paving, shed or caravan parts, cement-bonded asbestos and loose aggregate.

Shibu Mathews stabbed his wife the victim, with whom he had been married for 22 years, repeatedly in the back while she was folding washing at their home in Sincil Bank, Lincoln, on 27 August 2025. He initially claimed she attacked him and he responded in kind. Police found a kitchen knife with a broken handle at the scene. The victim suffered at least five sharp wounds to her chest and collarbone, requiring blood transfusions and a chest drain.

Kyle Mitchell, 26, of Chestnut Avenue, Spalding, admitted sexual activity with a child aged under 16 between December 1, 2022, and January 31, 2023. He also admitted possessing two counts of extreme pornographic images and making one indecent category C image of a child on November 29, 2023.

Mantas Kudrevicius, 32, from Victoria Street in Quorn, Leicestershire, fell asleep at the wheel after being awake for 18 hours and drove on the wrong side of the road for around 30 seconds on the A16 at Cowbit, colliding head-on with a Renault Twingo driven by the victim, 28, at about 11.30 pm on 30 August 2024, causing her death. A urine test showed a metabolite of cannabis and a small amount of alcohol in his system from the previous day. He had left home at 6am, worked in Rotherham, returned at 3pm, got a haircut in Leicester, and was driving his partner and cat to Spalding. The judge found he was driving while tired but could not attribute drowsiness to cannabis or alcohol.

Paul Cook, 44, of Eve Balfour Way, Stowmarket, was driving west towards Boston on the A52, near Wrangle, in a DAF truck goods vehicle at about 12.45pm on May 1 when he crossed the central road markings colliding with two vehicles travelling in the opposite direction. He first struck the offside of a Land Rover Discovery, before then colliding with a Vauxhall Astra, which was travelling directly behind the Land Rover. The two occupants of the Astra were seriously injured and taken to hospital. The front seat passenger, the victim, 73, died just over a week later in hospital from his injuries.

Agim Turhnay, an Albanian illegal immigrant who arrived in the UK in 2022 by small boat across the Channel, was the sole occupier of a bungalow in Saundergate Lane, Wyberton. On October 31, 2025, police executed a search warrant and forced entry after finding the front barricaded with a metal gate. They discovered 134 cannabis plants in various states of growth across four rooms, including a converted loft space, with the electricity bypassed. Turhnay initially denied knowledge but later admitted turning on the lights to the cannabis grow once or twice. He had been coerced into the role due to substantial debt to smugglers who arranged his illegal entry.

Adam Worrollo, 33, of no fixed address, was more than double the drink-drive limit (81 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath) when police spotted his Kia car near Grantham railway station at about 10pm on January 24, 2026. He ignored requests to stop, reached speeds of 50mph in a 30mph residential zone, drove underneath a bridge, damaged three cars, ran a red light, mounted the pavement, and turned suddenly across the carriageway, forcing police to abandon the pursuit for safety reasons. CCTV tracked his vehicle, and he was found walking away. He denied being the driver, but a police dog identified him by sniffing the driver's side door.

Between April 17 and May 6, 2024, James Snelling, 53, of West End, Harlaxton, engaged in online conversations with a decoy profile set up by an anti-paedophile group, believing it to be a 14-year-old girl named 'Ella'. He began testing the waters on April 23, 2024, by sending a message about a girl his age asking for sex, inquired about her sexual knowledge and virginity, encouraged her to touch herself, and requested photographs in her school uniform. The conversations involved attempts to engage in sexual communication with a child and incite sexual activity. He was confronted at his home in May 2024, arrested, and a single extreme pornographic image was found on his phone, which he claimed was circulating at work. The incidents were connected to Bourne.

On April 22, 2025, Adam Szeliga, 27, was spotted holding an air gun near the Graffiti Bar in Westlode Street, Spalding. CCTV footage showed him raising the weapon and pointing it at a man walking down the road. Armed police were called, and Szeliga retreated into his home. The Webley Tempest air gun, which did not require a firearms certificate, was later found hidden behind a washing machine in his flat. No ammunition was found, and there was no evidence it had been loaded. During his police interview, Szeliga admitted standing in the street with the weapon but claimed it was either made of chocolate or a lighter, and denied hiding it. The victim did not react seriously to the incident.

On August 12, 2023, at about 12.30pm, Richard Gregory was driving a Mercedes E-Class convertible west on Anchor Lane, Ingoldmells, towards the A52. He had turned left out of The Chase and Grange Holiday Centre and accelerated to approximately 50mph in a 40mph limit, a busy area with holiday parks. He collided with the pedestrian victim, 63, who was crossing the road outside Hardy’s Animal Farm entrance. The front offside of the vehicle struck the victim, throwing him into the air, striking the windscreen, before landing on the road. The victim died at the scene. Investigation found Gregory's speed prevented avoidance of the collision, despite initial obscurement by other vehicles. No vehicle issues contributed.

Richard Tyrrell, 35, of no fixed address and living in the Boston area, breached his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by befriending two families with young children between March and December 2025. He visited the home of a girl in Market Rasen on four or five occasions, complimenting her beauty and saying she did not need make-up. He also made frequent visits to a second family with two young children, accompanying them on trips to The Deep aquarium in Hull, a fireworks night in Navenby where he placed his hands over a young girl's ears, and an overnight stay in Birmingham. Tyrrell failed to disclose his previous convictions. The SHPO was imposed after he was jailed for 20 months in December 2021 for attempting sexual contact with a child.

On December 2, 2025, Robert Nicholson, 59, of no fixed address, was spotted at around 4.30pm hanging his legs from the top of the NCP car park in Brayford Wharf East, Lincoln, next to the railway station. He was drunk and caused the railway line to be shut for over an hour, delaying 15 trains to Sleaford, Spalding, Peterborough, Newark, London and Nottingham, resulting in 1,933 minutes of delays and costing Network Rail over £50,000. He was detained under the Mental Health Act and diagnosed with drug and alcohol induced behaviour. On December 3, 2025, he returned to the same car park, having consumed three quarters of a bottle of vodka, and was waving a kitchen knife, pointing it at himself and officers. He passed out, allowing police to detain him after a short disruption causing 213 minutes of delays and £5,000 cost to Network Rail.

On July 13, 2024, just after midnight, Kevin Martin, 47, of Heron Way, Balderton, drove a black Chrysler along Gainsborough Road from Market Rasen, failed to negotiate the T-junction with the A46 and Gallamore Lane, and drove straight across into the garden and side of a house on Gainsborough Road, Middle Rasen, causing thousands of pounds' worth of damage including partial collapse of brickwork and exposure of electrical wires. The house was declared unsafe, costing nearly £20,000 to repair and taking five and a half months, forcing the elderly couple in their 70s to live in emergency accommodation. Martin retrieved a bottle of wine from the boot and fled without providing details or checking on the occupants. He was located in a field by police drone, curled up along a hedge row, and arrested.

Jak Glowczyk, 37, of Broadgate, Whaplode Drove, Spalding, conspired to steal plant machinery and horticultural equipment to an estimated value of £160,000. He also possessed criminal property including cash deposits to a value of £249,428 and bank deposits to a value of £7,070, knowing or suspecting them to be the benefit from criminal conduct. The offenses targeted rural areas, and the pair was identified through intelligence and information by the Rural Crime Action Team.

Jack Clarke, 26, of Cressbrook Road, Grantham, conspired to steal plant machinery and horticultural equipment to an estimated value of £160,000. He also converted criminal property consisting of cash in the sum of £6,500, knowing or suspecting it to be the benefit from criminal conduct. The offenses targeted rural areas, and the pair was identified through intelligence and information by the Rural Crime Action Team.

Adam Twilley, 42, of no fixed address, bombarded his adopted parents in the Grantham area with hundreds of calls and messages over three months, including 300 messages in a three-day period. He also posted allegations about family members on a local newspaper, which were later taken down. Impact statements from his parents described giving him large sums of money and being at their wits end.

Gary Wilson abused a child over a five-year period beginning in 2007 when she was 11 years old, during visits to his home in Belper. He repeatedly assaulted and sexually abused her, forced her to perform sex acts, and took indecent images of her. He was arrested in July 2019 after police seized devices from his home. He was convicted of 11 offences including sexual activity with a child, sexual assault of a child, inciting a child into sexual activity, and taking indecent images of a child. On 15 December, he was sentenced to seven years in prison and made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

On October 2023, 29-year-old Amy Sheppard was driving her Vauxhall Astra home on the A52 near Sutton-on-Sea with her two sons (aged 8 and 6) in the rear seats. A badly underinflated rear tyre (5psi, though possibly higher at crash time) caused the vehicle to fishtail on a bend and cross into the oncoming lane, colliding head-on with an Audi. The crash killed her two sons despite them being properly restrained and seriously injured the Audi's driver, his wife, and her brother, with two suffering life-threatening injuries. Sheppard had noticed the tyre issue the previous day but mistakenly had the front tyre checked instead. She drove within the speed limit with no other vehicle defects. A following motorist had observed the soft tyre. Bystanders, including a motorist, scooter rider, and residents, provided aid at the scene.

Marcis Lukasevics subjected his partner to repeated domestic violence between January 31 and June 19, 2025. He strangled the victim on multiple occasions, on at least one occasion causing her to lose consciousness, and used a drone to monitor her movements. He also grabbed her by the throat, sprayed squirty cream up her nose, poured beer over her head, assaulted her with a wooden box causing soft tissue damage to her ribs, and kicked her in the face after slamming her to the floor.

Benjamin Tindall, 23, stole a BMW 5 series left running outside a newsagents in Seacroft Road, Mablethorpe, at around 7.25am on October 5, 2025. He led police on a chase, reaching speeds of 115mph, including through a 30mph zone near New Leake Primary School. The pursuit ended when he crashed into a tree on Midville Road. He was over the drink-drive limit, tested positive for cocaine and cannabis, and was on bail for a prior similar incident on August 15, 2025, in Lincoln where he refused to provide a specimen.

Josh Winard stabbed a victim at Tower Point, Sea Lane, Ingoldmells, at approximately 12.30am on July 16, 2024. He interacted with the victim moments before the attack, then fled the scene. The victim collapsed in a nearby car park and was taken to hospital for treatment. Investigators reviewed hours of CCTV footage and conducted a public appeal to track Winard's movements. Winard, aged 28, from Kirkhill Close, Armthorpe, Doncaster, was eventually located and arrested.

On 3 January 2025, Veselin Dudenski, a 39-year-old van driver from Cherry Avenue, Branston, Lincs, was working as a sub-contracted delivery driver when he attempted a dangerous overtake on the B1202 at Metheringham Heath in a hidden dip, ignoring road signs and markings. His white Citroen Relay van collided head-on with a blue Kia car driven by the girl's father, carrying his seven-year-old daughter as a rear passenger, who were returning home from shopping and visiting McDonald's around 5.45pm. Dudenski had previously overtaken a Ford Ranger safely but then overtook another unknown vehicle unsafely. The girl's father tried to evade but the collision was unavoidable, resulting in the girl suffering a broken neck and dying in hospital the next morning, while her father sustained serious injuries including a permanent elbow disability, flashbacks, and nightmares. A witness confronted Dudenski, saying 'you killed a kid.' Dudenski claimed he paused and mistook the location, believing the dip was further along, despite 17 years of clean driving experience.

Samuel Muller engaged in controlling and coercive behaviour towards his former partner over a nine-year period from April 1, 2016, to September 17, 2025. This included making threats to the victim, accusing her of having affairs if she went out, making repeated unwanted calls after they separated, and one incident of applying unwanted force.

Over a three-year period, Fenton Woods engaged in a sustained campaign of controlling and coercive behaviour against a female victim, telling her what she could and could not wear, monitoring her phone, and locking her in a house. He also committed intentional strangulation.

Platinum Group Metals Recycling Ltd, based in Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, operated an illegal waste site dealing in dangerous catalytic converters without an environmental permit. The company bought and sold thousands of catalytic converters, leading to a benefit of £4,344,827.60 from criminal activity. The Environment Agency prosecuted the case after discovering the site.

On New Year's Day 2025, David Wiatrowski, 36, from Bradford Road in Boston, began a crime spree by smashing the window of Aldi in Queen Street. He was caught on CCTV filling a drinks bottle with petrol at a garage forecourt, which he used to create a Molotov cocktail. He threw the petrol bomb at a responding police officer, but the glass did not break. Wiatrowski then pulled out an imitation gun, cocked it, and ordered the police back into their cars, approaching one vehicle before the officers reversed away. He escaped towards Friars Gate and was arrested at home on January 10.