Lincoln Crown Court Sentencing Results

On 4 October 2023 at approximately 3.20pm, George Rowledge (28), an inexperienced driver who had passed his test only seven months earlier, was driving a white Peugeot Boxer van at the A52 junction with the B1394 near Swaton. He attempted to cross the A52 from Swaton village but failed to see an oncoming grey Mercedes-Benz E Class, colliding with its rear. The impact caused the Mercedes to strike a silver Citroen Xsara head-on. Passenger the victim (19) in the Citroen died three days later from her injuries. Three others, including the victim's parents, suffered serious injuries. Rowledge remained at the scene and admitted fault to witnesses. He had a passenger in his van.

Rumen Dambinov assisted the primary offender after a fatal baseball bat attack on a pub manager. The victim had gone to the pub door to ward off a man rowing with his partner in the street when he was struck twice with a baseball bat; he never recovered and died 10 days later. Dambinov allowed the offender to remain at his property, was involved in phone calls with the offender's partner, helped make efforts to pawn jewellery to raise money for flights out of the UK, and arranged a taxi to Luton airport. He left the UK on January 19, 2024 and was arrested on his return on January 30, 2025.

Grzegorz Trochowski set fire to the front door of a terraced property in Donington on 19 May 2025. He threw a glass bottle at the house, squirted a liquid over the door and set it alight. When that fire went out, he poured more liquid at the bottom of the door and lit it, causing the fire to become established. He also struck the door with a crowbar, damaging a glass panel. Neighbours put water on the fire before firefighters extinguished it fully; no one was physically injured.

Sean Dempster, 31, of Welland Road, Lincoln, collected and distributed over 20,000 indecent images of children, including Category A-C images, and attempted to incite children under 13 to engage in sexual acts. He was arrested in May 2024 after uploading an indecent image online, with further images and devices seized during investigations, revealing ongoing distribution and exploitation.

Natasha Allarakhia was driving an Audi Q2 at speeds exceeding 90mph on the A17 towards Sleaford on June 20, 2024, while sipping alcohol. She collided with the rear of a Ford Fiesta that was stopped at temporary traffic lights near the junction with Rauceby Lane, causing the deaths of the Fiesta's driver, the victim (17), and front passenger, the victim (18), who both died from their injuries in hospital. Two rear passengers in the Fiesta sustained serious injuries, while occupants of Allarakhia's vehicle, including her children, escaped with minor injuries. The collision occurred on a straight road with clear warning signs, and investigations confirmed no vehicle defects, with the Fiesta's lights illuminated and brake applied. Allarakhia initially lied about a male driver fleeing the scene before admitting her role.

John Brown was convicted after trial of two charges of sexual activity with a child and one charge of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. He targeted an under-age girl in Skegness on 10 August 2020, kissing her, touching her breasts, putting a hand in her shorts, and making her touch him sexually. The court heard there was a large age disparity and an element of grooming, and the victim suffered severe psychiatric harm.

Matthew Marvill, a 41-year-old from Dorothy Avenue, Skegness, committed various sexual offences against children over a three-year period in the Chapel St Leonards area. These included sending images of his genitals, engaging in sexual talk, and performing sexual acts in front of his victims. He was caught and pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

Harvey Emmingham, 23, stabbed a man in his 40s in the back while riding an e-bike in Gainsborough on February 18, 2025, around 00.30am on Trinity Street and near Dickenson Terrace. The victim was walking with his partner when Emmingham, who knew the victim, made threats, rode past multiple times, and then attacked from behind before fleeing. The incident was captured on CCTV, showing Emmingham disguising himself and arming himself with a knife prior to the attack. Police located him at a property in Bob Rainsforth Way, arrested him, and linked him to the crime through footage and witness statements. The victim required hospital treatment for the stab wound.

Zoe Watts, a former police community support officer, attempted to manufacture a firearm using a 3D printer at her home in Lincoln. She was found to have a stockpile of weapons, including knives and a crossbow, as well as parts for two firearms. Police discovered her concerning internet searches related to weapons and arrested her in December 2024. This case marks the first of its kind in the UK for this offence.

Jutyar Jelal Salah, 36, formerly of Severn Road, Spalding, owned and operated Easy Shop on Station Street in Spalding. The premises received closure orders in September 2023 and April 2024 after raids found illegal cigarettes. After eviction, he sold cigarettes from his car and was later caught retrieving over 77,000 illegal cigarettes and 16kg of hand rolling tobacco from storage with intent to deliver to customers. He had previously received a 10-month suspended sentence and £18,428 costs order.

Jonathan Bath, a former teaching assistant, committed sexual offences against a teenage girl between 2005 and 2007 while she was at school. The offences included two counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged between 13 and 15, two counts of non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged between 13 and 15, and one count of inciting a girl aged between 13 and 15 to engage in sexual activity. He abused his position of trust as a teaching assistant.

Lee Merrison groomed a young girl from the age of 11, beginning in 2020 when he exposed himself and offered her a vape in exchange for exposing her breasts. In 2021, he sent her an indecent image, which he later deleted, claiming it was a mistake. The abuse escalated in 2022 with at least two instances of physical sexual assault under her clothing. In 2023, he sent another indecent image, again claiming error. Merrison was known to the victim and showed defiance by denying his actions, forcing the case to trial.

Liam Collins led police on a dangerous high-speed pursuit from Louth to Grimsby on November 24, 2024. He was first spotted driving erratically, clipping a kerb, and then accelerated away in his white BMW. He drove dangerously along the A16, swerving, overtaking at high speeds exceeding 115mph, braking erratically, and ignoring police signals. He continued through Utterby without stopping, overtook vehicles on the wrong side of the road, passed through red lights, and eventually crashed into a lamppost in a residential area. After the collision, he attempted to flee but was pursued and arrested.

Asen Kurtev was driving a Vauxhall Zafira on the A16 towards Spalding on March 4, 2024, when he overtook multiple vehicles in heavy traffic, resulting in a head-on collision with an oncoming Volkswagen Scirocco. This caused the death of his wife, the victim, who was a front-seat passenger, and serious injuries to four others, including multiple fractures and surgeries. Kurtev admitted responsibility, stating he was late for work and failed to see the approaching vehicle properly.

Aston Kurtev had been driving his Vauxhall Safira along the A16 between the Kirton and Sutterton roundabouts on March 4, 2024, when his car collided head-on with a Vauxhall Scirocco travelling in the opposite direction. Fearing that he and his four passengers would be late for work, he began to drive erratically, forcing his way through traffic and making high-risk overtaking manoeuvres prior to the collision. He killed his wife, 39-year-old victim, and seriously injured his three other passengers, as well as the driver of the other car.

Kane O'Donnell engaged in multiple violent incidents between January 2025 and March 11, 2025, which included intentional strangulation, assaults, and controlling and coercive behaviour in an intimate relationship. He is from Beresford Avenue, Skegness, and his actions caused significant harm to the victim.

Thomas Russell, 36, turned up at the victim's house in Alford in March 2025, damaging their vehicle and gate. He left before the police arrived but returned several hours later, shouting abuse and breaking into the house. He attempted to force his way into the bathroom where the victim was hiding. Earlier that day, he had phoned one of the victim’s friends and threatened to kill them.

Brett Peterson was a care worker who abused his position to engage in sexual activity with a vulnerable woman. He pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual activity with a vulnerable person by a care worker and two counts of causing or inciting sexual activity with a vulnerable person by a care worker. The victim, a vulnerable woman, described behaviour amounting to grooming rather than care. Peterson later resigned and was arrested in 2023. At the original sentencing hearing the judge said the damage caused was indescribable and the impact profound. A later hearing reduced the sentence after the defence challenged evidence relating to the victim's pregnancy loss.

Between 8 April 2021 and 26 February 2022, Matthew Berry, sole director of SBR Foxhills Limited, by consent, connivance or neglect, allowed the company to operate a non-exempt waste operation without an environmental permit for treatment and storage of waste at Thorpe Farm, Skendleby. He took control of the site intending to clear it for purchase but dumped baled waste on a porous, cracked concrete pad with unsealed drainage, abandoned the site causing degradation, ignored Environment Agency advice, failed to provide waste transfer notes, and verbally abused officers including wishing cancer on one.

Trevor Frater, a 64-year-old from Exley Square in Lincoln, was involved in acting as an unlicensed security operative and deploying unlicensed operatives on multiple occasions over the last five years. This put public safety at risk and allowed him to profit substantially, with the court determining he received almost £34,000 in financial benefit from his crimes. Financial investigations revealed hidden assets exceeding £100,000, leading to the confiscation order.

Marvin Scampion, 48, of Edward Road, Spalding, was convicted of nine charges including attempted rape, sexual assaults and other sexual offences against two children (one boy under 13 and one girl under 13) after a two-week trial. Offences occurred between 2008-2011 and 2015-2016. He was also convicted of child cruelty. Victims, now adults, gave evidence. Sentenced on 17 April 2025.