Lincoln Crown Court Sentencing Results

Scott Reynolds, of Salem Street, Gosberton, admitted smacking a young child on the buttocks with excessive force on August 16. He hit the child three or four times after becoming upset because he believed the child had drowned two puppies. Reynolds initially disputed the severity of bruising shown in photographs but accepted the charge of child cruelty. The court heard he was a trained boxer who sometimes did not appreciate his own strength.

Stuart Wright, 72, of Broad Lane, Moulton, committed multiple sexual offences against two girls over a period of decades. The first victim reported offences from 2017 to 2020, and the second reported offences between 1997 and 2000. He was found guilty at Lincoln Crown Court.

Roy Hobson, a 66-year-old former Lincolnshire Police officer and theatre director from Louth, Lincolnshire, has been sentenced for possessing and making over 600 indecent images of children. Hobson, residing on Wellington Street in Louth, appeared at Lincoln Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to three charges related to the production and possession of child sexual abuse material. The court proceedings revealed that among the images, 12 were classified as Category A, the most severe category of indecent images depicting the most serious forms of abuse. Judge Simon Hirst, presiding over the case, addressed Hobson directly, stating: 'This type of offending is not victimless. You, through your career, would know that better than many.' This remark underscored Hobson's background as a police officer, highlighting the irony and gravity of his actions given his professional experience in law enforcement. In addition to his role in policing, Hobson served as the director and a volunteer at the Louth Riverhead Theatre. Following the revelations, a spokesperson for the theatre confirmed that Hobson had been suspended from his position 'pending further investigation'. The case was handled under the jurisdiction of Lincolnshire Police, the prosecuting force responsible for the investigation into Hobson's activities. Hobson was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and required to sign the sex offenders' register for a period of ten years.

Riaz Wadood, 32, from Irwell Street, Bury, played a key supporting role as second-in-command to Muhammad Hussain in the importation of 240kg of cocaine concealed within machinery from South America. He used businesses as a cover and had substantial influence on others in the chain. The plot was uncovered after Border Force intercepted an 80kg cocaine delivery in November 2024.

Paul Neilson, 30, of Priory Road, Spalding, assaulted his girlfriend Colette Law three times (on 8 July and twice on 10 July 2023) in Spalding, captured on CCTV. After she died in a tent in the churchyard on the night of 10 July, he persistently lied to friends, officials and others that she had returned to Scotland, delaying discovery of her body until 17 July. This prevented the cause of death from being established. He was initially charged with murder and manslaughter but those charges were dropped. He admitted perverting the course of public justice between 10 and 18 July 2023 and the three assaults.