Liverpool Crown Court Sentencing Results

For a period of two and a half years beginning in February 2015, Robert Zielinski sub-let 33 properties off legitimate letting agents and landlords in Liverpool by promising to find tenants from the Polish community or renovate them. Instead, he began growing cannabis at many of the addresses. When arrested in July 2018, some 9,500 plants were discovered at the houses with a street value of £7 million. Zielinski, from the Toxteth area of Liverpool, started out in 2005 as a builder who dabbled in the property industry but soon fell in with a criminal gang.

In 2016, detectives discovered footage on Malcolm Graham's iPhone of him test firing a pistol that was later used to murder the victim. Graham was sentenced for gun offences including possession of a firearm and bullets, and wounding with intent. While serving his sentence, he illicitly recorded rap tracks in his prison cell, gaining fame in the Scouse rap scene.

Joseph Farrell was an associate of Kirk Bradley and Tony Downes, involved in carrying out violent tasks for the Huyton Firm's terror campaign across Merseyside, including grenade attacks and shootings that caused life-changing injuries. The operation was stopped by Merseyside Police's Matrix unit with international assistance.

Craig Riley was an associate of Kirk Bradley and Tony Downes, involved in carrying out violent tasks for the Huyton Firm's terror campaign across Merseyside, including grenade attacks and shootings that caused life-changing injuries. The operation was stopped by Merseyside Police's Matrix unit with international assistance.

Gary Wilson was an associate of Kirk Bradley and Tony Downes, involved in carrying out violent tasks for the Huyton Firm's terror campaign across Merseyside, including grenade attacks and shootings that caused life-changing injuries. The operation was stopped by Merseyside Police's Matrix unit with international assistance.

Jonathan Harmer, a 46-year-old former soldier from Loughton, Essex, drove 200 miles to Merseyside to set fire to the front door of a house after being offered £1,500 by a person called 'Noah'. He was dealing with issues involving drugs and alcohol following his discharge from the armed forces. He targeted the wrong house, setting alight the front door of a Merseyside Police staff member, after being told the occupant had a drug debt. He admitted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Jonathan Gaskell, director of Gaskell’s (North West) Limited, was responsible for the company's operation of a baling machine at Gaskells Waste Services in Foster Street, Bootle, with a defeated interlock system. On 23 December 2010, worker the victim entered the baling chamber to clear a blockage while the machine was still operational, suffering fatal injuries to both legs. The company continued using the same dangerous machine with defeated safety systems until at least July 2015, putting operators at serious risk.

On Christmas Day 2023, during a family dinner in Liverpool, Joseph Cardwell, drunk on brandy, became angry after a minor comment about his girlfriend. When his stepfather tried to calm him down, Cardwell freed himself from a bear hug and bit off his stepfather's nose, spitting it onto the floor. The victim required eight rounds of reconstructive surgery and suffered ongoing flashbacks and anxiety.

Helen Spree, 63, chairwoman of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Liverpool, engaged in inappropriate relationships with inmates, including Dylan Westall, over a 20-month period. She smuggled cannabis, mobile phones, SIM cards, and chargers into the prison, and provided information on cell searches and prison officer deployments. She also attempted to influence adjudications and paid money into an inmate's account. A search of her home found custom-made pillows with Westall's face and a matching tattoo. She was arrested in August 2021.

Javed Iqbal, 49, arranged to meet someone he was told was a 14-year-old boy in Widnes, Cheshire, on 7 September 2024. He sent and requested explicit pictures during sexual communication. When he arrived, police officers were there instead and arrested him. He was convicted of arranging the commission of an offence of sexual activity with a child and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Jay Coleman, aged 22 of Waterfall Drive, continued to download depraved child abuse images within weeks of being spared prison for identical offences. He was arrested again exactly a year after being given a second chance, which he spurned. Despite pledging to no longer own electronic devices to remove temptation, he confessed to his mother 'I've messed up, I've done it again and I'm going to jail' when police arrived.

Abbey Rowlands was involved in disorder outside Tower Stores on Seabank Road in New Brighton, Wirral, on 19 December 2025. She drove a car into the paved area where the violence was taking place, striking two men, and later remonstrated near the shop entrance and aimed blows at a man. After a bottle was thrown through her windscreen, she briefly drove the car lurching into a man before leaving.

Connor Kelly was involved in violent disorder outside Tower Stores on Seabank Road in New Brighton, Wirral, on 19 December 2025. He was seen on CCTV running towards the shop wearing a balaclava and carrying a baton before fighting broke out. He sustained a partial amputation of his left ear during the violence, then attempted to shoplift a bottle of wine from the shop.

From 30 April to 19 June 2025, Robert Bassnett repeatedly showed up unannounced at his pregnant ex-partner's home, demanded to see her, and sent threatening texts and unwanted calls. He hid in a bush near her property, hurled abuse, and threw a brick at the victim. He targeted her family with death threats and created fake social media accounts to spread false information including their home address. Police launched a manhunt and, after a public appeal on 9 June 2025, officers arrested him following a brief foot chase when he attempted to flee into woodland.

On Saturday 13 March 2021, Hollis was driving a Merseyrail service from Liverpool Central to Kirkby, due to arrive at 6.52pm. The speed limit for the approach to Kirkby station is 15mph, but the train travelled at 40mph. Hollis applied the emergency brakes but the train collided with the buffer stop, causing it to derail with an estimated £450,000 damage to the station. Twelve passengers and a guard on board sustained minor injuries. Phone analysis showed Hollis sent a WhatsApp message at 6.51.34pm, 26 seconds before the crash. He admitted his phone should have been turned off in the cab.

On 16 November 2023, Nathan O'Malia, 34, of Sandringham Drive in Sutton, St Helens, picked up his partner and her friend in his Mitsubishi L200 after they had been on a night out in Liverpool. An argument broke out due to him being under the influence of alcohol. When an officer attempted to stop the car on Edge Lane, O’Malia drove off at speed, reaching 68mph in a 30mph zone. He crashed into a taxi, fled onto the M62 and M6 at speeds up to 100mph, then continued through Warrington at high speeds, contravening red lights and mounting verges. He was arrested at 8.10am after a 40-minute pursuit involving a police helicopter. A breath test showed 57 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath. Passengers reported fearing the car would flip over.

Shahid Adnan, 42, an Amazon driver, secretly ran a cheating company from his home on Merseyside. He helped university students cheat on exams and coursework by logging into their accounts to complete online assessments. A police investigation began in 2023 when a student accidentally handed a USB containing Adnan's databases to a lecturer. Adnan made up to £2.4 million from the scheme.

On 25 March 2016, Simon Smith struck a 16-year-old boy with his Vauxhall Corsa as he crossed Grange Road, West Kirby, throwing the boy into the air. Smith had drunk two pints but was under the drink‑drive limit. He glanced into a pub, taking his eyes off the road, and failed to stop after the collision. He abandoned his car, went to a pub with friends, and did not report the incident. The victim suffered serious brain injuries and was hospitalised until 22 June. Smith later told friends about the accident, and one reported it to police.