Newcastle Crown Court Sentencing Results

Luke Tyson amassed hundreds of indecent images of children, including 192 images (51 in the most serious category) and 246 videos (127 in the most serious category) featuring babies up to 12-year-olds being abused, such as a three or four-year-old girl being raped by a man. Also found a prohibited image of a man having sex with a pig. Discovered after his partner reported him upon finding images and concerning chats on his phone. Breached sexual risk order by possessing an unregistered phone and online storage account.

Mark Givens, 41, of Aldershot Road, Sunderland, amassed over a million indecent images of children between 2013 and 2023, including 10,838 category A, 10,963 category B, and 1,040,072 category C images and videos depicting children aged from under one to 17. He also downloaded a 'paedophile manual' video giving instructions on abusing young girls and avoiding detection by mothers. Police raided his home in March 2023 after information linked his IP address to potential criminal behaviour. Givens admitted his attraction to young females and that there would be illegal material on his devices. He actively used search terms to find the material.

Marc Burton and his partner John Harrison hosted online video chatrooms in February 2016 where they streamed Category A child sexual abuse footage and discussed abusing babies. Burton was arrested at his home in Jarrow on 1 November 2017, where police found drugs and electronic scales. His devices contained 1,125 Category A abuse images and videos. He pleaded guilty to possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

Marlon Mullings, 53, became angry after being asked to leave Soho Rooms nightclub and threatened to come back. Around 15 minutes later, he returned with a knife hidden up his sleeve and confronted security staff. The knife was dropped to the floor before Mullings was restrained and arrested by police.

Brenda Lamb and her son Graeme operated an illegal money lending business through Percuniam Solutions Ltd between October 2014 and November 2019, issuing 361 loans to 78 people ranging from £50 to £1,500 with interest rates of 40% to 69.5%, receiving total payments of £173,299.35. Neither was authorised to conduct credit business. Investigation triggered by anonymous tip to England Illegal Money Lending Team hotline, involving Sunderland Trading Standards and Northumbria Police.

On 16 May 2024, Billy Stokoe rode an illegal, defective, unregistered and uninsured Sur-Ron electric motorbike at speed on the B1286 Burdon Road in Silksworth, Sunderland. While holding a mobile phone and over the legal cannabis limit, he failed to slow or steer at a zebra crossing and struck the 86-year-old victim, causing catastrophic leg injuries and cardiac arrest. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Stokoe left the scene, hid the bike and changed clothes before handing himself in approximately an hour later.

Abbi Taylor, 47, of South Shields (also known as Martin Tarling), admitted to four breaches of a criminal behaviour order issued by Nottinghamshire Magistrates’ Court in April 2023, which banned approaching within 10 metres of a nursery without reasonable excuse. Incidents in December last year included taking soiled nappies from bins and leaving them strewn in a garden, as well as similar behaviour at nurseries in South Tyneside such as Cleadon and South Shields where larger nappies were dumped or someone was seen rooting in clinical waste bins.

Abbie Taylor, who identifies as female but was born male, repeatedly raided bins near nurseries, care homes, and residential areas in South Shields, Cleadon, and Jarrow to retrieve soiled nappies and incontinence products, breaching a 2023 Criminal Behaviour Order that banned her from coming within 100 metres of nurseries. Incidents between December 2023 and April 2024 included being caught with a foot inside a bin and taking rubbish, entering communal bin areas with trousers down concealed in a bin bag, and removing items from a garden bin on Wansbeck Mews. Caused distress to staff, parents, and residents by dumping soiled nappies and smearing excrement on milk bottles and fire escapes.

Craig Smith took part in a carefully planned protest targeting a Newcastle factory owned by the Israeli government, resulting in the factory being closed for two days and damages and loss over £200,000. Accommodation was booked, a cameraman arranged, flags and banners prepared, with the aim of damaging property to cause financial harm.

Hepplewhite was driving a car with Daniel Langley as passenger when he drove at the victim, who was homeless, in South Shields, killing the victim's dog. The incident arose from an online dispute after Langley threatened to harm the dog. The victim moved out of the way and one dog ran off, but the car returned and struck and killed the other dog. Hepplewhite claimed the car hit an icy patch and that he did not intend to kill the animal.

Riley Robinson was sentenced for dangerous driving in Sunderland. He received a 30-month custodial sentence and a four-year driving ban.

Richard Naylor bit off part of a stranger's lower lip during an altercation outside a pub in Sunderland on 3 May. CCTV captured the victim, who was intoxicated, repeatedly confronting Naylor and his friend, prodding and pushing Naylor, and later throwing or hitting him with an advertising board. Naylor put the victim to the ground and bit his lower lip, severing about a third of it. The severed flesh was later found outside the pub and could not be reattached, leaving the victim permanently scarred. Naylor said he believed the victim had a knife and that he acted in excessive self-defence.

Sean McCrystal sent a series of messages to Northumbria Police on 26 March 2026, including threats referring to making illegal immigrants 'go boom'. When officers attended his home, he took a device resembling an improvised explosive device from a kitchen cupboard and placed it in front of an officer, saying he meant what he said and wanted them to go boom. The device was a long tube packed with nails, with a clock, wires and styrofoam. He had also sent an image of the device to an associate and asked whether they had any grenades. He pleaded guilty to communicating false information with intent, and the court treated the offending as motivated at least in part by racial hostility.

Scott McKenzie, 38, from Birtley, Gateshead, assaulted three primary school-aged children with multiple sexual offences, ruining their lives. Victims described lasting fear, darkness in childhood, and life-ruining impact despite counselling. He continued to claim innocence but jury convicted him.

Scott Baines drove his Land Rover Discovery towards his former employee during a confrontation in the street while the victim was putting out his bins one Saturday morning in June. The two men had a history of friction after the victim previously worked for Baines. The victim was knocked to the ground, sustaining a complex cut to his head that required ten stitches, as well as abrasions and bruising to his elbow and shins. Baines drove at low speed and did not run him over.

Shaun Devlin, a fifty-two-year-old car worker and former social worker, was jailed after being caught with a hidden archive of child abuse images for a second time while serving a community order for identical crimes. He systematically targeted vulnerable children online, breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order by operating an undeclared phone and claiming his device was away for repairs. A bedroom raid uncovered the hidden hardware containing indecent images.