Newcastle Crown Court Sentencing Results

Pankaj Bedi engaged in controlling or coercive behaviour towards his wife during their marriage, including verbal abuse by calling her a 'b**ch' and 'prostitute', accusing her of extra-marital affairs, financial demands, and isolating her from friends and family. The victim reported him to police after realizing the behaviour was abnormal, leading to his arrest.

Liam Wilde, 25, of Honister Drive, Sunderland, was involved in the Sunderland riot on August 2, 2024. While drunk in the city centre, he joined the violence in Keel Square, filmed the disorder on his mobile phone, picked up a stone, and threw it with significant force at the police line. The riot involved attacks on police officers, injuries to officers and police dogs, damage and looting of businesses, and racist language. He handed himself in after being identified from circulated images. In interview, he admitted to drinking with a friend, not being aware of the protest initially, regretting his actions, and stated he wouldn't have acted that way if sober.

On April 7, 2025, a South Tyneside housing officer visited Alison Kennard's home on Norham Avenue North, South Shields, for an appointment. As he entered the garden, he was attacked by Kennard's Staffy-type dog Tyson and another dog Hank. The dogs bit his legs and feet, dragging him to the ground, causing deep wounds and a fractured foot. He feared for his life, required hospital treatment including tetanus injection and antibiotics, and suffered night terrors, panic attacks, depression, and trauma requiring therapy. He can no longer compete, train, or teach kickboxing as a former world champion. Tyson had previously attacked a 15-year-old girl in 2020, leading to a destruction order in 2021 (appealed successfully with conditions including muzzling), and Kennard received a six-month community order for that incident. Tyson was not muzzled during the second attack.

On April 20, 2024, Michael Cogdon, 37, of Lichfield Road, Sunderland, subjected his then-partner to a vicious domestic attack while she drove them back from Roker Beach along Wessington Way in Sunderland. He grabbed the steering wheel, causing her to slam the brakes, then punched her in the face, smashed the car windscreen, and grabbed her by the throat, applying pressure. The victim believed she was going to be killed. Cogdon pulled her from the car, continued the assault while calling her abusive names, and left her crying and bloodied on the dual-carriageway. She tried to flag down motorists and was assisted by a passerby. Cogdon fled in her car. The victim suffered a laceration to her nose requiring stitches and deep tissue trauma, and has since moved out of the area.

On July 8, 2025, Cale Mort, 23, of Augusta Square, Farringdon, Sunderland, was driving along the Coast Road in South Tyneside at speed when police attempted to pull him over. He fled with lights off, driving erratically in the middle of the road, swerving, on the wrong side of the road, and overtaking vehicles at speeds up to 80mph. Police abandoned the chase due to danger but caught up after he crashed into traffic lights near STACK in Seaburn. He was arrested and stated he 'had a lot going on'.

Robert Wilkinson, 68, of Redewood Close, East Denton, Newcastle, communicated sexually with someone who claimed to be a 13-year-old girl in Sweden via Kik, making comments about her age and sending sexual images, describing her as 'the hottest 13-year-old he had ever seen'. Police seized his computer equipment after notification from the National Crime Agency about uploads from his IP address, finding over 100 indecent images of children aged 5-11, including category A images, and extreme pornography involving a woman and a dog. He admitted the offences, stating he was bored and going through a difficult time, denying attraction to children. It could not be established if the 'child' was real or posing.

On November 30, 2023, an employee at Site and Field Services Limited in Ashington, Northumberland, became entangled in a horizontal borer while cleaning swarf from the machine, which had been left running. The worker sustained significant injuries to his legs and ankles, multiple broken ribs, a collapsed lung, required skin grafts, and partial amputation of two toes. An HSE investigation found inadequate guarding on the machine, no safe system of work, and lack of effective auditing allowing a removed trip probe to go unnoticed.

Lewis Stubbs, 25, of Front Road, Ford Estate, Sunderland, participated in the Sunderland riot on August 2, 2024, throwing a can of alcohol at a police officer's head, burgling a vape shop, being part of a crowd vandalising a police hub, and throwing plastic chairs at police. On February 2025, at the Old Skool bar on Vine Street, Sunderland, he became aggressive with door staff, used racially abusive language, grabbed and desecrated a bouncer's hat, knocked off glasses, produced a knife, and threatened staff after being asked to leave.

Tony Hall, 31, of Pensher Street, Sunderland, was heavily involved in the Sunderland riot on August 2, 2024, confronting police with a glass bottle which he threw, participating in the burglary of a vape shop, being part of a crowd outside a police hub, throwing a bin and parasol at police, and repeatedly attacking police by throwing three bins and other objects including a plastic chair. On February 2025, at the Old Skool bar on Vine Street, Sunderland, he became aggressive with door staff, used racially abusive language, smashed a beer bottle, knocked off glasses, attempted to stamp on them, encouraged stabbing, produced a gas-powered BB gun, pointed it at staff, hit doors with it, and shouted threats after being asked to leave.

On June 21, 2025, at around 10.30pm, ambulance workers responded to a call at Rutland Street, Hetton-le-Hole, where Anthony Layton's partner had injured her finger in a fall. While treating her, Layton, who was agitated and intoxicated, complained about neighbours poisoning his dog. He stated he had purchased a gun to shoot rats but threatened to shoot his neighbours, then produced a .22 air rifle from a fabric case, holding it with the barrel pointing down. The workers feared for their lives and left, alerting police. Layton resisted initially but threw the rifle out and was tasered and arrested.

On May 3, 2025, at The Coble pub in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland, during a wake for a young man who died prematurely, Philip Longstaff, 34, of Seacrest Road, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, had an exchange with the victim at the bar. Longstaff punched the victim in the face with his left hand and struck him with a glass held in his right hand, causing the glass to break on impact. This resulted in a horrific penetrating wound to the victim's left eye, a detached retina, and interocular dislocation, requiring two types of surgery. The incident occurred just before 9.45pm, and CCTV footage captured the assault. Longstaff claimed he acted in excessive self-defence, believing he was about to be attacked.

Mark Simpson recorded footage and took photos of victims undressing in changing rooms at Butlin's Skegness holiday resort, with 30 incidents there and 4 at another location, spanning from 2017 to 2023. He was caught on April 15, 2023, after a man reported his wife being spied on. His phone contained multiple voyeurism videos, indecent images of children, and a hidden folder with an app showing chat logs exchanging prohibited images. Formerly of Bellshill Close, Hadrian Park in Wallsend, aged 51.

On October 2, 2024, Kasie Armstrong beat her partner's Jack Russell Terrier, Barney, to death at an address in Northbourne Street, Newcastle. The dog suffered rib fractures, a fractured cheek bone, lacerated liver causing fatal internal bleeding from blunt force trauma, consistent with beating, kicking, or stomping. Incriminating text messages and blood evidence at the scene implicated her. The RSPCA investigation confirmed non-accidental, malicious injuries resulting in excruciating pain and immense trauma to the dog.

Bryn Bowden, 28, of West Farm Avenue, Longbenton, was involved in Shaun Monaghan's organised crime group from March to June 2020, primarily storing and moving industrial-scale amounts of amphetamine in a shipping container and ammunition. He also facilitated the cocaine trade by collecting and moving large quantities of cash. The group distributed over 50kg of cocaine, 20kg of heroin, and 200kg of amphetamine using EncroChat and vehicles with hides and fake logos, with access to firearms like a machine gun, pistols, and grenade.

On April 19, James Reed, 26, of Collingwood Court, Washington, arrived at the victim's home demanding payment of a debt. Due to her mobility issues from a spinal cyst and being in the bath, she delayed answering the door, which angered him. Upon opening the door, he punched her in the face multiple times, slapped her, kicked her back, attempted to strangle her, beat her with her walking stick, threw an ashtray at her causing an elbow injury requiring staples, and knocked her unconscious several times over hours. He then took her to his house, boiled a kettle threatening to pour boiling water on her, and threatened her with a knuckle duster. The ordeal ended when his father intervened. The victim suffered a cut above her right eye, swelling and bruising to her left eye, bruising to forehead, face, legs and back, and the elbow wound. She reported severe ongoing pain, headaches, anxiety, sleep issues, flashbacks, nightmares, and constant fear for her life.

Bradley Hall, 26, leaned out of a top window at his home on Julian Avenue in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, holding a kitchen knife with a 6ins blade, and threatened to stab police officers and himself after they arrived for a welfare check prompted by a concerning Facebook post. He shouted threats including 'Knock on this door again and I will stick this knife in my throat, if you come inside, I will stick it in your throat' and falsely claimed to have a gun. No gun was found during the search of his home. He refused to engage initially but was eventually arrested.

On Sunday May 11, Bridgette Hope, 31, of Birtley, Gateshead, visited her mother around 3pm and mentioned she was going to have a fire at home, which her mother thought meant in the garden. Just before 9pm, she deliberately set fire to clothes and other items in the middle of her living room at Rutland Square, Birtley. She then left the property, telling a neighbour who smelled smoke that 'it's just my oven'. Thick black smoke was seen, but the blaze did not spread far, causing damage to the floor and ceiling estimated in thousands of pounds, with a massive financial impact on the landlord. A second fire site in the bedroom was noted but not confirmed for the same day. Police found her by a river bank with ash on her hands. She has been sectioned twice in the last three years, has a traumatic childhood, was depressed, isolated, self-harming, and addicted to drugs at the time, though not psychotic.

Ian Coates, of The Grove, Ashbrooke, evaded police for ten months while wanted on prison recall, hiding in plain sight in a Sunderland flat despite extensive searches including a Crimestoppers appeal.

Kieran Connor, 22, of Trotter Terrace, Shotton Colliery, Durham, drove at 125mph with lights off during a police chase on the A19, ramming cars, smashing through a closed road section, and doing 80mph in a 20mph zone, risking lives in a horrendous display.