Newcastle Crown Court Sentencing Results

Minh Nguyen was found at a property in Hexham with a cannabis farm. He jumped out of a second-floor window during a police raid, injuring himself, and admitted to being directed by others to maintain the plants for three days.

Scott Orr confronted a group on New Bridge Street in Newcastle on October 23, 2024, after claiming his girlfriend had been brushed past by the victim's girlfriend. He turned around, shoved the woman, and when her partner intervened, Orr used a concealed blade to slash the victim multiple times, causing severe injuries including lacerations to the face, neck, and chest, resulting in permanent scarring and nerve damage. Eight bladed weapons were found at his home upon arrest.

Paul Robinson targeted a millionaire businessman by threatening to disclose false damaging information, including claims about the victim's business and alleged inappropriate behaviour with a young female. He demanded thousands of pounds, with an initial payment of £5,000 transferred via an intermediary. Further demands were made via email, causing the victim significant stress and anxiety attacks. Robinson was arrested after the victim reported the incidents.

George Taylor, 68, who had recently retired as a carer, subjected his disabled wife of 40 years to a relentless and terrifying attack at their home in the Gateshead area. The ordeal began after a doctor's appointment on March 21, where he refused mental health support. Over several hours, he repeatedly told her 'I want you dead', held a sofa cushion over her head to suffocate her, pushed her to the ground, squeezed her neck while sitting on her stomach, barricaded her in the kitchen, attempted to force paracetamol into her mouth, and held a knife to her neck threatening to slit her throat. She escaped later that day and described him as looking 'evil', leading to her suffering from severe nightmares.

Daniel Curtis, a 40-year-old from Hugh Gardens in Benwell, Newcastle, abused a girl by persuading her to send sexually explicit messages via social media. The abuse was reported, leading to charges in 2022 for multiple sexual offences. He repeatedly failed to appear in court, prompting a police manhunt. He was eventually caught and, after a trial in May, found guilty of seven offences of sexual activity with a girl. The victim endured a difficult investigation and expressed relief at the conviction.

Barrie Fowler subjected his partner to a series of violent attacks while under the influence of alcohol and cocaine. In May 2023, while on holiday in Tunisia and with the victim pregnant, he confined her in a bathroom, bit her thumb causing a wound, dragged her by the arm causing bruising, and pushed her on the balcony. In July 2023, he grabbed her by the neck, strangled her against a wall for five to six seconds making it hard for her to breathe, and threatened her. In September or October 2023, he raised a clenched fist as if to hit her and punched a door, causing it to splinter. In August 2024, he became abusive, wished he had killed her, and damaged a staircase, injuring her leg. The victim reported emotional harm, loss of confidence, and changes to her self-esteem.

David Smith subjected his former partner, the victim, to a campaign of abuse starting in 2018, including controlling her clothing, isolating her from friends, monitoring her phone, and continuing to stalk her after their 2022 split with texts, calls, emails, and uninvited appearances at her home and work. In one incident, he scaled a fence with a knife and attempted to break into her home at 2am. He also sexually assaulted her and pushed a pizza into her face during another encounter.

Vu Nguyen, a 33-year-old Vietnamese national, entered the UK five years earlier on the back of a lorry and was found tending to a cannabis farm with approximately 400 plants at a property in North Shields, North Tyneside. The plants, valued between £21,000 and £96,000 with a potential yield of 10.2 to 32.4 kilos, were growing in three ground floor rooms and the loft. He was living in squalid conditions, with a makeshift bed in the kitchen, and received food parcels delivered by taxi every two months. Neighbours confirmed he had been at the address for about a year but rarely left due to fear and disorientation.

Jamie Eunson agreed to give a false witness statement implicating one brother in assaulting another in return for £50 to buy drugs. This occurred in October of the previous year, leading to the innocent brother being arrested and held in police custody for five days while under investigation, although he was not charged. She emailed the police 11 hours later to admit her lie, but the email was not noticed immediately due to the officer's workload.

Bailey Reed, while at a party at Kingston Park Stadium in Newcastle in May of the previous year, was more than twice the drink drive limit and decided to drive his Fiat 500 despite friends' pleas to stop him. He reversed the car, hitting his friend, the victim, who was standing by the open passenger door, knocking her to the ground and trapping her leg under the wheel. He reversed again, dragging her before she was freed, resulting in her sustaining a deep laceration to her knee, other injuries, and requiring ten days in hospital. She has scarring and experienced a temporary loss of independence.

Paul Bell, 38, of Dunston, repeatedly assaulted his victim at a property in South Tyneside by slapping her across the face, causing a bloody nose and burst lip. The abuse included coercive control, criminal damage, common assault, and an attempt to pervert the course of justice by arranging for an acquaintance to contact the victim from prison to discourage her from attending court. The incidents occurred over a period leading up to his arrest at the scene after the victim called the police.

Nathan Robinson was driving his Ford Fiesta recklessly on a residential street in Sunderland last September, screeching tyres before losing control, colliding with a parked vehicle, narrowly missing a pedestrian, and crashing into a garden wall. His 19-year-old passenger suffered catastrophic injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, leaving him unable to walk, talk, communicate, or recognise family voices, requiring 24-hour care. Robinson fled the scene after seeing the injured passenger but was later arrested.

James Jones was with Melanie Cook outside McDonald's in Ashington on September 29, 2023, when a Belgian Malinois named Rogue, trained to attack people in hi-vis clothing, bit a man in a hi-vis jacket on his right thigh and a woman on her leg, resulting in puncture wounds that needed hospital treatment for tetanus injections and antibiotics. Jones shouted a warning to the first victim and later admitted the dog should have been muzzled. The dog was destroyed following a separate incident.

Melanie Cook was in charge of a Belgian Malinois named Rogue, which her brother had trained to attack people wearing hi-vis clothing due to his dislike of police officers. On September 29, 2023, outside McDonald's in Ashington, the dog bit a man in a hi-vis jacket on his right thigh and a woman on her leg, causing puncture wounds that required hospital treatment for tetanus injections and antibiotics. Cook had only recently taken responsibility for the dog as her brother was banned from keeping animals.

Defrim Laqi was found living as the sole occupier of a house in Ashington, which had been converted into a large-scale cannabis factory. Police discovered 165 cannabis plants across the upper floors, with a professional setup including lighting systems, temperature control, carbon dioxide, fertiliser, and a bypassed electricity supply. The plants had a potential yield of up to 13.48 kilos, valued at approximately £69,200. Laqi was acting as a 'gardener' for the operation.

Daniel Michael Graham, along with Adam Carruthers, drove to the Sycamore Gap tree site under cover of darkness on 28 September 2023, during Storm Agnes. They felled the more than 100-year-old tree, a landmark owned by the National Trust, using a chainsaw in a deliberate and professional manner. Graham filmed the act, which caused the tree to fall onto Hadrian's Wall, a Unesco World Heritage Site. The tree was an iconic symbol of Northumberland's landscape, featured in films, and its destruction led to global outrage and an outpouring of emotion.

Keaton Harbron, already banned from driving, led police on a high-speed chase on March 28 in Gosforth, Newcastle. He was riding a motorbike erratically, reached speeds of 80mph in a 40mph zone, went through a red light, and nearly lost control on a roundabout. The pursuit involved police reaching 90mph, and he was caught after turning into a dead end, where he fell or was knocked off the bike and attempted to flee. He has 62 previous convictions, including for dangerous and drug driving.

Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers travelled from the Carlisle area to Sycamore Gap in September 2023, where they used a chainsaw to deliberately fell the iconic Sycamore Gap tree, causing £622,191 worth of damage to the tree and £1,144 to Hadrian's Wall, a Unesco World Heritage Site. They marked the tree with silver spray paint, cut a wedge to direct the fall, filmed the act, and took a piece of the tree as a trophy. The incident occurred at night and took two to three minutes.

Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham travelled from the Carlisle area to Sycamore Gap in September 2023, where they used a chainsaw to deliberately fell the iconic Sycamore Gap tree, causing £622,191 worth of damage to the tree and £1,144 to Hadrian's Wall, a Unesco World Heritage Site. They marked the tree with silver spray paint, cut a wedge to direct the fall, filmed the act, and took a piece of the tree as a trophy. The incident occurred at night and took two to three minutes.

Logan Thew thought he was messaging a 13-year-old girl, who was actually a decoy created by an online vigilante group. Despite knowing her age, he sent her naked pictures of himself, asked for pictures in return, and told her he wanted to have sex with her.

Craig Binns, 31, met a woman on a dating website and exchanged messages with her for a few weeks before suggesting involvement in child abuse. He offered her £300 to allow him to sexually abuse her 10-week-old granddaughter, requested naked pictures of the child, and bragged about previously paying others to abuse children, including £1,000 to a parent for abusing a two-year-old girl. The woman provided screenshots of the conversations to the police, leading to his arrest. A search of his devices revealed horrifying searches, and although there was no evidence he carried out the boasted abuses, he admitted the offences.

Graeme Charlton, a 34-year-old banned driver from Breamish Street, Jarrow, led police on a high-speed chase in an Audi A3, reaching speeds up to 100mph towards the Tyne Tunnel. The pursuit ended when he crashed into a roadside barrier. Police found a bag of amphetamines in his sock and cannabis resin at his home, along with items linked to drug dealing under the nickname 'North East Weedman'. Messages on his phone indicated involvement in drug sales, and he had a history of similar offences.