Newcastle Crown Court Sentencing Results

Bradley Makin, 21, of Simonside Road, Sunderland, played a role in the harmful disorder in Sunderland city centre last weekend, which was fuelled by deliberate online misinformation, creating fear for residents and damage to local businesses.

Between November 14, 2023, and November 24, 2023, Anthony Bonner, 62, of South Shields, communicated online with an undercover police officer posing as an adult female offering access to a live stream of a 12-year-old girl in Asia being sexually abused. After initial hesitation, Bonner inquired about the child performing a sex act and requested to see it immediately. Although he did not complete payment or follow through despite further prompts, he was arrested at his home in June 2024. Police seized devices containing 141 indecent images of children aged 8 to 16. Bonner, a retired merchant seaman with a partner and her adult daughter in Asia whom he financially supports and visits 2-3 times a year, also cares for his elderly parents.

Ryan Grundy engaged in multiple acts of domestic violence against the victim, including slapping her during an argument on August 10, 2022, throwing her to the floor on October 4, 2022, headbutting and hitting her on July 25, 2023, during which she tried to escape and contacted a neighbour for help, and harassing her by sending repeated pleading emails between November 2023 and December 30, 2023, despite her requests to stop.

Police raided Mr Buglass’s address in January 2022, seizing devices including a mobile phone, a laptop, a hard drive and disk drives. They identified over 45,000 indecent images and videos of children spanning all official categories, including 910 images and 115 videos of extreme pornography, and 311 pictures and 12 videos in the most serious category. The material had timestamps from March 5, 2009, to January 2, 2022. Additionally, there were photographs taken by Mr Buglass himself of a young girl playing on a beach.

Sean Correlli Toscanni, 52, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was reported to police after a staff member at a Samsung store spotted disturbing images on a phone he had taken in with a query and recognised him as a security guard at a nearby H&M branch. A police examination of the device in July 2019 found he had been upskirting customers in the Newcastle store’s changing rooms and uncovered evidence of child sexual abuse.

George Ormond, who was 62 at the time of reporting, abused his position as a youth team worker for Newcastle United, committing sex abuse offences against players over a 25-year period.

Declan Fahey deliberately drove his Mazda flatbed truck into a quad bike carrying four people on Redworth Road, Shildon on March 5, after his friend's quad bike was stolen earlier that day. The collision sent the riders flying through the air, causing a 16-year-old to suffer multiple fractures to his skull, face, and thigh. Fahey drove off without providing assistance and later refused to accept responsibility.

Dawn Taylor, 56, of Scales Crescent, Prudhoe, was recruited by David Wilkinson to stalk and attack his ex-partner police officer. She followed instructions to surveil the victim's address and car, sending photos and logs. Messages exchanged with Wilkinson detailed plans to attack with gun, acid, hammer, knife; discussions of GBH, trackers, and escape routes. She attended the property multiple times but later backed out and informed authorities.

On November 20, 2025, Donna English attacked a woman she had previously been friends with. After a dispute about money, the victim went to the rear of English's home. English armed herself with a corrosive liquid, believed to be ammonia, and sprayed it on the victim's face and back, then followed her to another street and sprayed it directly into her eyes, saying 'I'll get it in your f****** eyes'. The attack left the victim blind in one eye and with permanently limited blurry vision in the other, unable to care for herself or her children. English then sent bogus and disingenuous messages to falsely claim the victim was the aggressor.

In November 2024, following an initial assault on a woman in Sunderland over a blocked driveway, the woman and her partner returned to check on a friend. Further violence flared, and Milley became involved as an accomplice. He and another man joined the initial attacker, and the group followed the woman and her partner before attacking the man, who later needed 27 staples. Milley admitted causing grievous bodily harm to the man and affray.

On 19 December 2025, David Kelly was travelling on a Jet2 flight from Turkey to Newcastle when he became intoxicated and abusive. He shouted racist abuse, made a homophobic remark, stated 'Hitler knew' and performed a Nazi salute. He singled out a Turkish passenger, calling him a terrorist, and distressed a young family who were moved away from him. He refused to sit down and fasten his seatbelt as the aircraft prepared to land. Police were waiting at Newcastle Airport and arrested him. He pleaded guilty to being drunk on an aircraft and a racially aggravated public order offence.

David Lionel Baker, formerly of Startforth, groomed a 15-year-old girl after contacting her on Facebook. He forced the girl into a sex act at a Newcastle hotel.

Police were called to an address in Sunderland on 13 February. David Gooch was woken and told to get dressed and leave. When an officer shone a torch to help him see, Gooch produced a revolver-style BB gun loaded with rubber ammunition. One constable, believing it was a handgun, ran and yelled 'gun', while another drew a taser and ordered Gooch to drop the weapon. He complied and later apologised. Gooch described it as a moment of madness and said he did not intend the police to fear for their safety.

David Hoyle, 43, was seen carrying a sword through a residential street in Gateshead while shouting and searching for those he believed had robbed him of a gold chain. CCTV showed him walking with the sword before handing it to his then-partner, who threw it over a wall before police arrived. Hoyle claimed he had taken the sword from a robber and was not intending to confront anyone, but the judge rejected his account. The court concluded he had likely returned home, collected the weapon and gone back out seeking revenge. He admitted possession of a bladed article and cannabis.

Darren Robertshaw was visiting HMP Northumberland when he dropped a blue package from his clothing onto the ground and kicked it towards an inmate he was visiting. The package contained 12.8g pregabalin, 18.2g buprenorphine and 195 zopiclone tablets, all Class C drugs. He told an officer he did not know the inmate and that someone put him up to it because he was in debt.

Daniel McColl inflicted grievous bodily harm on an infant, leaving the child with a fractured thigh bone and multiple broken ribs. The injuries were discovered when the baby's nappy was changed at home, prompting an urgent hospital admission. Medical staff confirmed a spiral fracture to the left thigh and several rib fractures. McColl admitted responsibility for the injuries during police interviews.

Between 9 and 17 September 2023, while living in Blyth, Northumberland, Daniel Kilpatrick sent Facebook friend requests and explicit images of his genitals to two fake online profiles ('Ellie' and 'Lucy') operated by the Child Online Safety Team, believing them to be 13-year-old girls. He requested to see their breasts and asked if they wanted 'naughty fun'. He was arrested on 16 September 2023.

Langley was a passenger in a car driven by Reece Hepplewhite when Hepplewhite drove at the victim in South Shields, killing the victim's dog. Langley had argued with the victim online and sent a voice message threatening to chop the dog's head off and put it on a pole. During the incident he shouted at Hepplewhite to run the victim and his dogs over. Langley claimed there was no intention to kill the dog.

In November 2024, the victim briefly visited a friend in Sunderland and her 4x4 vehicle blocked Hughes's car on a driveway for a few minutes. Hughes shouted at her about her parking, then punched her repeatedly in the face and continued to assault her after she got into her car. When she and her partner returned to check on the friend, further violence flared. Hughes attacked the woman again, knocked her unconscious, and a witness saw him punching and kicking her on the ground and using a wooden bat, and heard him threaten to kill her before he kicked her in the head. The woman woke in hospital with multiple facial fractures and a broken little finger; her partner needed 27 staples. Hughes admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent to the woman and causing grievous bodily harm to the man.