Nottingham Crown Court Sentencing Results

In August 2020, Joseph Chattaway attacked his parents with a hammer in Mapperley, repeatedly striking them and causing serious injuries. He then fled, triggering a seven-day manhunt involving police helicopter, drones, and foot patrols. He was arrested in Staffordshire on 14 August 2020. The attack left his father with a brain injury requiring ongoing treatment, while his mother was discharged from hospital later that month.

John William Palfreyman, 30, of Kirby Close, Newthorpe, was involved with Dale Richmond in a large‑scale cannabis production network uncovered by Operation Nabit. Officers found multiple cannabis grows and evidence linking the group. He was convicted after a trial at Nottingham Crown Court in July/August 2015.

Jonathan Cook, 25, stalked and controlled a woman for months, ignoring her repeated pleas to leave her alone. Between March and October 2021 he followed her in his car, showed up at her empty home, contacted her friends and family, and turned up unannounced. He then took her on a week-long journey across the UK, driving from Whitby to Derbyshire, London, and Cornwall. The ordeal ended when police found them on Marazion Beach on 16 October 2021, leading to his arrest.

In the early hours of 29 April 2023, Jason Pride drove his Vauxhall Corsa through Retford without lights, swerving across the road. An unmarked police car observed him and when Pride noticed, he sped up to 60mph in a 30mph zone on London Road, weaving erratically. He then misjudged a turn at a mini roundabout, crashed into a bollard, knocked over a lamppost, and the car ended up on two wheels before beaching. He tried to flee but was detained and failed a roadside breath test, blowing three times the legal limit. He was charged with dangerous driving and drink-driving.

Juanila Smikle, the paternal grandmother of the victim, was found guilty of cruelty towards the victim and three other youngsters. Her abuse involved slapping, beatings, ice baths, and other physical assaults as common punishments. On the evening of 30 July 2014, the victim had been in Smikle’s care in Top Valley when she ran away. Smikle later took a taxi to the victim’s mother’s home in the early hours. The court heard she had encouraged the victim to run away that night. Smikle was convicted alongside the victim’s mother at Nottingham Crown Court and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.

Josh Mills-Afford, a 37-year-old French teacher of West Bridgford, targeted two 17-year-old secondary school pupils during separate school trips years apart. The relationships involved sexual touching at a cinema and in a car park, full sexual intercourse, requests for naked images, and kissing one victim in a classroom cupboard after she tried to end the relationship. He also purchased alcohol for the second victim. Both victims provided impact statements describing emotional harm, guilt and disrupted education.

Kacper Ciechanski, 29, of Holden Street, Mansfield, grappled with a police officer to stop him getting his mobile phone knowing there were child abuse images on it of girls as young as six. Officers went to his address after information was received that a Google account was being used to download the images. He told them he did not have any electronic devices and had sold his mobile phone. He was arrested and an officer saw him trying to move his mobile phone in his bedroom before struggling to get control of it. There were 33 category A images, five category B and 97 category C.