Preston Crown Court Sentencing Results

Sean Broadhurst, company director of St Lukes (Preston) Ltd, was fined following a serious fire on 9 January 2020 at a converted church building in Preston. The fire began in the kitchen of a self-contained flat and spread throughout the building, which contained ground-floor flats and a first-floor House in Multiple Occupation. When tenants activated manual call points and smoke triggered detection in escape routes, the automatic fire system did not sound an audible warning. Investigations by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service found inadequate fire alarm systems, substandard fire doors, poor compartmentation, inadequate fire safety management, and absence of a Fire Risk Assessment.

Jamie Carter was responsible for two residential premises in Lancashire and failed to take adequate fire safety precautions, carry out suitable and sufficient fire risk assessments, provide and maintain appropriate fire detection and alarm systems, ensure occupants could evacuate safely, maintain effective fire evacuation procedures, comply with enforcement and prohibition notices, and implement effective fire safety management. Inspections identified obstructed escape routes, damaged fire doors, missing fire-resisting glazing, inadequate fire detection measures, and fire alarm systems that were switched off or without power, placing occupants at significant risk.

Michael Aspinall, a former Greater Manchester Police officer from Salford, was convicted of three counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He communicated online with individuals he believed to be children, who were in fact undercover officers, and was arrested in October 2024. He was suspended from duty immediately and later resigned from the force before sentencing.

Between October 2023 and September 2024, Aiden John Shuttleworth carried out poor quality roofing and property maintenance work for customers in Chorley, Liverpool and Bolton. He recommended unnecessary work, falsely claimed to be VAT registered, and several times failed to complete work for which he had been paid. A widow paid £27,400 over 10 months for escalating roof work before work stopped, leaving defects and unfinished jobs; an independent surveyor later found much of the work was unnecessary and completed to a very poor standard. The prosecution followed a Lancashire County Council Trading Standards investigation.

Jason Jeynes, a 40-year-old Preston mechanic and owner of Ashton Autos, struck two sisters who were cycling along Tom Benson Way, Preston, on 25 May 2025 after drinking at a local pub. He failed to stop and drove his Volkswagen Amarok home, where he was arrested later that night. The victims were taken to hospital, with one requiring surgery to repair a snapped ligament in her arm. Jeynes also damaged another vehicle when leaving the pub car park.

In October 2025, the victim sent a code word text to a relative to signal for help as she feared for her safety. Jase Dawe had subjected her to violent and controlling behaviour. He attempted to intimidate the victim and the relative who contacted police, and accused them of bullying him by reporting his offences. After a trial at Blackburn Magistrates Court in July, he was found guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation, controlling and coercive behaviour, three counts of beating, and two charges of criminal damage.

Darren Davies set fire to a four-bedroom detached bungalow in Hambleton where he lived with his brother following the death of their parents in 2024. On 27 March, neighbours heard a loud bang at about 9.50am as the property erupted into flames; glass and debris flew out and the roof collapsed. Three gas cylinders had been placed in the kitchen, living room and a front bedroom, petrol was found in the loft and a candle had been lit. Davies emerged uninjured and said: 'My family want the house. If I can't have it, no-one can.' Firefighters brought the blaze under control before it could spread.

Mackenzie Feenie was one of three teenagers involved in a stabbing in Blackpool on 28 October 2025. Officers were called shortly after midnight following reports of an assault. A local man in his 30s was attacked and suffered a number of stab wounds, requiring hospital treatment for serious injuries; he later recovered. Feenie was found not guilty of Section 18 wounding with intent but was convicted of Section 20 wounding.

On 21 September 2024, Matthew Isherwood was driving a black Seat Altea on Oxcliffe Road, Heaton-with-Oxcliffe, Morecambe. He struck the victim, an 81-year-old cyclist, who was riding a racing tricycle, causing him to fall into the road. Forensic examination of his phone showed he started his journey at 7:41am and within four minutes had taken and sent a selfie on Snapchat, sent Snapchat messages to three people, viewed photos and videos on Instagram, and sent an Instagram message to a fifth person just seconds before the collision. The victim was subsequently run over by a second vehicle and died at the scene. Isherwood was arrested at the scene and later pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

On 11 December 2024, Joe McAldon, then aged 17, collected three friends in a Vauxhall Corsa and drove them near Clieves Hill in Aughton, Lancashire. Returning down the hill along Fir Tree Lane, he lost control on a bend and struck a stone wall shortly after 9 pm. Emergency services attended and all four occupants were taken to hospital. Passenger the victim, aged 17, died from his injuries shortly after admission. McAldon and the other two boys were treated for serious injuries. A police investigation found McAldon was travelling at 57 mph, significantly exceeding the 40 mph speed limit.

Lisa Green was sentenced after admitting contempt of court. She discussed an ongoing trial in prison telephone calls despite knowing she could not do so as a potential defence witness. The judge found the conduct represented a serious interference with the fairness and integrity of the trial process.

John Crossley, 44, of Burnley, sent multiple sexually explicit messages in November 2025 to someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. The recipient was actually an adult member of a paedophile hunter group who alerted police. Crossley was arrested in November 2025.

Peter Vernal torched a Dacia Sandero car parked on the driveway of a house in Staining, near Blackpool, on 21 July 2025, in a deliberate attack due to mistaken identity. The intended target was an address in the same area, and the car belonged to a man in his late 80s. The owner was awoken around 10.30pm by the fire starting near the front wheel, just a metre from the front door where two elderly people were asleep. An improvised Molotov cocktail was used, and the fire was extinguished by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. Vernal purchased a petrol can and three litres of petrol at a garage near the M55 junction shortly before the attack, with his vehicle seen leaving the garage at 10.22pm and arriving in Staining around 10.33pm. He was arrested in Fleetwood the following day.

On 22nd November 2023, during a routine stop in Lancaster, George Jacob and another man were spotted in possession of an electric motorbike. The police officer seized the motorbike, but Jacob became violent, shouting and pushing the officer before running away. Jacob then returned armed with a brick and threw it through the driver's side window of the police car, hitting the officer in the face. The officer suffered severe concussion, two chipped teeth, a laceration to the face, and had glass removed from his face. Jacob was arrested and charged with wounding with intent, criminal damage, and assaulting an emergency worker.

Walid Saadaoui was the ringleader of a foiled terrorist plot intended to target the Jewish community in Greater Manchester. In late 2023 he came into online contact with an undercover operative he believed shared his extremist views, and he discussed plans to conduct a significant terrorist attack targeting Jewish people. He introduced the operative to a co-defendant, and together they developed plans, conducted reconnaissance around Upper Broughton in Salford, and visited the Port of Dover to observe the border through which they believed illegal firearms would be imported. He was convicted of preparation of terrorist acts contrary to section 5(1)(b) of the Terrorism Act 2006.

Walid Saadoui, 38, planned an Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack on Jewish communities in north-west England, aiming to kill hundreds. He intended to smuggle four AK 47 rifles, two pistols, and 900 rounds of ammunition into the UK, paying a deposit in February 2024. The target was a mass march against antisemitism in Manchester city centre, followed by an attack in a predominantly Jewish area of north Manchester. He conducted reconnaissance in Greater Manchester, travelled to Dover port in March and May 2024 to monitor weapon importation, and secured a safe house between December 2023 and May 2024. He was arrested on 8 May 2024 while attempting to take possession of two assault rifles, a pistol, and ammunition. The plot was uncovered via an undercover officer.

Bilel Saadaoui was found guilty of failure to disclose information about an act of terrorism. He was aware of the planned terrorist attack but chose to remain silent. He initially denied awareness when questioned, but later confessed during cross-examination. Police said that being aware of a plan to cause such devastation and knowing he could act to prevent it, but choosing not to, made him as guilty as the others.

Bilel Saadoui, 36, Walid Saadoui's younger brother, was aware of his brother's plans for an Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack on Jewish communities in north-west England but failed to disclose this to authorities. He shared ISIS beliefs, accessed and shared related media, spent hours with his brother, and offered post-death support to the family. He held a key to a safe containing £70,000 of his brother's money and a copy of his will to prevent police seizure. He exchanged voice notes about the plans days before arrests but denied authorities the chance to stop the plot. The attack involved smuggling weapons for a mass killing in Manchester.

Amar Hussein was recruited to help Walid Saadaoui carry out an Islamic State-inspired attack on Jewish communities in north-west England. He travelled to Dover in March and May 2024 to conduct reconnaissance and was involved in monitoring the arrival of weapons. He also helped secure and equip a safe house for storing weapons. The plot included killing law enforcement officers who might intervene.

On July 31, 2025, in the early hours, Mark Conroy, aged 53, banged on his neighbour's back window and door in Colne, awakening the victim in his 40s. When the victim opened the door, Conroy pushed through with a serrated knife, stabbing the victim under the chin and multiple times while shouting 'I will kill you'. The victim grabbed the knife and shoved Conroy against the wall. Conroy then headbutted the victim, jumped over the wall into the neighbour's yard, and threw items including wooden ladders at him before fleeing. The victim called the police, and Conroy was arrested minutes later at his house. He threatened female police officers, saying 'you’re next' and 'that’s what you get when you mess around with Mark Conroy', and to another 'When I come back, I’m going to mess him up'. The victim was treated at Airedale General Hospital and Bradford Royal Infirmary for non-life-threatening neck wounds.