Preston Crown Court Sentencing Results

Joseph Chapman, 36, used the Snapchat handle 'PJ' to groom two 14-year-old girls by offering them vapes and arranging meetings. He sexually assaulted the first victim in his car in November 2022 in Burnley and the second victim on two occasions in January 2023 in Colne. The offences were discovered through diary entries and vape packaging, leading to his arrest in May 2023. He attempted to contact other girls, including asking for photos in school uniforms.

Colin Barrow, 60, was drunk and encountered his old friend the victim on January 7, 2025, in Blackburn. He invited the victim into his flat in Blackburn and offered him a drink. Barrow then attacked the victim by smashing a plate into his face, hitting him with a bottle, and stabbing him in the bicep with a kitchen knife, causing significant injuries including head wounds and a 4cm arm wound that required hospital treatment.

Liam Threlfall was involved in supplying cocaine and conspired to import and supply cannabis. He purchased cocaine from Darren McKenzie and distributed cannabis as part of the gang's operations from September 2023 to January 2024.

Bradley Moore, 27, of Accrington, breached an indefinite restraining order by contacting his grandmother on May 13, 2025, shortly after his release from prison. He asked her for money, ignored her requests not to visit, blamed her for difficulties in his childhood, and persistently phoned and turned up at her home over four days, leaving her terrified and prompting her to install CCTV for protection.

Thomas Freret, a 39-year-old sex offender, groomed and exploited a vulnerable 12-year-old child in Lancaster in 2020 for his own sordid sexual interests. He engaged in sexualised chats, pictures, and videos with the victim and instructed them to delete messages to cover his tracks. Freret was living in Elche, Spain, until his arrest on November 10 of the previous year and was in breach of a 2013 Sexual Offences Prevention Order that prohibited him from contacting children under 16 online.

Qusai Abdalla launched a frenzied attack on his friend, stabbing him 20 times in the head, chest, and arm at a property in Ingol, Preston, on September 29, 2024, due to an unpaid £20 debt. The victim, a man in his 40s, managed to stumble to a BP Garage on Tag Lane where he collapsed and was found by members of the public. Police discovered blood at the scene, and Abdalla was arrested at a property in New Rough Hey, Preston, with traces of the victim's blood on his trainers. The attack left the victim with severe physical and mental trauma, including flashbacks, anxiety, and loss of physical fitness.

Shahzad Syed Haider, as director of Smart Auto Parts Ltd, failed to implement proper fire safety measures at their Blackburn premises. This included no suitable fire alarm system, blocked and inadequate escape routes, lack of emergency lighting, absence of staff fire safety training, and no fire risk assessment. These deficiencies contributed to a fire on April 24, 2021, which engulfed the building and resulted in the accidental death of the victim four days later.

Sajid Hussain, a former taxi driver, was caught speeding twice on December 17 and 19, 2022, in the Burnley area. To avoid penalty points on his driving licence, which could have affected his job, he paid £600 to someone to falsify details on forms and produce fake insurance documents, claiming that a non-existent person was the driver. He was caught in his deception and charged with perverting the course of justice.

Imran Mulla, a 39-year-old Home Office employee in Manchester, abused his position in the asylum team by taking £3,500 in bribes from an asylum seeker to grant his asylum claim after it was initially refused in February 2024. Mulla allocated the case to himself, breaching policy, and granted the application. He also attempted to solicit a bribe from another asylum seeker, a Turkish national, by offering to influence his application for £2,000.

Nural Amin Begh, a 23-year-old Bangladeshi national, paid £3,500 in bribes to Imran Mulla, a Home Office employee, to get his asylum claim approved after it was refused in February 2024. Begh transferred the money in instalments following contact from Mulla and was involved in the scheme to unlawfully influence the immigration process.

Nurul Amin Begh, a Bangladeshi national, was refused asylum on 15 February 2024 and advised of the appeal policy. The following day, he was contacted by Imran Mulla, who had obtained his details from Home Office systems. Six days later, Begh transferred £1,500 into Mulla's account, and the pair communicated over subsequent days. On 13 March 2024, Mulla allocated Begh's case to himself and granted the asylum application. Begh transferred further monies over the next few months totalling £3,500.

David Mitchell engaged in online communications with a police officer posing as an individual with a sexual interest in children. He expressed intent to participate in the abuse of a child under 13 in exchange for payment through gift cards, stating a preference for victims as young as eight and providing explicit instructions. He was arrested on 18 February 2025 at his address in Nookfield, Mosside, Leyland, Lancashire, after officers executed a warrant.

Samuel Green, 36, was spotted struggling to unlock his car parked on double yellow lines in Dalkeith Street, Barrow-in-Furness, shortly after midnight on August 31, 2024. He ignored police lights and sirens, drove away dangerously, swerving around the road and mounting the pavement. He collided with the rear of a police car in Abbey Street, causing damage, and failed to stop. He was later seen leaving a pub in Cavendish Street and was arrested after being identified as the vehicle's registered keeper. The incident involved evading police and posed risks to public safety in a busy area.

Andrew Phillips, aged 26, attended Blackpool Victoria Hospital on January 28, 2025, where he was believed to have taken cocaine. He became aggressive in the resus department, ignored staff warnings, barged into a cubicle where an 11-month-old baby was receiving care, threw a chair, pulled at the baby's IV cable and oxygen tube, and assaulted staff. This resulted in one nurse sustaining a fractured arm and wrist, and another suffering a bruised ankle. The baby was unharmed.

Ismael Lombe drove a BMW dangerously in Southport on April 22, 2023, while in possession of £17,960 in cash believed to be criminal property and cannabis with intent to supply.

Gary Wanless subjected a girl to sexual abuse in the Morecambe area, including assault by penetration when she was 3-4 years old and non-penetrative sexual activity when she was 14 years old. The offences involved a clear sexual interest in children, and he was caught after the victim reported the crimes.

On February 21, 2024, in Kincraig Avenue, Blackpool, Tony Parkin was kicking at a neighbour's door with blood on his face. When confronted by a man, he pulled a knife from his hoodie and lunged towards him, pointing the blade at his chest. He then made stabbing motions towards a mobility scooter. Police arrested him, found a grey flick knife with a three-inch blade and a screwdriver on him, and another knife on a doorstep.

On March 5, 2025, Gulhassan Khan drove his partner's white Audi onto the forecourt of the Springbank Service Station on Manchester Road, Nelson. He argued with her, punched her in the face, kicked at her when she fell, dragged her, and tried to force her back into the vehicle. He chased her as she ran away, during which she was struck by another car's bonnet. He threatened to throw battery acid on her and later taunted her in video footage showing her with two black eyes and cuts. Witnesses described her as screaming and traumatised, and police found her emotional and scared.