Preston Crown Court Sentencing Results

Wesley Aaron Powell, an 18-year-old homeless man living rough, committed a series of robberies in Accrington and Brierfield over two days to fund his drug habit. He targeted vulnerable elderly women and others, including robbing handbags from a 74-year-old on Washington Street, attempting to rob a woman on Windsor Street, robbing two women (aged 65 and 80s) on Belgarth Road causing injuries, robbing a 77-year-old on Foster Street with a punch, attempting to rob a 46-year-old disabled woman on Sultan Street, robbing two 18-year-old girls on Burnley Road, robbing a shop worker of a charity box in Brierfield, and stealing a £200 bike from a man after meeting on Facebook Marketplace. Victims suffered physical injuries, fear, and long-term trauma.

David Ostafi was stopped in the early hours of August 8, 2019 on Holland House Road in Walton-le-Dale and officers noticed his 'eyes were glazed and he smelt of intoxicants'. The father-of-three was held in the cage of a police van as they prepared a roadside breath test when 'from nowhere he launched himself' at the female officer with his head at chest height and knocked her to the floor. He then punched another male officer in the chest before 'making a run for it through the gap'. Ostafi was heard 'roaring like an animal' as police then made 'extensive efforts to detain him'. When one officer grabbed hold of him the defendant 'started to thrash about with his hands' and broke free before running away again. A Taser was used to try and incapacitate Ostafi however it was 'insufficient'. The defendant continued to 'violently resist' by kicking his legs and waving his arms as four officers tried to handcuff him on the ground. A search of Ostafi's car revealed a metal baseball bat and a large can of pepper spray in the rear footwell of the passenger seat. When he was searched at the police station a small bag of cocaine was recovered but Ostafi refused to provide a breath test. In a separate incident Ostafi was caught driving a £48,000 Audi which had been stolen in a house burglary four weeks earlier on October 1, 2018. The vehicle had been on false number plates until five days before he was arrested at a BP petrol station.

Anthony Howell and Kieran O'Leary attended Rayrigg Motors in Morecambe 'under the guise' of wanting to buy a car and started speaking to the owner. During the conversation one of the defendants went into the office and stole the keys to a Kia Sportage which had been left at the garage for repairs. The vehicle was driven off and then spotted five days later outside a house in Carnforth, near The Highwayman Pub. A neighbour, who was suspicious of the vehicle parked on the road, raised concerns with the house owner through social media. When CCTV was later examined it showed two men breaking into a garage at the house and stealing two mountain bikes worth £680. Police were dispatched to look for the Kia and the court heard that driver Howell initially failed to stop when flagged down by an officer. Mr Barr said the 54-year-old was eventually arrested along with passenger O'Leary and they were taken to a local police station. O'Leary was then identified as the burglar of a separate house in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, three weeks earlier. The theft occurred in 2019.

Jamie Douglas Bullen knocked out the victim in the early hours of June 2, 2019 with a ferocious punch before kicking him twice on the floor. The remorseless 32-year-old then 'slapped him around the face and as a parting shot flicked his nose'. The shocking incident was immediately witnessed on CCTV by police officers who rushed to the scene. The victim was found bleeding profusely on the pavement and suffered a laceration to his head and a 'bust lip'. He was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital for treatment but 'refused to raise a formal complaint'. A short time after the attack on the victim the defendant then attended the home of his ex-partner's sister in Blackburn. Bullen was seen 'waving a hammer around and shouting aggressively toward her' before smashing the back window of her car. He then ran off down the street and drove away in a Vauxhall Corsa before her husband returned home. Her husband then followed the defendant to the home of Bullen's ex-partner on Ailsa Road and when he went into the house he heard voices upstairs. Her husband saw Bullen by the side of the bed using an 'aggressive tone towards Bullen's ex-partner'. Her husband punched Bullen who then fell onto the bed before Bullen's ex-partner shouted the word 'knife'. The court heard that her husband looked down and saw Bullen holding a knife in his right hand and they 'both ended up in a scuffle on the floor'. Bullen eventually dropped the weapon saying 'I don't need a knife' and walked out of the house. Her husband followed him outside before realising he had a 'scratch and small puncture across his chest'. Bullen got back into the Corsa before officers arrived at the scene and arrested him. He provided a roadside breath test of 52mg in 100ml - the legal limit is 35mg - and officers also seized a small amount of cannabis.

Christian James Niven, 29, of Sandfield Road, Bacup, wielded a knife and punched taxi driver during a robbery on February 2, 2019, on Bury Road in Rawtenstall, causing injuries to the victim's fingers. He then participated in setting fire to the stolen red Skoda Octavia taxi at the entrance to a primary school, where it rolled back onto a wall near a house, forcing a traumatised family to flee through the back door.

Elliot Lee Boothman, 24, robbed a taxi driver at knifepoint on January 20, 2019, outside Omars Takeaway on Nuttall Street in Accrington, stealing his Skoda Octavia taxi and cash after threatening to kill him with an eight-inch kitchen knife. Less than two weeks later, on February 2, 2019, he participated in another knifepoint robbery of a taxi driver on Bury Road in Rawtenstall, involving punches and threats, after which the stolen taxi was set on fire by co-defendants near a residential property, causing a family to flee.

Claire McMillan robbed a rough sleeper while he was asleep on a bench in a shopping centre in Burnley in the early hours of April 30 2026. She and two male accomplices accosted the victim; one pinned him down by the head while she searched his clothing and underwear. They stole around £50 from his socks, loose change, trainers valued at £170, and a carrier bag containing six cans of beer. The victim was left barefoot and shaken by the incident. McMillan was identified on CCTV carrying stolen property.

Christopher Thompson, then 45, of Stott Street, Nelson, Lancashire, carried out a predatory campaign targeting a twelve-year-old girl after concealing his sex offender status from a local family. He groped the girl at a karaoke house party and invited her into his bed. Lancashire Constabulary investigated after the girl spoke out. Thompson was originally jailed in 2005 for raping a four-year-old child.

Adil Khan, 20, together with Mustafa Safi, carried out a series of knife-point robberies in Preston and Chorley over four days in November. On 10 November at the Premier Store on Avenham Lane, Preston, Safi threatened staff with a knife while Khan stole around £500 cash and 70 packets of cigarettes. On 12 November, they attempted to rob Vanikas on Langton Road but fled empty-handed after staff resisted. On 13 November, at Best One on Pall Mall, Chorley, Khan kept watch while Safi used a knife to take about £200. Minutes later, they attempted to rob One Stop on Brindle Street, Chorley, but were foiled by a customer. Police later found knives in a nearby bin with DNA linking both men. They were arrested in Kent on 20 November.

Ben Porter burgled MFG’s Newby Bridge petrol station on the A590 in Cumbria on January 19, 2024. The forecourt shop was ram-raided and its safe was stolen. The offence involved two vehicles and was described as requiring planning and organisation. Porter admitted burglary at South Cumbria Magistrates on May 14 and was subsequently sentenced at Preston Crown Court.

David Potter, 32, of Welwyn Garden City, was on holiday in Blackpool when he and two local men carried out a sledgehammer raid on an office building. The men wore black clothing and balaclavas, smashed the front glass door and ransacked the premises, stealing around £4,000 of Pokémon cards along with jewellery and cash and causing damage totalling up to £22,000. Potter was identified from a blood stain found on smashed glass inside the building, which was matched to him by DNA. He was in breach of a suspended sentence at the time of the burglary.