Sheffield Crown Court Sentencing Results

Andrew McMinn armed himself with a hockey stick and rode a bicycle to a residential street in Dunscroft on 17 July. In broad daylight, he attacked the victim without warning, striking them seven times across the head, chest and torso before fleeing. Several witnesses saw the assault, and the victim suffered life-threatening and life-altering injuries. Police tracked McMinn's route after he fled on his bike and obtained video showing his face and distinctive tattoos. He admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing an offensive weapon.

Paul Whittingham, 59, from Halifax Road, Bradford, laundered money from contraband sales in the HMP Lindholme smuggling network between 2018 and 2020, recruited by his son Joseph, contributing to the proceeds of an operation linked to seven deaths.

Lucy Whittingham, 37, from Bradford, laundered money from the sale of drugs, phones, and knives smuggled into HMP Lindholme between 2018 and 2020, recruited by her husband Joseph as part of the conspiracy that led to seven spice deaths.

Lydia Pinnington, 23, from Clieves Road, Liverpool, laundered money from the HMP Lindholme contraband network operating between 2018 and 2020, which involved smuggling drugs like spice, leading to seven prisoner deaths, though acquitted of direct smuggling charges.

Graham Marshall, 39, forced his partner to engage in a range of sex acts with their pet pug at their Sheffield home, driven by his perverted sexual fantasies. He filmed the acts and shared images with the victim on TikTok. The abuse involved coercion and occurred over a long period.

John Staveley, aged 55, sexually abused two boys over a decade from the late 1990s, exploiting his roles as a teacher and football coach. The offences included nine counts of gross indecency with a boy under 14, two counts of indecent assault on a boy under 16, and one count of causing or inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity. The first victim reported the crimes in 2020, leading to an investigation with witness statements and social media evidence.

Farhad Salah, a 24-year-old Iraqi Kurd and Isis supporter, plotted a martyrdom operation using a remote-controlled vehicle with an improvised explosive device to harm others he considered infidels while sparing his own life. He was in the early stages of testing small devices and had messaged contacts about his plans a week before his arrest in December 2017. Unable to travel to the Middle East due to his unsettled asylum status, he grew increasingly desperate to act for Isis. He was in communication with other extremists and viewed sickening violent imagery.

On 4 August 2024, Levi Fishlock, aged 31 from Sheffield Road in Barnsley, participated in riots outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, used for asylum seekers. Wearing a distinctive purple England football shirt with 'Bellingham' on the back, he added planks of wood to a wheelie bin fire next to the hotel, helped build and set fire to barricades, threw bricks and paving slabs at windows, destroyed fencing and an air-conditioning unit, made threatening gestures with a sharp object towards asylum seekers inside, and later attacked police vehicles with rocks. Over 200 asylum seekers were trapped upstairs as the rioters intended to endanger lives. Hotel staff barricaded themselves in a panic room fearing death from smoke. After arrest, he admitted knowing why he was detained and called it 'for a good cause'. The violence injured 64 police officers, three horses, and a dog.

Neil King, aged 51, sexually abused two teenage girls in Rotherham in the 2000s. The victims were friends who came into contact with King after social services placed one girl with his then on-off partner (now deceased). King used his position of trust and influence to offer the girls gifts, money, sometimes alcohol and drugs, grooming them for sexual abuse including rape and attempted rape.

On 22 March 2024, Michael Donaldson, 56, accosted Ed Miliband MP on a street in Doncaster and shouted death threats at him and his two members of staff. The MP and staff were left shaken and quickly left the area. Donaldson was arrested later that day and continued to make offensive comments about the MP.

Peter Lynch was at the front of a mob that gathered outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham on August 4, 2024, housing asylum seekers. He shouted 'scum' and 'child killers' at police, screamed 'you are protecting people who are killing our kids and raping them', and 'protect my children'. He held a placard asserting corruption of MPs, judges, the media, and police. Body-worn camera footage showed him challenging officers as they pushed him back with shields. The rioting left 64 police officers injured, as well as four dogs and a horse.

Michael Whitehead (27) shouted ‘You’re not fit to wear the badge’ at police officers and chanted to the mob ‘Let’s go fxxxxxx mental, Let’s go fxxxxxx mental’ during the disorder at the Holiday Inn Rotherham.

Colin McNeil, 46, from Leeds, operated two websites that spread far-right propaganda and encouraged terrorism, featuring racist documents, images, and videos glorifying Hitler, the Nazis, and prominent Neo-Nazis. The sites honoured men who committed racist mass killings, including Brenton Tarrant, who murdered 51 people in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019. McNeil did not create the material but provided a platform for it, reaching an audience inclined towards terrorism. Evidence showed engagement by Payton Gendron, who murdered 10 people in Buffalo, USA in 2022. McNeil benefited financially from donations and expressed his own racist views. One site had 5,716 members with 255,960 photos and 6,499 videos; the other had 12,345 members and 79,284 videos, with a $50 pro upgrade option.

Anesu Blessing Samuriwo, alongside Rovin Mavunga, operated an illegal money lending business from around December 2018 until their arrest in 2020. They used social media apps like Snapchat to target vulnerable borrowers needing money for basic necessities, offering short-term high-interest loans (typically just under 100% interest) ranging from £50 to £100, totalling around £120,000 to approximately 130 borrowers. They charged extortionate interest rates and late payment penalties, using threats and intimidation including threats to burn down a borrower's house and kill him, demanding £7,000 including £4,000 interest. Phone records showed banking transactions and messages indicating loan provision. After Mavunga's arrest in March 2020, Samuriwo continued the enterprise with increased transactions.

Dean Tonks conspired with others in the stealing of rail from Network Rail trackside and depot locations in the East of England on eighty-nine occasions between March and November 2016.

Jaspreet Oberoi, director of JSJ Metal Recycling Ltd, conspired with others to steal rail from Network Rail trackside and depot locations in the East of England on eighty-nine occasions between March and November 2016. He also conspired in a second theft involving thirty-six occasions from May to November 2016 at locations including Kettering, Market Harborough, Derby, Burton-on-Trent and Braybrooke, passing locations via third parties from Ricky Collins. The stolen rail was transported to his scrap metal business for profit.

Lee Clark, who ran his own haulage company based on JSJ Metal Recycling Ltd premises, conspired in the theft of rail from Network Rail trackside and depot locations in the East of England on eighty-nine occasions between March and November 2016. He also participated in a second conspiracy involving thirty-six occasions from May to November 2016, attending locations to load stolen rail onto lorries for transport to JSJ Metal Recycling Ltd.

Ricky Collins, a Network Rail Manager overseeing a rail upgrade of the Midlands Mainline, conspired in the theft of stockpiled rail by passing locations to Jaspreet Oberoi via third parties. This took place on thirty-six occasions from May to November 2016 at locations including Kettering, Market Harborough, Derby, Burton-on-Trent and Braybrooke.

Al-Tahery Al-Mashriky, 26, from Rotherham, hacked into websites of organisations across America, Yemen, and Israel, stealing login details of millions of people. He was linked to the extremist hacker group Yemen Cyber Army through social media and email accounts. Forensic analysis revealed he infiltrated sites including the Yemen Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yemen Ministry of Security Media, an Israeli news outlet, faith websites in Canada and the USA, and the California State Water Board. In February 2022, he hacked into Israeli Live News, accessing admin pages and downloading the entire website. He also targeted two Yemeni government websites, deploying tools to scan for usernames and vulnerabilities. He created hidden webpages with his online monikers and messaging furthering his religious and political ideology. He possessed personal data for over four million Facebook users and documents with usernames and passwords for services like Netflix and Paypal. His activities caused significant cost and inconvenience to victims.

Wayne Joselyn, 43, dug up the grave of the victims in Carlton Cemetery, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in April 2023, after hearing a rumour that the plot contained money to fund his drug habit. The couple had been buried together since 1984, with one victim dying at 78 and the other at 80 in 1982. The disturbance was discovered on May 2, 2023, by a member of the public, leading to a police investigation that identified Joselyn as the perpetrator.