St Albans Crown Court Sentencing Results

Jasper Thompson, a 28-year-old from Letchworth, strangled his victim in front of her two children on December 29, 2023, threatening to cut her face with a knife and kill her. The abuse lasted for hours, during which he put his hands around her neck, preventing her from breathing. He had a history of violent behaviour, including previous offences in May 2021.

Ndayishimye Shabani, as director of Protek Property Solutions Ltd, defrauded a Stevenage resident by initially agreeing to repair a leaking roof for £1,600 in March 2022, then claiming it would cost £20,000 and securing £15,500 paid into his personal account. Investigations revealed the work was unnecessary, and he used similar fraudulent tactics on other victims, laundering a total of £192,750 through his account.

Michael Miller, 38, from Cottonmill Lane in St Albans, stalked his ex-partner after their relationship ended, relentlessly pursuing her by messaging, appearing at her workplace, leaving notes on her car, and falsely reporting her to police. The stalking escalated when he used a petrol bomb to set fire to her car outside her home and messaged her threateningly. He was arrested with a mobile phone that violated his existing Stalking Protection Order.

John Probert, 56, of Deerswood Avenue in Hatfield, breached his Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which had been in place since 2016 and for life since 2019, by registering two alias names with online chat sites and using them to interact with other users. He discussed his sexual interest in children and concealed his identity to enable this behaviour.

Cameron Osman, 45, from Southampton, engaged more than 70 teenage boys in sexualised chat between 2020 and 2021 by pretending to be a 16-year-old girl using the online alias 'Lizzielemon'. He contacted victims on sites including Instagram, Google Hangouts, and Skype, claiming his camera was broken to avoid revealing his identity. He pretended 'Lizzielemon' was from Bristol or Birmingham and had fetishes for dominating boys in school uniform and sports kit, and conducting teacher/student role plays. Chat logs showed communication with underage boys in 27 countries. While on bail, he re-offended by pretending to be a younger man. He was arrested in September 2021 in Crowborough, East Sussex, and again on March 27, 2023. No evidence of grooming at his former job as a children's holiday camp manager in Hailsham.

Abdi Hassan and two other men lured a man in his 20s to Neasden Recreation Ground in December 2021 under the pretense of selling him cryptocurrency. They attacked him, knocking him to the ground, after which Hassan produced a Rambo knife and slashed the victim on the back, arms, and legs before throwing him into a nearby lake, leaving him injured and traumatised in freezing winter conditions.

Aimen Mawia, aged 29, from London Road in London, engaged in coercive and controlling behaviour towards his partner between July 1, 2022, and February 12, 2023, which included routine assaults when she disagreed with him or failed to meet his standards. He also possessed cannabis and obstructed a police officer.

On August 5, 2023, Daniel Barry Coburn, 49, from Chelmsford, Essex, was driving a white Ford Transit on the A120 near Standon Hill, Hertfordshire, when it veered onto the wrong side of the road. He was using his phone to engage in sexual acts and conversations while driving and was over the legal limits for alcohol, cocaine, and MDMA. The vehicle collided with a red Kia Picanto driven by the victim, 81, who died at the scene. She was en route to a family celebration.

In 2012, Mike Martin, who was 23 years old at the time, met two vulnerable teenage girls in the Dacorum area. He groomed them and engaged in sexual activity with them as offences, which related to the victims who were teenagers then.

Michael Hargrave, using an online alias, met two minor victims on Snapchat and engaged in sexual offences with them in Hertfordshire. He communicated sexually with the children, committed sexual activity with them, caused them to watch sexual acts, and incited them to engage in sexual activity. He was arrested on May 11, 2023, after his identity was discovered through investigations. The offences involved organising meetings that led to the crimes, and police safeguarded the victims.

Andrew Dalby, from the Hemsworth area of Sheffield, engaged in online conversations with who he believed was a 14-year-old boy between October 20 and December 10, 2022, while posing as a 30-year-old doctor. The conversations turned sexual, and he arranged to meet the boy for a 'health check', booking a hotel room in St Albans. He travelled to the location with items such as condoms and medical equipment, where he was arrested. Police analysis of his devices revealed additional victims in Hull, Great Yarmouth, Birmingham, and South Wales.

On April 1, 2023, Thierry Wilkerson assaulted an elderly man in his 70s in Hatfield town centre by punching him repeatedly after being asked to stop riding an e-scooter illegally, causing a fractured eye socket and multiple injuries. He was also sentenced for his involvement in an affray on June 13, 2022, where he was part of a group fight that injured several people and involved kicking a dog.

Mohammed Anam was involved in luring a 45-year-old man to Jamie Mosque in St Albans, Hertfordshire, on June 4, 2020. He and others seriously assaulted the victim inside the mosque entrance, away from public view, resulting in three broken ribs and hospitalisation for over two weeks. Anam tampered with evidence by removing CCTV and lying to authorities.

Mohammed Choudhury was part of a group that lured a 45-year-old man to Jamie Mosque in St Albans, Hertfordshire, on June 4, 2020. They collectively beat the victim, causing three broken ribs and leading to hospitalisation for over two weeks. He also engaged in perverting the course of justice to conceal the assault.

Mohammed Mortuza lured a 45-year-old man to Jamie Mosque in St Albans, Hertfordshire, on June 4, 2020, via a text message. He and others seriously assaulted the victim, causing three broken ribs and requiring hospitalisation for over two weeks. The victim was traumatised, and Mortuza attempted to cover up the crime by lying to the police.

Ali Choudhury participated in luring a 45-year-old man to Jamie Mosque in St Albans, Hertfordshire, on June 4, 2020. He and others violently assaulted the victim, hitting him with such force that he sustained three broken ribs and required hospitalisation for over two weeks. The group attempted to cover up the crime.

Laura Borrell, 44, and her husband Philip benefited from her mother Frances Noble's fraud by acquiring and using laundered proceeds for an extravagant lifestyle, including holidays to Boston, San Francisco, and Canada between 2011 and 2017. They were held out as carers but were not. The money laundering arose from the fraud on Hertfordshire County Council.

Philip Borrell, 46, and his wife Laura benefited from her mother Frances Noble's fraud by acquiring and using laundered proceeds for an extravagant lifestyle, including holidays to Boston, San Francisco, and Canada between 2011 and 2017. He frequently travelled with his wife. The money laundering arose from the fraud on Hertfordshire County Council.

Perry Aldrich set alight garden waste in Balmoral Drive, Borehamwood, on August 12, 2022, which spread to a shed and a block of flats owned by Clarion Housing Association, causing an estimated £3 million worth of damage. This incident displaced 21 residents who required emergency housing, and no one was seriously injured. Aldrich was living in the block of flats at the time.