Stafford Crown Court Sentencing Results

Paul Hodkinson, 50, of Uttoxeter, was spotted by police driving an Audi with two different number plates through Penkridge on August 31 last year. Officers tailed him to a petrol station on the A449 where an item was placed in his boot. The vehicle was stopped on Cannock Road where a stolen double-barrelled 20-bore shotgun was found in the boot, along with cocaine and cannabis on his person. While on bail, he was stopped again on October 16 last year in Uttoxeter, yielding more cocaine, cannabis, and cash. A raid found scales, empty snap seal bags, and traces of white powder.

Reece Brivitt doused a woman in petrol and vodka before setting her alight inside a flat in Stafford on 22 October. She suffered serious burns to her chest and legs and was left with life-changing injuries.

Neil Fillingham, 45, from Cannock, Staffordshire, used deleted messaging apps and undeclared work devices to conceal predatory communications with children. He was already on a suspended sentence for previous child sexual offences and systematically violated his conditions to regain online access to minors. He was also convicted of failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements. Sentencing followed a proactive investigation by Staffordshire Police.

Nikki Baker, 35, from Werrington, conspired to dispose of speeding offences in Staffordshire by perverting the course of justice.

Aram Ahmed was stopped by police on the M1 near Rugby on 7 May 2015. Officers found a loaded pistol with six 9mm bullets and a silencer. Ahmed was arrested and an investigation linked co-defendant Araz Mohammedi. Following a two-week trial, Ahmed was convicted of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Aimie Hodgkinson-Hedgecox joined a violent mob attacking a hotel in Tamworth housing asylum seekers on 4 August. Footage showed her shouting incendiary and racist remarks at police officers and pulling an 11-year-old boy out of the way as a firework was aimed at officers. She was seen in three video clips and admitted shouting abuse about asylum seekers when arrested. The hotel was damaged after petrol was poured inside and set alight.

Abigail Steggles controlled and belittled her partner by dictating how money could be spent, deleting telephone numbers and blocking people from contacting him. The court heard of an incident where a measuring tape was thrown. A victim impact statement revealed the man felt uncomfortable and embarrassed, and that his mental health suffered. She changed her pleas on the first day of trial on July 10.

Amar Tasaddiq Hussain, aged 29 from Birmingham, sparked a major national security alert by making a hoax 999 call on December 8, 2014, falsely claiming a Muslim West Midlands Police colleague was going to be kidnapped. The call, made amid a severe national terrorism threat level, caused fears of a Lee Rigby-style attack, leading to an unprecedented police response to protect officers and staff. Counter-terrorism detectives initially arrested a suspect, but evidence including voice analysis linked Hussain to the call. The plot stemmed from a grudge against colleagues from an Islamic community organisation, following a prior false report of a forced marriage in September 2014. Hussain conspired with Adil Bashir and Muhammad Ali Sheikh, who bought a phone with his money to send a WhatsApp message discrediting the colleagues.

Damien Roberts, aged 27, of College Road in Oswestry, drove a black Nissan Qashqai southbound on the A5, colliding head-on with a white Nissan Juke on the bridge over the Ceiriog river near Chirk at 7pm on December 2nd, 2022. The 49-year-old driver of the Nissan Juke died at the scene.

Jamal Ahmed, 34, attacked a fellow inmate at HMP Dovegate on 10 April 2024 during Eid celebrations. He used a makeshift metal weapon to slash the victim across the face from cheek to ear, causing a 10cm wound that required 20 stitches and left permanent scarring. The victim had spoken with Ahmed earlier that day and shaken hands, and there was no apparent issue or bad blood. After the attack, Ahmed walked off and was seen dropping a small metal square before being apprehended by prison staff. He declined to answer questions in interview and was later convicted after trial of Section 18 wounding with intent. The court heard the victim was pressured not to give evidence and that Ahmed had previous convictions dating back to 2011, including robbery, actual bodily harm and theft.

Robert Murphy, 49, of Carver Road, Burton-on-Trent, ran an illegal waste site for 15 months off the A38 at Eggington near Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Between 3 January 2013 and 28 June 2014, he used land belonging to a vulnerable and elderly couple to deposit, store and burn large quantities of mixed waste including metal, wood, electrical items and construction and demolition waste without owning the site or having an environmental permit.

Samantha Halden-Evans, 36, from Cheadle, who worked for the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership, conspired to dispose of speeding offences in Staffordshire by committing misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice.

Wayne Riley, 41, from Cheadle, conspired to dispose of speeding offences in Staffordshire by perverting the course of justice.