Stoke On Trent Crown Court Sentencing Results

Lawrence Barlow downloaded 455 indecent images of children, including still and moving images depicting the sexual abuse of very young children aged one to six. The images were categorised as 136 at category A (most serious), 128 at category B, and 191 at category C. Evidence showed searches for child pornography and access to the dark web. Police seized a Samsung mobile, a computer tower, and a hard drive from his home on September 25. He developed a pornography addiction from a young age and has taken steps towards therapy and rehabilitation since his arrest.

Steven Beswick, a 54-year-old sex offender from Biddulph Road, Horton, breached his five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order by deleting Facebook messages and his internet history. This order was imposed following his 2019 conviction for three offences of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, where he posed as a 17-year-old and solicited photos from individuals he believed to be teenage schoolgirls. The breach occurred after police discovered the deletions, and he admitted to the act in a prepared statement.

Rachel Colquhoun, while under the influence of alcohol, went to her neighbour's address at around 1am on January 21, banging on the door and holding a 20cm knife with a black handle and silver blade. She claimed she was forced to do so by her abusive former partner. The neighbour, fearing for her safety, threw a bottle of bleach over Colquhoun and called the police, leading to her arrest.

Rebecca Marfleet was driving a Mini Cooper in Longport in April 2024 while disqualified and without insurance. She provided false details to police, giving the name and date of birth of a former friend, Leah Hanks, to evade detection. She was arrested in October 2024 after an officer identified her from bodycam footage. She has a history of similar offences and claimed to be pregnant in an attempt to influence the court.

Matthew Turley, a 23-year-old homeless individual, was driving a VW Golf suspected to have cloned plates when police began following him on the M6 in Staffordshire. On February 19, 2025, he led officers on a high-speed chase, reaching speeds of 110mph and weaving through heavy traffic. He refused to stop despite blue lights and sirens, continuing until a stinger was deployed and a police box manoeuvre was used to halt the vehicle. A passenger was present and believed to be under the influence, but no damage occurred beyond the vehicle's tyres.

Gareth Machin set fire to his neighbour's house on December 24 by smashing a window and igniting the curtains, motivated by his belief that the neighbour was in a relationship with his ex-partner. The incident occurred in Pretoria Road, Etruria, and no one was inside the property at the time, resulting in no injuries. The victim, who had been neighbours with Machin for a couple of years, reported ongoing problems and fear, leading him to move out of his home.

Daniel Gibson attacked his victim in a town centre by kicking, punching, and stamping on him in Merrial Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, leaving the victim unconscious. The incident involved a complete stranger and was described as a brutal battering.

Anthony Speakman subjected his partner to abusive, threatening, and violent behaviour throughout December 2024 and January 2025, including multiple assaults, threats to kill with a kitchen knife, and cruelty to the family dog. Incidents involved kicking the victim in the stomach, sending vile messages via his son's tablet, and locking her out of the house after trashing it. These events occurred in front of children, who were threatened and told not to disclose the abuse, leading them to report it to teachers.

Sajid Khan engaged in sexual communications with a decoy he believed to be a 13-year-old girl named Freya Smith. Over Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, he sent hundreds of messages, including requests for videos, comments about her appearance such as loving her 'cherry lips', inquiries about shaving pubic hair, and a photo of his own pubic region. The grooming was patient and calculated, steering conversations towards sexual topics. He was confronted by a paedophile hunter group at his father's address on June 25, 2024, and later arrested.

Paul Nickless engaged in a controlling and coercive relationship with his ex-partner, whom he met online in September 2021. He became jealous when she attended her ex-partner's funeral and began gaslighting her when she tried to end the relationship. His behaviour included constant texting and calling while she was in hospital, posting about her illness on Facebook, following her in his car, appearing unannounced at her address, and bombarding her with calls, including multiple calls at night. He also photographed every room in her house without permission and asked his daughter to persuade the victim to drop charges. This led the victim to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia, forcing her to sell her home of 30 years for safety.

Joshua Barlow, 36, began growing 28 cannabis plants at his home in Trubshaw Place, Kidsgrove, in April 2021, to produce CBD oil for treating his gout. Police discovered the plants during a visit related to suspected identity fraud. The setup was amateurish and not intended for supply or recreational use, with Barlow confessing to the operation.

Dashti Mahmoodi was involved in a riot in Hanley on August 3, 2024, where he joined a group of counter-protesters. He brandished a large metal pole in front of the police line, which was removed by another individual, threw missiles towards the police, gestured obscenely at officers, kicked a police van while cheering, and was part of a group that smashed windows at Greggs, though he did not directly cause the damage. He was identified through a social media appeal, arrested, and provided a statement that was questioned by the judge due to language discrepancies.

Daniel Wheat, 42, strangled his ex-partner by squeezing her windpipe after dragging her to the floor, prevented her entering a shop, grabbed her arm causing bruising, and threatened to smash windows; he told her she deserved it.

Paul Johnson, 38, rented a house in St Michael's Road, Chell, and converted it into a cannabis factory with 60 plants across two bedrooms and the loft. The plants, about four weeks from maturity, had a potential value of £63,000 if sold in one gram street deals. He returned to the address and admitted to police, 'You have got me'.

Christopher Pearce, aged 35, of Milton, subjected his ex-girlfriend to a six-week harassment campaign after their brief two-and-a-half-month relationship ended in December 2024. He made threatening calls, followed her in his car to work, and smashed her car windscreen while her child slept inside the house. Arrested in February 2025 after breaching bail.

On August 3, 2024, during protests in Hanley following false information about the Southport attack on July 29, 2024, Salam Ahmedi, who was leading prayers in Masjid Salahuddin mosque, armed himself with a garden fork for protection and threw one missile at the police line. He shouted into a megaphone but quickly discarded the weapon upon police arrival, discouraged others from violence, and encouraged de-escalation, acting as a peacemaker for a few minutes.

Two illegal immigrants arrested inside a large-scale cannabis growing operation in the former curry house in Swan Square, Burslem, on September 12. Vietnamese Cao Khanh, also known as Minh Thanah Ngo, aged 25, was inside when police swooped. In a surprising move, Khanh had called the police and alerted officers to the factory at the old Badsha restaurant.

Two illegal immigrants arrested inside a large-scale cannabis growing operation in the former curry house in Swan Square, Burslem, on September 12. Albanian Alfred Mustafa, aged 29, was inside when police swooped.

Arsonist Lee Bould set fire to a car on Southbank Street, in Leek, in 2022. The fire spread to a second car leaving both vehicles written-off.

Shuaib Zamir, 31, of Pleydell Street, Sneyd Green, participated in a three-hour violent protest involving 300 people in Hanley city centre and near a mosque in Town Road on August 3, 2024. He was at the forefront of a group approaching counter-protesters and police, threw missiles at them, held a broom and a piece of wood as makeshift weapons, encouraged others, and attempted to evade police. The disorder resulted in injuries, damage including to Greggs doors, and use of improvised weapons.

On September 25, 2024, Sharuyan Sasikumar, aged 23, drove his Toyota Icon car with two friends, including back seat passenger the victim, after consuming whisky. While returning from a viewpoint in Stoke-on-Trent, he attempted to reach 90mph, hitting 82mph in a 30mph built-up area on High Street, Knutton. The car lights cut out briefly, and he lost control, mounting the pavement, striking a lamppost, and crashing into railings at Newcastle Children's Centre. The railings penetrated the vehicle, fatally injuring the victim, who died in hospital. Sasikumar's breath alcohol reading was 59 micrograms per 100ml, exceeding the legal limit of 35. He was unsteady on his feet at the scene and admitted to one shot of whisky. The crash was witnessed as excessively fast, with the engine revving loudly.

On the afternoon of December 30, 2022, in the Tesco car park in Meir Park, Stoke-on-Trent, Pavel Stefanovic, a 39-year-old Lithuanian migrant from Charnwood Road, Meir, became aggressive during a conversation with a fellow Lithuanian shopper and his wife. After moving to the edge of the car park near some foliage, Stefanovic revealed a concealed Stanley knife from his sleeve and slashed at the victim's face. The victim defended himself, resulting in cuts to his left palm, right forearm, right leg, right finger, right knee, and a cut to his nose from the initial strike. Stefanovic threatened to cut the couple into pieces and kill them, brandishing the knife for over 20 minutes in broad daylight, causing alarm to members of the public. He was surrounded by the victim's family but only dropped the knife upon police arrival. A second Stanley knife was found in his pocket. The victim required hospital treatment and stitches for his wounds.

Igor Ciesielski, aged 21, used a 3D printer to manufacture a gun and had components to make ammunition at his home in Bentilee. Police found disturbing comments about Jews and evidence of his interest in Nazis during the search. The firearm was not completed at the time of arrest.

In April, David Morris, 57, from Wolverhampton, suffocated a woman with a pillow while on a cruise ship. He was interviewed in custody and initially denied the offence but pleaded guilty in court last month.

Conner Dickens, 28, of Shelton in Stoke-on-Trent, breached a restraining order by messaging his victim 135 times over a two-day period in March 2024 on social media, encouraging her to leave her partner and sending abusive content. He also sent more than 100 messages to one of the victim's friends. He was arrested after the victim reported the incidents.