Teesside Crown Court Sentencing Results

Gabriel Horsley-Ling was riding his black Honda motorcycle on Yarm Road in Darlington on February 28, 2024, with his girlfriend as a pillion passenger. In busy traffic he attempted to undertake an HGV and trailer but collided with the nearside of the unladen trailer, causing his passenger to be thrown under the trailer. She suffered catastrophic injuries and was pronounced dead at 6.05pm. Horsley-Ling, who had passed his test about a month earlier and had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

Carl Simmons made an arrangement online in October 2025 to sexually abuse and rape children overseas. He used sexually explicit language, sent sexual images of himself, and had booked flights and prepared for travel. He was actually speaking to an undercover police officer. Officers from the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit and Durham Constabulary arrested him in October 2025 before he could travel. He later pleaded guilty.

Kevin Smith made an arrangement online in October 2025 to sexually abuse and rape children overseas. He used sexually explicit language and had booked flights and prepared for travel. He was actually speaking to an undercover police officer. Officers from the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit and Durham Constabulary arrested him in October 2025 before he could travel. He later pleaded guilty.

Chelsea Bayliss was involved in laundering money from a roofing fraud conspiracy in which homeowners were cold-called and pressured into paying for unnecessary or poor-quality work. The wider operation took more than £1 million from victims between May 2021 and August 2024.

Ben Ware was involved in laundering money from a roofing fraud conspiracy in which vulnerable homeowners were cold-called and pressured into paying inflated prices for unnecessary or poor-quality work. The wider operation took more than £1 million between May 2021 and August 2024.

Ryan Watson was involved in a money laundering conspiracy linked to a roofing fraud that extracted more than £1 million from victims between May 2021 and August 2024. The network pressured homeowners into paying for unnecessary and poor-quality roofing work.

Nicole O'Brien was involved in a money laundering conspiracy connected to a roofing fraud that targeted homeowners in the North East, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The network extracted more than £1 million between May 2021 and August 2024 by pressuring victims into paying for unnecessary and overpriced work.

Serena May Ann Robertson was part of a building and roofing fraud ring that cold-called elderly and vulnerable victims across the North of England, telling them urgent work was needed. The fraud typically started with small jobs and escalated into claims of extensive urgent repairs. She was sentenced for laundering proceeds from the conspiracy.

Serena Robertson was involved in a money laundering conspiracy connected to a roofing fraud that targeted vulnerable homeowners. The network extracted more than £1 million between May 2021 and August 2024 by pressuring victims into paying for unnecessary and overpriced work.

Thomas Winter was involved in laundering money from a roofing fraud in which victims were cold-called and pressured into paying for unnecessary, overpriced work. The conspiracy operated between May 2021 and August 2024 and resulted in more than £1 million being taken from homeowners.

Charlie Farrow was involved in laundering the proceeds of a roofing fraud in which homeowners were cold-called and pressured into paying for unnecessary or poor-quality work. The wider conspiracy operated in the North East, Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire between May 2021 and August 2024 and extracted more than £1 million.

Daniel Moody was convicted in his absence following a trial for laundering money from a roofing fraud conspiracy. The wider operation targeted vulnerable homeowners in the North East, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire between May 2021 and August 2024, taking more than £1 million for unnecessary and overpriced work.

Sonja Edgar was involved in a money laundering conspiracy connected to a wide-ranging roofing fraud. The network cold-called victims, inflated the scope and cost of work, and extracted more than £1 million between May 2021 and August 2024, moving the proceeds through numerous accounts.

Charlie Hoe stabbed a 19-year-old man outside a shop in March 2026, lunging at him with a knife. The injured man was later seen clinging to the roof of a moving van and received emergency treatment at hospital.

Michael Flanigan took part in an attack on a 19-year-old man outside a shop in March 2026. The injured man was later seen clinging to the roof of a moving van and received emergency treatment at hospital.

Robert Ashcroft groomed and repeatedly sexually assaulted a child over a three-month period. He was charged with six counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. He initially denied the offences but changed his plea to guilty after the child gave evidence. He was also involved in an attempted burglary on July 7, 2025, when he was seen via doorbell footage and arrested nearby.

On 7 January 2026, Christopher North entered a bank in Middlesbrough town centre wearing a balaclava and carrying a banana wrapped in a white cloth to look like a gun. He pointed it at cashiers and said, 'I'm robbing the bank, I'm robbing the bank, give me the cash.' Some customers believed it was a gun, while others saw the fruit. Two customers escorted him out of the bank. Police later found at his home a plan of the robbery, three bananas and five copies of a book he had written called The Man Who Robbed a Bank With A Banana. He had a long history of mental illness and had engaged with treatment while on remand.

Peter Murphy was caught smuggling pregabalin, Subutex and spice into HMP Holme House on July 16 last year. Prison staff became suspicious during visiting time and tracked him on CCTV before searching him; the drugs were found wrapped in clingfilm in his jacket pocket. He pleaded guilty to three counts of bringing a prohibited article into prison. The court heard he has a number of health problems and is diabetic, and his barrister said he is due to marry in Turkey on September 16. Judge Aisha Wadoodi said she had taken his health difficulties into account.

Ethan Chapman was part of a revenge attack at an industrial unit in Hartlepool on 6 April 2026, during which 12 vehicles were destroyed in a blaze. The court heard that the attack was linked to organised crime.