Teesside Crown Court Sentencing Results

Dylan Crocker was driving a Ford Fiesta on April 21, 2024, when he crashed into a wall on Coal Lane in Wolviston, near Billingham, seriously injuring three passengers. He fled the scene, leaving five people, including one in the boot, and was found hiding nearby. Passengers suffered severe injuries such as shattered pelvis, spinal damage, broken ribs, nerve damage, and long-term psychological effects, leading to job losses and ongoing pain.

Benjamin Clarke became fixated on his local MP, the victim, and made repeated threats to kill him and his family, including threats to firebomb the MP's property. These threats were made via social media and continued even while Clarke was on remand. Clarke had significant mental health problems, was a cannabis smoker, and consumed up to 1.5 litres of vodka daily. The incidents occurred in the context of his obsession, and he was arrested and charged accordingly.

On August 26, 2024, Cameron Watson was driving his private car on the A688 in County Durham, where he exceeded the speed limit by reaching speeds up to 117mph in a 60mph zone. He was observed weaving between lanes on the dual carriageway and driving through a roundabout junction at Clyde Terrace with little awareness or attention to other road users who might be entering.

On May 9, 2024, at around 2am in Durham city centre, Thomas Lee, aged 26 from Sherburn Village, made a false 999 call after a night out, posing as a Royal Military Police officer with a fake service number. He claimed to have witnessed a student putting a pill into a woman's drink as they left a bar. This led to the innocent student's arrest on suspicion of administering a noxious substance with intent. Lee's inconsistent statements and inability to provide ID exposed his lies; the Royal Military Police confirmed he had never served. The victim described severe emotional distress, shock, and fear that the false accusation could ruin his life, studies, and career.

Alan White, formerly of Richmond but now of Bedale, contacted what he thought was a 14-year-old girl on the Rando Chat platform between 31 August and 3 September 2024. The 'girl' was an adult decoy from a paedophile hunter group. White, who at the time was subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order banning contact with females under 18, engaged in sexually explicit conversation, asked for topless pictures, gave sexual instructions, and told her he loved her, while warning her not to tell her mother. Police arrested him on 3 September 2024 at his South End Avenue home and found the chat open on a Samsung tablet. He admitted the offences and was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment, of which he will serve half before release on licence.

Luke Skelton, a former Gateshead College student with extreme right-wing views, engaged in a course of conduct from October 2020 to October 2021 aimed at preparing a terrorist attack to spark a race war. He conducted hostile reconnaissance by travelling over 10 miles from his home in Oxclose, Washington, to Forth Banks police station in Newcastle city centre in September 2021, where he took photos. Skelton researched methods to build explosives, including downloading materials on napalm, dynamite, and Molotov cocktails. He wrote a manifesto and final note expressing intent to accelerate a racial war and idolized fascist atrocities. Previously referred to the Prevent anti-terror programme, he was arrested in June 2021 but faced no further action at that time, after which he changed his online username to Adolf Hitler to evade suspicion. He was 18 at the time of the reconnaissance and is now 20.

Mason Thornton, from Ingleby Barwick, was driving a car with four passengers from a party when it crashed on the A1027 Billingham Interchange in October 2022. He had inhaled nitrous oxide moments before the incident, causing serious injuries to passenger the victim, who now requires lifelong care and has lost his future plans.

Declan Dixon, 22, of Hindley, Wigan, threw a missile towards police during disorder in Hartlepool on July 31, 2024, as part of the unrest following the Southport attack.

Ryan Lee Rowland Smith possessed more than 4,000 images of baby and toddler sexual abuse on his mobile phone, including 13.5 hours of video, with eight hours being category A footage depicting extreme abuse. He was arrested in October 2024 after being found accessing such content. The offences involved distributing and making indecent images of children, as well as possessing prohibited materials, which caused significant harm to victims and required officers to view harrowing evidence.

Stacey Vint, 34, was part of a group who set alight a wheelie bin and pushed it into a police cordon during disorder in Middlesbrough town centre on Sunday. In the process, she fell to the ground and was arrested.

Charlie Bullock, 21, was the main instigator of a large group pushing against a police line and throwing stones and rocks at officers during disorder in Middlesbrough town centre on Sunday.

Steven Mailen was involved in the disorder in Hartlepool on 31 July 2024, which was fuelled by deliberate online misinformation. He participated in acts of violent disorder on the streets, contributing to fear among local residents and damage to local businesses.

Ryan Sheers was involved in the disorder in Hartlepool on 31 July 2024, which was fuelled by deliberate online misinformation. He participated in acts of violent disorder on the streets, contributing to fear among local residents and damage to local businesses.

Carl Holliday was involved in the disorder in Hartlepool on 31 July 2024, which was fuelled by deliberate online misinformation. He participated in acts of violent disorder on the streets, contributing to fear among local residents and damage to local businesses.

Jonathan Laydon violently attacked a woman in April last year by strangling her until she lost consciousness twice and set fire to her garden shed. He was arrested and charged following the incident.

Andrew Vickers, of no fixed address, armed himself with a hammer and a large wooden stick and attacked a man he had known for over 20 years on Westport Close in Portrack, shortly before 1pm on Friday, April 4. He subjected the victim to numerous blows to the head, inflicting multiple injuries to the face, which were life-changing. Vickers fled the scene, discarding the weapons, and later assaulted another man, aged 69, by kicking and hitting him to the face. The incident occurred in front of members of the public, and emergency services took the first victim to James Cook University Hospital.

Laura Hepburn, 44, was director of Greenology at Liverton site near Loftus; previously involved with Selective Environmental Solutions Ltd (SESL) which breached waste exemption storage limit of 500 tonnes; ignored Environment Agency advice on waste management and fire risk; major fire on 5 April 2020 burned for nine days.

Jonathan Guy Brudenell was involved in operating waste sites at Liverton near Loftus and a farm near Whitby, breaching waste exemption storage limits, ignoring Environment Agency warnings about significant fire risk from waste storage and management. A major fire broke out on 5 April 2020 at Liverton site, burning for nine days.

Jonathan Waldron, 42, director of SESL which operated at Liverton site breaching waste exemption storage limits from December 2018; ignored Environment Agency warnings on waste storage and fire risk; also illegally deposited waste at farm near Whitby; site later refilled leading to major fire on 5 April 2020 burning nine days.

Stewart Wright, a 45-year-old man who volunteered in the Ukraine war as a self-styled humanitarian, smuggled Ukrainian F1 grenades and Russian offensive grenades from the front lines. He stored them at his home near Leeming, North Yorkshire, along with firearms ammunition and other military equipment, which were hidden in a vehicle driven across Europe into Britain in 2023. The grenades, though with fuses removed, remained highly dangerous and were disposed of by military bomb experts. He was arrested in February 2023 and the investigation found the items could have caused catastrophic damage if they had exploded.

Sophie Waugh was driving on the A6055 Leeming Lane near Kirklington on June 28, 2023, while using her mobile phone, including locking and unlocking her device multiple times, sending messages on Facebook Messenger and Snapchat, and having the Instagram app active. She struck the rear of a bicycle ridden by 71-year-old the victim, a much-loved husband, father, and grandfather, who died instantly at the scene. Waugh was driving home from work at Alanbrooke Barracks and had been using her phone prolifically up to the point of the crash, despite witnesses stating that the victim was cycling normally with proper visibility aids.

Paula Roberts, 41, mother of the 22-month-old victim, was suspicious enough about her partner Christopher Stockton to set up a spy camera above her son's cot but stayed in the relationship despite voicing concerns. The victim sustained a series of unexplained injuries after Stockton began the relationship, culminating in his death in January 2023 from head injuries inflicted by Stockton while in his sole care. Roberts left the home minutes before the fatal incident to go for an eye test. Neither adult sought medical attention for prior injuries, including one to the toddler's genitals.

Richard Tutty, during a drunken argument at home, pushed his partner to the floor, causing her to injure her right ankle, then repeatedly stamped on it while she was down. He also threw a canvas picture at her before leaving. The victim suffered a fracture to her right ankle, bruising near her eye, and reported significant physical and mental health impacts, including permanent scarring from surgery and effects on her daughter.