Truro Crown Court Sentencing Results

The nine-day-old daughter of Andrew Maunder died at a hotel in Newquay, Cornwall on 11 November 2023 after cocaine was detected in her system. The court heard he initially denied using cocaine and that the presence of cocaine around the hotel room added to the risk posed to the newborn. The precise cause of death was not established, and accidental overlaying was also considered. Maunder pleaded guilty to child neglect.

The nine-day-old daughter of Rochelle Thomas died at a hotel in Newquay, Cornwall on 11 November 2023 after cocaine was detected in her system. The court heard Thomas had used cocaine during and after pregnancy and that breastfeeding was considered the most likely route through which the baby ingested the drug. Cocaine was also found on the parents' clothes and fingers and a cup in the room was contaminated. The precise cause of death was not established, and accidental overlaying was also considered. Thomas pleaded guilty to child neglect.

James Blamey harassed and stalked his neighbour in Portloe over a week in July 2026. He threw his own urine onto her patio, kept a bucket of urine by the wall between their properties, placed a loud wind chime near her bedroom window, stared at her over the wall, and made sexually explicit remarks. The offending breached a restraining order and a criminal behaviour order relating to the same neighbour. The victim said the smell of urine and his behaviour left her scared and unable to enjoy her home. The judge described him as a recalcitrant stalker and said there was an ingrained sexual element to his behaviour.

Daniel Snell was found guilty of two counts of performing sexual activity on a child. A third charge relating to committing sexual activity with a child was left on file. He was sentenced at Truro Crown Court on Friday, September 4, 2026, to four years imprisonment. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life and given a five-year restraining order.

On 19 August 2025, Kenny Holt was driving on rural lanes in Cornwall while disqualified and under the influence of drugs. He was driving fast for unfamiliar narrow lanes and became distracted trying to put music on, then crashed into a tree. His passenger suffered a broken wrist requiring a metal plate, two broken ribs and two fractures to her lower back, and spent nine days in hospital. Holt was obstructive and abusive at the scene, left an ambulance, and ran off. He was chased by an off-duty medical worker and an off-duty police officer, and during his detention he assaulted one of the men by digging his fingers into a recent wrist injury and grabbing his knee. Blood tests showed benzoylecgonine at almost seven times the legal driving limit.

Alistair Wright, managing director of Truro Sawmills Limited, failed to comply with health and safety Improvement Notices issued by HSE inspectors at the company's sawmill in Penhallow, Truro. Inspectors found employees had not been trained to use rider-operated lift trucks, had not been face fit tested for respiratory protective equipment to protect them from wood dust, and were not under suitable health surveillance. He pleaded guilty to contravening a requirement imposed by an Improvement Notice and was disqualified from acting as a company director for five years.

Jake Truman threatened a group of teenagers with a DIY knife at Newton Abbot railway station in June after approaching them while heavily intoxicated. He swore at the group, pulled out the knife, and threatened to stab, kill and slash their faces. The incident was captured on CCTV. He later spat at one police officer and tried to kick a second officer. The court heard he was homeless and had the knife because he was living in a tent and had been abused by young people at the station previously.

Daniel Common drove a red Suzuki Vitara in St Austell in the early hours around a week before Christmas 2024. He sped away from police, drove through red lights and along 30mph town centre roads at speeds of up to 50mph, went over a mini roundabout, struck a kerb and a bollard, lost control and came to a halt. He fled but was caught and admitted being the driver. He gave an alcohol reading of 41mg against the legal drink-drive limit of 35mg and had no insurance or licence.

Andrew Paull was one of two men who attacked an 82-year-old man with a machete in the victim's St Austell home on April 28, 2024.

Nathan Flower was one of two men who attacked an 82-year-old man with a machete in the victim's St Austell home on April 28, 2024. He also faced a related aggravated burglary charge on the same day, which remained on file.

Barnaby Bowers-Hall was caught by a fixed camera on Longdowns riding his motorcycle above the 30mph limit 36 times between May 23 and August 2, 2024. On one occasion he was recorded doing 77mph with a passenger riding pillion. He admitted speeding and pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, driving with no insurance and fraudulent use of a registration mark.

Paul Hughes sent around 300 emails to the police and crime commissioner for Devon and Cornwall and her office between March and July 2024, including a message threatening to burn the commissioner alive in her office if she did not stop defrauding him. He also breached a 2023 restraining order by sending further emails to a school. The judge said the sentence should deter threatening communications to people in public office.

Harvey Rouen attended a baby shower at a pub in Bodmin on 30 August 2025 with his girlfriend. His demeanour changed while play-fighting and he became aggressive, shouting at, punching, and kicking a woman. He then followed two women to another bar, where he kicked one in the stomach and punched another while forcing entry. When the father of one woman arrived, Rouen pulled out a knife and threatened him. The incident was captured on video. Rouen was charged with affray and possession of a knife in a public place.

On December 6, 2025, Stuart Alan Jones attacked his neighbour with a samurai sword outside a property in Penzance. The victim had made a derogatory comment after returning from a Christmas pantomime with his partner and their deaf six-year-old son. Jones went inside, fetched the sword, and charged out screaming threats to kill and decapitate. The victim tried to defend himself, suffering severe injuries to three fingers on his left hand which later required surgery that failed, leaving him unable to grip and unable to communicate with his deaf son using British Sign Language. Jones also pinned the victim down and strangled him before fleeing. Police found the sword behind Jones' sofa. He was convicted after a trial of wounding with intent, possessing a bladed article, and intentional strangulation.

Martin John Charles Hambly, the owner of Trenant and Ley Farms in Menheniot, near Liskeard, was prosecuted following inspections that revealed severe breaches of animal health and welfare legislation. Offences included causing unnecessary suffering to a bovine animal, failing to provide clean and properly drained lying areas, failing to ensure a suitable environment due to hazardous items, failing to provide prompt veterinary treatment to cattle suffering from lameness (four offences), failing to store cattle carcasses in accordance with regulations, failing to apply ear tags to 16 dairy calves within 36 hours, and failing to register 58 calves within 27 days. A particular incident involved a collapsed heifer found near death, lying in dung with no food or water.

Luke Grenney, 37, from Saltash, subjected two ex-partners to a 'tsunami of harassment' after they ended short-lived relationships with him. Between July 2025 and April 2026, he bombarded the women with incessant messages, threats, followed them, used emotional blackmail, and made threats to kill or harm them or their children. In one incident, he threatened to set fire to his first victim's car. He continued the harassment despite police bail and a restraining order. He was also found in possession of cannabis. He pleaded guilty at Truro Magistrates' Court on April 21 to charges including stalking involving fear of violence, making threats to damage property, sending communications threatening death or serious harm, and breaching a conditional discharge.

Between September 18 and September 21, 2022, Christopher Stevens, 65, from Chywoone Hill in Newlyn, intentionally incited an 11-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity for his own sexual gratification. Stevens had been in contact with the child over a dating app before moving to a messaging app where explicit content was shared. The child's father checked her phone, discovered the contact, and alerted Devon and Cornwall Police. The incident occurred in Penzance.

Jonathan Pound, 44, from Grampound Road, a night porter, joined the Kik messaging app and contacted a 12-year-old girl (Devon and Cornwall Police decoy account) in February/March 2024. Over five weeks and 15 exchanges, the conversation became sexualised: he asked if she was into older men, complimented her body, requested pictures of her breasts and genitals, instructed her to insert a sex toy into her vagina, sent a picture of his penis, and tried to arrange a meeting in a hotel room in Cornwall, suggesting she come alone so staff would think she was his daughter.

Kalani Jay suffocated their grandmother with a pillow and hands at her home in Penzance on April 2, 2025, because they 'liked the idea of playing God'. Later, on July 2, 2025, at a mental health unit in Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth, Cambridgeshire, Jay placed a pillow over another vulnerable patient's face due to her 'annoying crying', captured on CCTV. On December 12, 2025, in Camborne, Jay threatened to kill their boyfriend by tying him up, knife play, and stabbing his throat, reported via mental health helpline.

Matthew Mellow, 36, of Bugle, Cornwall, became angry when his neighbour's children played near his caravan. He shouted at the children, then picked up an electric circular saw, started it running, told the neighbour to 'go back to Bulgaria' adding 'this is my country, not yours', and threatened 'I'll cut your head off' if he did not stop talking. The incident occurred in front of the children, leaving the family afraid and unable to sleep peacefully.

Between 2008 and 2024 at Pensilva, making 165 Category A indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of a child including 12 moving images, 96 Category B photographs including two moving images, 1392 Category C images including 13 moving images, distributing a Category C indecent image of a child and possessing 163 images of a child contrary to sections 62 and 66 of the Coroners and Justice Act which makes it an offence to possess non-photographic prohibited images of children such as computer generated or cartoons.

Gareth Richard Stanley, a 40-year-old fisherman formerly of Penzance, assaulted the mother of his children at her home in Heamoor, Penzance. In the first incident in August, he pushed her, grabbed her by the neck during a sustained attack in the kitchen, and headbutted her in the face, witnessed by their daughter who called the police. He was arrested and bailed. In the second incident in October, while still on bail, he again grabbed her by the neck and pushed her, with children present. The assaults occurred after he lost control, having been drinking heavily to deal with problems. He had been on remand at HMP Exeter since October.