Wolverhampton Crown Court Sentencing Results

Clive Halford was the lead offender in a conspiracy to steal motor vehicles. Between May 14 and July 8 last year, he and three co-defendants stole or attempted to steal 27 vehicles, mainly motorbikes, across Dudley, South Staffordshire and Wolverhampton, valued in total at £124,000. Police identified him as a suspect and found incriminating messages and photos of stolen vehicles on his phone.

Joshua Hasznosi was involved in a conspiracy to steal motor vehicles. Between May 14 and July 8 last year, he and three co-defendants stole or attempted to steal 27 vehicles, mainly motorbikes, across Dudley, South Staffordshire and Wolverhampton. He admitted direct involvement in five thefts.

Scott Round was involved in a conspiracy to steal motor vehicles. He admitted the conspiracy at a plea and trial preparation hearing. He asked Clive Halford to steal a specific motorbike to order and sold it for £1,850. Between May 14 and July 8 last year, he and three co-defendants stole or attempted to steal 27 vehicles, mainly motorbikes, across Dudley, South Staffordshire and Wolverhampton.

Simon Brookes was involved in a conspiracy to steal motor vehicles. Between May 14 and July 8 last year, he and three co-defendants stole or attempted to steal 27 vehicles, mainly motorbikes, across Dudley, South Staffordshire and Wolverhampton. The thieves worked in pairs, breaking steering locks and pushing or riding stolen bikes away.

Gustav Maco was involved in turning blank-firing pistols into viable firearms for criminals. Evidence included images of him with converted guns and messages discussing firearms and drugs. He was convicted of conspiring to sell or transfer prohibited weapons, converting imitation firearms and supplying Class A drugs.

Hamzah Asif was involved in the supply chain for converted blank-firing pistols turned into viable firearms and supplied to organised crime gangs across the Midlands. He was found guilty of conspiring to sell or transfer prohibited weapons.

Shivam Dhillon was involved in converting blank-firing pistols into working firearms and supplying them to organised crime gangs across the Midlands. Police arrested him for drug offences when they raided his home in July 2023, and officers discovered the firearms operation. Images of him with converted guns were found alongside messages discussing firearms and drugs.

James Ward was originally given a one-year minimum sentence in 2006 at Leicester Crown Court for arson and criminal damage. He admitted arson after setting fire to items in his prison cell while serving time for assault. He was 21 at the time of the original sentence. His indeterminate sentence was quashed and replaced on appeal.

Police were called to Peel Street, Tipton, at around 6.30pm on April 26 after a weapon was brandished during a fight. Officers recovered a handgun and ammunition from the area. Choudry Ahmed, 46, of Tipton, had fled in a car but was identified by detectives and arrested the following month. He admitted possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition and possession of a Class B drug.

Liam Bennett was originally sentenced in May 2007 after being found guilty of reckless arson for setting fire to items in the loft space of an empty council property, and admitting criminal damage and burglary. He was 17 when he committed the offences. His indeterminate sentence was replaced on appeal, and he was entitled to release without further supervision.

Aaron Lloyd and the victim became friends in summer 2023 and regularly drank together at the Wyrley and Essington Canal. On August 31, 2023, during an argument off the junction of Moathouse Lane East and Hyde Road in Wednesfield, Lloyd pushed the victim in the chest, causing him to fall into the canal, punched him up to four times in the face as he tried to get out, and then kicked him 15 to 20 times after he got out, causing him to lose consciousness. The victim suffered a serious right eye injury, was left with 10 per cent of his sight, underwent five operations, and could no longer work as a plasterer. Members of the public intervened, and Lloyd was found hiding in bushes by police.

Tyriq Bingham shot a 20-year-old man in the leg in a subway underpass on Peel Street, Wolverhampton, on 12 October. The victim was taken to hospital with serious leg injuries and survived.

Malachi McPherson made threats to occupants of a property in Wednesbury on 1 November 2025. A silver Skoda pulled up outside the property at around 8.45am and threats were made before it drove off. Less than 30 minutes later the vehicle returned and further threats were made, this time with a BB gun, and a window at the property was smashed. Officers later located the vehicle in West Bromwich and saw McPherson running from it before he was detained. He had been driving dangerously while disqualified and uninsured.

Gerard Carty breached a sexual harm prevention order imposed after he was convicted of making indecent images of children. On November 4 last year, police were notified by Dropbox that his account had apparently uploaded indecent images of children. He was arrested, and an iPhone and iPad that had not been registered with police were seized, along with a VPN installed on them. Carty admitted three counts of breaching the order. The court heard there was nothing untoward on the seized devices and no suggestion he accessed indecent images on that occasion.

Arun Wilding contacted several girls, all under 16, on social media and blackmailed them into sending indecent images. He would like and comment on their posts before messaging privately and moving conversations to another platform, asking them to send images of themselves. When they stopped responding he harassed and blackmailed them, threatening to share their images online unless further images were provided. He also found out which area or school the girls attended to frighten them into complying. His offending lasted from December 2024 to December 2025.

On 17 March 2021, Ajani Hinds and Keron Toussaint, both then aged 16, attacked a 16-year-old at Walsall Railway Station. The victim was going out for the day with his partner and was minding his own business when one of the defendants shouted his social media name. Toussaint chased the victim down the platform and stabbed him twice in the back; Hinds followed and punched the victim twice. Both defendants were arrested at the scene, and the knives were later found. The victim suffered serious wounds requiring treatment and procedures.

On 17 March 2021, Keron Toussaint and Ajani Hinds, both then aged 16, attacked a 16-year-old at Walsall Railway Station. The victim was going out for the day with his partner and was minding his own business when one of the defendants shouted his social media name. Toussaint chased the victim down the platform and stabbed him twice in the back; Hinds followed and punched the victim twice, then Toussaint punched him again. The victim suffered serious wounds measuring 0.59 inches and 0.78 inches deep, requiring treatment and procedures. Both defendants were arrested at the scene, and the knives were later found.

On 22 October 2021, a mother called at the home of Chad Bassett, then aged 15, to discuss a school dispute involving her daughter. During a confrontation outside the property, Bassett stomped on the victim's face and kicked her in the head, causing an orbital fracture that required surgery and a steel plate. He later pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm and was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 31 July 2026 to a nine-month community order.

Edward Phillips-Smith, a former priest and school chaplain, sexually abused boys in the 1980s. One complainant, aged around 12 or 13 at the time, went to his accommodation to see a Scalextric set and was taken into a bedroom, stripped and assaulted. Another complainant was assaulted after being allowed to stay overnight because Phillips-Smith was trusted by his family through their local church. Both victims described lasting psychological harm, including loss of sanctuary in places of worship, sleepless nights and distress over more than 40 years.

The defendant was one of four men stopped by police on the Black Country Route in a white BMW with false number plates on 15 September 2025. A self-loading pistol, ammunition and two swords were found in the vehicle. He was convicted of possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate and having a blade.

The defendant was one of four men stopped by police on the Black Country Route in a white BMW with false number plates on 15 September 2025. A self-loading pistol, ammunition and two swords were found in the vehicle. He was convicted of possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate and having a blade.

The defendant was one of four men stopped by police on the Black Country Route in a white BMW with false number plates on 15 September 2025. A self-loading pistol, ammunition and two swords were found in the vehicle. He was convicted of possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate and having a blade.

The defendant was the front passenger in a white BMW with false number plates stopped by police on the Black Country Route near Wolverhampton on 15 September 2025. Officers found a self-loading pistol, 40 cartridges, 11 rounds of ammunition and two swords in a man bag in the front passenger footwell. He was convicted of possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate and having a blade.

On 15 August 2025, a violent early-morning clash erupted on a residential street in Bilston. Weapons including scaffolding poles, swords and machetes were used. A white Ford Focus was rammed by a silver Mercedes E Class and then blocked in by a red Ford Fiesta, sparking a fight that left three people needing hospital treatment. Hardeep Singh was among those involved. Officers and Police Dog Ray detained the men after a vehicle pursuit turned into a foot chase.

On 15 August 2025, a violent early-morning clash erupted on a residential street in Bilston. Weapons including scaffolding poles, swords and machetes were used. A white Ford Focus was rammed by a silver Mercedes E Class and then blocked in by a red Ford Fiesta, sparking a fight that left three people needing hospital treatment. Harpreet Singh was among those involved. Officers and Police Dog Ray detained the men after a vehicle pursuit turned into a foot chase.

On 15 August 2025, a violent early-morning clash erupted on a residential street in Bilston. Weapons including scaffolding poles, swords and machetes were used. A white Ford Focus was rammed by a silver Mercedes E Class and then blocked in by a red Ford Fiesta, sparking a fight that left three people needing hospital treatment. Lakwinder Singh was among those involved. Officers and Police Dog Ray detained the men after a vehicle pursuit turned into a foot chase.