Dozens of East Lancashire criminals were put behind bars last month.
September in the courts saw drug dealers, burglars, rapists, paedophiles and thugs banged up for their wicked offences.
Here, we've provided you with our monthly round-up of all the lags jailed in the month of September.
Drug dealers stored shotgun in Accrington man's house
A heroin addict who allowed a drugs gang to store a sawn-off shotgun at his house was told "if you swim with the sharks you get bit" by a judge.
William McWilliams, 56, became involved with drug dealers through his heroin addiction and it was they who used the understairs cupboard in his house to store the weapon.
Judge Simon Medland said McWilliams' drug addiction had led him to "dark and dangerous places" and his case showed how drugs destroy people's lives.
Full story here: Drug dealers stored shotgun in Accrington man's house
Colne man told partner 'everyone thinks you're a slag'
A dad ripped a curtain rail off the wall before strangling his partner and calling her a slag.
Oscar Hope, 27, had been in a relationship with his victim for around two years, and they had a small child together.
Preston Crown Court heard however that throughout the pregnancy, their relationship had been tumultuous, and Hope had spent a lot of time drinking.
Matthew Conway, prosecuting, said that at around 6.40am on March 3, Hope had entered the bedroom after drinking throughout the night and instigated an altercation.
Full story here: Colne man told partner 'everyone thinks you're a slag'
Burnley user 'looking after' drugs and cash to pay off debt
A drug user who was caught in possession of crack cocaine, heroin and £17,000 in cash said he was “looking after the items” to help “pay off a drug debt”.
Ahsan Ali had been wanted by police for a separate incident and on April 1 the police entered his address in Devonshire Road, Burnley, Preston Crown Court heard.
Prosecuting, Peter Barr said: “He was asleep and on the bed was a large sum of money.
“At the bottom of the bed was a phone and a kitchen knife.”
Full story here: Burnley user 'looking after' drugs and cash to pay off debt
Father-of-four launched unprovoked attack on teenager
A 35-year-old father-of-four launched a vicious, unprovoked attack on a 19-year-old using a metal pole.
Rowan Winter had been on his first ever night out in Accrington in April 2022 when Chris Hodgkinson approached him from behind and smashed him over the head, leaving the innocent teenager with a fractured skull.
In a victim impact statement read out by prosecuting barrister Paul Cummings at Preston Crown Court, Mr Winter described how he had been severely emotionally affected by the attack.
Full story here: Father-of-four launched unprovoked attack on teenager
JAILED: Men who went on £500,000 car burgling spree
Two men who left a trail of complete devastation when they burgled and ransacked homes across East Lancashire, stealing high value cars worth more than half a million pounds and jewellery worth £300,000, have been jailed for a combined total of more than nine years.
John Fennell and Zachary Sanderson appeared at Preston Crown Court where prosecuting barrister, Barbara Webster, read out the harrowing victim personal statements which detailed the psychological impacts the defendant’s actions had on their families and their lives.
Full story here: JAILED: Men who went on £500,000 car burgling spree
Richard Quinn attacked his wife and strangled brother-in-law
A prominent East Lancashire businessman who was the man behind an NHS ‘thank you’ festival that never happened, attacked his wife and her son twice, and strangled her brother-in-law.
Richard Quinn, who was the chief executive of the now dissolved Q Entertainment, Arts and Sport, attempted to organise a weekend festival headlined by disco pioneers Nile Rodgers and Chic as a celebration of how people came through the coronavirus crisis and as a thank you to key workers.
However, the festival, which was supposed to be staged in June 2021, never happened, and just six months later in February 2022, Quinn married his wife after meeting her in lockdown, and they moved in together with her son at a terraced home in Great Harwood.
Full story here: Richard Quinn attacked his wife and strangled brother-in-law
Rossendale man pleads guilty to having cannabis worth £8,000
A man who possessed thousands of pounds worth of drugs with intent to supply and had a stash of ammunition at his home has walked free from court despite being handed a prison sentence.
Police executed a firearms warrant at an address in Haslingden Old Road in Rossendale on Sunday, January 29.
During the property search officers found a machete, shotgun cartridges, a blank-firing handgun and prohibited ammunition, as well as cannabis and around £2,000 in cash.
On Monday, January 30, Yousuf Khan, 32, of Haslingden Old Road, Rossendale, was arested and charged with possession of ammunition without a certificate, acquiring or possessing criminal property and possession with intent to supply cannabis.
Full story here: Rossendale man pleads guilty to having cannabis worth £8,000
Drug dealer facilitated supply of ketamine, cocaine, cannabis and heroin
A man who facilitated the supply of 30kg of ketamine, 14kg of cocaine, 3kg of cannabis and 1kg of heroin has been jailed for 10 years.
Christopher Ashurst, 36, was foiled by police in Blackburn after they infiltrated EncroChat messages being sent from the ‘Liberated Knife’ handle, which he was in control of between March and May 2020.
He was arrested in the Netherlands in March this years and extradited back to the UK to face court proceedings.
Preston Crown Court heard how police first came to discover the EncroChat and subsequently the drugs operation after Ashurst, from Blackburn, reported his car had been damaged.
Full story here: Drug dealer facilitated supply of ketamine, cocaine, cannabis and heroin
Man caught by DNA after crashing car and reporting it stolen
A “foolish” man who crashed his car and fled the scene, before reporting it as stolen and claiming £7,000 from his insurance company, was caught out after his DNA was found on the driver’s airbag.
Jack Beeke was driving his Volkswagen Golf close to the Cross Guns pub in Egerton at around 9.45pm on August 28, 2020, when he proceeded to drive on the wrong side of the road, overtook other vehicles and crashed head on with another car before mounting the pavement and hitting a wall.
Preston Crown Court heard how Beeke had three passengers in the car with him at the time but all four of them ran from the scene.
Full story here: Man caught by DNA after crashing car and reporting it stolen
Carl Thomas sexually abused a teenage girl in Bacup
A paedophile who groomed and sexually abused a teenage girl has been jailed.
Carl Thomas, 39, committed the offences in Bacup in 2022.
He admitted four counts of sexual activity with a child, two of making indecent photographs of a child, three charges of possession of indecent photograph of a child and one of witness intimidation.
Full story here: Carl Thomas sexually abused a teenage girl in Bacup
Burnley drug dealer sold crack cocaine to fund cannabis habit
A drug dealer who sold crack cocaine to fund his own cannabis habit was found with more than £500 in cash and a plastic bag full of crack wraps when detained by police.
Uzair Nasir, 21, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to supply crack cocaine at a plea and trial preparation hearing on February 21.
Peter Wilson, prosecuting at Burnley Crown Court, said on January 23 at around 11am, plain clothes officers observed drug users on Bulcock Street in Burnley before they got into a vehicle.
Full story here: Burnley drug dealer sold crack cocaine to fund cannabis habit
Former rugby player jailed for sexually assaulting teenage girl
A former rugby player has been jailed for sexually assaulting a teenage girl.
Christopher Brooks plied the then 15-year-old with vodka on February 22 2020, before kissing her on the lips, lifting up her top to kiss her breasts and stomach, and touching her genitals over her clothing.
Preston Crown Court heard the girl reported the assault to the police, but Brooks, of Church Street, Ribchester, denied the allegations and took the matter to trial.
Full story here: Former rugby player jailed for sexually assaulting teenage girl
Matthew Walduck jailed for selling cocaine and cannabis
A man has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for supplying cocaine and cannabis.
Matthew Walduck was also sentenced for his part in importing more than 20 kilograms of cannabis to the UK from the US in packages described as ‘clothing’.
Preston Crown Court heard Walduck received deliveries to addresses in Rishton and Great Harwood from March 2022 to November 2022.
His co-defendants, Carl Taylor, Ben Pilkington and David Grundy helped facilitate the importation, whereas Walduck took on an 'unsophisticated role' according to prosecutor Paul Brookwell.
Full story here: Matthew Walduck jailed for selling cocaine and cannabis
Criminal went on run from police after battering girlfriend
A criminal who was on bail for assaulting a paramedic went on the run from police after battering his girlfriend and mother of his two children.
Prolific offender Emile Nicol, 26, assaulted a paramedic when they were called to his home in 2022 in relation to a suspected cardiac arrest, Preston Crown Court heard.
Nicol was unresponsive as ambulance technicians tried to rouse him, but lashed out and kicked one of them in the leg as he came round.
Prosecuting, Harriet Tighe said he refused treatment and left the property.
Full story here: Criminal went on run from police after battering girlfriend
Oswaldtwistle man wounded nightclub doorman with machete
A man who armed himself with a machete caused a nightclub doorman to suffer a large fracture and an open wound on his arm.
Cameron Newton, 20, made chopping motions with the weapon towards the man at Dodge nightclub in Accrington, after he had been called there by another man who had been kicked out.
Burnley Crown Court also heard Newton, in a separate offence, interfered with a vehicle that had been stolen from a house in Padiham.
Full story here: Oswaldtwistle man wounded nightclub doorman with machete
Padiham child rapist Stephen Anderton jailed for horrendous crimes
A “sadistic” man who raped three young girls and abused a boy has been jailed for his depraved crimes.
Stephen Anderton, 53, committed five rapes and 15 other sexual offences against children, starting back in the 1980s and spanning four decades.
The mother of one of the victims first contacted the police to report his crime against a child in 2018.
Anderton, of Bank Street, Padiham, denied his depraved crimes but was convicted after a trial and he was remanded into custody prior to his sentence.
Full story here: Padiham child rapist Stephen Anderton jailed for horrendous crimes
Burnley and Pendle drugs gang taken down by police operation
Eight members of an organised crime group (OCG) who conspired to run a multi-million-pound class A drug supply ring from their bases in Pendle and Burnley have been jailed for nearly 50 years.
Lancashire Police’s East Target Crime Unit investigated and dismantled the OCG, which operated the heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine supply lines, commonly referred to by their customers as the ‘Don’, ‘Shark’, ‘Rambo’, and ‘Harry’ lines, from February 2022 to March 2023.
The heads of the OCG were defendants Awais Khan, Javed Ahmed, Umar Hussain, and Subhan Mushtaq.
Full story here: Burnley and Pendle drugs gang taken down by police operation
Blackburn paedophile failed to register three devices
A convicted paedophile failed to tell police about three devices he was in possession of after being released from prison, one of which was used to access pornography.
Richard Ferguson told police officers in an interview he had a sexual attraction to children aged between six and seven he could not control.
He was convicted of sexual assault against a female aged under 13 and three offences of making indecent images back in 2015, for which he received eight years in prison and a sexual harm prevention order for an indefinite period.
Full story here: Blackburn paedophile failed to register three devices
Blackburn man made threats to kill his partner in their flat
A drug addict kept his partner locked in their flat while he made threats to kill her following a heated argument.
The partner of John McNair, 43, discovered he had been keeping drugs in their flat and told him to remove them or she would call the police.
McNair then called a dealer and she overheard him saying on the phone he would be there at midnight, but this was not good enough for her.
The victim threatened to leave the flat but McNair said “you’re not going anywhere”, physically prevented her from leaving and beginning to threaten her with a dark green fishing knife.
Full story here: Blackburn man made threats to kill his partner in their flat
Ex Nelson soldier robbed two elderly women in their homes
A former soldier who served in Afghanistan before being kicked out of the Army barged his way into the homes of two pensioners within days of each other and stole money from them.
Kyle Ashworth, 28, stole £400 from his first victim and then, less than a week later, stole £20 and a handful of coins from another.
Both victims were elderly ladies in their 80s, with one of the ladies partially sighted and the other frail and with poor mobility.
Ashworth, of Pine Street, Nelson, was deployed in Helmand Province in 2014 but was handed a dishonourable discharge from the forces in 2017.
Full story here: Ex Nelson soldier robbed two elderly women in their homes
Burgling trio stole war medals and X-Box from Burnley home
A burglar shouted ‘police’ before kicking down a front door and stealing two TVs, an X-Box, and sentimental war memorabilia.
Stuart Brown, 45, was helped by Aaron Scott, 30 and Robert Howarth, 53, when they broke into the Burnley property at around 8.10pm on April 16 while the occupier was at work.
Preston Crown Court heard how the trio’s victim had left his house in Plumbe Street that morning and returned at around 10pm.
Full story here Burgling trio stole war medals and X-Box from Burnley home
Hapton man led police on high-speed chase through Padiham
A driver twice reversed into a police vehicle during a high speed chase in an attempt to evade capture.
Dillon Irwin, 29, did not hold any insurance for the Ford Transit van he was driving at around 1.50am on January 7 this year.
An on-duty officer was alerted to the van after it activated ANPR cameras in Padiham, Burnley Crown Court heard.
Irwin pulled into a Texaco petrol station and was followed in by the officers who activated their blue lights. Irwin drove off at speed when he saw these.
Full story here: Hapton man led police on high-speed chase through Padiham
Drug driver sped from police and crashed into barrier
A drug driver sped away from police after telling them he was “just chilling” following an argument with his partner.
Shane Gengler was spotted by officers parked in a layby on Crown Point Road in Burnley on January 19, Preston Crown Court heard.
The officers pulled up alongside him and engaged in conversation, prosecuting barrister Gurdit Singh said, before leaving without issue.
Full story here: Drug driver sped from police and crashed into barrier
Burnley man sexually assaulted three girls aged under 12
A man in his 50s sexually assaulted three children and told them to 'keep quiet' about it, bribing them with money for their silence.
Malcom Smith, 57, previously of Ellis Street, Burnley, indecently touched three girls aged under 12 between 1991 to 1996, when he would have been aged 25 to 30.
In November 2020, Smith initially pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault by penetration to a child, and two counts of sexual assault to children, later changing his plea to guilty in 2022.
Full story here: Burnley man sexually assaulted three girls aged under 12
Paedophile jailed for abusing Darwen schoolgirl
A paedophile and rapist who was jailed for historic sex crimes has been put behind bars for a second time for committing similar offences against a teenage girl in Darwen some 20 years ago.
James Lorenzo King was jailed for 13 years plus a year on licence in 2019 for rape, gross indecency and indecent assault on a girl under 16 between 1999 and 2000.
The offences related to a girl he was ‘in a relationship’ with at the time, despite him knowing she was underage.
Some three years later though, in 2003, after that period of offending ended, King met his next victim in a chat room, Preston Crown Court heard.
Full story here: Paedophile jailed for abusing Darwen schoolgirl
Convicted sex offender refused to accept his conviction
A sex offender breached his notification requirements after failing to accept his conviction and refusing to accept he should be on the sex offender’s register.
Bashrat Ali, 53, was jailed for six years in 2017 for sexual activity with a child under the age of 16.
Preston Crown Court heard he was released in 2020 but was recalled almost immediately after non-compliance and was told to serve the remaining three years of his sentence.
However, upon his release earlier this year he attended Burnley police station and told them he was of no fixed abode.
Full story here: Convicted sex offender refused to accept his conviction
Padiham man hit partner and slammed her onto brick wall
A man subjected his partner to a "brutish" attack after dragging her out of her home.
Blackburn magistrates heard witnesses saw Shayne Gabriel pick the victim up and slam her down on her back onto a brick wall.
He also hit her repeatedly about the torso and arms with a wooden bat.
Full story here: Padiham man hit partner and slammed her onto brick wall
Man turned up at his aunt's house asking for money
A man turned up at his aunt's house in the early hours of the morning to ask for money.
Blackburn magistrates heard Darren Belshaw was banned from attending the property or contacting his aunt by a restraining order.
Belshaw, 41, of Church Street, Haslingden, pleaded guilty to breaching a non-molestation order. He was jailed for 16 weeks for the offence and a further eight weeks of a suspended sentence were activated.
Full story here: Man turned up at his aunt's house asking for money
Man viciously attacked girlfriend's ex as he slept on sofa
Full story here: Man viciously attacked girlfriend's ex as he slept on sofa
A man viciously assaulted the ex-partner of his girlfriend after the ‘red mist descended’ when he saw them asleep together on the sofa.
Daniel Latham, 33, was in a relationship with a woman called Grace Dearden in December 2021.
Preston Crown Court heard how on December 1 2021 the couple had had an argument, with the police being called and Ms Dearden being escorted to a pub where her friends and ex-partner Scott Kenyon were drinking in order for her to make arrangements to stay somewhere else.
Keep up to date with every court story we cover across East Lancashire by visiting our website daily, signing up for our newsletter, or by joining our Court and Crime Facebook group.
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