September was another busy month across East Lancashire's courts as a fresh swathe of criminals was put behind bars.
Among those jailed this month are a man who appeared in court on his birthday, a service station ram-raider, and a dangerous driver who was jailed twice at different courts within a matter of days.
Here is a round-up of all those banged up in September
David Hodgson-Smith
David Hodgson-Smith, 41, of Hudson Street, Burnley, was jailed for eight weeks and ordered to pay £320 compensation for shoplifting.
Hudson-Smith pleaded guilty to two charges of theft from Home Bargains, two thefts from Rossendale Road Service Station, and four breaches of a criminal behaviour order.
Blackburn Magistrates' Court heard that on one occasion Hodgson-Smith was challenged by a member of staff and he responded: "You are not insured, you can't touch me."
FULL STORY: Burnley shoplifter jailed again for latest thefts in town
Zara Pervaz
Zara Pervaz, 35, of Bradford Road, Idle, Bradford, was jailed for eight weeks for drug driving.
Pervaz admitted to driving a grey Peugeot 207 without a valid licence or insurance and with three different controlled drugs above legal limits in Talbot Street, Burnley, on October 29 last year.
Tests showed Pervaz had cannabis, cocaine, and a cocaine derivative, all over the specified limits, in her system.
FULL STORY: Burnley - Woman jailed for driving with multiple drugs
Ashley Spencer
Ashley Spencer, of Russell Street, Church, was jailed for 16 weeks for stealing a bank card and using it.
Spencer, 20, admitted fraud by false representation and theft from a motor vehicle and was sentenced at Burnley Magistrates' Court on September 1.
The offences happened on March 1, when Spencer used a bank card and took property from a vehicle belonging to Dylan Clemance.
FULL STORY: Church thief who stole bank card and Apple Watch jailed
Ben Porter
Ben Porter, 34, of Peel Gardens, Colne, was jailed for 19 months for ram-raiding a service station in Cumbria.
Porter ram-raided the petrol station on the A590 in Newby Bridge on January 19, 2024, before forcibly removing a safe.
Prosecutor Peter Kelly said he was later found in the area and gave an account which did not match up to the reality of the situation.
FULL STORY: Colne burglar jailed for petrol station ram-raid safe theft
Augustus Coverdale
Augustus Coverdale, 36, of Charter Street, Accrington, was jailed for 20 weeks for stealing a trailer from a farm.
Coverdale was identified as the man behind the theft of an Ifor Williams trailer from Mill Farm, Wesham, on March 3, following a police investigation.
Officers launched CCTV enquiries after the trailer was stolen and established that Coverdale had used a Ford Transit van displaying cloned registration plates.
He was also banned from driving for 32 weeks.
FULL STORY: Ifor Williams trailer thief jailed after nationwide hunt
Haider Hussain
Haider Hussain, 28, of Rose Vale Street, Rawtenstall, was jailed for eight weeks for driving whilst disqualified.
Blackburn Magistrates' Court heard Haider Hussain sped off, failing to indicate and failing to give way to oncoming traffic, causing them to take evasive action.
He was also banned from driving for 16 months and was ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge.
FULL STORY: Jail for banned Rawtenstall driver caught behind wheel
Atif Chowdhary
Atif Chowdhary, 38, of Ash Street, Blackburn, was jailed for three years after robbing a betting shop.
Chowdhary carried out the robbery at Betfred in Whalley New Road, Blackburn, on July 1, 2025, and a staff member handed over £3,000 in cash.
The defendant also threatened staff with what they believed was a firearm concealed inside a plastic bag.
FULL STORY: Man who stole £3K from Betfred in Blackburn jailed
Jade Balmer
Jade Balmer, 31, of no fixed address, was jailed for 36 weeks after throwing a cup of toilet water at a police officer's face.
Blackburn Magistrates' Court was told that Balmer wanted to go to prison to reset her chaotic drug-affected life.
She pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker at Gravesend police station in Kent, and theft of candles, clothing and miscellaneous items worth £1,001 from a shop at Victoria Station, London.
Leon Edmondson
Leon Edmondson, 42, of Dall Street, Burnley, was jailed for four years and eight months after a 1kg block of cocaine was found in the back of his car by police officers.
Preston Crown Court heard Edmondson had got into the trade of drug dealing to earn extra cash.
Officers further found £35,000 cash in a wardrobe at his address when his home was searched.
FULL STORY: Burnley drug dealer found with 1kg block of cocaine
Brian Matthews
Brian Matthews, 23, of Edward Street, Rishton, was jailed for six years and given a 15-year restraining order for raping a woman.
Matthews had been allowed to stay at the victim's house following an argument with his mother, and he climbed into the victim's bed and initiated sexual contact.
Judge Daniel Prowse, at Burnley Crown Court, said that, while he accepted the developmental delay and the impact of the defendant's learning disabilities, he was satisfied that Matthews knew right from wrong.
FULL STORY: Rishton rapist took advantage of woman as she fell asleep
Tom McKee
Tom McKee, 33, of no fixed address, was jailed for 26 weeks for breaching a restraining order and breaching a suspended sentence.
McKee visited a woman's home, which he was banned from doing, at her invitation, putting him in breach of a suspended sentence imposed for a breach of the same restraining order in May.
Gareth Price, defending at Blackburn Magistrates' Court, said: "On this occasion he was invited to her property and there is no suggestion he wasn't welcome. Until the order ends he shouldn't go there, whatever her invitation to him."
FULL STORY: Man subject to restraining order found in ex's house
Usman Rasul
Usman Rasul, 34, of no fixed address in Blackburn, was jailed twice at different courts for separate offending in September.
Rasul first received a sentence of three years and four months at Preston Crown Court after he crashed head-on into another car in Blackburn, leaving the driver of the other vehicle with a shattered kneecap.
Only two days later, he appeared at Blackburn Magistrates' Court and was sentenced to 43 weeks in prison for assaulting a police officer and harassing a woman over several days.
FULL STORIES: Blackburn man jailed after fleeing scene of head-on crash - Blackburn man jailed over harassment and officer assault
Oliver Taylor
Oliver Taylor, 36, of Highbank, Blackburn, was jailed for nine months for breaking into a parked car using a key he found in another car and driving off in it.
Blackburn magistrates heard the second vehicle, valued at £11,000, had later been found damaged and the insurance company had written it off.
Taylor pleaded guilty to theft of a wallet containing cash, personal cards and a set of car keys and unauthorised taking of a vehicle.
FULL STORY: Man jailed after using stolen car key to steal another
Khumbulani Nyathi
Khumbulani Nyathi, 28, of no fixed address, was jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to shoplifting.
Nyathi was charged with 14 counts of theft from a shop and four breaches of a criminal behaviour order (CBO).
He appeared at Preston Magistrates' Court on Saturday, September 19, having pleaded guilty to all counts.
FULL STORY: Nelson shoplifter jailed after pleading guilty to offences
Mark McConnell
Mark McConnell, 35, of Fecitt Brow, Blackburn, was jailed for 13 years at Burnley Crown Court for multiple sex offences against a boy.
McConnell was convicted of three counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of rape, one count of engaging in sexual activity with a child and one count of sexual activity with a child following a trial.
The offences took place between 2019 and 2022, and came to light after he sexually assaulted the victim in April 2022 while the child was falling asleep.
FULL STORY: Blackburn paedophile jailed after grooming young boy
Jody Campbell
Jody Campbell, 39, of Russell Street, Accrington, was jailed for 27 months for pulling a man's testicles, causing a large laceration.
Campbell had previously “taken over” the victim’s house and was “bullying him,” prosecutor Amanda Johnson told Preston Crown Court.
Campbell approached the pair during a chance encounter and when he recognised the victim, he began “prodding and poking” him and demanded to know where he had been and why he had been ignoring him.
When the victim did not answer, Campbell reached into the victim’s shorts, grabbed his testicles, and pulled down, causing a 5cm laceration.
FULL STORY: Accrington bully pulled man's testicles during assault
Dillon McLean
Dillon McLean, 30, of Richmond Terrace, Darwen, was jailed for 21 months after threatening to pay someone to throw acid in the face of the mother of his child.
Preston Crown Court heard the threat came following an explosive argument about school shoes.
After the defendant said he could no longer attend, his partner asked him to send money for the shoes before informing him that the money had been received from another source.
McLean responded by accusing the victim of using his money for her personal needs, before sending a barrage of abusive messages, including threatening to elbow her repeatedly in the face.
FULL STORY: Darwen man jailed for threatening ex-partner with acid attack
Lee Stretton
Lee Stretton, 45, of Westgate Close, Whitworth, was jailed for two years and eight months for robbing a man in Rochdale.
Stretton was said to be in possession of an imitation firearm when he carried out the robbery in June.
FULL STORY: Whitworth man jailed for attempted robbery with fake gun
Liam Littlefair
Liam Littlefair, 44, of Bethesda Street, Burnley, was jailed for 50 weeks for breaching a restraining order.
Littlefair appeared in court on his birthday after pleading guilty to breaching the order, which also put him in breach of a suspended sentence.
He was jailed for 10 weeks for the restraining order breach and a further 40 weeks of the suspended sentence was activated.
FULL STORY: Man jailed for restraining order breach on his birthday
Robert Simpson
Robert Simpson, 36, of no fixed address, was jailed for 20 weeks after he was caught shoplifting by plain-clothes police officers.
Officers were carrying out a plain-clothes operation at the Shell Service Station in Trafalgar Street, Burnley, when they tackled Simpson.
He was charged with four counts of theft from a shop and four breaches of a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO), and was also wanted on recall to prison.
FULL STORY: Man jailed for string of shoplifting offences in Burnley
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