They include a murder, a killer, stalkers, violent men, and drug dealers being locked up.
January
Bar murderer
A murderer has been told he will serve a minimum of 14-years in prison after he fatally knocked out a drinker following a row about a puppy.
Richard Smith-Slater lashed out with a dog lead before delivering four-knockout blows when Craig Gill grabbed hold of him to try and stop him leaving Blakes bar.
The 33-year-old then posted a boxing glove emoji on social media to boast about his violent behaviour in the Newton Aycliffe bar on July 8 last year.
Nick Dry, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court that the murder was committed while Smith-Slater was on bail for two charges of causing actual bodily harm but they were subsequently discontinued.
“The murder was committed at a time when the defendant was heavily intoxicated by alcohol and drugs. It is known that he drank 11 pints of beer on that day,” he said.
“The offence was committed in a public space and there were children present.
“The posting of the boxing glove (on social media) shows a lack of genuine remorse on his part.”
The 61-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and was taken to James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, where he died five days later.
Smith-Slater, of Bury Road, Newton Aycliffe, was found guilty of murder following at trial at the same court after the jury deliberated for three hours.
Judge James Adkin, the Recorder of Durham, jailed the defendant for life and told him he would serve at least 14-years before he would be considered for parole.
He said “You delivered four punches in very quick succession which hit hard on the head and you could see his head jerk back due to the force of the blows.
“It was not a fair fight, you were half his age, more agile and you had boxing training as a youth, which shows as the punches you delivered were rapid jabs.”
Pub Gunman
A man who travelled to a remote pub with two weapons as he feared being ambushed following a bitter feud has been branded a danger to the public.
Richard Bowser armed himself with a sawn-off shotgun and a reactivated pistol before heading to the Tan Hill Inn with his wife.
The 46-year-old had told a jury that he had armed himself for protection as they drove from their home in a Fiat 500 after being threatened by balaclava wearing man and a car was rammed into his home.
Teesside Crown Court heard how a weekend away at the country’s highest pub ended in violence and one man being shot in the arm.
Sentencing Bowser for wounding with intent and two charges of possessing a weapon with intent the endanger life, after he became embroiled in bitter feud, which erupted into violence at a peaceful remote pub.
Judge Howard Crowson said: “I acknowledge that your admitted threat is to a discrete group within the wider public but those are nevertheless members of the public requiring protection and you declared yourself unwilling to involve the police.
“I am concerned that these conflicts appear to have occurred in public areas with consequent risk to the wider public and yet you were content to deal with the conflict by carrying lethal weapons with an intention to use them to endanger life.
“Your past violent record, your indiscriminately violent behaviour that night and your admitted intention in relation the firearms that you were carrying leave me in no doubt that you are a dangerous offender.”
Jurors had heard how Bowser reacted violently when his bank card was declined and he was unable to settle his bar bill at the Tan Hill Inn, the highest pub in England, on July 21 last year.
Bowser was cleared of two charges of attempted murder but convicted of wounding with intent following his trial.
He was also convicted of possessing firearms with the intent to endanger life after he travelled from his home with the two weapons and ammunition.
The defendant had previously admitted assault and possession of firearms as a result of the incident last summer.
The 46-year-old, of Worcester Place, Bishop Auckland, was sentenced to a total of 23 years – 19 years in custody with an extended licence period of four years.
Killer driver
A woman who killed a pedestrian when she knocked her over while she was walking across a pedestrian crossing has been jailed.
Christine Ward switched lanes as she approached the traffic lights as they turned to red and failed to stop as Kim Piper crossed the road when the pedestrian light changed to green.
The 60-year-old, from Darlington was taken to James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, where she tragically passed away as a result of her injuries.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the defendant hit the grandmother as she crossed Victoria Road, Darlington, on her way to work on November 15, 2022.
Keith Piper, the victim’s son, told the court that his mother’s death had robbed him a future he could share with her and told how he had been forced to take time off work due to the mental stress of losing his mother.
And his brother Danny Piper said the entire family had been left devastated by the needless loss of the loving mother and grandmother.
Ward, 64, of Yorkshire Place, Bishop Auckland, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving when she made her first appearance at magistrates’ court.
Judge Jonathan Carroll told Ward that her actions had a devastating impact on Mrs Piper’s family before he locked her up.
He said: “No sentence I can pass can truly reflect the nature of the harm done. No sentence could deliver to the family what they want most – to bring her back.”
Ward was sentenced to ten months in prison with immediate effect and was banned from driving for three years and five months, The judge added: “This was a tragedy, first and foremost for Mrs Piper and her family, but I also recognise it was a tragedy for you.”
Obsessed stalker
A man who left his ex-partner fearing for her life after he bombarded her with hundreds of calls and tried to force his way into her home has been jailed.
Joe Abbott was so obsessed with the woman that he called her work phone 63 times in an hour during his stalking campaign when he refused to accept their relationship was over.
The 28-year-old was arrested outside Darlington police station when his victim went there with work colleagues to report the continual harassment.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Abbott was made subject of a stalking prevention order following his arrest in October last year but breached it within two days of it being imposed.
In October last year, Abbott called the woman’s work 63 times in an hour after she blocked him on social media before turning up at her home and trying to force his way in.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said: “I don’t think he will ever leave me alone and I will die, whether I jump off a bridge or he kills me.”
Abbott, of Yarm Road, Darlington, pleaded guilty to stalking and breach of a stalking prevention order.
Recorder Richard Herrman sentenced Abbott to two years in prison for the damage that his stalking behaviour had inflicted on his victim.
He said: “She believed that if you got into her house when you tried to force your way in that you would have killed her.”
Abbott was made subject of a five-year restraining order and was reminded he was still bound by a seven-year stalking prevention notice.
Convicted paedophile
A convicted paedophile is back behind bars after he stole more than £70,000 from his mother when he emptied her bank account.
Daniel Bateman syphoned off his mother’s cash over a five-year period and it only came to light when her care home told her she was unable to cover her fees.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 32-year-old had nothing tangible to show for his cruel deception of his mother.
Tabitha Buck, prosecuting, said his repeated theft had left his mother penniless and feeling ‘utterly betrayed’ by her son.
She told the judge that Bateman had started using his mother’s bank card before transferring cash into his own bank account after cancelling her paper statements and setting up online banking.
“It came to light when she could no longer afford her care home fees of £500 a month and her account was repeatedly overdrawn,” she said.
Miss Buck said the defendant had only recently been released from prison. He was jailed for three years in 2022 after he struck up a conversation with the undercover officer, who was posing as another online paedophile on the social messaging app, KIK.
Bateman, of Eldon Street, Darlington, who appeared in court via a video link from prison, had pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation between November 2016 and August 2021 when he stole a total of £72,228.
Judge Jonathan Carroll sentenced Bateman to three years and four months for the protracted period of his offending.
He said: “The victim in this case is your mother. This was not an occasional fraud; this took place from November 2016 until August 2022.
“Your mother was a vulnerable woman; your father had died and you moved in with her and she trusted you manage your financial affairs.
“She had no idea about the state of her finances.”
Violent ex-partner
A man who terrorised his ex-partner when he threw her down a flight of stairs before cutting her face with a hidden blade has been locked up.
Damien Taylor also threatened to crash his car into an oncoming lorry while arguing with his former partner while their young son was in the rear of the vehicle.
The 44-year-old breached the terms of a non-molestation order when he ‘you’re dead’ to his ex-partner when he drove past her and then sent an emoji to her mobile phone, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Caroline McGurk, prosecuting, said the two violent attacks had left the victim fearing for her life and the continued threats had impacted her and her son’s life.
Taylor, of Avon Close, Thornaby, pleaded guilty to two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, making threats to kill, and two breaches of the non-molestation order between September 2022 and March 2023.
Recorder Andrew Dallas sentenced Taylor to a total of two years and two months for all offences.
Dealing with the offence of throwing the woman down the stairs, he said: “That was an incredibly dangerous thing to do, while you were immediately remorseful, there could have been a very serious injury caused.
“Once you pushed her down the stairs it was out of your control – it was a very stupid and dangerous thing to do.”
Taylor was also made the subject of a five-year restraining order.
Cannabis farmers
Three Albanian cannabis farmers found hiding in the loft of a house when police raided it have been locked up.
Alberto Loka, Riza Manuka and Besard Muca, were in the process of setting up the fledgling illegal enterprise when Durham Constabulary stormed the property in Darlington.
All three were arrested at the scene after 51 cannabis were found in one room and vital growing equipment was also recovered following the raid on August 10 last year.
Annelise Augstad, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court that police also discovered they gang were illegally extracting electricity when they searched the house on Brinkburn Road.
The court heard how the plants had a nominal value of £510 but once mature were capable of producing cannabis with a street value of £26,000.
Police recovered three mobile phones but were unable to access Loka’s iPhone as it was password protected. The other two mobile phones showed regular phone call between Manuka and Muca.
Loka, 26-year-old Manuka, and Muca, 24, all of Brinkburn Road, Darlington, pleaded guilty to being involved in the cultivation of cannabis.
Recorder Richard Herrmann told the defendants that they were all being treated as low level farmers without any influence on those above them in the supply chain as he sentenced them.
He said: “When the police raided the address the farm was in its infancy, apparently in the process of being set up.
“There were 51 immature plants with a limited financial value but it could have made £25,000 at street value.”
All three defendants were jailed for 12-months but told they would only serve a few more weeks in custody as they had been on remand for five months.
Juror tampering
A juror who almost derailed a £10m drugs trial when she passed on information to the gang’s leader has walked free from court.
Jade Bainbridge let drugs kingpin Daniel Perry know that the jury was on the verge of convicting him for his role in flooding the area with narcotics.
Perry was locked up for more than ten years after he was convicted of buying ‘commercial amounts’ of cocaine and amphetamine from the gang to sell on the streets of Teesside.
However, 27-year-old Bainbridge almost caused the trial to collapse after being contacted by Craig Osbourne, who was related to Perry, in December 2019 and they tried to persuade her to enter a not guilty verdict.
Armed with the information about the jurors’ deliberations, another member of the conspiracy, Christopher Brierley, called Teesside Crown Court to tell them how he had overheard his girlfriend on the phone with a juror involved in the lengthy trial.
An investigation was launched and the juror Brierley named was quizzed by Judge Howard Crowson under oath before she was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Bainbridge, Perry, and Osbourne all admitted conspiring to pervert the course of justice following the conclusion of the trial in December 2019.
Alex Menary, prosecuting, told the court that Bainbridge had been recognised by Osbourne through their shared love of cars and acted as the ‘conduit’ between his two co-accused.
Recorder Aisha Wadoodi said: “Perry, you had the most to gain by having the trial derailed. You have convictions for dishonesty, violence, a number of drug supply offences, firearms matter, and you have had custodial sentences before.”
Perry, formerly of Redcar, was sentenced to 28 months to be added onto the term he is already serving at HMP Northumberland.
Osbourne, 31, of Lobster Road, Redcar, was sentenced to 13 months for his role in the conspiracy.
Bainbridge, of Overdale Road, Guisborough, was given a six-month sentence suspended for 12 months and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
The court heard how Brierley was jailed in February 2020 for making the phone call to the court.
Drunken thug
A drunken thug who grabbed the throat of his former partner and attempted to strangle her has been locked up for the disturbing attack.
Mark Jenkins reacted angrily to be told to leave her home when he launched the attack on her before fleeing the scene.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 34-year-old continually harassed his victim while making threats to give her two black eyes.
Jenkins was heavily intoxicated when he carried out the most serious assault on his ex-partner, said Christopher Morrison, prosecuting.
Jenkins, formerly of Hartlepool but now of Station Road, Trimdon Colliery, County Durham, was found guilty of intentional strangulation, assault, and harassment, following his campaign of abuse.
Michele Turner, mitigating, had urged the judge to spare her client from immediate custody to enable him to perform child care duties for his son but the court heard there was no evidence that he played a significant role looking after his child.
Judge Howard Crowson sentenced Jenkins to a total of 21 months in prison for all three offences.
“You went into her bedroom but she asked you to leave. You came downstairs and strangled her for ten seconds – you then left, taking your son with you,” he said.
“The consequences of being strangled can lead to very serious injuries and in fact death.”
Prolific shoplifter
A serial shoplifter’s luck has run out as he was locked up for more than a year after committing a string of offences.
John Halse tormented and terrified shop staff with his repeated thefts, sometimes more than once a day, as he stole to fund to cocaine and drink addictions.
The 27-year-old regularly targeted shops in Hartlepool despite being banned from many of them and would target some several times in one day, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Cainan Lonsdale, prosecuting, said Halse’s latest shoplifting spree left him in breach of a suspended sentence and a deferred sentence.
He said the prolific shoplifter’s first offence happened just 12 days after the defendant was given the deferred sentence for a raft of other shoplifting offences.
Mr Lonsdale said he stole four packages of baby milk worth £32 despite staff trying to stop him leaving the Spar on Wynyard Road, Hartlepool.
He said Halse then targeted the One Stop shop on the same street on November 3 when he stole 12 boxes of Quality Street and several other items before returning five minutes later and stealing more goods.
On November 24, he returned to the Spar shop and stole more boxes of Quality Street while acting in an intimidating way towards staff.
Halse then stole three bottle of wine from the Morrisons daily shop on Brierton Lane.
Mr Lonsdale said during that spree the defendant stole £334 worth of goods and £887 worth of goods across his other admitted offences.
Halse, of Glamis Walk, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to a total of 32 theft offences, including those he received the suspended and deferred sentences for. He also pleaded guilty to breaching both of those orders.
Recorder Alex Menary sentenced Halse to a total of 13 months for all offences.
He said: “These shop thefts all arise out of your addiction to cocaine and alcohol. It is to your credit that you have had a period of reflection on your lifestyle you are living and taking steps to address the problems.”
February
Darlington thug
A violent thug who punched and kicked his wife before standing on her neck until she almost passed out has been jailed for his abusive behaviour.
Anthony Baron-Palmer flew into a rage after he accused his wife of ignoring him while talking on her phone to a friend following a night out.
The 39-year-old grabbed the mobile phone out of her hand before launching the attack on her as he believed she was ignoring his sexual advances.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Baron-Palmer applied that much force when he stood on his wife’s neck that she thought she was going to die.
In a victim impact statement, she said: “This was the worst night of my life, for your husband to punch you and stand on your throat until nearly passing out, is not the actions of someone who loves you.
“That night I thought I was going to die.”
Baron-Palmer, of Lowther Drive, Darlington, pleaded guilty to non-fatal strangulation and common assault following his violent outburst on November 26 last year.
Judge Richard Bennett sentenced Baron-Palmer to 22-months in custody for both offences.
He said: “This behaviour was not an isolated incident, you continued to be abusive following your previous convictions.”
Couple stabbing
A couple who repeatedly stabbed a man after they found him stealing money from inside their flat have been locked up.
Darren McCabe and Donna Simpson took the law into their own hands when they awoke to find Ivan Demani stuffing cash down his jogging bottoms and tried to wrestle it back.
The pair chased the man into the lift of the flats where they lived where they punched and stabbed him with a knife while trying to recover their money the thief hid in his bum cheeks.
Teesside Crown Court heard how CCTV footage captured the pair wrestling with the complainant in the lift before the knife was used to attack him.
Chris Baker, prosecuting, said: “The complainant was struggling with them, there was a knife in McCabe’s hand and the footage showed them both trying to drag him out of the lift before he was put in a headlock.
“He wrestles himself free from them and then all three enter the lift. Ivan Demani was stabbed and struck and Simpson punched him to the head.”
McCabe and Simpson, both of Central Mews, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent following the incident in the early hours of August 10 last year.
Robert Mochrie, representing 46-year-old Simpson, said the CCTV footage showed his client’s ‘hopeless’ attempts to stab the man while he was in the lift.
And Philip Standfast, representing McCabe, also 46, said his client also suffered a knife injury and he maintains that the complainant brought the knife to their flat.
Judge Howard Crowson told the couple that they lost their self-defence rights when they repeatedly stabbed the complainant while he was in the lift.
“He entered your home as a burglar,” he said. “You were trying to recover your stolen property but self-defence no longer applied when the knife was used.”
McCabe was sentenced to three years and three months while his partner was jailed for three years.
Drugs baron
A drugs baron who continued to run his illicit empire while behind bars has had his prison sentence extended for orchestrating the industrial scale operation.
Daniel Perry organised for kilos of cocaine and amphetamine to be brought into the region while co-ordinating the purchase and restoration of firearms intended to be used to intimidate rival gangs.
The 38-year-old was heading up a gang of dealers who were flooding the Redcar area with drugs but he did not let his arrest stop him from heading up the network.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Perry continued to have regular contact with other members of the organised crime gang with a mobile phone that had been smuggled into prison.
Stephen Grattage, prosecuting, said the messages recovered from the mobile showed the hierarchy of the gang with the defendant directing all of those below him.
The conspiracy, which took place between July 2018 and August 9, 2021, involved regularly bringing kilos of the Class A and Class B drugs into the region.
Perry, appeared in court via a video link from prison, pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, and conspiracy to possess firearms.
Ian West, mitigating, urged the judge to factor in totality when sentencing his client as he was already serving a significant sentence for similar charges.
Judge Christopher Smith added a further four years and six months onto Perry’s sentence for drug dealing and firearms offences which he ran from his prison cell.
“Drugs lie at the heart of this serious offending,” he said. “You were attracted by the huge sums of money you can generate from trading in cocaine and amphetamine on a commercial scale.
“The profits that you were chasing come at a serious cost – the misery and the addiction of others – and the substantial fear instilled in the public by the gun crime that is increasingly going hand in hand with drug trafficking.”
Darlington stalker
A man who threatened to get someone to through acid into the face of his ex-partner when she refused to take him back has been locked up.
Carl Britton bombarded the woman with thousands of phone calls and messages before slashing the tyres of her car after he turned up uninvited to a party.
The 53-year-old spent four months hounding his ex-partner in an attempt to persuade her to rekindle their relationship and issued a number of vile threats.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Britton would repeatedly turn up at her home and bang on the door while trying to gain her attention.
Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, said the woman had been left traumatised and terrified of the defendant’s erratic and threatening behaviour and made her life a misery.
Britton, of Lanethorpe Crescent, Darlington, pleaded guilty to stalking causing fear of violence and criminal damage between June 30 and November 1 last year.
Paul Abrahams, mitigating, said his client does have ongoing mental health difficulties and appeared to get genuinely upset when he spoke to him.
Judge Nathan Adams sentenced Britton to two years and four months in prison for inflicting the terrifying ordeal on his ex-partner.
He said: “She had every right to be terrified of what you would do next to her, her children, or her property.
“This is not the first offence of this nature on your record.”
March
Killer driver
The heartbroken families of three teenagers killed in a high-speed crash have spoken of their devastating loss as the driver was jailed.
Louis Banks, 17, Aaron Bell 18, and 18-year-old Tommy Shevels, all died instantly when the Alfa Romeo they were travelling in smashed into a tree when Joshua Chapman lost control of his car.
The three friends grew up together in rural North Yorkshire and had their entire lives in front of them before they died following the fatal collision as travelled from Bedale to Masham along the B6268.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Chapman had been tailgating another car and driving at excessive speed in the minutes leading up to the crash just before 11pm on July 29, 2022.
In moving tributes, all three families spoke of the devastation that Chapman’s dangerous driving had reeked across their lives.
The court heard how the three friends had been sharing messages on social media showing them being bounced around in the car minutes before the fatal collision on July 29, 2022.
The judge saw the devastating damage to Chapman’s car following the high-speed crash on the B6268 Masham Road near Thornton Watlass, south of Bedale at about 11pm.
Chapman, who was 18 at the time of the crash, also sustained serious injuries including multiple fractures and a head injury.
Judge Jonathan Carroll sentenced the 20-year-old to nine years and four months in custody.
Chapman, of Mosquito Garth, Bedale, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to three charges of causing death by dangerous driving.
Aggressive beggar
An aggressive beggar has been jailed after he was twice caught drinking on the streets of Teesside.
Gary Oliver became angry and abusive when he was confronted about breaching his criminal behaviour order (CBO) last month.
The 65-year-old was approached by civil enforcement officers when he was spotted on CCTV drinking on a bench on the High Street, Norton, near Stockton.
He started shouting and swearing at the officers and landed himself back in court where a suspended sentence was activated.
Speaking after the court appearance, Chief Inspector Dan Heron, from Stockton’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Oliver is a prolific offender of anti-social behaviour, and his actions consume a lot of public resources.
“We have worked with partners to prevent Oliver from offending in the first place, but he continues to blight our town centres.
“This sends a clear message to people with these orders that they are in place for a reason and if they are breached, you will face punishment that could involve being sent to jail.
“We’re working really hard with our partners across to make the town an even safer place for residents and shoppers, and we will continue to take action against those who commit anti-social behaviour.”
Oliver, of Hertford Road, Stockton, was first issued the CBO after appearing at Teesside Magistrates Court on Thursday, November 16, 2023, when he was found guilty of assaulting an emergency worker and five counts of racially aggravated public order relating to five people.
He was handed a 12-week prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to pay compensation alongside the CBO.
Armed confrontation
Two men who armed themselves with weapons when they clashed in the street have landed themselves in court.
Nathan Jaoulane drove into Sean Gilmour’s street before chasing him with a child’s scooter in his hand before turning on his heel with his intended target picked up a weapon.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the Jaoulane jumped back into his car and drove it towards the 44-year-old on Essex Street in Middlesbrough before Gilmour started hitting the windscreen with a hammer.
Victoria Lamballe, prosecuting, said the 31-year-old then drove his Seat at Gilmour before smashing into his boat which was parked outside his home.
She said the incident was all caught on CCTV after a concerned resident called police after witnessing the violence.
“Gilmour uses a hammer to strike the window of the Seat,” she said. “Jaoulane drives towards Gilmour but he runs off.
“Jaoulane starts driving again and crashes his car into a boat parked in the road before running off.”
Gilmour, of Essex Street, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to affray following the events of October 17, 2022. He also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a Class A drug from May 13, 2023, and possession of a Class A drug on August 23 last year.
Nicci Horton, mitigating, said her client had stayed out of trouble for years before starting to use cannabis as pain relief for a bad back.
Jaoulane, of Calthorpe Court, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to affray and dangerous driving following the incident in Essex Street.
Caroline McGurk, mitigating, said her client accepts that his driving fell below the expected standard on that day and has expressed remorse about his actions.
Recorder Kama Melly KC sentenced Gilmour to a total of two years and nine months for all offences.
She said: “When the police arrived, they came across a scene of destruction, a vehicle had collided with the boat on the street and moved it against a property.”
Turning to Jaoulane, the judge said: “This was undoubtedly a serious incident which could have been far more serious as anybody could have been on the street and could have been seriously injured.”
He was sentenced to ten months in custody suspended for 18 months and ordered to attend 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days and carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
Hartlepool thug
A violent thug who refused to accept his relationship was over has been jailed after he strangled her in front of the victim’s young niece.
Dale Thompson called at the woman’s home despite being subject of a non-molestation order before becoming embroiled in an argument and grabbing his former partner by the throat.
The 28-year-old released his grip and let her drop to the floor when the young woman screamed in panic, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Paul Abrahams, prosecuting, said the defendant returned to the victim’s home a few days later and kicked the door off its hinges when she refused to let him into her home.
He said Thompson was issued with the court order in March last year and had previously breached it before his latest outbursts.
“There was a knock at the door, the complainant answered and saw the defendant,” he said. “They started to argue he grabbed her by the throat, the niece screamed and he let go before he quickly left the area.”
Thompson, of Bodmin Grove, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation, two breaches of a non-molestation order and criminal damage in December last year.
Calum McNicholas, mitigating, said his client was now looking for help to deal with relationships and urged the judge to pass the most lenient sentence possible.
Recorder Anthony Dunne sentenced Thompson to a total of three years and six months for all offences.
Thompson was also made the subject of a ten-year-restraining order.
Dangerous man
A man branded a danger to women is back behind bars after he was caught breaching a court order designed to protect them.
John McClacklan was tracked down to a woman’s home after he was contacted by his risk manager and only offered a vague explanation of where he was.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 42-year-old passed the phone to the woman but she failed to assist the officer but they managed to trace him regardless.
Elisha Marsay, prosecuting, said the defendant had already been jailed for breaching his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and the latest offence happened within weeks of his release.
She said: “He was released from custody after he was sentenced August 30, 2023, and had only been released for a few weeks. This was his third breach in less than a year.”
Miss Marsay said the defendant had 22 convictions for 45 offences.
McClacklan, of Quenby Road, Billingham, pleaded guilty to breaching the terms of his sexual harm prevention order on February 6 this year.
Judge Howard Crowson jailed McClacklan for 20 months for his third ‘blatant breach’ of his SHPO.
Cleveland Police applied for the court order against the defendant to protect women amid concerns that his controlling behaviour could lead to sexual offending.
