Charged and In Court: August 2021

Some of our cases during August 2021 which have led to charges and/or convictions in court.

Convictions have included a man who pleaded guilty to murder after stabbing his friend multiple times in an attack, a man jailed for 18 years after being convicted of child sex offences and a man jailed for six years after admitting modern slavery and fraud offences.

 

Convictions

 

Man who stabbed friend multiple times admits murder

A man who stabbed his friend multiple times in an attack at his Syston home has pleaded guilty to his murder.

Kaylon Wilson, 21, told police he had been thinking about causing harm to 24-year-old Connor Black following an incident the previous week.

When Connor asked to stay over at his home in St Columba Way on the evening of Saturday 27 February this year, Wilson carried out the attack, stabbing Connor multiple times including to the neck and chest.

Wilson has been remanded into custody and is due to be sentenced on 1 October.

More information: Man who stabbed friend multiple times admits murder | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)

 

The family of Connor paid tribute to him following the hearing describing Connor as a person “who lived life to the full, a person who was so kind and caring and a person who touched the hearts of many.”

More information: The family of Connor Black pay tribute | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)

 

 

Man convicted of child sex offences jailed for 18 years

A 39-year-old man has been jailed for 18 years for a raft of sexual offences – including six counts of rape.

Darren Looby committed the offences in Loughborough between 2011 and 2018.

Looby, of Chilwell in Nottingham, is also subject to a 12-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and an extended licence period of four years.

The victim in the case was a child when the abuse began, but came forward to report matters to police three years ago. Following the disclosures made an investigation, led by the force’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU), began.

More information: Eighteen years for man convicted of child sex offences | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)

 

 

Man jailed for six years after admitting modern slavery and fraud offences

A man has been jailed for six years after admitting modern slavery and fraud offences following a multi-agency investigation and operation.

Following concerns being raised to police by partner agencies regarding exploitation of workers who were living in Leicestershire and working at a factory in Derbyshire, an investigation was launched.

The concerns had initially been raised to partner agencies by the factory company itself and by an employment agency.

This led to a large-scale enforcement operation being carried out across Leicestershire in December last year which saw Janos Sztojka and several others arrested.

Janos Sztojka

 

Sztojka, 33, previously of Westover Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to a number of offences including one count of conspiring to require another person to perform forced/compulsory labour and five counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation.

More information: Man jailed for six years after admitting modern slavery and fraud offences | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)

 

 

Man who sexually abused young girl jailed for eight years

A man who sexually abused a young girl during the early 1990s has been jailed for eight years.

The victim of Mark Berry was aged between nine and 12 at the time of the offending but found the courage to report it more than 20 years later – this was after seeing the support provided through the criminal justice system to another victim of sexual abuse in a separate case.

The reporting of the offending led to Berry, 58, of New Romney Close, Leicester, being questioned and a full investigation carried out by Leicestershire Police’s Signal team. Berry pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent assault.

 

Mark Berry 

More information: Man who sexually abused young girl jailed for eight years | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)

 

 

Man jailed for child sex offences

A 41-year-old man who indecently assaulted a young girl in Leicestershire and also downloaded indecent images of children has been jailed.

Graham Moulds was sentenced to a total of five years and three months when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court.

Moulds, of no fixed address, sexually abused his young victim in 2017 – when she was just eight years old.

Moulds is also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and has been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

More information: Man jailed for child sex offences | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)

 

 

Man sentenced after abducting a child

A man has been sentenced for abducting a child after he was issued with a Child Abduction Warning Notice.

Kaywan Ahmed was sentenced to almost four years in prison at Leicester Crown Court.

In 2019, 31-year-old Ahmed of Highfield Street, Leicester, was issued with a Child Abduction Warning Notice (CAWN) by police when he was found in the company of a 13-year-old girl at his home address.

The CAWN was issued to safeguard the girl following concerns by officers and partner agencies that she was being exploited.

Kaywan Ahmed

More information: Man sentenced after abducting a child | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)

 

 

Men jailed for involvement in county lines drugs operation

Three men have been jailed for their involvement in county lines drugs operations in Leicestershire.

Ayden Dixon and Shane Williams were sentenced to three years and four months in prison and Martin Watson two years and three months at Leicester Crown Court.

Investigations into the drugs supply began in February 2021 in the New Parks estate

Officers discovered that Dixon controlled a supply of class A drugs that was distributed to vulnerable people to sell on.

Further enquiries led to the execution of warrants at several addresses in Leicester on 31 March.

The three men were subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of bring concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

More information: Men jailed for involvement in county lines drugs operation | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)

 

 

Man jailed for domestic violence against his partner

A man has been jailed for domestic violence offences against his partner in Leicester.

Manoj Patel, 48, of no fixed address, was sentenced to three years and one month in prison at Leicester Crown Court.

Manoj Patel

 

Patel was charged with three counts of causing actual bodily harm, controlling or coercive behaviour and criminal damage and remanded into custody.

While in custody, Patel sent letters and messages to the woman via third parties attempting to convince her to withdraw her complaint against him.

Patel was subsequently further charged with perverting the course of justice.

He pleaded guilty to all charges.

More information: Man jailed for domestic violence against his partner in Leicester | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)

 

 

Teenage driver jailed after death of a former RAF officer

A teenager who caused the death of his friend after a collision in Willoughby Waterleys has been jailed for 15 months.

Brennan Carpenter was driving his Ford Fiesta along Willoughby Road on Sunday 20 December last year when the vehicle left the road, overturned and came to rest in a brook.

Carpenter, 19, of Evans Avenue, Broughton Astley, had been travelling at excessive speed and failed to slow down when he approached a bend in the road, which then resulted in the car hitting a concrete post.

The car contained Carpenter and three passengers.  The front seat passenger, 18-year-old Thomas Gamble, sustained serious injuries and passed away in hospital a few hours later.

The two other passengers sustained minor injuries.

Carpenter pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.

More information: Teenage driver jailed after death of a former RAF officer | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)

 

The family of Thomas Gamble paid tribute to him following the court hearing describing him as a person “who displayed humility, pride and quiet ambition”.

More information: Family of Thomas Gamble issue statement after driver convicted | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)

 

 

Man jailed after pleading guilty to assaulting an officer

A man has been jailed after pleading guilty to assaulting an officer.

Samuel Biddle, 23, of Woodlands Avenue, Derby, was sentenced to 34 weeks in prison, disqualified from driving for two years and 17 weeks and ordered to pay a victim surcharge.

Around 2am on 5 January, officers on patrol stopped a vehicle on Squirrel Lane, Breedon-on-the-Hill.

While officers were attempting to speak to him, Biddle drove off with an officer leaning into the car, causing an injury to the officer's shoulder.

More information: Man jailed after pleading guilty to assaulting an officer | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)

 

 

Man sentenced to four months in prison for assaulting officers

A 25-year-old man who assaulted three officers during an incident in the city centre has been sentenced.

Mathew Greasley of Malabar Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to three counts of assault on an emergency worker and one count of resisting arrest. Two further counts of assault on an emergency worker were dismissed.

He was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court to 142 days in prison.

The incident happened in Humberstone Gate on Monday 7 June.

More information: Man sentenced to four months in prison for assaulting officers | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)

 

 

Charges

* For note - the below are incidents where a person has been charged with an offence. Court proceedings in relation to the allegation are still to be heard.

 

Coalville man charged with murder of Megan Newborough

A 29-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Megan Newborough.

Ross McCullam, of Windsor Close in Coalville, was charged with the offence and remanded into custody.

Megan, 23, had initially been reported missing to Warwickshire Police and an investigation by their officers led them to Leicestershire. Her body was found in Charley Road, near Woodhouse Eaves, in the early hours of Sunday morning (8 August).

 

 

Man charged after stabbing in Leicester

A man has been charged after a stabbing in Leicester.

Lee Johnston, 30, of no fixed address, was charged with causing grievous bodily harm and criminal damage.

The charges relate to an incident on Gallowtree Gate in the early hours of Wednesday 4 August.

 

 

Man charged with Saffron Lane assault

A Leicester man has appeared in court following a serious assault which left a taxi driver and police officer with serious injuries.

Callum McDermott, 32, of Oliver Street, appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court charged with offences including one count of attempted murder, one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) to a police officer and two counts of assault on an emergency worker.

He was further remanded into custody to appear at Leicester Crown Court on Monday 4 October.

The charges relate to an incident on Saffron Lane, Leicester, on Monday 23 August, at around 6.45am.

 

 

Man charged after cyber attack in Market Harborough

A man has been charged following a cyber attack in Market Harborough.

Adam Georgeson, 28, of Robin Lane, Wellingborough, has been charged with two counts of computer misuse.

The charges relate to an incident on 16 January.