Charged and In Court: March 2023
Main article content
Some of our investigations which have led to charges and/or convictions in court recently.
Convictions include a gang of 16 men who have been jailed for a total of more than 86 years after they were found to be selling drugs by text and a man jailed for 15 years for sexual offences following the four-year dedication of an officer to see justice done for a teenage girl.
Convictions
Gang selling drugs by text jailed for more than 86 years
A gang of 16 men who sold cocaine via text message have been jailed for a total of more than 86 years.
Operating out of addresses in Leicester city centre, the group operated three mobile phone numbers which allowed members of the public to buy drugs.
An ‘operator’ would be a direct point of contact with the buyer and would then contact a ‘courier’ – who was using a different number – who would then meet the buyer, hand over the cocaine and collect the cash.
However, the group’s criminal activity – between October 2019 and January 2021 – was uncovered following a comprehensive investigation by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU).
More information: Gang selling drugs by text jailed for more than 86 years | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)
Leicester man jailed after £300,000 worth of heroin recovered
The discovery of a substantial stash of class A drugs has led to a man being jailed for 18 years.
Fadeel Hanslod was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court after a rucksack containing 6kg of heroin, two pistols and multiple rounds of ammunition, was found in the alleyway next to his flat in Derwent Street, Leicester.
Fadeel Hanslod
Police were made aware of the hoard after the bag was discovered on the morning of Tuesday 12 April 2022.
Following the find, an investigation began and subsequent enquiries quickly led detectives to declare Hanslod a suspect and he was arrested.
More information: Leicester man jailed after £300,000 worth of heroin recovered | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)
Dedicated detective helps put rapist behind bars
The four-year dedication of an officer to see justice done for a teenage girl who was raped has led to the man responsible being jailed for 15 years.
Detective Constable Suzie Brenton from the force’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) has remained committed to the case since taking over as the officer in charge in February 2019.
Her efforts to ensure the victim’s voice was heard have never waived and following a trial at Leicester Crown Court, Kevin Sidwell was found guilty of two counts of rape – which occurred on at least 10 separate occasions – and two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Kevin Sidwell
The 54-year-old, of High Street, Barwell, was given a total of 15 years in prison for the offences which happened between December 2010 and May 2018.
More information: Dedicated detective helps put rapist behind bars | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)
Praise for officer as her suspicion leads to one of biggest single cocaine seizures in force area
An officer has been praised after a vehicle stop led to one of the biggest single cocaine seizures in the force area.
More than 100kg of cocaine, which has an estimated street value of more than £8million, was found by the officer from the force’s roads policing unit, when she stopped the van in the Blaby area in June last year.
On Wednesday 15 March, the driver 41-year-old Jamie Gough was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Jamie Gough
Chief Constable Rob Nixon praised the police work which has led to the conviction.
Chief Constable Nixon said: "This was a vehicle stop which was made purely based on an officer’s intuition and suspicion about the manner in which a vehicle was being driven. It ultimately led to millions of pounds worth of cocaine being seized and removed from our streets."
Prolific drug dealer operating in the Loughborough area jailed
A prolific offender with previous convictions for drugs offences has been jailed for his part in a dealing line operating in the Loughborough area.
In January this year officers executed a warrant at a property in Forest Road and arrested 29-year-old Mohammed Rahman after he was found with a quantity of drugs on him and mobile phones, believed to be used to organise and operate his drugs ‘business’.
Mohammed Rahman
After a search of his car officers found a quantity of crack cocaine and heroin in the boot. All the drugs recovered had an estimated street value of nearly £28,000.
The investigation revealed Rahman, of no fixed address, was selling class A drugs across North Leicestershire including Loughborough.
More information: Prolific drug dealer operating in the Loughborough area jailed | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)
Man sentenced after Desford assault and robbery
A man, who was arrested hours after an assault and robbery following a swift response by officers, has been sentenced to five years in prison.
At around 6pm on Wednesday 24 August last year, a worker at a service station, which is on the junction of Desford Lane and A47 Hinckley Road, noticed a grey Honda pulled onto the forecourt and stop at the pump closest to the road.
Martin McDonagh – who is 33 and of Copt Oak Road, Markfield - got out of the vehicle and a worker inside the store noticed the pump was in use but that McDonagh did not appear to be filling the car’s fuel tank.
He went outside and on approaching the vehicle, he noticed that McDonagh was filling containers on the back seat.
An argument took place between the two and as the worker challenged him, McDonagh attacked him slashing him with a knife across his chest and his upper arm.
Martin McDonagh
More information: Man sentenced after Desford assault and robbery | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)
Man jailed for Leicester nightclub stabbing
A man who stabbed a fellow nightclubber following an argument has been jailed for four years.
Benjamin Etsiwah was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court.
Benjamin Etsiwah
The 26-year-old of Nethermead Court, Northampton pleaded guilty to section 18 GBH with intent.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday 19 February last year at a nightclub in Dryden Street, Leicester.
Man jailed for Leicester nightclub stabbing | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)
CCTV assists detectives in securing assault conviction
CCTV crucially helped detectives secure a conviction for assault after footage captured the incident unfold.
Sahad Falih previously pleaded guilty to section 20 wounding and two counts of possession of an offensive weapon at Leicester Crown Court.
The 35-year-old from Evington Road, Leicester, was sentenced to 14 months in prison at the same court for the section 20 wounding.
He was sentenced to 10 months in prison for the two counts of possession of an offensive weapon, this sentence is to run concurrently with the wounding sentence.
More information: CCTV assists detectives in securing assault conviction | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)
Man pleads guilty to vicious assault in city
A man who stabbed a victim multiple times in the city earlier this year has pleaded guilty at Leicester Crown Court.
During the evening of Friday 27 January several reports were received by the force about a man being assaulted in Belgrave Gate.
An officer driving to the scene was approached by the victim who got into the vehicle and informed him that he had been stabbed.
The 21-year-old victim was taken to hospital where medics confirmed that he was in a life-threatening condition.
Enquiries at the scene revealed several witnesses to the attack and dashcam footage showed part of the incident.
The defendant, Kai Turner, was quickly identified by the victim and CCTV footage from the incident assisted in tracking his movements after the incident.
Turner, 20, of Lee Bank, Middleway, Birmingham, was chased and arrested nearby, he was subsequently charged with attempted murder and possession of a bladed weapon.
Turner pleaded guilty to both offences and is due to be sentenced on Friday 12 May.
More information: Man pleads guilty to vicious assault in city | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)
Two jailed after admitting supply of drugs
Two men who were found to have been involved in the supply and distribution of crack cocaine, heroin and cannabis across Leicester have been jailed.
The crimes of Ashley Bates, Robert Elliott and Alfie Moore were uncovered by officers over several months, leading to all three men being arrested on 30 August last year.
Full story: Two jailed after admitting supply of drugs | 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.
Two men charged with murder of Tala Tala
Two men have been charged with the murder of 53-year-old Tala Tala.
Daryoush Kholghnik, 33, of Vaughan Way, Leicester, and Talib Mombeini, 37, of Vaughan Way, Leicester, have both also been charged with the kidnap of Mr Tala.
Kholghnik has also been charged with two counts of blackmail against two other people.
More information: Second man charged with murder of Tala Tala | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)
Third man charged in murder investigation
A third man has been charged following the death of Dumitru-Nicolae Cherascu in November last year.
Dragos-Marin Gugu, 26, of no fixed address, has been charged with murder.
Dumitru died in hospital on Friday 2 December after being found unconscious with serious injuries in Tudor Road, Leicester, on Tuesday 29 November.
Two men, aged 26 and 41, have already been charged with the same offence.
More information: Third man charged in murder investigation | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)
Man charged with attempted murder following incident in Blaby
A man has been charged with attempted murder of a woman following an incident in Enderby Road, Blaby.
Kane Brookes, 24, of Feilding Way, Lutterworth, has also been charged with the unlawful wounding of a man with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.
The charges relate to an incident at a property in the area on Wednesday 15 March.