A MAJOR drugs baron, the ringleader of a gang who robbed children and a carer who abused an elderly woman were among the Warrington criminals brought to justice in April.
Every month, the Warrington Guardian takes a look back at some of the court cases that have been featured in the paper in the weeks previously.
Other defendants appearing during April included a police sergeant who harrassed his former partner, a drink driver who left a pregnant woman injured at the roadside after flipping his car during a crash and a knifeman who threatened a shopkeeper with a meat cleaver.
These are 16 criminals who were sentenced by the courts in April:
NAME: Jonathan Hodson
AGE: 46
COURT: Warrington Magistrates Court
DATE: Saturday, April 3
CRIME: Theft
SENTENCE: 18 weeks in prison
Go Outdoors on Wilson Patten Street - picture by Google Maps
NAME: Jordan Ellis
AGE: 25
COURT: Chester Crown Court
DATE: Tuesday, April 6
CRIME: Robbery
WHAT THE JUDGE SAID: "It was a cowardly act, and it was a very unpleasant act."
SENTENCE: 18 months in prison
Jordan Ellis
NAME: Damien Firth
AGE: 33
COURT: Warrington Magistrates Court
DATE: Tuesday, April 6
CRIME: Being in charge of dangerously out of control dog which caused injury
SENTENCE: Banned from keeping dogs for five years
Warrington Magistrates Court
NAME: Valentina Baghiu
AGE: 24
COURT: Liverpool Crown Court
DATE: Wednesday, April 7
CRIME: Ill treatment of an individual by a care worker
The carer abused and tormented an elderly care home resident in her final weeks of life.
SENTENCE: Six-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months
Liverpool Crown Court
NAME: Alan Bamford
AGE: 55
COURT: Liverpool Crown Court
DATE: Friday, April 9
CRIME: Benefit fraud
The benefit cheat fraudulently claimed more than £25,000 during a five-year con.
WHAT THE JUDGE SAID: "This was a claim that was fraudulent from the outset."
SENTENCE: 30-week imprisonment suspended for a year
Alan Bamford
NAME: Paul Coulthwaite
AGE: 55
COURT: Liverpool Crown Court
DATE: Tuesday, April 13
CRIME: Meeting a child following grooming
SENTENCE: Three years in prison
Paul Coulthwaite
NAME: Nicolae Ilie
AGE: 36
COURT: Chester Crown Court
DATE: Tuesday, April 13
CRIME: Conspiracy to steal
WHAT THE JUDGE SAID: "You were all involved at some stage, you all knew what you were involved in and you all played a significant part in an organised plan."
SENTENCE: 42 months in prison
Nicolae Ilie
NAME: Robert Jones
AGE: 21
COURT: Liverpool Crown Court
DATE: Wednesday, April 14
CRIME: Making threats with a bladed article
The vodka-guzzling drunk shouted ‘I’ll kill you’ at a shopkeeper after brandishing a meat cleaver.
WHAT THE JUDGE SAID: "The public are rightly concerned about knife crime up and down the country, and for that reason, there must be a sentence of custody."
SENTENCE: Eight months in prison
Robert Jones
NAME: Chevon Irving
AGE: 21
COURT: Liverpool Crown Court
DATE: Thursday, April 15
CRIME: Dangerous driving
WHAT THE JUDGE SAID: "It is most fortunate that you did not injure any other road users, as if you did, you would be heading straight to prison."
SENTENCE: 18-month community order
Liverpool Crown Court
NAME: Hannah Kellett
AGE: 27
COURT: Chester Crown Court
DATE: Monday, April 19
CRIME: Dangerous driving
WHAT THE JUDGE SAID: "The court gave you a chance, but you threw it back in their faces."
SENTENCE: 20 months in prison
Hannah Kellett
NAME: Harry Pullar
AGE: 22
COURT: Chester Crown Court
DATE: Monday, April 19
CRIME: Being concerned in the supply of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine
WHAT THE JUDGE SAID: "You went into Creamfields hoping to make big profit by selling evil drugs."
SENTENCE: Three years in prison
Creamfields and, inset, Harry Pullar
NAME: Stuart Berry
COURT: Preston Magistrates Court
DATE: Monday, April 19
CRIME: Harrasment
The police sergeant was sacked from his post with Cheshire Police following his conviction.
SENTENCE: Community service
Police sergeant Stuart Berry
NAME: Alan Tobin
AGE: 51
COURT: Liverpool Crown Court
DATE: Tuesday, April 20
CRIME: Conspiracy to supply cocaine
WHAT THE JUDGE SAID: "It was a business of a truly national scale which netted you vast sums of money and funded your lavish lifestyle."
SENTENCE: 20 years in prison
Alan Tobin
NAME: Simon Dilorenzo
AGE: 48
COURT: Warrington Magistrates Court
DATE: Wednesday, April 21
CRIME: Fly-tipping
He dumped a pile of waste including a metal bedframe only metres away from his home.
SENTENCE: Fined £500
The pile of waste
NAME: Jeffrey Ashfield
AGE: 47
COURT: Warrington Magistrates Court
DATE: Thursday, April 22
CRIME: Stalking
SENTENCE: 12- week imprisonment suspended for two years
Warrington Magistrates Court
NAME: Daniel Simpson
AGE: 24
COURT: Warrington Magistrates Court
DATE: Friday, April 23
CRIME: Failing to stop after a crash
WHAT THE JUDGE SAID: "There’s no escaping that it was a very, very bad incident and the manner in which you acted showed a complete lack of judgement and a total absence of responsibility."
SENTENCE: 14-week imprisonment suspended for two years
The scene after the crash on Sankey Way
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