A DRUG dealing family affair, fraudsters and a former football club owner were among those whose cases were heard at Teesside Crown Court in the past week.
A mother and son heroin dealing team have been jailed after being caught selling drugs to an undercover officer.
Tracey Hay and Gary Hull were joined in their illicit enterprise by Hay’s former partner, Rory Eyles, as they sold the Class A drug from their homes in the Denes area of Darlington.
Judge Deborah Sherwin jailed Hay, 48, of Havelock Street, Darlington for five and a half years for her key role in the drug supply.
Hull, 31, of Cartmell Terrace, Darlington was sentenced to two years and four months while Eyles, 42, of Surtees Street, was imprisoned for ten months.
THE former owner of Darlington Football Club’s appeal against conviction for harassment has been adjourned until September.
George Reynolds, pictured below, was found guilty of harassing Durham County Councillor Heather Smith over a planning row.
The 84-year-old, of Monument Court, Durham, lodged his appeal following conviction at Teesside Magistrates' Court in September last year.
A devious and manipulative' fraudster conned her latest victim out of more than £46,000 over a two-year period – right up until she was jailed for a similar offence.
Christine Fearns targeted her victim for more than two years whilst spinning him a web of lies about her financial situation.
The victim used of all of his £50,000 redundancy package, as well as losing £15,000 he had paid out for his wedding which was cancelled as a result of the devastating impact of her deception.
Pictured below, Fearns, of Craig Street, Darlington, pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud between May 2016 and August 2018.
She was jailed for 15 months.
And a pair of bungling builders have been jailed for ripping off vulnerable victims for thousands of pounds worth of unnecessary work.
Jack Heywood and Jamie Gascoigne, pictured below, fleeced the victims out of almost £70,000 after they targeted the two elderly homeowners and conned out of their money.
The first victim was left more than £60,000 out of pocket after shoddy work was carried out on his Guisborough home over a four-month period in 2018.
Gascoigne's victim was left more than £1,6000 out of pocket after the dodgy builder carried out sub-standard work on her Stockton home.
Both men were already in custody in connection with other offences and this time Heywood was sentenced to two years to run consecutively with his current term, while Gascoigne was jailed for a further 12 months.
A heroin addict who turned to dealing to fund his habit has been jailed for more than five years.
Anthony Farrow, pictured below, was caught twice in a matter of months with heroin and drug dealing paraphernalia inside his Redcar flat.
Police recovered wraps of heroin, plastic packaging, and digital scales when they searched the 54-year-old's home on Coatham Road, Redcar, in June last year.
Judge Stephen Ashurst jailed Farrow for 2,045 days – slightly less than five years and eight months.
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