A SEX-killer, murderers, perverts and burglars were among those people jailed at Teesside Crown Court last month.
Sam Pybus
He was jailed for less than five years when he was sentenced for the manslaughter of mother-of-two Sophie Moss.
His 'unduly lenient' sentence is due to be examined at the Court of Appeal after campaingers were left outraged by Pybus' punishment.
The 32-year-old had drunk 24 bottles of lager before getting into his car and driving from Middleton St George to the flat of Miss Moss for sex, the court heard.
Within minutes he had choked his lover to death and failed to get any medical help for the vulnerable 33-year-old.
The court heard that the pathologist’s report highlighted that there were no other signs of violence other than compression to the neck which could have lasted a number of minutes.
Pybus, of Water View, Middleton St. George, Darlington, was charged with murder but the Crown Prosecution Service has accepted his plea of guilty to manslaughter.
Miss Moss was found unresponsive by police at Glaisdale Court on Sunday, February 7 minutes after Pybus walked into Darlington police station to tell them what had happened.
Adam Chawla Murder
Ryan Burey and Craig Hardy carried out a sustained, violent assault on defenceless Adam Chawla after a row broke out over a stolen bike.
The 27-year-old suffered multiple injuries when he was kicked, punched, and stamped on by the pair before he was left unconscious for several hours without medical attention.
A third man, Naeem Iqbal, of Eleanor Place, Stockton, was jailed for three years after he was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and also assisting an offender after he lied to emergency services when he eventually contacted them.
Judge Paul Watson QC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, sentenced Burey and Hardy to a minimum term of 17 years after they both carried out the brutal attack on their defenceless victim inside Iqbal’s Stockton home in February this year.
Hardy, 41, of Cambridge Road, Thornaby and 30-year-old Burey, of Wembley Way, Stockton, had both denied murder.
In a powerful victim impact statement, Mr Chawla’s mother said: “As a family we have had to go through the most unbearable heartbreak and pain since Adam’s life was taken from him."
Michael Burns
Justice finally caught up with a pervert decades after he raped and sexually assaulted two young girls.
He carried out the horrendous abuse on one victim when he was a teenager and then targeted another young girl when he was in his late 20s.
The 70-year-old is now facing ten years behind bars after being convicted of rape and five charges of sexual assault following a trial at Teesside Crown Court.
The pensioner remained impassive throughout the hearing even as the victim impact statement of one of the now-women was read out to the judge.
The court heard how the rape and four of the sexual assaults were carried out in the 60s before he joined the Navy. A further offence was carried out almost two decades later.
Burns, of Grainger Street, Darlington, was found guilty of all charges following a trial.
Recorder Thomas Moran sentenced Burns to ten years in custody describing his behaviour as 'sneaky and devious'.
David Standley
A PERVERT who sent vile, sexually explicit messages to a ‘teenage’ girl was caught out by a team of paedophile hunters.
David Standley befriended the ‘14-year-old girl’ online and started bombarding her with compliments before the messages became increasingly sexually motivated over a nine-month period.
The 27-year-old was arrested when paedophile hunter group, the Angels of Innocence, handed over the information to police, including messages where the defendant asked for naked pictures of the decoy.
The messages then became increasingly sexualised following the initial contact in April 2019 and by January 2020 he was asking to meet up with the girl for sex before sending her a picture of the beach where his home overlooked – later identified as the defendant’s Redcar home.
Standley, of Station Road, Redcar, pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child into sexual activity.
Judge Howard Crowson jailed Standley for a total of three years and two months.
Luke Muir
A DRUG dealer who threw bags of heroin into a school playground when he was being chased by police has been jailed for more than two years.
Luke Muir was spotted carrying out a drug deal in Stockton and riding off on his bike when he saw the police approaching.
The 21-year-old initially managed to escape but was caught moments after throwing the drugs away in a desperate attempt to avoid arrest, Teesside Crown Court heard.
The court heard that he was in possession of 100 grammes of the Class A drug when he was caught.
Muir, of Scurfield Street, Stockton, pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to supply heroin following his arrest in August last year.
Recorder Peter Makepeace QC sentenced Muir to 28 months in custody following his guilty plea.
Mohammed Shajhan Islam
A BURGLAR who threatened his victim with a knife before forcing his way into his house has been jailed for six years.
Mohammed Shajhan Islam targeted the man in the early hours of the morning as he made his way home from a party.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 44-year-old asked his victim for a cigarette before following him home and pulling a knife on the man as he approached his front door in Darlington.
Islam was arrested hours later when he was spotted vandalising a Suzuki car in the Park Lane area of Darlington by the vehicle's owner and the police were called.
Islam, of Hartington Road, Stockton, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, possession of a blade and criminal damage.
Recorder Chris Smith sentenced Islam to six years in prison for the three offences.
"This was a serious case, the victim was returning home when you threatened him, forced your way in and he was injured in the subsequent time after – injured by a knife that you had on you," he said.
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