A MAN who witnessed his father being stabbed to death following a street brawl when he was a young boy has been jailed for his role in a crime spree.
Joshua Hannan’s father, Lee, was stabbed six times during a violent confrontation in December 2006 and now 16-years later he has been jailed for four years and four months for a catalogue of offences.
The 20-year-old pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine, two weapons charges, two burglaries and an attempted burglary.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Hannan, Carl McKay and Thomas Lacson were stopped by police while in a VW Golf and officers recovered £9,300 worth of cocaine, almost £3,000 in cash and a bottle of ammonia in the car when it was searched.
Victoria Lamballe, prosecuting, said Hannan had 15 deals of cocaine and £530 on him while Lacson had a further 90 bags of cocaine on him and McKay had £2,360 in his pockets when they were arrested in April 2020.
Two months later, Hannan was caught with a bladed article strapped to his quad bike when he was spotted riding in a shopping centre car park.
He was arrested again in July last year when he was pulled over while driving his BMW and police recovered a machete stuffed down the side of the driver’s seat.
In mitigation, Simon Walker told the court Hannan had a difficult upbringing after watching his father getting stabbed to death and the having to deal with the suicide of the man who helped to bring him up.
Hannan and two accomplices, Liam McElvaney and Tyler Hall, carried out two burglaries, an attempt burglary and theft of a motor vehicle during a series of raids in the early hours of August 10, last year.
Hannan and 19-year-old Hall broke into the first property on St Patricks Road, Middlesbrough, and stole the keys for a Skoda Octavia before driving off in it.
The pair then picked up 18-year-old McElvaney before heading off to their next burglary and attempted burglary at an address on Cannock Road, Middlesbrough.
Miss Lamballe said the householder’s CCTV caught the gang pulling on Balaclavas before breaking into a caravan on their drive and attempting get into the house through the front door.
All three were later arrested and charged with the offences.
McElvaney, of Iris Grove, Darlington, was also sentenced for his role in a violent confrontation in a town centre McDonald’s which resulted in the victim being stabbed three times.
Miss Lamballe said the teenager in the gang who kicked and punched the victim before staff managed to force them out of the Middlesbrough takeaway in March 2020.
Shaun Dryden, representing McElvaney, said his client had a ‘difficult start to life’ and had been in care when he was younger.
Turning her attention to Lacson’s other charges, Miss Lamballe said he turned up at Lookers in Middlesbrough where he used to work and threatened two members of the staff with a knife before forcing one of them to hand over his keys to his VW.
The court heard how the 25-year-old reached speeds in excess of 100mph when he drove along the A66 while taking the young man to a cashpoint and attempting to force him to withdraw £100 in cash on May 14 last year.
In victim impact statements the two colleagues said they had been left badly shaken by Lacson’s threats.
Rod Hunt, mitigating on behalf of Lacson, said his life spiralled out of control after he split up from his partner and he suffered ‘a breakdown’ before committing the offences.
Paul Cleasby, representing McKay, the drugs offence was ‘out of character’ after his client had stayed out of trouble for seven years before his arrest.
And Nicci Horton, for Hall, her client had not met his two co-accused in the burglaries until the day before the offences and was under the influence of drink and drugs at the time.
Sentencing Hannan, of Griffiths Road. Middlesbrough, Judge Jonathan Walker said: “I recognise that you have had a dreadful and damaged childhood. I recognise you were young when you committed these offences.
“I recognise that you are still a young and immature young man.”
The Judge sentenced McKay, 32, of St Patricks Road, Middlesbrough, to 32 months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Lacson, of St Patricks Road, Middlesbrough, was sentenced to a total of eight years, nine months, and two weeks for his offences.
McElvaney was sentenced to a total of 29 months for the burglaries, attempted burglary, and affray.
And Hall, of Redworth Road, Billingham, was jailed for two years for burglary, attempted burglary, and theft.
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