A murderer, violent men and a series of sex offenders are among the people locked up at Teesside Crown Court last month.
We take a look at some of the most serious offenders to be sentenced through May.
Violent murderer
The violent past of a man who stabbed his friend to death over a mountain bike has been revealed as he is sentenced to life.
Andrew Clark inflicted the fatal knife wound when he chased down John ‘Bamber’ Donaldson when they came to blows in the street.
The 39-year-old was told he would serve a minimum term of 26 years before he could be considered for parole.
Judge Jonathan Carroll told Clark that the murder of his longstanding friend had a devastating impact on Mr Donaldson's family.
“At no stage since John Donaldson’s death have you acknowledged that you caused it, accepted any responsibility or shown any remorse,” he said.
“You have continued to seek to pass blame and responsibility and in doing so, have tried to blacken the name of John Donaldson and associates.
“You have an established history of using very serious violence.”
Teesside Crown Court heard how Clark also had convictions for kidnapping, assault, breach of non-molestation order, battery and affray.
Clark, of Ainthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, was convicted of murder, possession of a knife, and criminal damage.
Prolific offender
A prolific burglar admitted stealing a television and medication from a Darlington home.
Matthew Gilligan broke into the house on Thornton Street while the occupants were in the property, Teesside Crown Court heard.
The 43-year-old was branded a ‘professional burglar’ as he was sentenced for his latest offence when he targeted an elderly couple’s home.
Paul Cleasby, prosecuting, said the occupier realised she had been burgled when she came downstairs and spotted that the television and medication had been taken.
The court heard how Gilligan has 116 previous convictions for 312 offences, including 120 for theft and dishonesty.
Gilligan, formerly of Darlington, pleaded guilty to burglary from April 6 last year.
Judge Jo Kidd sentenced the prolific offender to 19 months in prison for his latest offence.
“You are a professional burglar,” she said. “You have an appalling record for dishonesty and you received a statuary minimum sentence for burglary back in 2021.
“Despite that, you continued to commit offences of dishonesty including burglary, for which you were sentenced in July last year to the statutory minimum for the second time.”
Violent bully
A violent bully who was caught on camera as he repeatedly punched his wife after he chased her out of the house while he was naked has been jailed.
Christopher Savvery, aka Hill, launched the violent assault after he demanded she return home to clean it.
The CCTV footage showed the 54-year-old corner his wife in the rear yard before delivering a flurry of blows to her head and body.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the victim is still too scared to file for divorce four years after she was beaten black and blue.
Savvery initially launched the attack inside their home when he attacked her with a wooden slat from a bed before she attempted to flee before being hunted down by him.
She said: “You argued with her when she returned home, she hid from you in the bedroom and you, in a very cowardly way, intoxicated as you were, took up a weapon as if you needed that at all to use against somebody who was physically smaller, clearly weaker than you.
"Whilst the punching stopped on camera that we saw on February 27, 2021, the effect of what you did to her has not ended and may well take a long time to do so, if it ever does."
Savvery, of Ripon Way, Easton, near Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily following the attack on February 2, 2021.
He was also made subject to an indefinite restraining order to protect his victim.
Violent attacker
A violent thug kicked and stamped on a man’s head after forcing his way into his home demanding cash.
Aaron Johnstone savagely beat the man after his wife tried to force the thug out of their home before handing over £40 in a desperate attempt to get him to leave.
The 29-year-old also attacked his own sister during a drink and drug fuelled assault, Teesside Crown Court heard.
He said: “The woman saw her husband fall to the floor from one of the punches to the head, he fell onto his face and stopped moving.
“She could see a cut to his eye and blood pooling underneath.
“He continued to hit him and then began to kick him to the head and deliver stamps to the head while he lay there – his wife was convinced that he was dead.”
Johnstone, of Shinwell Crescent, South Bank, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm on his sister.
He also pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent on September 25 last year as well as assault on an emergency worker following his arrest.
Recorder Peter Makepeace KC sentenced Johnstone to six years and eight months for all offences.
Drug driver
A drugged-up driver who was 16 times over the legal limit has been locked up after he crashed head-on with an ambulance.
Ian Bush had already collided with crash barriers but continued to drive before smashing into the patient-carrying emergency vehicle, a judge heard.
The 43-year-old left two ambulance crew and the patient with serious injuries but Teesside Crown Court heard how the defendant suffered the most serious.
Robert Mochrie, prosecuting, said Bush was driving on the wrong side of the road when he crashed into the ambulance in the early hours of the morning on July 2 last year.
Mr Mochrie said one of the medical staff suffered broken ribs and a lacerated kidney resulting in him spending three days in hospital.
Bush, of Tebay Close, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and two charges of driving over the proscribed limit for cocaine in his system.
“It was a particularly bad piece of driving,” he said. “You were quite obviously wholly incapable of properly controlling that car – you should never have got into it.”
MP threats
A man who made a series of vile threats to kill the Bishop Auckland MP has been jailed.
Benjamin Clarke left Sam Rushworth and his family terrified that he would carry out the threat to “smash his head off a pavement”, then, “to set fire to a building he was in and lock all the doors so I could hear him screaming”.
The 32-year-old started abusing the MP within a month of his election last year and the messages became more sinister when he made a series of threats to medical professionals.
Clarke's unhealthy obsession with the MP started when he posted a message saying - 'I can't wait for your next public appearance, you will be lucky to leave in one piece'.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Mr Rushworth initially wanted the police to warn Clarke about his behaviour but his fixation with the MP continued unabated.
Mr Justice Cotter sentenced the defendant to 18-months in prison with an extended 18-months on licence once he is released.
He said: "The future is in your hands. You are an intelligent man, you have time to reflect on what has happened.
"You have one wonderful life. You have the ability to have a useful and happy one but you must take steps now so that your behaviour changes and you don't come before the courts again."
Sue Hurst, prosecuting, said Clarke initially threatened to kill the MP when he was receiving treatment with a mental health professional who was so concerned about his behaviour it was reported to police.
Clarke, of Durham Street, Bishop Auckland, pleaded guilty to two charges of making threats to kill and a further charge of making malicious communication also relating to the Labour member.
Clarke was also made subject to an indefinite restraining order to protect Mr Rushworth and his family.
'Cowardly' driver
A young driver has been branded ‘cowardly’ after he ran away after crashing into a barn and leaving three people seriously injured inside the car.
Six people, including one crammed into the boot, were in the Ford Fiesta when Dylan Crocker lost control as he failed to negotiate a corner at speed while ‘showing off’.
The 20-year-old had been drinking in The Kings Arms in Wolviston, near Stockton, shortly before crashing the car into a wall and running away before he was found hiding behind some bushes.
Harrowing police video footage captured the aftermath of the crash and the injured friends could clearly be heard crying out in pain and anguish.
Teesside Crown Court heard how three of the passengers suffered significant injuries, including spinal fractures, as a result of Crocker’s dangerous driving.
Sentencing him to 30 months in a young offenders’ institute, Recorder Peter Makepeace KC branded his actions as cowardly as he tried to evade responsibility after crashing while showing off.
The judge told the young driver that he had ‘learned nothing, absolutely nothing’ from his near miss two years before the serious collision happened.
He said: “A terrible aggravating feature is that you fled the scene with total disregard for your victims.
“Watching you hide behind the hedge to stay away from police, watching you trying to blag your way with the police officers, not crying, not upset, not worried about other people, only worried about yourself.”
Footage from inside the car showed Crocker being distracted by other occupants of the car in the moments leading up to the crash near Coal Lane and Durham Road in the village near Stockton.
Crocker, of Avenue Vivian, Houghton le Spring, pleaded guilty to three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, failing to provide a specimen for analysis and driving without insurance following the crash on April 21 last year.
A roadside test showed the defendant was twice the legal limit but he refused to give a further sample following his arrest.
All three suffered significant injuries as a result of the crash and have all been physically and emotionally impacted, the court heard.
Crocker was also banned from driving for three years and ordered to take an extended retest before driving again.
He was also made subject of a five-year restraining order to protect one of his victims.
Sex offender
A convicted sex offender has been jailed after he failed to declare he was using an online alias and had bought an internet enabled games console.
Gary Bushnall was found in possession of an Xbox with an online account attached and initially tried to claim it belonged to his daughter.
The 52-year-old also failed to disclose he was using an alias name, BEELZEBUB#3589, within three days of creating it, Teesside Crown Court heard.
He was made subject of a suspended prison sentence last summer after previous breaches of the terms of his sexual harm prevention order and notification requirements which were imposed in 2020.
Bushnall, of Leven Road, Norton, Stockton, pleaded guilty to breaching the terms of sexual harm prevention order and the condition of his sex offender registration requirements following his arrest on April 2.
The defendant told the probation service he had bought the Xbox to alleviate his boredom.
Following his arrest, he pleaded guilty to two charges of cause/incite a girl to engage in sex act and one of attempt to cause a child to watch a sex act.
Judge Richard Bennett said he accepted that was case as the defendant had limited contact with his family and friends following his conviction.
He said: “There were no child abuse images or search terms found on the devices or was there any evidence you used it to contact children.
“That said, you remain a high risk to children which is why you are subject to the court orders.”
Judge Bennett sentenced the defendant to a total of 12 months in custody for the latest breaches of the court orders and for the breach of his suspended sentence.
Persistent offender
A pervert was out of prison for just four days before he was locked up again when he deleted a social media app and downloading an incognito browser.
Gavin Thornton bought a new mobile when he was released from custody and almost immediately signed up to the Bigo live streaming app and Opera online browser, a judge heard.
Saba Shan, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court Thornton had bought the phone and had not registered it with the police following his release from custody after serving time for child sex offences.
The 45-year-old was caught when police carried out a random check on the registered sex offender on April 14 this year.
Thornton, formerly of Hartlepool, who appeared in court via video link from Durham Prison, pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching the conditions of his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).
He was jailed for 32 months in September last year, after being found with a large collection of child abuse images and videos, featuring children as young as four.
Recorder Paul Reid jailed Thornton to 14 months in custody for his latest offences.
He said: "You have got a terrible record for offences involving children, you clearly have an unhealthy and illegal interest in children – you are going to have to cease that, one way or another."
E-bike rider
An e-bike rider who ploughed into a man as he stepped out of a bus shelter leaving him with serious injuries has been locked up.
Jacob Allday had been spotted racing around the streets just minutes before he collided with the man and dragged him along the footpath.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the victim suffered a punctured lung and was treated in hospital for more than a month.
Sophie Johnstone, prosecuting, said 30-year-old was riding along the footpath when he smashed into the man causing multiple injuries while he was riding a Surron Light Bee X at excessive speed.
Miss Johnstone said the victim suffered a punctured lung, broken collar bone, broken elbow and several fractured ribs. She told the court how he had pins inserted to his right shoulder and elbow.
The court heard how the man also suffered a cardiac incident and was placed in an induced coma for several days and remained in hospital for around five weeks.
Judge Richard Bennett sentenced Allday to 22 months in custody and banned him from driving for 32 months and two weeks.
'Terrible' driving
A teenager who reached speeds in excess of 120mph due a high-speed police pursuit has been locked up.
Logan Lawson drove on the wrong side of the road as he desperately attempted to evade capture in the Seat Ibiza he had just bought.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 18-year-old failed a roadside test for cannabis use when he was eventually arrested by police after he abandoned the car bearing false number plates.
Recorder Mark McKone KC told the teenager that his “truly terrible” driving could have easily resulted in a fatality as he sentenced him to a year in a young offenders’ institute.
“You took a lot of cannabis and then went out in the car which led to one of the worst possible police chases lasting about six minutes,” he said.
“You were going round bends on the wrong side of the road and travelling at 120mph. You were overtaking on blind bends before you mounted the kerb and left the car while it was still moving."
Elisha Marsay, prosecuting, said the teenager was on a detention and training order at the time of the offence on February 22.
She said police spotted Lawson travelling at high speed out of the village of Station Town in County Durham and they immediately pursued the vehicle but it failed to stop.
Lawson, of Motherwell Road, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without a licence, driving without insurance, possession of cannabis, fraudulent use of a number plate, and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.
Lawson was also banned from driving for two years and three months.
Abusive man
A violent thug who launched a prolonged and sustained assault on his ex-partner when she tried to recover a debt has been locked up.
Jonathan Hay punched, headbutted and kicked the woman after he dragged her to the ground by her hair as she tried to leave his home.
The 31-year-old has a history of violence and Teesside Crown Court heard how he had been made subject of domestic violence protection order days after the attack took place.
Paul Cleasby, prosecuting, said the woman suffered a broken nose after she suffered the brutal attack last summer.
He said: “She was punched to the face with sufficient force to knock her onto her back before the assault continued on the sofa.”
Stephen Constantine, mitigating, said his client’s account of what happened on the night differs to the account of the victim and maintains that the assault was ‘spontaneous’.
Recorder Peter Makepeace KC sentenced the defendant to 30 months in prison for the sustained and violent attack on August 16 last year.
Hay was also made subject to a five-year restraining order to protect the woman.
'Selfish' burglar
A prolific offender has been locked up for three years following his latest crime spree.
Stephen Ford burgled two homes and stole from parked vehicles to fund his longstanding drug habit, Teesside Crown Court heard.
The 36-year-old was arrested after traces of his DNA were recovered from the scene of several of his crimes in and around the Stockton area.
Estelle Chambers, prosecuting, said the defendant stole £3,000 worth of electrical goods from one burglary and stole cash and perfume from a car where he left traces of his blood.
Dealing with one of the burglaries, she said: “The homeowner noticed her two cats were missing along with two laptops, a pair of headphones, an iPad, musical instruments and jewellery boxes.
“She told police her iPad has shown up at a nearby address trying to sell goods and value of the goods were in the area of £3,000.”
In a second burglary, Ford stole a PlayStation, two Amazon firesticks and caps were stolen and the defendant was identified by DNA left at the scene.
The court heard he had 130 previous convictions with 52 theft or related offences and committed his first burglary as a teenager.
Ford, of Stamp Way, Stockton, pleaded guilty to two burglaries in February and March this year, theft from a vehicle on February 11, a further charge of theft from vehicle on February 12 as well as possession of a Class B drug, and a further charge of theft from a motor vehicle from June 9 last year.
He said: “It doesn’t need me to tell you that house burglary is a wicked and selfish offence."
Glass attack
A violent thug who threw a shard of glass like a frisbee into the chest of man leaving him with a punctured lung has been locked up.
Lewis Heighton hurled an exercise machine through the window before grabbing a broken piece of glass to attack the man.
The 36-year-old had only been out of prison a matter of weeks before he turned up at the friend’s flat looking for somewhere to stay.
Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said it was the victim’s refusal to let Heighton stay at his home that triggered the violent onslaught in the early hours of the morning.
The victim suffered a wound to his chest, a punctured lung and a further injury to his arm.
The court heard how the defendant had been released on licence on September 4 and he had been recalled at the time but remained unlawfully at large.
Recorder Ella Anderson sentenced Heighton to two years in custody and issued him with a five-year restraining order to protect his victim.
“This was a situation where you attended a family home in the middle of the night, you were cajoling into letting them stay there and there could have been very serious consequences,” she said.
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