Here are some of the people who have appeared in courts on Teesside in January.
Dangerous driver
A woman who deliberately rammed her car into her partner before driving over his prone body on New Year’s Eve has been locked up.
Paige Wilkinson had been arguing with her partner throughout the evening before the situation came to a head as he walked home from a party.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 31-year-old had been a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her partner and he had previous convictions for assaulting her and was on prison licence at the time.
Ian Mullarkey, prosecuting, said Wilkinson and her family headed to a friend’s home for a party before problems developed between the pair and she tried to drive home from Horden.
He said the incident was captured on CCTV where she could be seen deliberately driving towards him.
The court heard how Wilkinson refused to give a sample for analysis after she was arrested for running over her partner leaving him with broken ribs, multiple fractures to his arm and fractured vertebrae.
Wilkinson, of Yoden Road, Peterlee, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent, causing injury by dangerous driving and failing to provide a sample for analysis following the incident on December 31, 2024.
Judge Jo Kidd sentenced the mother-of-five to two years and six months for all charges.
Wilkinson was also banned from driving for three years and three months and told she must pass an extended driving test before taking to the roads again.
Audi driver
An Audi driver who deliberately drove at a number of people when a fight broke out in the middle of the street has been locked up.
CCTV footage captured a group of people having a verbal altercation near Jason Plaice’s bright green Audi parked up on Redcar High Street.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 32-year-old threw a punch at one man before getting into his car and reversing at speed before accelerating towards a group of people forcing one man to jump onto his bonnet for safety.
Annelise Haugstad, prosecuting, said Plaice then drove away from the scene in his car emblazoned with the number plate PL14ACE before returning and punching someone to the ground when a large-scale melee broke out.
Plaice, of Wilton Avenue, Dormanstown, Redcar, pleaded guilty to affray and dangerous driving following his arrest.
Recorder Simon Kealey KC sentenced Plaice to 16 months in prison and banned him from driving for two years and eight months.
Court breaches
A man who repeatedly breached court orders by harassing his former partner has been jailed.
Kai Wilson was given two suspended sentences for assaulting and controlling his partner and then almost immediately breaching that order.
The 25-year-old found himself back in court when he liked three of his former partner’s photographs on TikTok.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the defendant then went on to contact the woman’s new partner and tried to arrange a fight with him.
Ashleigh Leach, prosecuting, said after Wilson liked the images the woman received a friend request from the defendant flouting the conditions of his court orders.
She said the defendant was made subject of a restraining order in May 2024 for assault, coercive controlling behaviour and theft on the same woman.
Wilson, of Shakespeare Road, Darlington, pleaded guilty to one charge of breach of a restraining order in April last year and as a result breached the terms of his two suspended prison sentences.
Recorder Nathan Moxon activated both of Wilson’s suspended prison sentences and added a further two months for his latest offence.
He said: “She has tried to move on with her life despite the mental health condition caused by your previous offending but nevertheless you have continued to bother her and that has exasperated her mental health.”
Wilson was sentenced to a total of two years and two months in custody.
Dodgy builder
A dodgy builder who ripped off elderly and vulnerable customers to the tune of more than £30,000 has been jailed for his cynical fraud.
John McGrath took payment for several building projects across the region but failed to complete them before disappearing into the sunset.
The 49-year-old’s fraud was exposed after several of his victim’s lodged complaints with trading standards and took the rogue builder to the small claims court.
Several of his victims gave statements to Teesside Crown Court after McGrath pleaded guilty to eight fraud charges related to his unscrupulous trading.
Philip Morley, prosecuting, said the builder was initially investigated in 2019 following complaints of fraud from several customers.
He said the offences went on over a five-year period against eight specifically identified customers.
McGrath, of The Oval, Stainton Grove, Barnard Castle, pleaded guilty to eight counts of fraud between 2017 and 2021.
Christopher Knox, mitigating, said his client was trying to repay all of the money owed to the customers he failed.
Judge Richard Clews sentenced McGrath to a total of 15 months for his ‘cynical’ and persistent offending over a five-year period.
“It is difficult to understand how you could have acted in such ways, still less, how you could have continued for the length of time that you did,” he said.
Kidnap attempt
Two men grabbed a woman and forced her into a van after one of them accused her of stealing money from him to spend on drugs.
Paul Oxnard recruited John Jefferson in his scheme to snatch the woman and force her to pay back the stolen money, Teesside Crown Court heard.
The County Durham pair were caught on CCTV dragging her into a van before she was able to escape after being punched in the face by 52-year-old Oxnard.
Caroline McGurk, prosecuting, said the victim was left terrified after she was kidnapped off the street and bundled into the van.
She said the victim was lured to Prince Charles Avenue in Bowburn, County Durham, with the promise of a cigarette before the two men bundled her into the van after she failed to find sanctuary in a shop.
Jefferson, of Windsor Street, Trimdon Station, pleaded guilty to kidnap following the events of July 17, 2024, and was found guilty of robbery and attempted GBH with intent following the assault on August 11, 2024.
Oxnard, of Mickle Grove, Leeholme, near Bishop Auckland, pleaded guilty to kidnap and assault following the events of July 17, 2024.
Judge Richard Bennett sentenced Jefferson to a total of six years and six months for all offences and passed a 16-month sentence suspended for two years for Oxnard.
Violent bully
A man who made his partner’s life a misery has been locked up following a campaign of controlling behaviour.
Connor Liddle dictated everything about his partner’s life to the extent he controlled what she wore, what she did and where she went, Teesside Crown Court heard.
The 27-year-old threw a cup of tea over the woman which also hit one of their children and smashed up some of her belongings.
Liddle, of Kielder Drive, Darlington, pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour between January 2023 and August 2025, criminal damage and two assaults by beating in August 2025.
He also pleaded guilty to breaching his bail conditions when he failed to appear in court at an earlier hearing.
Recorder Tony Hawk jailed Liddle for a total of 19 months in prison for all offences.
He said: “You behaved in a degrading, controlling and violent way towards your victim – you plainly made her life a misery."
Sick pervert
A pervert who preyed on a vulnerable teenager has been locked up after he took to her to secluded areas to have sex with her.
Michael Cooper knew the girl was underage when he started engaging in sexual activity with her after making contact on social media.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 22-year-old used a false name whilst communicating with the teenager on Snapchat.
Adrian Strong, prosecuting, said the victim had been sexually abused by other men before contact with Cooper which resulted in her having access to her mobile phone restricted under a child protection plan.
Mr Strong said the victim gave police some of her underwear and provided details of where and when she had met the man she believed was called ‘Thomas’.
Copper, of Southcliffe, South Church, Bishop Auckland, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of sexual activity with a child, one charge of sexual communication with a child and a final charge of meeting a girl under 16 years of age following grooming between August and October 2024.
Recorder Bryan Cox KC sentenced Cooper to a total of six years of all offences against the vulnerable teenager where he repeatedly engaged in sexual activity with a child.
Crack dealer
A drug dealer who was caught selling out of a crack house has been locked up for peddling the "evil" drug.
Police officers watched a known drug addict turn up at the flat where Christopher Fretter was staying to secure his latest hit, Teesside Crown Court heard.
The 45-year-old told the user to push the cash through the letterbox before he could pick up his crack cocaine and then officers moved in to arrest the defendant.
Fretter, of Bishopton Lane, Stockton, pleaded guilty to two charges of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class A – crack cocaine and cocaine.
Victoria Lamballe, mitigating, said her client was effectively homeless and living in a tent at the time as well as suffering from a longstanding drug addiction himself, which he is trying to address.
Judge Amanda Rippon sentenced Fretter to three years in prison for both offences.
Dangerous driver
A dangerous driver who lost control of a stolen VW Golf before smashing through a fence was caught on CCTV running away from the wreckage.
Mason Hinnighan was spotted throwing his mobile phone onto the roof of a nearby building before returning the nextday and asking for it back.
The 23-year-old added to his legal woes when further CCTV footage showed him arriving in another car he was driving without a valid licence, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Kathryn Wetherley, prosecuting, said Hinninghan had stolen the VW Golf from Grangetown before taking police on a high-speed chase along the A66 on November 17 last year.
The police located it in the Lidl car park on Cargo Fleet Lane after it had crashed through a wooden fence and abandoned.”
Hinninghan, of Moorgate, Eston, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, two charges of driving without a licence, two charges of driving without insurance and theft of a motor vehicle.
Recorder Peter Makepeace KC sentenced the dangerous driver to 16 months behind bars.
He said: “You were driving at extraordinary speeds at 110mph at one point, you drove through red lights, you were being pursued by the police car – it was an extraordinarily dangerous piece of driving."
Drug addict
A drug addict who went on a spree of offending to fund his habit has been jailed after he was caught breaking into a casino.
Shaun Treston was already on court bail for a catalogue of offences when he smashed his way into the Admiral Casino to steal cash from the gambling machines.
The 38-year-old was arrested at the scene after a member of the public spotted Treston smash a window at the premises on Redcar High Street on December 21 last year.
Ian Windridge, prosecuting, said Treston was wanted on a warrant after he failed to attend court for breaching a restraining order to keep him away from his half-sister after he previously burgled her home.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the defendant was also charged with two shop thefts where he stole steaks from Iceland and coffee from a Premier stores in October last year.
Treston, of Hansen Street, Redcar, pleaded guilty to two breaches of a restraining order, burglary, four shoplifting offences, driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance between July 30 and December 21.
Gary Wood, mitigating, said his client had a longstanding drug problem and committed the offences to fund his habit.
Judge Aisha Wadoodi sentenced Treston to a total of 18 months in custody for all offences.
Darlington thug
A Darlington violent thug with a history of domestic abuse tried to blame his latest attack on a neighbour resulting in him being arrested by armed police.
Daniel Conroy smashed the woman over the head leaving her dazed and confused during an unprovoked attack in their home.
The 29-year-old told police that a neighbour had threatened to kill his partner and their dog, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Ian West, prosecuting, said the neighbour was held in custody for several hours accused of attempted murder before the defendant’s claims started to unravel.
The court heard how the woman was repeatedly hit to the head before Conroy called the police and blamed the next-door neighbour.
The defendant said the neighbour hit his partner with the back of a knife and made several threats.
Conroy, of Clifton Road, Darlington, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and unlawful wounding as a result of his attack in the early hours of May 18 last year.
He also admitted an assault by beating on the same woman from January 2025.
Recorder Nathan Nixon sentenced Conroy to a total of 35 months for all offences after learning about his similar previous offending for domestic violence.
Sick voyeur
A sick pervert caught taking video of a young girl using a public toilet has been locked up.
Kurtis Mawson was spotted by the child’s mother when he put his arm over the top of the cubicle to film the girl in Durham.
The 23-year-old was also in breach of a sexual harm prevention order imposed after he was convicted of performing a sex act on himself as he stood behind a tourist in Durham.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the defendant had been recalled on licence following his arrest on June 21 last year where he filmed the young girl.
Mawson, of no fixed abode but formerly of Willington, pleaded guilty to voyeurism and breaching his sexual harm prevention order which was imposed in March 2024.
Judge Amanda Rippon sentenced the defendant to a total of 16 months for both offences.
She said: “This little girl will have known what was going on, she will have understood what you were doing and I don’t have the slightest doubt that they will be worried about using public toilets in the future.”
Mawson was issued with an undated ten-year SHPO by the judge.
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