Here are some of the people sentenced at Teesside Crown Court last month.
Shotgun attackers among those facing justice throughout May.
Revenge shooting
A man was shot in the stomach in a revenge shotgun attack after an underworld feud erupted into extreme violence.
Having been subject to an attempted machete attack at his partner's home, Liam McElvaney rounded up a group of associates, including Wayne Narey and Jayden Woodley.
Teesside Crown Court heard the 23-year-old sourced a shotgun before the gang turned up at the home of his rival’s father, who was blasted in the abdomen with the shotgun.
A judge heard how McElvaney hid under a child’s bed when a gang of armed men turned up at his girlfriend’s home and threatened her and her child hours before the revenge attack.
Rachael Landin, prosecuting, said bad blood had been boiling between McElvaney and the victim’s son for several weeks before the brutal shooting took place.
McElvaney admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent after initially facing an attempted murder charge following the shooting on Richmond Court, Grangetown, on April 1, 2024, and a charge of possession of firearm with intent to endanger life.
The 23-year-old also admitted a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice by trying to offer the victim cash in a desperate bid to avoid prosecution.
While 19-year-old Narey and 18-year-old Woodley, who travelled to Teesside from his home in West Auckland, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm, a shotgun, with the intent to endanger life.
McElvaney, of Pennywell House, Hylton Road, Sunderland but originally from the Middlesbrough area, was sentenced to 16 years and six months for all offences with an extended four years on licence.
Narey, of Bruce Avenue, Middlesbrough, was sentenced to nine years for both offences.
Woodley, of Front Street, West Auckland, was sentenced to six years and three months.
Dog attack
A man set his lurcher on his girlfriend in a horrific attack that left her cheek "hanging off" after a row.
The woman also had her lip ripped open and part of her nose bitten off when Corey Ramplin eventually dragged the dog named Jet off his victim.
A judge described her injuries as "grave, life-threatening and life-changing", and they were said to be so graphic they weren’t shown to a jury during Ramplin's trial.
Teesside Crown Court heard the 27-year-old was eventually arrested after the woman, initially frightened to report what happened, told the truth about the incident while she was in prison herself.
Ramplin, of no fixed abode but formerly of Peterlee, was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control and perverting the course of justice following the incident on July 9, 2024.
Recorder Paul Reid sentenced Ramplin to a total of ten years and six months after hearing how the attack had left the woman traumatised.
“These offences resulted in catastrophic injuries,” he said.
Sawn-off shotgun
A teenager who led police on a high-speed pursuit was caught has been locked up after his fingerprints were bound on a bin bag dumped with a sawn-off shotgun inside.
The weapon was found in the rear garden of a property on Lansdown Way in Billingham following a 999 call to police on December 3 last year.
Teesside Crown Court heard the shortened shotgun was traced to Leighton Watson through his DNA and fingerprints.
The court heard how Watson was also arrested on July 11 last year following a high-speed chase through Billingham town centre where he reached speeds in excess of 60mph in 30mph zones.
Watson, of Sidlaw Road, Billingham, pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited weapon, dangerous driving, driving without a licence, driving without insurance and possession of a Class C drug.
Judge Nathan Adams sentenced the teenager to a total of five years in a young offenders’ institute and disqualified him from driving for five years.
Dangerous driver
A dangerous driver with a ‘long and bad record’ went the wrong way up the A1(M) and narrowly avoided hitting a pedestrian after reaching 65mph in a 30mph zone.
Aaron Drummond took police on a high-speed chase on the outskirts of Darlington when they tried to pull him over in a BMW they believed was stolen, before he abandoned the car and legged it.
On another occasion, he drove the wrong way down the A1(M) in a 4x4 with his lights off before crashing into a car on February 14.
The 27-year-old then managed to escape from custody after requiring medical treatment but was arrested again nine hours later, hiding out at his partner’s Darlington home, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Caoimhe Bicknell, prosecuting, said the first incident of dangerous driving happened on January 29 when police tried to pull over the BMW.
Drummond then travelled the wrong way along the A1(M) before turning the lights off after collided with a car, leaving the occupants badly shaken.
Miss Bicknell said police were forced to carry out a tactical stop to prevent him fleeing the scene.
Drummond was also charged with escaping lawful custody and criminal damage to a pair of handcuffs.
Drummond, formerly of Darlington, pleaded guilty to two charges of dangerous driving, two charges of driving whilst disqualified, escaping custody and criminal damage.
Judge Richard Clews jailed Drummond for a total of 26 months and banned him from driving for four years and one month.
He said: “You are now 27 and have a long and frankly bad record, particularly for offending of this kind."
Town centre attack
A thug who got into a man's car then punched the driver, leaving him with a bust lip.
Teesside Crown Court heard Alexander Wright was caught on CCTV punching the man before door staff detained him in Darlington town centre.
Cainan Lonsdale, prosecting, said the situation was a "little unusual" and there was "some mystery" over interactions between the victim and the woman, but said things came to a head when Wright got into the victim's car in the outskirts of Darlington.
Mr Lonsdale said the Wright told police he believed the man had been in some sort of sexual contact with his friend’s niece, and denied the assault.
Wright, now of Brockwell House, Sunnyway, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to a charge of battery following the incident on September 21, 2024.
Recorder Dapinder Singh sentenced Wright to six weeks in prison which would mean he will be released shortly.
He said: “This offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified."
Bottle attack
A man has been jailed after going on a violent rampage that began when he chased a teenager into a pizza shop in Darlington.
Alan Marshall had just left a nearby shop when he pursued the girl into the takeaway and attempted to attack her, before being thrown out by staff.
Once outside, Marshall turned on the teenager’s mother, striking her with a wine bottle, before going on to assault a man sitting in his car.
After walking out of a shop, Alan Marshall chased the teenage girl into a nearby pizza shop and tried to attack her before being thrown out by the staff.
The 34-year-old then proceeded to attack the teenager’s mother with a wine bottle before assaulting a man sitting in his car.
Teesside Crown Court heard he then violently resisted arrest, repeatedly headbutting a police officer in the chest.
Marshall, formerly of Darlington, appeared in court via a video link from Holme House Prison. He pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault by beating of an emergency worker, shop theft and criminal damage – all on April 24 last year.
Kathryn Wetherley, mitigating, said her client was currently serving a 40-month sentence for a robbery committed following his arrest.
Judge Richard Clews sentenced Marshall to a further 20 months in custody to be served consecutively to his robbery sentence.
He said: “You have a bad record of offending, including previous serious assaults, and there are 26 offences against the person on your record."
Sex offender
A convicted sex offender who moved in with a woman and her two children without telling her of his past behaviour has been locked up.
Ex-solider Liam Young also failed to report that he had changed his name by deed poll, created a bank account under his new and failed to register an address where he was staying with the police.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 38-year-old was ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for life after he was jailed for serious sex offences.
Ralf Xhepa, prosecuting, said Young persuaded the woman to lie to police when they attended her home in the Wynyard area.
He said Young had been released from custody in July 2025 and police became suspicious that he was living in Wynyard rather than his registered address near Barnard Castle.
Young, of Baldersdale, Barnard Castle, pleaded guilty to four breaches of his notification requirement order between October 2025 and April 2026.
Elisha Marsay, mitigating, said her client accepted that he should have informed the woman about his previous history but was ‘scared to death’ of the consequences.
Recorder Caroline Goodwin KC sentenced Young to a total of 28 months for all offences and made him subject to an indefinite restraining order.
Knife attack
A man who plunged a knife into the back of a fellow supported accommodation resident in a random attack has no memory of doing it, a court heard.
Jason Blackett was caught on CCTV hiding the kitchen knife behind his back and casually walking over to the victim before plunging the blade between his shoulder blades, narrowly missing his spinal column.
The 45-year-old was told he was lucky not to be facing a more serious charge after a judge watched the disturbing footage.
Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said Blackett left the accommodation and told a man that he had just stabbed his victim in the back.
He said the victim did not co-operate with the police during their investigation.
Blackett, now of Station Street, Shildon, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent after stabbing the man on September 28 last year.
Recorder Andrew Dallas sentenced Blackett to four years and eight months in prison with an extended two years on licence after determining him to be a ‘dangerous offender’.
“There has been a deliberate change of name and those type of changes hide the background of an individual.
“In this particular case, she had no idea of the nature of the offences or your background,” she said.
Crack addict
A crack addict who robbed takeaway customers of cash after threatening to torch a car has been back in court.
Brandon Luke Fettis and an accomplice approached a car parked outside the Hotway Takeaway, on Front Street, Leadgate, near Consett, late on Saturday, February 7.
He was back before Judge Richard Bennett to be sentenced for a series of other offences including assault by beating, two charges of driving while disqualified, five shop thefts and breaching a court order.
Judge Bennett said: "I'm just going to pass a series of concurrent sentences because they would have made no difference to the overall 40 months I gave him a couple of weeks ago."
The convicted robber, of Front Street, Leadgate, had a series of short prison sentences imposed which will run concurrent with the sentence passed last month.
He was also banned from driving for 28 months for he motoring offences.
Sleepy burglar
A burglar who was found sleeping in the home of an elderly dementia-sufferer has narrowly avoided an immediate prison sentence.
Sarah Barber and two accomplices were spotted climbing into the property through a side window by a neighbour who alerted the police.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 39-year-old was arrested at the scene along with co-defendant Peter Smith – the third person was never identified.
Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, said: “The house had been burgled earlier and when the daughter went to change the locks, she found the defendant sleeping on the couch but no charges arose from that.
“There was no evidence of any damage or of any mess. She knew that the property was essentially empty at the time.”
Mr Soppitt said Barber had five convictions for nine previous offences.
Barber, of Broadway Gardens, Grangetown, pleaded guilty to burglary at the property on Lime Road, Normanby, from June 2 last year and failing to surrender to custody from November 12.
Recorder Dapinder Singh passed a nine-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered her to attend 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
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