Adam Everett

Taxi driver Robert Cretu admitted making 30 fraudulent pet-insurance claims to five insurers between December 2023 and August 2025 for dogs that did not exist. He submitted forged documents and invented stories about the animals’ deaths, including claims that dogs were hit by vehicles or fell from Blackpool Pier while chasing a seagull. The scheme resulted in an actual loss of £31,700, although additional claims were rejected or left unpaid. Cretu pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud by false representation and received a 20-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, along with up to 20 days of rehabilitation activities. The judge cited the prolonged and repeated offending but accepted that Cretu’s remorse, admissions and family circumstances justified suspension of the sentence.

Liam Redmond snr and his sons, Liam Redmond jnr and Luke Redmond, pleaded guilty to affray after a drunken fight at a wake at Prenton Golf Club in October 2024. Pint glasses were thrown and mourners were punched and attacked around the eyes; HGV driver William Donaldson suffered a serious nose wound requiring nine stitches, glass fragments in his eye and permanent scarring, while other attendees and the venue manager were also injured. Redmond snr, who had a previous conviction for a similar fight at a wake, received a nine-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, with rehabilitation and alcohol-monitoring requirements. His sons received 12-month community orders, unpaid-work requirements and £250 compensation orders each. The judge condemned the incident as disgraceful but took account of the defendants’ guilty pleas, remorse and lack of further offending.

Annika Sands admitted stalking Bradley McCreath and his new partner, Corinne Roberts, after a brief relationship with McCreath ended in 2021. Over nearly a year, she repeatedly appeared near them, followed them in her gold BMW, contacted Roberts and searched for personal information, causing both victims to alter their routines and move away. Sands received an 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years, six-year restraining orders banning contact with both victims and £700 in court costs.

A 23-year-old man received a suspended 17‑month prison sentence after admitting to repeatedly assaulting and ultimately killing a French bulldog he had agreed to care for. Evidence presented in Liverpool Crown Court showed the dog suffered multiple non‑accidental injuries over several weeks, culminating in a fatal beating. The defendant’s mental health conditions, history of self‑harm and diminished culpability assessment influenced the judge’s decision to impose rehabilitation requirements, unpaid work, and a long‑term ban on owning or caring for dogs rather than immediate custody.

Alex Midgley, known as the Spanish Scouser, was sentenced to four years and 10 months for conspiring to launder £5 million of drug proceeds for crime boss Francis Coggins and for involvement in a plan to transport 90 kilograms of cannabis. EncroChat messages linked him to attempts to broker large‑scale Bitcoin-based laundering and drug distribution. The court heard mitigating evidence about his personal circumstances, lack of previous convictions, and remorse. Judge Garrett Byrne acknowledged significant mitigation but concluded that Midgley played a meaningful role in organised criminal activity and imposed a custodial sentence.

A masked gunman, Daniel Lawless, shot an innocent man, David Forbes, in the legs outside his home in Croxteth in a mistaken-identity attack linked to ongoing gang retaliation. CCTV showed Lawless displaying the shotgun in a pub car park before the incident and later fleeing the scene. Forbes suffered severe injuries requiring multiple surgeries and continues to experience lasting physical and psychological effects. Lawless, who has prior violent convictions, admitted wounding with intent and firearm possession and was sentenced to 18 and a half years in prison plus four years on licence. The judge condemned the deliberate targeting of an uninvolved victim and emphasized the seriousness of firearms offences.

Police found cannabis, cocaine, cash and a converted Walther pistol hidden in a slow cooker during a raid on Daniel Estridge’s Liverpool flat, leading to his conviction on drug and firearm offences. Estridge made incriminating comments during the search, prompting a warning from his partner to stay quiet. Evidence included high-purity cocaine, drug packaging with residue, and ammunition compatible with the converted pistol bearing his DNA. The judge emphasised the dangers of illegal firearms and drug-related crime before sentencing him to five years and ten months in prison, while his defence highlighted family support and efforts at rehabilitation.