John Davies

John Robinson, 30, has pleaded not guilty to murder, manslaughter and possessing a knife in a public place in connection with the death of Mason Jones in Burley-in-Wharfedale. At a Bradford Crown Court hearing, Judge Jonathan Rose set Robinson’s trial to begin on September 14, 2026, with proceedings expected to last more than five days. Robinson was remanded in custody.

The jury was discharged in the Bradford Crown Court trial of five men accused of conspiring to murder two men or cause them grievous bodily harm with intent after an alleged machete attack on Tickhill Street. Prosecutors said vehicles rammed the victims’ Volkswagen Tiguan, trapping them before the attack, which left one man with a severed hand, a partially amputated leg and serious head injuries; the hand was later reattached. A sixth defendant, former police community support officer Alice Dobson, also denies conspiring with Rahees Khan to pervert the course of justice by relaying confidential police information. All defendants deny the allegations.

Andrew Crowther, 57, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to 25 months in prison after admitting to possessing nine Category B and more than 60 Category C indecent images of children, breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and violating sex-offender notification requirements. Authorities found that he installed and deleted apps, used aliases and posed online as a 19-year-old lesbian and another adult woman. The court imposed a new indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Robert Bakes, 43, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to 38 months in prison for controlling and coercive behaviour and two offences intended to pervert the course of justice. After meeting a woman through Facebook Dating, he became jealous, assaulted her, threatened to kill her and any future partner, and later tried to persuade her to withdraw support for the prosecution despite bail conditions barring contact. The court also imposed an indefinite restraining order prohibiting contact with the victim or attendance at places associated with her.

Gareth Burns, 24, is due to stand trial at Bradford Crown Court in April 2027 after denying charges of causing the death of 14-year-old Ellis Lockley by dangerous driving and by driving while unlicensed. Lockley died after a silver Vauxhall Corsa crashed on Tarn Lane near Keighley in April 2024, injuring other occupants. Burns was granted conditional bail, with a further hearing scheduled for November.

Malcolm Bellwood, 71, has been sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to seven years in prison, plus a seven-year extended licence, after engaging in sexual conversations with online decoys posing as 13-year-old girls and asking for indecent images. He admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting sexual communication with a child and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. The judge cited his previous convictions, repeated offending and significant risk to female children; he will remain subject to an indefinite order and lifelong sex-offender registration.

Paul Goldthorpe, 56, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to two years in prison after admitting to inflicting grievous bodily harm during a June 2022 assault in Elland. While heavily intoxicated, he headbutted a man, repeatedly stamped on him and dragged his limp body into the street, leaving the victim with a broken nose, six fractured ribs and a punctured lung. Goldthorpe’s barrister cited his alcohol dependence, mental-health difficulties, lack of recent offending and subsequent sobriety, but the judge ruled that the seriousness of the offence required immediate imprisonment. Goldthorpe also received a five-year restraining order.

A 59-year-old man received a suspended 21‑month sentence for stalking a woman in Calderdale after disguising himself in a cloak and Scream mask, using multiple phone numbers to contact her, and placing trackers on her car. CCTV captured him waiting outside her home before confronting her and briefly taking her phone. The court imposed rehabilitation days and a two‑year restraining order, with the judge emphasising the significant and predictable distress caused to the victim.

A jury at Bradford Crown Court was shown CCTV of a violent machete attack in May 2025 that left one man with his hand severed and serious injuries to his head and leg, while his nephew was also wounded. Five men deny conspiracy to murder or cause grievous bodily harm, and one of them, along with a former Police Community Support Officer, also denies conspiring to pervert the course of justice. Prosecutors allege the assault was a planned revenge attack and that confidential police information was improperly accessed before the incident. The trial is expected to last up to 12 weeks.

A Bradford man received a 12‑month community order, 200 hours of unpaid work and a £1,500 compensation order after admitting ownership of a dangerously out‑of‑control dog that attacked a woman near Ogden Reservoir. The Cane Corso bit the victim’s forearm, causing a deep wound requiring stitches, and left her and her son with psychological effects. The judge imposed conditions on the dog, including a muzzle and short lead in public, with potential destruction if breached.

Two men, Mohammad Samee and Zaid Khan, were jailed at Bradford Crown Court for a planned and violent kidnapping involving a 17‑year‑old accomplice. The victim was abducted from a street, taken to another location, assaulted and burned during a two‑hour ordeal that included demands for money. Samee received six and a half years in prison, Khan three years and three months, and the teenager a 24‑month detention and training order. All three were given 10‑year restraining orders and were criticised by Judge Ahmed Nadim for the distress caused to the victim and their families.

Two men, Jamie Beardshaw and John Smith, were jailed for a robbery in which they posed as police officers to handcuff staff at a Bradford jeweller’s shop before stealing a tray of gold rings valued at about £10,000. CCTV showed them entering the store in police-style clothing and attempting to restrain staff before fleeing with accomplices. Beardshaw received ten years and eight months, while Smith received four years, with the court noting Beardshaw’s leading role and Smith’s vulnerability due to autism and ADHD.