Mark Naylor

Simon Clayden, 57, received an eight-month suspended prison sentence, 15 days of rehabilitation and £150 in costs after admitting that he breached a sexual harm prevention order by using an unregistered internet-enabled device. The breach followed his earlier conviction for attempting to sexually communicate with a child, inciting sexual activity and possessing indecent images of children. In the earlier case, he had sent explicit messages to an undercover police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl, and police found Category B and C indecent images on his phone. He was warned that any further offences could lead to custody.

Stephen Fraser and Tyler Cousins admitted possessing cocaine, cannabis, zopiclone, buprenorphine and pregabalin with intent to supply after police stopped their uninsured Ford Focus near Doncaster. Officers found drug-filled tennis balls, potatoes used to test firing distances, a two-metre catapult and phone messages describing plans to launch the packages into a prison. Fraser, a repeat offender, was sentenced to five years and seven months in prison, while Cousins received a two-year suspended sentence and rehabilitation requirements. The court noted Cousins’s prospects for rehabilitation, while Fraser’s sentence reflected his previous convictions and breach of an earlier suspended sentence.

Christopher Fletcher, 40, was sentenced at Hull Crown Court to 20 months in prison after pleading guilty to stalking an ex-partner and breaching a suspended sentence. He sent more than 150 messages, made repeated calls and issued threats including murder, decapitation and a claim that he would become the “next Raoul Moat.” Fletcher had previously received a suspended sentence and restraining order for threats to kill the woman. The latest sentence includes 18 consecutive months for breaching that order, a five-year restraining order and a £154 victims’ surcharge.

Four men—Benjamin Jones-Young, Alfie Green, Chiratcha Sripheng and Harley Smith—pleaded guilty to affray after targeting and attacking two men outside a Hull nightclub in September 2024. The victims suffered serious injuries, including a fractured skull, brain bleeding, headaches, anxiety and recurring nightmares. All four defendants received 18-month custodial sentences suspended for two years, plus 200 hours of unpaid work, rehabilitation requirements and a £187 victims’ surcharge. The judge cited the defendants’ early guilty pleas, remorse, positive references, limited criminal records and the age of the offences as reasons for avoiding immediate imprisonment.

Benjamin Morgan, 29, of Hull, pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm, intentional suffocation and controlling and coercive behaviour against his girlfriend. The court heard that he threatened, monitored, assaulted and humiliated her, including urinating in her shoes and pouring beer over her, before suffocating her and threatening her with a knife. He had previous domestic-abuse convictions against another woman. Hull Crown Court sentenced him to three and a half years in prison and imposed a 10-year restraining order.

Two individuals, Jodie Sainsbury and Alexander Ledger, received suspended prison sentences after violent assaults on restaurant workers in Hull following the theft of two bottles of wine. Sainsbury struck a staff member with a glass, causing significant facial injuries, while Ledger attacked the restaurant manager during the confrontation. Both fled but were later identified through CCTV and arrested. The victims required hospital treatment and reported lasting physical and emotional effects. The court considered the defendants’ criminal histories and mitigation, including claims of remorse, before issuing suspended sentences, rehabilitation requirements and financial penalties.

Two cousins, Timothy and Nicola Downes, were stopped by police on the A614, leading to the discovery of high-purity cocaine and thousands of drug-related messages on their phones. Both admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply, with evidence showing plans to collect drugs in Bradford. Mitigating statements highlighted personal struggles, remorse and efforts to change. Each received a three-year suspended sentence, with Timothy ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and Nicola assigned 10,000 hours and 15 days of rehabilitation.