Phil Coleman

Brian Smith was convicted of murdering his 73-year-old father, Stanley, after a drink-fuelled argument at the family home in Silloth. Smith told emergency responders and police that his father had attacked him and had accidentally collapsed, but forensic evidence showed that Stanley died from being choked, with injuries indicating he had tried to remove Smith's hand. The prosecution and sentencing judge rejected Smith's account as a false and calculated narrative. Smith was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 18 years after the judge concluded that, while he may not have intended to kill his father, he intended to cause really serious harm.

Natalie Jones, a 39-year-old Carlisle woman, admitted threatening a resident after mistakenly believing the woman was filming her. The court heard that Jones was intoxicated, banged on the resident’s window and threatened to kill her. Jones’s lawyer said alcohol addiction contributed to the incident and that she had not deliberately targeted the victim. Magistrates fined her £120, ordered her to pay £85 in costs and a £48 victim surcharge, but declined to award compensation or impose a restraining order.

Brian Smith was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 18 years, for murdering his 73-year-old father Stanley Smith at the victim’s home in Silloth. The prosecution said Smith fatally choked his father during a drunken argument, then left him without assistance and created a false account portraying Stanley as the aggressor. Pathology evidence and injuries to Smith’s hand supported the prosecution’s case, and a jury unanimously convicted him after an eight-day trial. The defence argued that the violence arose from an argument, was not premeditated, and lacked intent to kill. Judge Nicholas Barker concluded that Smith had lost control during an angry confrontation but described his subsequent attempts to conceal the killing as “callous and calculating.”

Stuart Garner, a former manager at Hills Garage in Workington, admitted stealing money from the business over eight months in 2023 to fund a gambling habit. CCTV showed him moving cash into his pocket, although he disputed the employer’s estimate of around £17,000 and accepted responsibility for £10,000. Carlisle Crown Court sentenced him to ten months in prison, suspended for 18 months, with rehabilitation activities, 200 hours of unpaid work, alcohol treatment and £10,000 compensation payable at £200 per month.

Andrew Potts, Antony Gunn and Melissa Howlett have been remanded in custody after appearing at Workington Magistrates’ Court in connection with the alleged attempted murder of a man in Workington on July 29. Their case will proceed to Carlisle Crown Court for a plea hearing on August 28. Each defendant also faces an alternative allegation of wounding and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent. The alleged victim suffered stab wounds and serious injuries requiring hospital treatment, but police had not provided an update on his condition.

Carlisle motorcyclist Jay Scott, 21, pleaded guilty to five offences committed while riding an off-road motorbike on residential streets, including aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, driving without a valid licence or insurance, and failing to stop for police. District Judge Philip Holden adjourned sentencing to September 9 pending a Probation Service background report, granted Scott bail, and imposed an interim driving ban.

Annan man Leon Pedley admitted breaching his sexual harm prevention order by meeting a woman at Carlisle’s Cumbria Park Hotel after falsely claiming he had won the lottery and offering her £60,000. Pedley, a convicted rapist previously imprisoned for similar conduct, was also investigated over an alleged rape during the hotel stay, but prosecutors decided against further action. His sentencing was adjourned until August 14 because prosecutors had not yet reviewed all relevant witness statements, and he remains in custody.

Charles Young pleaded guilty to possessing or acquiring criminal property after police found £179,550, mostly in Scottish banknotes, in bags inside his rucksack during a traffic stop on the M6 near Carlisle. Prosecutors said the money was linked to an organised crime group involved in drugs, while Young refused to explain its origin or provide his phone PIN. Carlisle Crown Court imposed an 18-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work, and a Proceeds of Crime hearing is scheduled for February 12, 2027, to decide whether criminal profits or assets should be seized.

Nicole Lind, 36, pleaded guilty at Rickergate Court to interfering with a vehicle while travelling north on the M6 near Carlisle. She opened the passenger door at speed, grabbed and pulled the steering wheel, causing the car to swerve onto the hard shoulder and putting other road users at risk. Magistrates ordered a Probation Service pre-sentence report, granted her bail, and listed her next hearing for September 10.

Anthony Wigham admitted using threatening words and behaviour after intervening when a man threw a drink over a female worker at Ballers Bar in Carlisle. Wigham initially tried to remove the man from the premises, but the situation escalated into a fight in which both men exchanged punches. The other man denies wrongdoing and is due to face trial. Citing Wigham’s 64 previous offences and alcohol-related offending history, magistrates imposed a community order requiring 15 rehabilitation activity days and a three-month alcohol treatment programme, along with an £80 fine, surcharge and costs.

Businessman Robert Coakley admitted stalking and witness intimidation after a former affair with a South Cumbria woman ended. Despite police bail conditions banning contact, he sent threatening emails, made repeated calls to her new phone number and sent 27 texts while police were present, causing serious alarm and distress. Carlisle Crown Court heard that he threatened false allegations, including claims involving confidential information and cocaine use, and threatened suicide. Judge Nicholas Barker sentenced Coakley to 26 months in prison and imposed a five-year restraining order.

A father from north Cumbria admitted assaulting his four-year-old son after a neighbour saw him grab the child by the neck and shake him. The incident followed an earlier assault, for which he had received a caution. Although Social Services supported keeping the family together with assistance, Carlisle Crown Court warned that further violence could change that decision. The judge imposed an 18-month community order, including rehabilitation sessions and 120 hours of unpaid work, instead of immediate custody.

More than two dozen residents and Cumbria Constabulary have objected to plans by Inspire Scotland Limited to convert a property in Sunnymeade, Upperby, into a three-person residential home for young people with complex needs. Police cite crime-prevention concerns, noting that two other homes run by the provider generated 51 call-outs, including 37 missing-person reports. Residents have raised safeguarding, traffic, parking, privacy and visual-impact concerns, including claims that the property’s extension breaches or differs from earlier planning permission. Inspire Scotland says its homes integrate into residential communities and would provide a local contact for concerns. Cumberland Council is considering the application and expects to decide by 27 August 2026.

Steven Marriott was sentenced to 16 months in prison at Carlisle Crown Court after admitting strangling his former partner until she lost consciousness, assaulting her, and causing criminal damage. The court heard that an earlier attack left the woman unable to breathe and with a dislocated arm. Judge Nicholas Barker warned that strangulation can cause unconsciousness within seconds and death in about a minute, particularly in the context of domestic violence. Marriott, who has 34 previous convictions, pleaded guilty and cited poor mental health and drug use in mitigation.

Darren Best, a 41-year-old Maryport man, admitted stalking his former wife and subjecting her to controlling and coercive behaviour between 2021 and 2023. His conduct included monitoring her phone, social media and bank account, restricting contact with family and friends, threats, verbal abuse, and repeatedly following her to places including her workplace, gym and a pub. The court heard that the behaviour had a significant adverse effect on the victim and was aggravated by its domestic context. Recorder Ciaran Rankin said Best should be ashamed of himself, but took account of his guilty pleas, remorse and previous good character. Best received a two-year community order, including unpaid work and rehabilitation activities, and was ordered to pay £750 in costs.

Jurors at Carlisle Crown Court have been told to set aside emotion and sympathy while considering the evidence in Brian James Stanley Smith’s trial for allegedly murdering his father, 73-year-old Stan Smith, in Silloth. The prosecution alleges Smith applied fatal pressure to his father’s neck during an argument, while Smith says he restrained his father after being attacked and did not apply pressure to his neck. The judge instructed jurors that they must be sure of murder before convicting and could consider manslaughter if they were not, after which closing arguments and deliberations were due to take place.

Robert Ian Pendleton, 36, of Millom, was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court to a 12-month community order and 15 rehabilitation activity days after pleading guilty to possessing 203g of amphetamine with intent to supply. Police discovered the drugs, worth an estimated £1,015, when Pendleton fled during a routine traffic stop in Kendal. His defence highlighted his rehabilitation efforts, including engagement with a local drug and alcohol recovery team, and his previous achievements as an English Judo Champion and university student.

A Carlisle Crown Court jury heard recordings related to the case of Brian Smith, who denies murdering his father, Stanley Smith, in Silloth. Prosecutors allege he fatally applied pressure to his father's neck during an argument. Recordings played in court included video from the home and Smith’s 999 call, in which he gave varying accounts of his father’s collapse after a dispute. Smith described leaving after the argument and returning hours later to find his father unresponsive. The trial is ongoing.

A man from Distington, Justin Briggs, assaulted two police officers during Boxing Day celebrations in Workington, strangling one so forcefully she nearly lost consciousness. He pleaded guilty at Carlisle Crown Court to two assaults on emergency workers and a count of strangulation after reviewing police body‑worn video. The officers reported significant emotional impact and increased anxiety following the attack. The judge imposed a 12‑month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, along with unpaid work, an alcohol abstinence requirement, and compensation payments to both officers.