Some of the criminals jailed in Lincoln in October. Photo: Lincolnshire Police
A landmark case to jail the leader of a drugs network exploiting children into dealing crack cocaine and heroin and a man who posed as a teenage girl online to entice boys were among those jailed in Lincoln in September.
Here’s a summary of notable court reports from the last month:
Zakaria Mohammed
Zakaria Mohammed. Photo: West Midlands Police
Birmingham man Zakaria Mohammed was jailed for 14 years after admitting running a drugs supply chain and trafficking two boys and a girl, to deal on his behalf.
It’s the first time in UK legal history that child trafficking convictions have been secured under the Modern Slavery Act as part of a ‘county lines’ operation.
The case was brought forward following a joint investigation by Lincolnshire Police and West Midlands Police.
Read the full story here and watch the moment the child grooming dealer was caught by police here.
Ethan Brown
Ethan Brown has been sentenced to 10 years and two months in jail. Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Ethan Brown, 20, of Station Road, Waddington was jailed for 10 years and two months after being found guilty of posing as a teenage girl online to entice boys to send him sexual images and perform sex acts on themselves.
Brown, who was 16 at the time of the offences, used Facebook and other social media to target the boys, who were aged between eight and 17.
Working with the National Crime Agency, Lincolnshire Police identified 75 boys from across the UK over eight months.
A total of 25 prosecutions were brought against Brown, who was charged with Causing and Inciting Children to Child Sexual Exploitation and Possession of Indecent Images Of A Child.
Marcus Weeks and his younger brother Dalji Waldron were each jailed for four years and four months. Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Two sons of a Bermudan Government minister have been jailed for over four years each after Lincoln Crown Court heard how they ran their own drug dealing operation targeting university students in the city.
Marcus Weeks and his younger brother Dalji Waldron, whose father Michael Weeks is the Minister of Social Development and Sports in the Bermudan Government, ran what was described as “a mobile shop” selling cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis.
Weeks, 28, and Waldron, 23, both of Clarina Street, Lincoln, admitted charges of conspiracy to supply cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis between August 17 2016 and September 22 2017. They also admitted production of cannabis on September 22 2017.
They were each jailed for four years and four months. Waldron was given a two month consecutive sentence for being in breach of a suspended jail sentence imposed for affray.
Two businessmen who carried out a VAT fraud have been jailed – Craig Williamson and Mark Creswell. Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Businessmen Craig Williamson and Mark Creswell were jailed for 18 months and a year respectively after carrying out a VAT fraud.
Williamson, 43, of Crowtrees Lane, Brighouse, West Yorkshire, admitted being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of £179,000 of VAT by submitting false VAT returns for Lincoln Car Sales between October 2008 and April 2014.
He also admitted fraudulent evasion of £13,700 of VAT by submitting false returns for Martin & Co, which was run by Mark Creswell, between June 2008 and July 2009.
Williamson also admitted fraudulently claiming £17,356 of tax credits over a 10 year period between 2005 and 2015 by failing to declare his true income.
Mark Alan Creswell, 52, of The Green, Ingham, admitted being knowingly concerned in the evasion of £148,000 of VAT by allowing the submission of false VAT returns between June 2008 and August 2014.
Creswell also admitted evading paying £16,581 of income tax between April 2009 and April 2014 by failing to declare his true income.
Lee Rousseau has been jailed for four years. Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Lee Rousseau, 48, of Turner Avenue in Lincoln, was jailed for four years after stealing a replica hand gun from the Museum of Lincolnshire Life.
Rousseau took the replica Luger pistol from a soldier mannequin in the World War One trenches display at the attraction off Burton Road. He ripped the arm from the mannequin and disappeared into the toilets where he removed the hand gun and walked off.
He admitted charges of theft, criminal damage and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence as a result of the incident on March 14 this year. He also admitted three charges of possession of a knife after being stopped by police 10 days earlier.
Stuart Parsley (Left) and Darren Parsley (Right) walked into the wrong takeaway.
A robber armed with an axe was jailed for seven and a half years after being overpowered by staff when he tried to hold up a Chinese takeaway in January.
Stuart Parsley, 47, of Francis Street, Lincoln, walked into Lucky takeaway on Burton Road and attacked staff with an axe, but Bee Wu Wong managed to parry the blow and fought him off and shouted for help.
Her husband Yashi Zheng ran downstairs to help, but Parsley’s cousin Darren Parsley entered the premises as well.
Stuart Parsley admitted attempted robbery and possession of an offensive weapon and was jailed for seven and a half years. Darren Parsley, 47, of St Rumbold’s Street in Lincoln, admitted affray and possession of an offensive weapon and was jailed for 18 months.
Michael Nelson, 24, whose address was given as c/o Riseholme Road in Lincoln has been jailed for 10 months after using a bottle to carry out a street attack.
Nelson and another man were involved in a confrontation with a group of men on Lincoln High Street on the night of Friday, August 24, with Nelson initially appearing to act as a peacemaker.
He then produced a beer bottle from his pocket and struck his victim Sean Clifford in the face causing his cheek to swell up.
Nelson admitted charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon arising from the incident. He was also given a consecutive one month jail sentence for breach of an earlier suspended jail sentence.
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Few people attended the second Kill the Bill protest in Lincoln on Saturday, as Extinction Rebellion activists stood alone on the High Street to campaign against a proposed policing bill that could make many protests illegal.
Activists from Extinction Rebellion Lincolnshire gathered at Speakers’ Corner to oppose plans for the latest Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which could curtail protesting rights if passed through parliament.
Extinction Rebellion were the main representatives at the protest. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Under the proposed bill, police officers will be given greater powers to put a stop to any protests, as well as determining start and finish times for them, and controlling noise levels.
A few stopped to talk with the protestors, but most just went about their day walking down Lincoln High Street in the first weekend that non-essential shops and beer gardens reopened.
The Lincolnite spoke to one of the rebels at the protest, to find out the reasons behind the march.
They said: “This draconian bill cannot go ahead, it needs to be taken apart and re-evaluted completely.
“People have been walking past us shaking their heads, but they don’t realise that it’s their freedom we are fighting for.”
The Lincolnite photographer Steve Smailes captured some pictures from the protest.
Signs were put up by the works at Speakers’ Corner on Lincoln High Street. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
It has been a tragic week with three deaths on Lincolnshire’s roads after two male motorbike riders and a man on a pedal bike lost their lives.
The roads are now busier again after further lockdown restrictions were eased on April 12, but since then three men have sadly died.
A man died after falling from his pedal bike in Branston on Wednesday, April 14 and police said his death is not being treated as suspicious.
On the same day, a 34-year-old male died after a crash involving two motorcycles near Gainsborough.
The man who lost his life in the collision was riding a silver Wuyang motorcycle. The second motorcycle was a blue Suzuki being ridden by a man in his 30s, who was taken to hospital with suspected serious injuries.
A 54-year-old man from North Lincolnshire also died after his motorbike crashed with a Royal Mail post van on the A631 near Glentham at around 4pm on Thursday, April 15.
This comes after it was revealed on March 11 that for the first time in over three decades nobody had died on the county’s roads in the first months of the year, according to Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership.
Lincolnshire Police revealed earlier this week that between 2018 and 2020 twenty five motorcyclists lost their lives on Lincolnshire’s roads.
There have been 285 coronavirus cases in Greater Lincolnshire and eight COVID-related deaths so far this week – a 7% drop in cases and one less death from the previous week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard on Friday recorded 32 new cases in Lincolnshire, eight in North Lincolnshire and three in North East Lincolnshire.
On April 16, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in Northern Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported two hospitals this week so far, compared to none this time last week.
On Friday, national cases increased by 2,596 to 4,383,732, while deaths rose by 34 to 127,225.
In local news, Lincolnshire health bosses expect COVID-19 cases to rise in our region as lockdown is eased, but are optimistic that if numbers are kept low enough, then people will be free to enjoy the summer.
Andy Fox, Deputy Director of Public Health at Lincolnshire County Council, said the lifting of coronavirus restrictions this week had not caused any specific concerns yet.
Since Wednesday, Greater Lincolnshire has again seen a decrease in its infection rates overall, against an increase nationally.
All districts have seen a fall in their rates, except small increases in North Lincolnshire and South Holland. Lincoln has stayed the same and has the lowest rate in the region.
Boston has the highest infection rate of COVID-19 in Greater Lincolnshire and is ranked 9th in the UK.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates up to April 16:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 9 to Apr 16. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
England’s R number has dropped slightly to between 0.7 and 1 according to the latest data this week. This means for every 10 people infected with COVID-19, they will pass it on to between seven and 10 others.
The new Indian variant of the COVID virus that’s been detected in the UK has all the hallmarks of a very dangerous virus.
It has two new significant mutations in the spike protein that help it infect cells and evade the immune system.
People are “likely” to need a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine within 12 months of getting the first two, Pfizer’s chief executive has said.
Dr Albert Bourla said a booster jab could be necessary “somewhere between six and 12 months” after the second one – and every year thereafter.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, April 16
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,919 cases (up 43)
41,028 in Lincolnshire (up 32)
9,275 in North Lincolnshire (up eight)
8,616 in North East Lincolnshire (up three)
2,185 deaths (up three)
1,613 from Lincolnshire (up three)
304 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
268 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (no change)
810 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
450 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
4,383,732 UK cases, 127,225 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.
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