A pensioner who repeatedly assaulted a young girl and a man who raped and battered a woman were among the criminals jailed in Lincolnshire in November.
In addition, Levi Mitchell, 36, and Charley Oakley, 28, were both caught and charged this month after absconding from HMP North Sea Camp near Boston.
The Lincolnite‘s court reporters cover all the biggest cases heard in courts in our region every day.
Here’s a round up of signifiant cases resulting in prison sentences in and near the county:
Ralph Stevenson
Ralph Stevenson will serve 22 years in prison. | Photo: Nottinghamshire Police
Ralph Stevenson, 76, was jailed for 22 years after being found guilty of rape and indecent assault on a young girl in the 1970s and 80s.
The court heard that Nathan Booth, 30, was “dangerous”. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
A man convicted of raping a woman after repeatedly punching her during a sustained attack was jailed for 10 years. Nathan Booth, 30, of Swift Gardens in Lincoln was found guilty by a jury following a trial.
Matthew Thomas was jailed for eight years. | Photo: Nottinghamshire Police
A driver high on drugs was jailed for causing the death of his friend and passenger on the Nottinghamshire border with Lincolnshire. Matthew Thomas, 21, was sentenced to eight years in prison after the death of 28-year-old James Jennings.
Koji Takeuchi, a Buddhist meditation master based near Newark, was jailed for eight years after admitting to sexually abusing a three-year-old girl, four decades ago, at her home in Brighton over six years.
James Sneddon, 52, was jailed for seven and a half years. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
James Sneddon was jailed for seven and a half years after a vicious attack in which he repeatedly kicked his victim in the head, leaving him with severe facial injuries.
*No photo available from police as the mum cannot be named for legal reasons
A desperate mother who tried to kill her two-year-old son during lockdown, and attempted suicide herself, was jailed for four years.
Over 1,000 people signed a petition aimed to help free the Lincolnshire mum from jail, but another person created a counter petition saying that she should remain in jail.
Chris Ferguson and Josh Cooling. | Photo: Humberside Police
Two men from Scunthorpe were jailed after throwing bottles at police during a high-speed chase across the Humber Bridge.
Chris Ferguson, 19, was jailed for four years and six months after admitting drug and driving offences. Josh Cooling was jailed for two years for drug offences.
Stephen Keating, 52, was jailed for three years and four months. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Stephen Keating, who had lost his job due to COVID-19, targeted and raided homes in a Lincolnshire retirement village and was jailed for three years and four months.
Stewart Headley was jailed for 17 months. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
A couple who were saved from homelessness by the owners of a seaside hotel repaid their hosts’ kindness by stealing almost every item from the property. Stewart Headley was jailed for 17 months and Vicky Headley was given a 12-month jail sentence suspended for a year and 100 hours of unpaid work.
Carl Potter was jailed for 16 months. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Carl Potter, 33, was jailed for over a year for offences including sexual communication with a child. He was jailed for 12 months for sexual communications with a child, and four months consecutive for a breach of a suspended sentence for an offence of stalking in 2019.
The blue Honda rammed into a marked police vehicle. | Photo: Phil Vickers
A banned driver who drove straight into a police car in his bid to dodge a red light was jailed. Patrick Hoyland, 19, was sentenced to 11 months in prison and banned from driving for two years and five and a half months.
*No photograph of the defendant available from police
John Doak was jailed for three years after admitting the manslaughter of his son who he shook as a baby, causing severe, irreversible brain injury that contributed to the child’s death as a teenager.
*No photograph of the defendant available from police
David Eldridge, 69, was jailed for six months for crashing into and causing the death of Geoffrey Saville, who got out his car to tend to an injured deer on a country road.
*No photograph of the defendant available from police
A Walter Mitty character with no legal qualifications – Tyrone Wright – was jailed for six months after representing a woman in a child custody court hearing claiming to be a trainee barrister.
*No photograph of the defendant available from police
A convicted sex offender who lied to police about where he was living was jailed for four months. Christopher Clarke also saw the time he is on the sex offenders’ register increased to seven years.
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We are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a collision caused serious injuries to a 23-year-old man.
Just before 3.30pm yesterday (2 July), we received reports of a collision on Barholm Road in Tallington. It involved a grey BMW 335D estate, a blue BMW 116D and an orange KTM motorcycle.
The motorcycle rider, a 23-year-old man, sustained serious injuries during the collision and was taken to hospital.
If you witnessed the incident and are yet to get in touch with us, please do so. If you have any other information or dashcam footage available that may have captured the road along the A1175 at the time of the collision, get in touch.
By calling 101 quoting incident 282 of 2 July.
By emailing [email protected] quoting incident 282 of 2 July in the subject line.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report via the independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
The 2022 Destination Lincolnshire Tourism Excellence Awards are open for applications, and Destination Lincolnshire giving you the rare chance to co-create your application with Nell Barrington, a tourism awards veteran, who has helped hundreds of businesses write winning applications over the last 15 years – including national VisitEngland winners.
The Tourism Awards Masterclass is taking place on Tuesday 12 July at 11am for one-hour online. Laura Freer, Head of Marketing at Destination Lincolnshire said: “This is a golden opportunity, after years of hard work and heartache, to get your business and team recognised and rewarded.
“A well written application is key to achieving a coveted place on this year’s shortlist, and I’d encourage all tourism and visitor economy businesses who are thinking of entering – whether they are seasoned at writing award applications or not – to join us for this exclusive masterclass.
“Nell Barrington has worked with us and VisitEngland on the founding application processes of these awards, and she is perfectly placed to assist in co-creating applications that you can be proud of. This is a great opportunity for business development too – whether you are shortlisted for an award or not – discovering how to effectively apply for awards and talk up your business adds another string to your bow.
“Booking is essential and places are limited to just 35 – so be quick! This year we’ve made our masterclass available to partners and also to those who we are yet to work with for free. Call it an added bonus, after two years away from the awards circuit.
The awards masterclass is focussed on the application process, and it will spell out what the judges are looking for. You’ll learn how to make your application stand out from the local competition, helping your chances of going through to the national VisitEngland Awards in 2023.”
There are fifteen categories open for nominations from visitors attraction, accommodation providers, hospitality businesses and many more.
The deadline for nominations is July 29, with online judging starting on July 30 and mystery shopping from August 13. Finalists will be announced on Monday, August 15.
The awards ceremony will be held at the Engine Shed on October 21, and will be hosted by Lincs FM presenter, John Marshall.
The event is organised by Stonebow Media, publishers of The Lincolnite, to celebrate the best businesses in Greater Lincolnshire, alongside headline sponsors Lincoln College and Destination Lincolnshire.
We would also like to thank our other sponsors Visit Lincolnshire, Heart of Lincs, Duncan and Toplis and LNER, insight6 and EV Camel.