These criminals were among those to be handed the longest prison sentences in and near Lincolnshire in 2020.
A man who strangled his mother and bludgeoned her partner to death with a hammer, a child rapist, drug gangs, and another male who murdered a cyclist during an attack with a knuckleduster, were among those given the longest jail sentences in 2020 in and near Lincolnshire.
Outside of England, the man who strangled former Lincoln student Grace Millane to death in New Zealand, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 17 years jail time earlier this year. He was named as Jesse Kempson earlier this month after a New Zealand court order banning his identification was lifted.
Judges in and near the county also handed out prison sentences this year. Here’s a summary of court reports from 2020 covered on The Lincolnite, with sentences in descending order and of a minimum of 10 years.
Over 250 years in prison for drug gang
The drug gang have now all been sentenced. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Drug dealers involved in bringing vast amounts of cocaine and heroin into Lincolnshire were given lengthy jail sentences.
In total, 25 people were sentenced in connection to the major investigation. The total jail sentences imposed amounted to over 250 years.
Jordan West, Leslie Aytoun, Craig Owen, Lisa Michaelson, Trevor Willoughby and Dean Hall have all been jailed. | Photo: Humberside Police
An organised crime group operating in Grimsby were jailed for a combined total of over 56 years after a complex investigation into county lines drug supply and dealing.
Humberside Police said the ringleaders behind the drug operation were based in Merseyside and Grimsby.
Scott Hendry, Andres Vassou, Jamie Shaw, Reece Navarro and Lee Healey are all behind bars. | Photo: Humberside Police
A male computer software student who strangled his mother and bludgeoned her partner to death with a hammer was convicted of their murders and jailed for life.
Andrei-Mihai Simion-Munteanu, 22, left the bodies of Leela Monti, 51, and Robert Tully, 71, at his mother’s bungalow on Lincoln Road, Branston, after carrying out the killings.
He was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 32 years before he can be considered for parole.
A Scunthorpe child rapist, who was jailed for life, was caught when he took indecent pictures and uploaded them online.
David Hough, 56, of Derwent Road in Scunthorpe, maintained his innocence until the final day of the trial, forcing his three victims to relive the ordeal in court.
Oliver Wilson and Rebecca Holloway were found guilty of rape and sexual offences against children. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
A man and a woman from Lincolnshire who struck up a twisted relationship with each other were sentenced to a combined 48 years in prison for rape and sexual offences against children.
Oliver Wilson, 28, of Donington, Spalding was handed a prison sentence of 34-and-a-half years.
Rebecca Holloway, 26, of Rutland Street in Grimsby, was jailed for 13-and-a-half years.
A Grimsby man who raped a child for years was jailed for more than two decades.
Kenneth Leslie Mantle, 62, of Willingham Street, Grimsby was sentenced to 24 years in prison after a four-day trial and all the offences happened in North East Lincolnshire.
Ralph Stevenson will serve 22 years in prison. | Photo: Nottinghamshire Police
A 76-year-old pensioner could spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of rape and indecent assault on a young girl in the 1970s and 80s.
Ralph Stevenson was jailed for 22 years for repeatedly assaulting the girl at multiple addresses in the Nottingham area.
Ian Hamer will serve 22 years in prison for murdering his wife Joanne. | Photo: Humberside Police
Ian Hamer was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the murder of his wife Joanne Hamer, a local councillor in North Lincolnshire.
Ian Hamer, of Main Street, Worlaby, near Brigg, was convicted after the body of his wife Joanne, 48, a senior public health official for North Lincolnshire Council, was found at their home on May 6, 2019.
A man who was part of a group that brutally stabbed and beat up a man in the street in Grimsby has been jailed for 15 years.
The incident on Monday, October 14, 2019, left the victim seriously injured and an investigation was launched. Four days later (October 18), the victim was approached in the street again by Liam Milligan, who intimidated him by making threats of violence.
Henry Froggatt was sentenced to 14 years and 10 months in jail. | Photo: Humberside Police
A man described as a “vile rapist” has been jailed for over 14 years after viciously attacking and raping a woman in Grimsby.
The woman was walking home on Railway Street in Grimsby when Henry Froggatt grabbed her from behind and took her phone before pushing her onto the floor, assaulting her repeatedly and carrying out his attack.
Froggatt was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison, with an extra four years added on as he has been classed as a dangerous offender.
Nigel Wright was jailed for 14 years. | Photo: Hertfordshire Constabulary
A Lincolnshire farmer has been jailed for 14 years after contaminating baby food with metal as part of a £1.4 million bitcoin scheme where he tried blackmailing Tesco.
Father-of-two Nigel Wright, 45, from Market Rasen tried to extort £1.4 million from the supermarket chain between May 2018 and February 2020.
Lee Ives and Michael Bartholomew have each been jailed for 12 years. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Two men were each jailed for 12 years for attempting to stab an Alford home owner during an aggravated burglary, after they broke into the “wrong house”.
Lee Ives and Michael Bartholomew entered the property in Alford before the owner found them in the kitchen on December 10, 2017. They then began an assault, punching and stamping on him, whilst also attempting to stab him with a knife.
David Wright has been jailed for 12 years. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
David Wright was jailed for 12 years for a string of historical child sex offences including raping a young girl.
Wright, 79, lived in Bardney at the time of the offences, which date back to between the 1970s and 1980s, appeared at Lincoln Crown Court back in February.
Kevin Haigh was jailed 11 years. | Photo: Humberside Police
A Cleethorpes man was jailed for 11 years after attempting to kidnap a teenage girl in a ‘vicious attack’.
The attack happened on June 3 this year when Kevin Haigh approached the girl on Kings Road, close to the junction with Chichester Road. The court heard how he spoke to the teen before putting gaffer tape on her face.
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, described as a powerfully built man, inflicted a broken rib, chipped teeth, black eyes, and cuts and bruises to his victim after treating her “like a punch-bag” during an incident in October last year.
Christopher Webster was jailed for 10 years. | Photo: Nottinghamshire Police
A man who deliberately started a fire at his ex-partner’s house and also threatened a woman and her daughter with a knife was jailed for 10 years.
Christoper Webster, of Victoria Terrace in Newark, deliberately started a fire at his ex-partner’s house at around midday before making calls and sending messages to her and her family. He then left the property and went to Churchill Road in Newark, where he threatened a woman and her daughter with a knife before stealing the woman’s car.
Vincas Baltrusaitis, who was already serving a 14-year prison sentence for grievous bodily harm, was jailed for a further five-and-a-half years.
Baltrusaitis was deported back to Lithuania in 2017 with the condition that he could not return to the UK prior to December 2024 when his full prison sentence would have been served. He was arrested in Grimsby in April this year and admitted further offences of possession of cocaine with intent to supply, possession of false identity documents and entering the UK in breach of a deportation order.
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The other five from the list, Mark Gibbins, Stephen Pickering, Abdul Bakhtar, Marius Dumitru and Kyle O’Conner, are still on the run from officers.
They have been joined by five new cases, for charges including knife possession, domestic assault and a sexual offence.
Andy Cox, detective chief superintendent of Lincolnshire Police, told The Lincolnite: “We maintain our relentless day and night 24/7 approach to locate our most wanted suspects.
“We recognise that every day these people remain at large is a day which leaves them able to commit more crime and impact on victims and more broadly the community.
“We ask the public who have information which may assist our efforts to share this information with us.
“We also encourage anybody who features on our most wanted list to immediately hand themselves in.”
The outstanding suspects are:
Mark Gibbins, 53
Mark Gibbins is wanted by police. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Mark Gibbins is still wanted by police in connection with a sexual offences inquiry in the Boston area in July.
Officers think he may be using different names and using homeless hostels to stay hidden.
Incident reference: 20000002978
Stephen Pickering, 45
Have you seen Stephen Pickering? | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Also known as Stephen Drury, Pickering is wanted for failing to appear in court in relation to drugs possession and traffic offences.
It is believed that Stephen could be in the Spalding area, but police have been unable to track him down for almost six months.
Incident reference: 20000391592
Abdul Bakhtar, 38
Abdul Bakhtar, 38, is wanted by police after an assault on Lincoln High Street. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Bakhtar is wanted in connection with an assault on Lincoln High Street, in which a man suffered serious injuries, on November 27.
Incident reference: 20000629395
Marius Dumitru, 23
Marius Dumitru, 23, is wanted for breaching bail. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
The 23-year-old is still on the run from officers and is wanted in connection with breaching bail offences.
Incident reference: 18000548488
Sebastian Joaoa (Lucas), 34
Sebastian Joaoa is wanted in Skegness. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Sebastian is wanted in connection with an assault in Skegness in December.
Incident reference: 20000635835
Dominykas Vaisvilla, 33
Dominykas Vaisvilla is wanted in Boston. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
The 33-year-old is wanted in connection with a sexual offence in the Boston area.
Incident reference: 2000364720
Idris Williams, 43
Have you seen Idris Williams, 43, in Gainsborough? | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Williams is wanted by officers after a domestic assault and criminal damage in Gainsborough.
Incident reference: 2000423885
Cameron Hoyle, 37
Cameron Hoyle is wanted for knife possession in Lincoln. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Police are on the lookout for Cameron Hoyle in connection with possession of a knife in Lincoln.
Incident reference: 21000032698
Hamza El Haddad (Milo), 24
Have you seen Hamza El Haddad? | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Wanted for breaching bail conditions which relate to possession of Class B drugs.
Incident reference: 20000686888
Kyle O’Conner, 28
Kyle O’Connor, 28, wanted in Grantham. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Kyle, the fifth person to reappear on the list, is wanted in connection with a theft offence from December.
Incident reference: 20000687536
If you know the whereabouts of any of these men, officers are urging you to contact them by calling 101 or emailing [email protected], quoting the relevant incident number.
With literally hundreds of restaurants offering takeaway in Lincoln, it can always be difficult to find the ideal place for a tasty meal delivered to your door during lockdown.
Pizza or burger? Chinese or Indian? McDonalds or KFC? These are the questions we all so often ask when pondering what to eat during an evening.
The Lincolnite has done the research for you, looking at food delivery services in the area to find out where customers enjoy ordering from the most in the city, based on reviews and ratings across Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat and Facebook.
Here are some of the top rated restaurants in Lincoln, in no particular order.
Cafe Shanti
One of Cafe Shanti’s many great options on the menu. | Photo: Cafe Shanti
Lincoln’s only vegan restaurant is in a league of its own on Uber Eats, as it is the only business in the city to have a maximum 5/5 rating from customers.
76 people have left a review on the Nepalese restaurant’s Uber Eats page, with perfect scores all round, and it also scored 4.5/5 from 321 Trip Advisor reviews.
As for hygiene, Cafe Shanti was last inspected on January 14, 2020, and scored a perfect five out of five for the third consecutive inspection.
Wagamama
Wagamama’s Chicken Katsu Curry.
Undeniably one of Lincoln’s most beloved eateries, Wagamama has proven to be a hit both for eat-in and takeaway since it arrived on Brayford Wharf North.
The restaurant, known for delicious Asian cuisine, has ranked as the co-leader for Deliveroo ratings, scoring 4.5/5 from over 500 customer reviews and their Katsu Chicken has been one of the most ordered items in the city.
As well as this, it has a solid 4/5 rating from 583 reviews on Trip Advisor, and three consecutive five star hygiene ratings.
Spielburger
Spielburger has seen great success since it launched. | Photo: Everyman Cinema Lincoln
Joining Wagamama on a near perfect Deliveroo score is Spielburger, from Everyman Cinema on Lincoln’s Cornhill Quarter.
Spielburger has a total score of 4.5 from over 500 Deliveroo reviews thanks to its American style cuisine, even if the price is a bit steeper than other competitors.
It also has another 4.5 rating, this time from 50 Restaurant Near Me reviews, plus a five star hygiene rating from its debut inspection in October 2020.
Burton Road Chippy
World famous fish and chips in Lincoln. | Photo: Burton Road Chippy
A much hailed and respected fish and chip shop, Burton Road Chippy is widely recognised as one of the best chip shops in the whole country.
It was forced to close due to coronavirus in 2020 but reopened with a click and collect service at a new location on Burton Road, though it hasn’t affected their rating much – scoring 4.5/5 from almost 450 Trip Advisor reviews.
As well as this, it has another 4.5/5 on Deliveroo, this time from over 500 customer ratings, and a maximum 5/5 for hygiene from a November 2020 inspection.
Tatiana’s Cake
The options are plentiful at Tatiana’s Cake.
Labelling itself as a brunch restaurant, Tatiana’s Cake on Carholme Road offers a variety of breakfast and lunch meals at a great price.
Not only does it have a huge 5.5/6 rating on JustEat from 472 reviews, it also has 4.5/5 on Deliveroo from over 500 customer scores.
Despite trading under previous names for the last three hygiene inspections, one thing has remained constant, a maximum five star score.
Bistro Polonia
Tasty European cuisine at Bistro Polonia.
Eastern European restaurant Bistro Polonia has the best of both worlds, with fast food options complimenting special gourmet recipes on their menu.
On Just Eat, it has a 5.5/6 rating from a total of 369 reviews, and it scored 4.5/5 on Trip Advisor as well, clearly striking a chord with the majority of customers.
A hygiene inspection from July 2018 shows Bistro Polonia to score five stars, an increase from three stars from 2017.
Wildwood
One of Wildwood’s famously delicious pizzas. | Photo: Wildwood Lincoln
The Italian restaurant that tells you to “look no further”, Wildwood has received rave reviews ever since it opened in Lincoln back in 2016.
It has an impressive 5.5/6 on Just Eat from 45 reviews, as well as a 4.4/5 on Deliveroo from over 500 ratings,
Wildwood has a perfect record in hygiene inspections, scoring five out of five both times it has been examined by health inspectors.
Ocean Palace Restaurant / China Garden
A tantalising seafood platter. | Photo: Ocean Palace Restaurant
The place that appears to be Lincoln’s favourite Chinese restaurant, Ocean Palace on the High Street has stellar reviews across the board.
It recovered from a poor hygiene rating in January 2018 when called Man-Ho House, and has since scored five stars in November 2018.
Ocean Palace Restaurant also has 5/6 from 118 Just Eat reviews and 4.5/5 from 305 Deliveroo reviews.
Three times as many Lincolnshire businesses fear future COVID lockdown measures more than the impact of Brexit, according to new research by a local law firm.
Lincoln-based Langleys Solicitors conducted the research of 250 UK business owners and directors for its ‘Back to Business’ report that will be published this month.
With the nation currently in lockdown due to coronavirus, survey participants were asked to score a variety of business challenges from one to 10 (lowest to highest concern).
Business in Lincolnshire scored the future threat of pandemic measures at 7.2 out of 10 compared to 6.9 for Brexit.
Concern for future pandemic restrictions was scored 10 by twice as many business owners and directors than Brexit – 18.2% compared to 9.1% – despite support measures such as the extended furlough scheme.
Senior leaders felt that the coronavirus crisis presented a bigger task in the next five years of business than increased regulation (6.6), the challenge of exporting (5.9) and increased competition (6.2).
Some 64% of respondents in Lincolnshire said that a prolonged second and third wave, and subsequent lockdown, is a larger risk to their businesses than Brexit in the next 12 months.
Some 41% of the survey respondents in the area are considering redundancies, while 27% now have fewer staff than pre-lockdown.
The research also found that 55% of businesses in the area have experienced decreased customer demand due to coronavirus and lockdown restrictions.
It is therefore unsurprisingly to see that 68% of businesses in the county have had to change their business model as a result of the pandemic and lockdown restrictions. This is higher than the national average of 58%.
Nationally, 20% of businesses reported future pandemic measures as their biggest challenge rather than 7% who said Brexit.
Tim Cross, managing partner at Langleys Solicitors said: “Brexit and coronavirus made 2020 a very difficult year for businesses and their owners and, as lockdowns continue to tighten, businesses under tier 3 and 4 regulations could be facing their worst fears once again.
“Business owners and leaders in Lincolnshire have reported disproportional troubles, with more businesses in the area facing decreased customer demands and business models changes than the national average.
“Sadly, 41% of our survey respondents in the area are considering redundancies and the news of a new virus strain and the introduction of stricter tiered measures are likely to turn these considerations into difficult decisions for business owners.”
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