Judges across the region handed down heavy prison sentences this July, putting away an array of dangerous criminals whose offences ranged from brazen high-value thefts to appalling acts of violence and exploitation.
Among the most severe cases were members of a violent, armed home-invasion gang who terrorised Coventry residents in their own beds. Wielding machetes and punching a resident during early-morning raids, three of the gang were handed sentences totalling nearly 27 years. In another horrific case of violence, a Bedworth thug received two and a half years after leaving a father-of-two with brain damage following a street assault that required emergency, life-saving brain surgery.
The courts also tackled cases involving severe harm to children and long-awaited justice for fatal driving. In Warwick, a child abuser was jailed for six years after police raided his home, uncovering evidence of sexual abuse alongside hundreds of extreme indecent images. Meanwhile, a reckless driver who fled to Romania to evade prosecution for a 2019 fatal A46 crash was finally extradited and handed a six-and-a-half-year sentence. From high-tech prison drone drops to multi-million-pound cocaine conspiracies, July’s court round-up reflects a firm crackdown on those bringing harm to the community.
Kadri Kaja and Ardian Beqiri
Police swooped on Kadri Kaja (Left) and Ardian Beqiri (Right) in Rugby(Image: Warwickshire Police)
Two cocaine dealers, 33-year-old Ardian Beqiri and 35-year-old Kadri Kaja, were caught red-handed by police while selling drugs from a parked Nissan Qashqai on Deepmore Road in Rugby. Unaware they were under surveillance, the pair were intercepted on March 4 when officers observed a buyer approaching the vehicle to complete a transaction and blocked the car to prevent an escape.
A search of Kaja revealed eight deal bags of cocaine in his pockets, while text messages on driver Beqiri’s phone showed he was being directed to specific locations to supply drugs. A subsequent search of their joint residence uncovered a 20-gram solid block of cocaine, 12 additional deal bags, cannabis, digital scales, and a “tick list” detailing money owed by customers.
Both men were subsequently convicted and jailed following the Warwickshire Police investigation. Beqiri was sentenced to two years in prison for being concerned in the supply of drugs, while Kaja was handed a three-year sentence for possession of cocaine with intent to supply.
Read the full story here.
Benjamin Stafford
Benjamin Stafford who sexually abused a child and was caught with hundreds of images – some of them ‘extreme’.(Image: Warwickshire Police)
Benjamin Stafford, a 34-year-old man originally from Bidford and now living in Pershore, Worcestershire, has been jailed after police uncovered his sexual abuse of a child and a vast stash of illicit material. His offenses came to light when police officers raided his home, seizing digital devices that contained hundreds of indecent images of children, including several classified as extreme.
Despite giving two “no comment” interviews following his arrest, Warwickshire Police built a case against him that led to Stafford pleading guilty to nine charges. On June 29, he was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court to six years in prison, with investigating officers noting that the sentence ensures a significant danger to children is held accountable and removed from the public.
Read more here.
Jason Rodgers, Louis Steane, Peter Tegede and Ross Myles
(Left to Right) Jason Rodgers, Louis Steane, Peter Tegede and Ross Myles(Image: Warwickshire Police)
A Warwickshire drugs network operating the “Rico Line” and “Harry Line” to flood Leamington Spa and Warwick with heroin and cocaine has been dismantled, resulting in prison sentences for four men. The operation initially came to light when police raided a Leamington property on June 23, 2025, arresting kingpin Peter Tegede, runner Louis Steane, and associate Jason Rodgers. During the raid, Tegede dropped phones and cash—including a device that had just received a text warning reading “GET OUT WINDOW”—while Steane was found in possession of over £6,700 worth of Class A drugs.
Despite being released on bail with an electronic tag and a curfew, Tegede brazenly re-established his operation by launching a new network named the “Rico Line,” enlisting 50-year-old Ross Myles to help manage and supply drugs during the night. His freedom was short-lived, however, as police spotted him walking through Sydenham in August 2025; he attempted to flee on foot before being captured with another phone tied to the new line and £10,700 worth of drugs.
In subsequent court proceedings, the gang members received significant custodial sentences for their roles in supplying Class A drugs. Peter Tegede was sentenced to six years and seven months, Louis Steane received six years, Jason Rodgers was handed four years and seven months, and Ross Myles was imprisoned for three years.
Read the full story here.
Corey Morris
Corey Morris has been jailed(Image: Warwickshire Police)
Corey Morris, a 33-year-old man from Coventry Road in Bedworth, has been jailed after leaving a father-of-two with brain damage following an altercation on Whitburn Road, Bedworth, on June 20 last year.
The victim, a man in his late 30s, required life-saving medical intervention—including an emergency craniotomy and an admission to intensive care—followed by a two-month hospital stay and multiple brain surgeries.
Morris was initially charged with Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) with intent, though the charge was later updated to wounding/inflicting GBH without intent. At Warwick Crown Court on July 3, he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.
Read more here.
Reece Dhaliwal and Jamie Simpson
Reece Dhaliwal (Left) and Jamie Simpson (Right) were jailed at Nottingham Crown Court(Image: Nottinghamshire Police)
Two men have been jailed after using a drone to smuggle contraband into HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire. Police responded to reports of a drone flying over the facility on September 5, 2023, where CCTV captured a package being dropped into the prison grounds. Prison staff recovered the delivery, which was found to contain a mobile phone, cannabis resin, and additional deal bags of cannabis.
Following the drop, police tracked a suspicious Peugeot van in the area to Daybrook, Nottinghamshire, where they arrested 25-year-old Reece Dhaliwal of Coventry and 29-year-old Jamie Simpson of Bedworth. Inside the vehicle, officers seized the drone, its controller, drugs, and three burner phones. Forensic analysis subsequently linked both men directly to the contraband by identifying their fingerprints on items inside the recovered package.
At Nottingham Crown Court, Dhaliwal and Simpson pleaded guilty to three counts of conveying prohibited items into a prison. Both men were sentenced to two years and three months in prison.
Full story here.
Keith Johnson
CCTV footage has captured the moment two brothers stole more than £62,000 worth of Pokémon cards during a raid at a gaming shop. Shane Johnson, 37, and his younger brother Keith Johnson, 33, used a crowbar to smash their way into Celestial Collectables, in Warrington on April 8. The pair were caught on camera walking towards the specialist store’s till area and shattering display cases before putting high-value items like trading cards, slabs, packs, and booster boxes into a bag. The raid lasted over four minutes and left the store ‘destroyed’.(Image: Celestial Collectables / SWNS )
Brothers Keith and Shane Johnson have admitted to stealing over £71,000 worth of rare Pokémon cards during targeted burglaries at specialist stores in Rugby and Warrington. The duo first broke into Celestial Collectables in Warrington on April 8, using a crowbar to smash doors and display cabinets before fleeing with approximately £62,000 worth of cards and causing over £3,000 in damage. They used a Ford Transit van with cloned plates and later transferred their stolen loot into a second getaway vehicle.
Following the initial raid, the brothers targeted The Graded Gallery in Rugby, forcing entry with a crowbar to steal additional Pokémon cards and high-value merchandise before fleeing in a Nissan X-Trail. This second break-in resulted in over £9,000 in stolen goods and property damage. Police tracked the getaway vehicle to a Birmingham address, where both men were arrested and officers recovered stolen items from both locations along with keys to the getaway vehicles.
Both men pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary with intent to steal at Birmingham Crown Court. 33-year-old Keith Johnson was sentenced on July 2 to two years and five months in prison, while 37-year-old Shane Johnson was scheduled to be sentenced on July 31.
Read more here.
Raul Fedeles
Raul Fedeles was jailed at Warwick Crown Court(Image: Warwickshire Police)
Raul Fedeles, a 28-year-old dangerous driver, has been jailed for causing a fatal collision on the A46 near Snitterfield in April 2019 while driving a Vauxhall Astra. Following the crash, which resulted in the death of another man, Fedeles fled the UK to his home country of Romania to evade prosecution.
After a seven-year effort to bring him to justice, Fedeles was extradited back to the UK and stood trial at Warwick Crown Court in June. Following a five-day trial, he was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to six and a half years in prison.
Read the full story here.
Nasar Ali, Usman Majeed, Brandon Lawrence and Waqar Mohammed Ishfaq
(Left to Right) Nasar Ali, Usman Majeed, Brandon Lawrence and Waqar Mohammed Ishfaq(Image: SEROCU)
Four men involved in a massive, nationwide conspiracy to distribute multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine—estimated between 1,600kg and 2,400kg between April and September 2024—have been jailed for a combined total of 46 years and six months. The Manchester-based gang regularly used short-term accommodation in Coventry as a base to conceal their operations while distributing drugs across England, including supplying 10kg of cocaine to an organized crime group in Derby.
Three members of the group—Usman Majeed (40), Waqar Mohammed Ishfaq (36), and Brandon Lawrence (21)—were also implicated in a major plot to import nearly 900kg of cocaine into the UK by sea via Southampton using a rigid-hulled inflatable boat. Police seized hundreds of kilograms of cocaine directly from a delivery van and the boat used in the smuggling attempt, linking the trio to a broader smuggling ring, while the fourth man, Nasar Ali (38), played a key role in the wider domestic distribution network.
At Winchester Crown Court, all four men received substantial prison sentences:
Usman Majeed was sentenced to 15 years and three months.
Waqar Mohammed Ishfaq was jailed for 11 years and four months.
Nasar Ali received 11 years and four months.
Brandon Lawrence was sentenced to nine years and seven months.
Read more here.
Gary Crane
Gary Crane (Image: Warwickshire Police)
Gary Crane, a 48-year-old man, was jailed following an early morning robbery at a shop on Clifton Road in Rugby. Crane entered the store and shoved the shopkeeper to the floor in order to steal alcohol before fleeing the premises on foot.
Police were alerted and located Crane on a nearby street shortly after the incident. While officers were attempting to arrest him, Crane headbutted a male officer; fortunately, the officer was not injured during the assault.
After CCTV footage confirmed that Crane had pushed the shopkeeper, he was charged with robbery and assaulting an officer in the execution of his duty. Having pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, Crane appeared at Warwick Crown Court on July 10, where he was sentenced to 38 months (three years and two months) in prison and ordered to pay a victim surcharge.
Read the full story here.
Junior Yawli, Mohammed Ramirez, Nathan Evans and Sebastian Kandrac
The armed burglary gang Junior Yawli (top left) from Coventry, Mohammed Ramirez (top right) from Kenilworth Road, Aston, Nathan Evans from Dudhill Road< Rowley Regis (bottom left) and Sebastian Kandrac (bottom right) of Normandy Road, Aston
A four-man gang armed with machetes carried out two violent home invasions in Coventry during the early hours of July 23 last year. They first smashed their way into an Earlsdon home at around 1:00 AM, threatening occupants with a machete before fleeing when the victims called 999. Less than an hour later, they broke into a second property in Wyken, punching a male resident, demanding money, and stealing a games console, kitchen knives, and the victim’s two cars.
A police helicopter tracked the stolen vehicles traveling together, leading to a high-speed pursuit that involved one car driving the wrong way down the A446. Armed officers intercepted and detained the group, recovering knives, machetes, and the stolen games console from an address linked to the gang.
At Warwick Crown Court on July 15, three of the gang members were sentenced for their roles:
Junior Yawli (20), of Parry Road, Coventry, was sentenced to 11 years and two months in prison for two counts of aggravated burglary and two counts of vehicle theft.
Mohammed Ramirez (26), of Kenilworth Road, Birmingham, received a nine-year sentence for two counts of aggravated burglary and two counts of vehicle theft.
Nathan Evans (26), of Dudhill Road, Rowley Regis, was jailed for six years and six months for one count of aggravated burglary and two counts of vehicle theft.
The fourth member, Sebastian Kandrac (20), of Normandy Road, Birmingham, previously pleaded guilty to all charges and will be sentenced at a later date.
Read more here.
Sami Sharif
(Image: Coventry Police)
Sami Sharif, a 33-year-old Coventry resident, has been jailed after police discovered a hidden, illegal handgun inside his home on Terry Road. Sharif was initially spotted and arrested near the Nauls Mill Underpass on January 15 because he was wanted in connection with a robbery. After officers found a small amount of cannabis on him at the scene, they conducted a follow-up search of his address to look for stolen property linked to the robbery.
During the search, officers uncovered the gun hidden inside a shoe sitting on top of a wardrobe. In police interviews, Sharif claimed he had found the weapon in a park and assumed it was just a children’s toy. However, forensic experts identified it as a historic “parlour pistol”—a weapon traditionally used for indoor target practice that fires low-powered yet lethal ammunition, making it illegal under UK law.
Following a trial at Coventry Crown Court, Sharif was found guilty of possession of a firearm. On July 16, he was sentenced to five years and six months in prison.
Read the full story here.
Artur Sutu
Artur Sutu was jailed at Basildon Crown Court(Image: ERSOU)
Artur Sutu, a 39-year-old prolific thief from Ilford, has been jailed after carrying out a widespread cash-machine raid across the UK. Over a six-month period from October 2025 to March 2026, Sutu installed secret cash-trapping devices on ATMs late at night, causing money to become stuck when customers attempted withdrawals. He would then return with tools to force open the machines, stealing roughly £40,000 in cash and causing around £60,000 worth of damage. His offending spanned Essex, London, and locations nearly 100 miles away from his home, including a Tesco store in Leamington Spa.
His crime spree came to an end in March 2026 when police raided his home in Ilford and uncovered ready-made cash-trap devices, tools, and a garage setup being used to manufacture additional devices. Following his arrest, Sutu admitted to fabricating the devices and intending to commit further thefts. On July 15, he appeared at Basildon Crown Court and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Read more here.
Adam Beavan, Kieran Allton and Doulton Biddle
(L to R) Adam Beavan, Kieran Allton and Doulton Biddle were sentenced at Worcester Crown Court(Image: West Mercia Police)
Four men—including two from Stratford—have been sentenced at Worcester Crown Court for their roles in a break-in at a property in Broadwas, Worcestershire, on April 7. The gang smashed a window to gain entry and ransacked the home, stealing sentimental jewellery and causing significant distress to the victims.
One of the offenders, 32-year-old Adam Beavan, was also sentenced for two separate incidents in Worcester: driving a car into a property on Montpelier Close in March, and repeatedly punching a man, threatening him with a broken bottle, and throwing a sign through a Co-Op door in February.
The convictions and sentences handed down by the court are as follows:
Adam Beavan, of Worcester, was convicted of burglary, affray, dangerous driving, and driving without a licence. He was jailed for two years and 11 months, and banned from driving for two years and five months.
Kieran Allton (27), of Bevere, was convicted of burglary and jailed for 16 months.
Doulton Biddle (20), of Wilmcote, Stratford, was convicted of burglary and sentenced to 15 months in a young offenders’ institution, alongside a £187 victim surcharge.
Leon Biddle (20), of Wilmcote, Stratford, was convicted of burglary and handed a 12-month suspended sentence, also with a £187 victim surcharge.
Read the full story here.
Syzmon Celinski
Syzmon Celinski(Image: Cheshire Police)
Szymon Celinski, a 30-year-old drug dealer from Crewe, has been jailed after turning his bedroom into a commercial-scale distribution hub for cannabis products. His operation collapsed after Border Force officers at Coventry Airport intercepted an international parcel sent from the USA addressed to him, containing a one-litre canister of liquid cannabis extract.
When police raided his home on Gainsborough Road, they discovered a bedroom set up like an international distribution centre. Officers found chemical equipment for manufacturing cannabis gummies, label printers for postage, 100 packets of cannabis edibles, illicit vapes, and around 230 packets of cannabis dust, resin, and liquid—valued combined at approximately £27,100. Furthermore, police seized packages already labeled and prepared for shipping across the UK, as well as to Spain and Poland.
After pleading guilty to charges including fraudulently evading prohibitions on the importation of Class B drugs and being concerned in the supply of drugs, Celinski appeared at Chester Crown Court on July 13, where he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
Read the full story here.
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