A rundown of custodial sentences secured in Coventry and Warwickshire this month, covering rogue traders, sex offenders and violent criminals.
A rogue trader who duped a homeowner out of £20,000 was handed a 10-month prison term after a court heard he was described as an arrogant and deceitful bully. Luke Wilson, also using the name Sam Memetovic, was hired through TrustATrader for £14,500 worth of plastering, wall removal and bathroom work. Within three weeks he issued additional invoices bringing the total to £20,000. A qualified surveyor assessed the genuine value of the completed work at just £3,240.
A 22-year-old man who sexually assaulted a teenager at a gathering in Warwickshire received a 10-year sentence. Tawfiqi gave guests at the house party a false name before trapping a 17-year-old in a bathroom and raping her. Officers stated they were relieved the offender had been removed from the community.
A convicted robber who targeted older and defenceless victims across the Midlands, including Solihull, was sentenced to more than a decade behind bars. Young callously preyed on a 78-year-old woman as she walked through an alleyway in April the previous year, snatching her purse after dragging her to the ground and leaving her with a broken shoulder. Days afterward he brandished a knife at another woman and fled in a vehicle. While fleeing from officers he ran a red light and collided with a car driven by a 71-year-old man.
A dangerous offender sentenced to five years showed no remorse as he was locked up for throwing his partner from a fourth-floor window in Solihull. Bobbie Goodman fell 40 feet and sustained life-altering injuries in the incident in Chelmsley Wood in November 2022. Herring was deemed dangerous and showed no understanding of the terrifying ordeal.
A 24-year-old from Coventry was jailed for over three years after admitting a vicious knife attack in Oxford. Siyoum stabbed the victim in the leg and also faced charges for carrying a blade in public. Investigators labelled the assault a serious and completely unacceptable act of violence.
A man who sexually abused a child during a sustained campaign in Coventry in the 1990s was sentenced to 20 years after his victim came forward as an adult. Evans admitted rape and indecent assault. Authorities noted survivors’ courage leads to justice in such cases.
Schofield lost control of his modified Audi A3 during an illegal street race in Northamptonshire, reaching speeds of 120mph. The vehicle left the road, struck a kerb and became airborne before crashing into trees and bursting into flames. The driver escaped with minor injuries but his two passengers sustained serious harm. Officers stated they would bear the physical and psychological consequences permanently.
Phillips robbed two elderly women of their handbags within days in Coventry. After initially denying involvement, he confessed when shown CCTV footage of himself following and assaulting the victims. One of his targets suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, and investigators noted his complete disregard for the physical and emotional harm caused.
Pama from Nuneaton was imprisoned after being caught with £11,000 in cash and £13,000 of illegal substances. He subsequently ran a drug distribution operation from his prison cell using coded language including references to construction materials. This uncovered a wider supply network spanning Warwickshire and the West Midlands.
Green filmed more than 460 men and boys in public toilets in Solihull and Birmingham. He was apprehended after a man at Birmingham Airport confronted him over suspected filming, leading to devices being seized from his address. He received a 22-month sentence.
A coordinated group of burglars made off with almost £3.5m worth of high-end vehicles in what police described as one of the most significant conspiracies they had investigated. The outfit included Jimmy Doran from Windmill Lane in Warwickshire and Charlie Coombs from Grafton Lane in Alcester, plus a 17-year-old whose identity is protected. The court heard they wore balaclavas during break-ins and often confronted residents, including elderly and vulnerable individuals and families with children.
Erskine, now 75, was finally locked up for 20 years after offences committed in the 1960s. His victim first reported the abuse in the 1980s but authorities failed her. She bravely reported it again, resulting in his conviction for raping a child during a seven-year period of sexual offending. Officers confirmed violence was used when the young victim resisted.
A man from Coventry was imprisoned for headbutting his former partner so forcefully she sustained concussion. He subjected her to a prolonged campaign of violence across several months, assaulting her on three separate occasions. The sentencing took place at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.
Ratcliffe, aged 30, supplied drink and drugs to a woman in her twenties before raping her in a secluded car park in Warwickshire. A judge termed his behaviour a sequence of predatory acts. He begins a seven-and-a-half-year sentence and must register as a sex offender indefinitely.