Luton judge postpones sentence after murderer's no-show
A judge has postponed a sentencing hearing after a man convicted of murdering a "drug runner" failed to appear in court.Peter Janoski, 45, was convicted in April of killing 37-year-old Dean Fountaine in Luton in June 2023, and he is on remand in prison.Judge Michael Simon was told that relatives of Mr Fountaine, who was from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, wanted Janoski in court when sentence was handed down.The judge said it was in the best interests of Mr Fountaine's family that Janoski, of no fixed address, took part in the hearing. He postponed sentencing until 28 July.
Police said two men had plotted to rob Mr Fountaine, a drug runner for a rival gang, before stabbing him in Ashton Road on 19 June two years ago.Janoski was found guilty of murder, while Dylan Myrie, 21, of Hallwicks Road, Luton, was found guilty of manslaughter after denying the charges.Myrie appeared at Friday's sentencing hearing, and members of his family were in court, but his sentencing has also been postponed until July.
Maryam Syed KC, who led the prosecution team at the trial at Luton Crown Court, said Janoski had raised a health issue but a nurse had concluded he was fit to attend.She said Mr Fountaine's family were at the hearing and raised concerns about Janoski non-attendance.Charles Miskin KC, who represented Jonoski said he "could understand" the family's concerns, but he had been instructed by his client to ask for the hearing to go ahead.The judge said Janoski should be given the chance to appear in court to hear his sentence and added: "I have concluded that justice requires one more shot."
Criminals who refuse to attend sentencing in England and Wales could face an additional two years in prison, under a new bill introduced in Parliament in May.New measures under the Victims and Courts Bill could apply to any crown court case.The issue has arisen in a number of case in recent years.In March, a man who killed his ex-girlfriend, her sister and her mother after arming himself with crossbow and a knife refused to attend his sentencing hearing at Cambridge Crown Court.Kyle Clifford had raped his former partner Louise Hunt, 25, then used a crossbow to shoot both her and her sister Hannah, 28, having already fatally stabbed their mother, 61-year-old Carol, at the family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, in July 2024.He was given three whole-life prison sentences in his absence by a judge.
Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
43 minutes ago
- The Independent
Teen charged with 4 counts of murder in Utah carnival shooting
Prosecutors in Utah charged a 16-year-old boy with four counts of murder Friday for allegedly shooting to death three people, including an infant and pregnant woman, in an apparent gang confrontation at a carnival. In all, five people, including two teens wounded in the arm, were shot late Sunday at WestFest in West Valley City, a Salt Lake City suburb. The shooting happened a day after one at a 'No Kings' protest the day before, making for an unusually violent weekend for the Salt Lake City area. Two of those killed were bystanders: the 8-month-old boy and 41-year-old pregnant woman, Fnu Reena, 41, of West Jordan, Utah. An 18-year-old man slain, Hassan Lugundi, of West Valley City, was the apparent intended target, according to a police affidavit filed in the case. 'I'm gonna tell you guys right now, I know what I hit because I know where I was aiming, and I know where I was shooting. I did not hit no baby,' the teen allegedly told police soon after the shooting. Police learned later that Reena was eight weeks pregnant, resulting in the fourth murder count under Utah law. Shot in her head, Reena had just been in for a medical checkup that day, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said at a news conference Friday. The infant, also shot in the head, was in a stroller with his twin sibling, who was unhurt. The infant was unrelated to the other victims. A 17-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy were each shot in the arm, and a pregnant woman was injured while trying to flee over a fence, according to police. Besides the murder charges, the alleged shooter faced nine felony counts of discharging a firearm resulting in serious injury. Each murder charge could bring a life sentence if not the death penalty for an adult. As a juvenile, the suspect was ineligible for the death penalty or life in prison. Prosecutors asked that the teenager remain jailed without bond. Court documents did not identify an attorney for the youth who could speak on his behalf. The gun used in the shooting was a Taurus G2C 9 mm handgun reported stolen in Louisiana, according to police. The alleged shooter was a member of the Titanic Crip Society, a rival of the Bloods gang. Lugundi was friends with Bloods members, according to the affidavit. The WestFest carnival, a celebration of the establishment of West Valley City and of its cultural diversity, was winding down after drawing as many as 10,000 people over the weekend. Between 1,000 to 2,000 people were still present when the shooting happened. The apparently unrelated shooting at the 'No Kings' protest the day before happened when a man believed to be part of a peacekeeping team for the rally shot at a man brandishing a rifle at demonstrators, striking both the rifleman and a bystander. The rifleman had relatively minor injuries, but the bystander died at a hospital.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Heads must roll over pro-Palestinian thugs break-in at RAF Brize Norton
Brize idiots HOW on earth did pro-Palestinian thugs manage to break into RAF Brize Norton to damage two military planes? Breaking through the perimeter fencing is one thing. 1 But why weren't they stopped in their tracks by armed guards before they got anywhere near military assets? Instead, the first hapless commanders heard of it was when Palestine Action gleefully posted their footage online. It's beyond belief that security could be so lax at a time when the base is on high alert over Iran and Russia. Results of a full investigation must be made public and, if necessary, heads should roll. Meanwhile, this wasn't a harmless stunt by a cosy protest group. Palestine Action is made up of dangerous fanatics bent on attacking our country from within on behalf of a foreign cause. Lord Walney, the Government's ex-adviser on political violence, recommended it be outlawed as an extremist political group more than a year ago. The militants have since gone on to terrorise workers at weapons factories and people outside Crown courts. We welcome Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to now proscribe the hate-filled group. The question is: Why did it take so long? Shock moment pro-Palestine protesters break into RAF Brize Norton & spray 2 military planes with paint before escaping Dead loss ASSISTED dying is a deeply emotive and complex issue. In brutal terms, it amounts to state-sanctioned killing. On that basis, it's deeply worrying that Kim Leadbeater's ill-considered private members' bill is now set to become law. It simply does not have enough safeguards, particularly for the vulnerable, poor and disabled. During yesterday's debate, the idea it might allow families to coerce elderly relatives into early deaths was brushed aside as though such a thing could never happen. Fears from hospice carers were also dismissed. The Government has been absent throughout the legislative process and nearly 150 MPs ducked the decision and abstained. Crime associated with illegal migration is of significant public interest and concern in the wake of the Casey report into grooming gangs.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Former West Yorkshire Police officer charged with assisting an offender
A former West Yorkshire Police officer has been charged with more than a dozen misconduct offences, including assisting an offender. Jenade Yamin, 30, who worked in Calderdale district, has been charged with 13 counts of misconduct in a public office which took place from November 2019 to May 2022, the force said. The charges follow an investigation by the force into computer misuse, unauthorised disclosure of police information, assisting an offender and fraud. Yamin resigned from West Yorkshire Police in 2023 while under investigation. He will appear at Bradford Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
