Latest news with #ChesterCrownCourt
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Jail for 'monster' football coach who abused children in Cheshire
A former grassroots football coach described as a "monster of a man" has been jailed for 31 years after carrying out dozens of sex offences against eight children over a period spanning four Woods, 67, was convicted at Chester Crown Court in June of 57 offences across a coach, Woods would regularly be in the company of young people, establishing a position of trust with their parents and creating influence, police said following Friday's sentencing would bring multiple children together at his home to "act out his warped sexual fantasies" by encouraging them to abuse one another. Woods' crimes, in Crewe and Northwich between 1976 and 2006, included attempted rape, inciting children to commit acts of gross indecency and inciting boys to engage in sexual court also heard how Woods physically abused his victims, locking them in cupboards and burning them with cigarettes or a offences did not come to light until Cheshire Police were approached by one of his victims in his conviction earlier this summer, police said Woods had abused the position of trust he had earned, describing him as a "malignant and opportunistic sexual predator".Woods, of Lawton Street, Congleton, was arrested in 2022 but denied committing any abuse, claiming he had never met any of the victims, accusing them of lying. 'Childhood destroyed' Speaking during the sentencing hearing on Friday, one of his victims said Woods had destroyed his childhood and changed his life forever."My behaviour as a child changed. I started to play up and get into trouble," he described Woods as "a monster of a man" and added: "I've grown up with a very negative view of homosexuality and homosexuals. It's hugely impacted my relationships with other men."He said he had found it "incredibly difficult" to manage the rage he felt towards Woods."I wanted him to die as I didn't think he deserved to live after what he did to me."Giving evidence against Woods had given him strength, he giving his statement, he turned to the judge and appealed to him directly to make sure Woods never left prison. Another of his victims said: "I felt that what Woods did to me was normal and was love. "I live each day with the emotional and physical scars."A third victim speaking in court on Friday said they had been left with "deep trust issues" and had trouble making and maintaining friendships."The pain and trauma from that time will forever be an unwanted time of me," he said. Other victims, via written statements read in court, spoke of their fear of not being believed and of battles with anxiety and pleading not guilty and making everyone go to court "was [Woods'] final way of abusing me", one said Woods had told them he would be arrested and get in trouble if he told anyone about what had happened. Addressing Woods, Judge Patrick Thompson said: "You used your status as an adult who'd been in the army to scare victims.""There was a level of sophistication in your offending – which was tailored to each victim."He added: "You present as an arrogant and cruel man who lacks empathy for your victims." 'Prolific, serial paedophile' Prosecution lawyer John Philpotts KC said Woods had been dismissed from the army in 1983 for disgraceful conduct involving sexually assaulted a young recruit while he was in a position of authority over him in the army, he said Woods also had a conviction in 1988 for gross indecency involving two males, one of whom was under 21 - the age of consent at the 2006 he was made subject of an extended sentence of 15 years in prison for sexual offences against three boys under the age of 16. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in June the investigation into Woods' crimes had been one of the biggest child sex abuse cases in the Mersey-Cheshire area due to the volume of offending and number of Egan, crown advocate at the CPS, said then: "[Woods] is a prolific, serial paedophile who brought misery and suffering to these victims at various points over a 30-year period, via a campaign of grooming, duress and abuse." Read more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Woman claimed she was 'on toilet' when really she was setting fire to own shed
A MIDDLEWICH woman set alight her garden shed before it spread to her house, a court has heard. Kimberley Trelfa was responsible for the fire on Falcon Close in the early evening of March 16, 2024. Chester Crown Court has heard how the then 36-year-old set alight her own garden shed while she was suffering with a mental health issue. Prosecuting, Anna Price said it spread to her own house in spite of the attendance of firefighters from Middlewich, Northwich and Winsford. There was thousands of pounds of damage done to the garden as well as to the ground floor walls and windows. Trelfa told one neighbour it was her ex-partner and told another neighbour 'I do not know what has happened'. Ms Price said: "[In interview] the defendant relied on a prepared statement in which she said she was on the toilet when she smelled smoke." Trelfa, now of Coronation Road, admitted arson earlier this year after previously pleading not guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered last year. Mitigating, David Thomson said he had nothing to add after Judge Steven Everett, the Honorary Recorder of Chester, said he would sentence her to a community order. Judge Everett said: "It could have been a lot worse but fortunately for you and fortunately for everybody else it was not. "The issues I have heard about your background, your learning disabilities, and your mental health are all factors." Trelfa was sentenced to an 18-month community order with a requirement to do 30 days of rehabilitation activities. The Honorary Recorder of Chester said it was not so much a punishment as an opportunity for her to 'move forward'. Judge Everett said: "If you were to breach the order you would have to come back to court but I am rather hoping that will not happen."
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Telegraph
Serial shoplifter spared jail four times because of ‘difficult childhood'
A serial shoplifter who was freed by the courts four times in a year has been sentenced to jail. Kayleigh Bradley, 37, received four consecutive suspended sentences after she complained about her 'difficult' upbringing when she was in care after being orphaned at the age of 10. Bradley, who has 128 offences on her record, continued to prey on shopkeepers across Cheshire and Merseyside using a foil lined bag and a small ''detagger'' she had bought on the internet to beat the security alarms. At Chester Crown Court she was sentenced for the theft of more than £4,000 worth of goods from stores at the Cheshire Oaks retail complex in Ellesmere Port over a two-month period – including the theft of £3,213 worth of designer sunglasses. During the case she tried to escape jail for the fifth time, citing her childhood and saying she needed to spend more time with her 12-year old son. Oliver Saddington, defending, said Bradley 'struggled with enormous difficulties growing up' as she was 'in and out of care, passed from pillar to post and has struggled with alcohol issues throughout her life'. He said she 'continued stealing as she needed the money', and added: 'somebody with her difficulties needs time to rehabilitate' and 'there is a method by which the court could deal with the breaches and give this woman a chance to prove herself'. However, she was sentenced for a total of 20 months after Judge Patrick Thompson said: ''Why keep stealing if she wants to spend time with her son?' He said it was the 'first time' he had seen someone receive four consecutive suspended sentences, and although he had sympathy for people with 'sad and difficult backgrounds', she was given 'chance after chance'. He added: 'If somebody keeps stealing from shops they are going to prison whatever the problem. Shopkeepers are trying to make a living. People who are working there rely on those shops for employment so why should they have to lose £4,000? 'She has been given a number of chances to prove herself – but all she proved herself to be, I am afraid, is a thief.' '12 year criminal career' Bradley, from Fazakerley in Liverpool, has a criminal career dating back at least 12 years. In 2013, after she admitted stealing £580 worth of goods from River Island, Oasis, Warehouse and Dorothy Perkins she was freed with a two month curfew after a judge ruled: 'Everything indicates she intends to change her life.' But over the following decade she was repeatedly before various courts for a string of thefts. Four suspended sentences were imposed by courts in Liverpool between September 2023 and September 2024 after Bradley regaled her family issues – adding that she been a victim of domestic abuse. But she breached all four of them to embark on thieving sprees with a male accomplice – once again using her foil lined bag to stop tagged goods setting off the alarms. Selda Krasniqi, prosecuting, said that on May 26, Bradley and a male were seen on CCTV leaving the Cosmetic Company store at Cheshire Oaks with items to the value of £872.25, she then entered the David Clulow store and stole five pairs of designer sunglasses valued at £1,495. The manager at the store then reviewed CCTV and identified further incidents of Bradley shoplifting, Ms Krasniqi said 'the offending was sophisticated in the nature of planning'. Bradley admitted four charges of theft and one of going equipped for theft. She also admitted being in breach of the four suspended sentence orders.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
Actions of quick-thinking police officer lead to downfall of cocaine crook
The actions of a quick-thinking police officer led to the downfall of a drug dealer from Greater Manchester, who had been selling cocaine across Cheshire. At 8.45am on May 24 this year, the officer from Cheshire Constabulary stopped a vehicle in Northwich. The driver mentioned she was collecting a man named Enrico Poli from an address in Dock Road, Northwich, where he had been staying with a friend. READ MORE: Dad dies minutes after sitting down to eat sandwich READ MORE: Friends left stunned at Manchester Airport after landing £24,000 in terminal Recognising the address and the friend's name from intelligence about drug-related activity in the area, the officer alerted colleagues. At 9.02am, a colleague attended the address in Dock Road to conduct enquiries in relation to this intelligence when they saw a man, later identified as Poli, leave the property and quickly walk away, without acknowledging the officer. The officer attempted to engage with Poli, who refused to give any details and carried on walking, before the officer stopped him. The 34-year-old was found in possession of £345 in cash and a snap bag of cocaine. At Chester Crown Court Poli, aged 34, of Riding Close, Sale, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine. He was sentenced to five years and seven months in jail. Police Constable Andy Collict said: "I welcome the substantial custodial sentence handed to Poli and I hope this sends a stark warning to anyone who thinks they can come to Northwich to sell drugs and get away with it. 'It was thanks to intelligence about drug activity in the area and officer intuition that Poli was caught as he tried to flee an address and he was left with no choice but to plead guilty to the offences. 'If you have any information about drugs offences in your community, please contact us via 101 or through our website and we'll do the rest.'
Metro
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
'Kardashian of Cheshire' conned friends out of £200,000 in Hermes handbag scam
A wannabe millionaire who described himself as the 'Kardashian of Cheshire' while scamming rich friends and his own dad out of £200,000 is facing jail. Jack Watkin, 26, used social media to paint a picture of himself as living a life of luxury, which he then used to persuade those close to him to part with huge sums of money. The former public schoolboy, who once appeared in Channel 4 documentary Rich Kids Of Instagram, said their money would be used to buy Hermes handbags, which would then be sold on for profit. But Chester Crown Court heard neither the designer bags nor the promised profit ever materialised. Instead, Watkin blew the cash on his lavish lifestyle, spending thousands in Harrods and staying in five-star London hotel The Dorchester, where he racked up a bill of more than £100,000. He pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud, worth a total of more than £195,000 on the second day of his trial on Tuesday. Detective Constable Gareth Yates said: 'Jack Watkin is a male who has built a lifestyle on social media, on Instagram, and that lifestyle is one of exuberance. 'So, if anyone was to look at that profile, you would see fancy hotels, luxury cars, designer clothing, and he created a following, and that following allowed him to create a ruse to be the fraudster we now know and convicted fraudster.' He added: 'He often described himself as the Kardashian of Cheshire. What my understanding from that would be is that he is an individual of wealth and has the ability to purchase wealthy items. 'As a result of that he then gets notoriety, from an Instagram perspective, followers, people. People follow him with the desire to be him.' Opening the trial on Monday, Matthew Kerruish-Jones, prosecuting, said: 'The defendant put forward the outward facade of a glamorous and luxurious lifestyle. 'This, it seems, engendered trust and led a number of individuals to loan him large sums of money on the promise of either a financial return, or luxury items. Neither of which materialised.' He said complainants would be left 'out of pocket for large sums of money'. He added: 'The defendant would make excuses and avoid the complainants, all the while spending large sums of money on maintaining his seemingly lavish lifestyle.' Watkin was said to have told victims their money would be used to buy Hermes handbags, which were then to be sold on for a profit. Bag purchases from Hermes are only allowed to select registered customers and, because of their exclusivity, the bags often attracted a value far in excess of their original price when resold. Watkin's victims included friend Hannah Jakes, who he admitted defrauding of £98,500, and Ms Colbert, owner of Dress Cheshire, who was defrauded of £43,800. He also defrauded his father, Jason Watkin, of £24,500. The court heard Mr Watkin was not repaid, but could see from social media his son was 'spending lavishly on his lifestyle'. Watkin also admitted fraud of more than £13,000 on James Irlam, who was told by Watkin he had a personal relationship with the director of Hermes and was able to source handbags. Andor Farkas, a barman at Harrods, was victim of a £14,000 fraud and had believed Watkin, a regular customer, was a millionaire, the court heard. Watkin also pleaded guilty to the £840 fraud of Naheem Akhtar, who the court heard had given Watkin the money for a pair of Lora Piana shoes which he never received. More Trending Judge Berkson told Watkin: 'You have today pleaded guilty to a number of charges of fraud. Those charges are serious and involve a significant amount of loss to victims of your fraud. There's no doubt only one sentence must follow from those guilty pleas.' A further count of fraud and two counts of theft were ordered to lie on file. Watkin, of Alderley Edge, Cheshire, was convicted earlier this year of nine offences related to indecent images. He was remanded in custody before his sentence on September 3. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Met Police boss grilled into apologising to ITV's Selina Scott after vicious mugging MORE: Officer could face sack after asking colleague to 'pull his finger then farting anyway' MORE: Drug kingpins guilty of plot to murder rival and smuggling £5,000,000 of cocaine
