Latest news with #HMPHewell
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Army private raped stranger in doorway before hiding in railway station toilet
An Army soldier who raped a stranger in a doorway in the early hours and then hid in a railway station toilet cubicle, has been jailed for nine years. Private John Harvey made a full confession to police after accosting and attacking the young woman as she walked through Shrewsbury town centre. But he then pleaded not guilty and forced her to 'relive the worst moment of my life' by giving evidence at a nine-day trial. Harvey, of Clive Barracks in Tern Hill, near Market Drayton, Shropshire, was found guilty of two counts of rape and one of assault by penetration at Shrewsbury Crown Court in February. Harvey, 25, appeared relaxed in a video-link from HMP Hewell at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Thursday, as Judge Richard McConaghy told him the offence was aggravated by the fact he was drunk and the 'vulnerable' woman was walking alone at night. The judge told Harvey: 'She walked away and rang 999, audio of that call in the state that she was in is harrowing to listen to.' The court heard Harvey, who had missed his last train, went back towards the woman after the sexual assaults, but was 'put off' as she was on the phone to police, and went instead to Shrewsbury railway station. Video released by West Mercia Police after Harvey was jailed showed him being arrested by officers at the station at 6.32am in July last year. The video clip shows officers ordering Harvey to open the cubicle and then handcuffing him before he provided his name. Harvey, who was also ordered to serve an extended three-year period on licence after his eventual release, was said by the judge to be an 'educated man with a degree' and to have had a 'respectable career' at the time of the attack. In a victim impact statement to the court read by counsel, the woman, who cannot be identified, said her 20-minute ordeal had left her with post-traumatic disorder. The woman said: 'My home has become the only place I feel calm. The offender has convinced me terrible people who can do terrible things are everywhere.' 'I was forced to endure rape. The offender also forced me to fight my corner in a trial. I was forced by him to relive the worst moment of my life repeatedly. 'This event from the beginning to the end is the worst and hardest thing I have ever had to endure.' During his sentencing remarks, the judge told Harvey, who is now working as a prison cleaner and training as a mentor: 'You co-operated on arrest and made full admissions to having raped her. 'You however chose to throw that mitigation away by contesting the trial in the face of very strong evidence and made her give evidence despite your own confession of what you had done.' After the sentencing, Detective Constable Sam Jones said: 'I am extremely pleased with the sentence that has been given to Harvey by the judge today, as he is a danger to the wider public, in particular, women. 'In July last year Harvey committed a purely evil crime, and despite admitting to the offences during a police interview when he was arrested, he then changed his story at court, subjecting his victim and her loved ones to sit through a trial and relive that awful night. 'I would like to take this opportunity to thank the victim for her bravery and resilience throughout the entire investigation and trial.' No details of Harvey's military service or his employment by the Army were disclosed at his sentencing hearing. Clive Barracks is the long-term home of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment. In a statement which did not confirm details of Harvey's unit, an Army spokesperson said: 'We can confirm that Private John Harvey appeared for sentencing at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on June 5 2025, convicted of a sexual offence. He was sentenced to nine years imprisonment.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Army private who carried out ‘harrowing' rape of stranger jailed for nine years
An Army soldier who raped a stranger in a doorway in the early hours and then hid in a railway station toilet cubicle, has been jailed for nine years. Private John Harvey made a full confession to police after accosting and attacking the young woman as she walked through Shrewsbury town centre. But he then pleaded not guilty and forced her to 'relive the worst moment of my life' by giving evidence at a nine-day trial. Harvey, of Clive Barracks in Tern Hill, near Market Drayton, Shropshire, was found guilty of two counts of rape and one of assault by penetration at Shrewsbury Crown Court in February. Harvey, 25, appeared relaxed in a video-link from HMP Hewell at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Thursday, as Judge Richard McConaghy told him the offence was aggravated by the fact he was drunk and the 'vulnerable' woman was walking alone at night. The judge told Harvey: 'She walked away and rang 999, audio of that call in the state that she was in is harrowing to listen to.' The court heard Harvey, who had missed his last train, went back towards the woman after the sexual assaults, but was 'put off' as she was on the phone to police, and went instead to Shrewsbury railway station. Video released by West Mercia Police after Harvey was jailed showed him being arrested by officers at the station at 6.32am in July last year. The video clip shows officers ordering Harvey to open the cubicle and then handcuffing him before he provided his name. Harvey, who was also ordered to serve an extended three-year period on licence after his eventual release, was said by the judge to be an 'educated man with a degree' and to have had a 'respectable career' at the time of the attack. In a victim impact statement to the court read by counsel, the woman, who cannot be identified, said her 20-minute ordeal had left her with post-traumatic disorder. The woman said: 'My home has become the only place I feel calm. The offender has convinced me terrible people who can do terrible things are everywhere.' 'I was forced to endure rape. The offender also forced me to fight my corner in a trial. I was forced by him to relive the worst moment of my life repeatedly. 'This event from the beginning to the end is the worst and hardest thing I have ever had to endure.' During his sentencing remarks, the judge told Harvey, who is now working as a prison cleaner and training as a mentor: 'You co-operated on arrest and made full admissions to having raped her. 'You however chose to throw that mitigation away by contesting the trial in the face of very strong evidence and made her give evidence despite your own confession of what you had done.' After the sentencing, Detective Constable Sam Jones said: 'I am extremely pleased with the sentence that has been given to Harvey by the judge today, as he is a danger to the wider public, in particular, women. 'In July last year Harvey committed a purely evil crime, and despite admitting to the offences during a police interview when he was arrested, he then changed his story at court, subjecting his victim and her loved ones to sit through a trial and relive that awful night. 'I would like to take this opportunity to thank the victim for her bravery and resilience throughout the entire investigation and trial.' No details of Harvey's military service or his employment by the Army were disclosed at his sentencing hearing. Clive Barracks is the long-term home of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment. In a statement which did not confirm details of Harvey's unit, an Army spokesperson said: 'We can confirm that Private John Harvey appeared for sentencing at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on June 5 2025, convicted of a sexual offence. He was sentenced to nine years imprisonment.'
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
‘Miracle baby' killed by drug driver in horror car crash was ejected from window
A driver was jailed for 14 years after his awful drug-driving led to the death of a four-month-old baby - Craig Nunn 'deliberately disregarded the rules of the road' A selfish and drug-induced driver was slapped with well over a decade behind bars after his reckless actions behind the wheel killed a four-month-old baby. Craig Nunn, 40, was jailed for 14 years at Worcester Crown Court on Friday after causing death by dangerous driving. Little Harley Wilkinson was sadly killed in the incident just after midnight on October 26 last year, a horrific crash that also left the child's father Jake Wilkinson seriously injured. The court was told Nunn, of Sandy Lane in Stourport, was nearly two times the drug-drive limit in his Ford Focus when he smashed into a black Suzuki Vitara being driven by Harley's mother Imogen Bradley. Nunn was under the influence of amphetamines at the time, causing the crash in Worcestershire by running through a red light. Ms Bradley was driving home with her partner Mr Wilkinson after picking their son up from her sister's home when the collision occurred as she turned from Walter Nash Way West onto the A451 in the direction of Stourport. Prosecutor Cathlyn Orchard said Mr Wilkinson, having been "frustrated" trying to get Harley into his car seat, had him on his lap in the back seat for what should have been a short trip home. Nunn, who was driving in the direction of Kidderminster, crashed into the rear offside of Ms Bradley's car so hard having careered through a red light that her vehicle spun nearly 540 degrees and Harley was ejected out of the window and into the road. Ms Orchard told the court it was Nunn who alerted Ms Bradley to Harley's whereabouts, telling her: "Your baby is over there." Despite attempts to save his life, Harley suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and died at the scene while Mr Wilkinson suffered a cervical spine fracture, a severed artery and a blood clot in his neck. Pathologist Dr Brett Lockyer said it was not possible to say whether Harley would have survived the collision if he had been strapped into his car seat. Nunn initially tried to claim his brakes had failed but no faults were found with his vehicle and the court was told he would have had approximately 11.4 seconds between his traffic light changing from green to red until the collision occurred. Data from his vehicle found he was travelling at around 90mph on a 70mph dual carriageway before the speed limit changed to 40mph ahead of the junction and the speed at the point of impact was greater than 36mph, experts said. A driver who had stopped at the red light estimated Nunn was going between 40mph and 50mph through the junction. Nunn, who appeared at the sentencing hearing via video link from HMP Hewell, seemed to wipe away tears as Ms Bradley told the court her world had been "ripped apart" by the loss of her "miracle" son. She said: "The loss is unbearable. I am broken and don't know if I will ever feel whole again." The court was also told that when Nunn's car was at a garage awaiting inspection after the crash, workers found a knife, an imitation pistol and an axe in the vehicle. Adam Western, on behalf of Nunn, said the defendant had "accepted his wrongdoing unequivocally" and did not wish to ever drive again. He said his guilty pleas to all the charges he faced were an indication of his remorse. He said: "He recognises his responsibility for what his driving caused. He understands who the victims are and he doesn't see himself as a victim in any sense. That is not to say that these events haven't also had a profound effect on him. "He has asked me on his behalf to express his sorrow for what he has done. Simply saying sorry doesn't undo the damage he has done or the pain he has caused. He will have to live for the rest of his life with the consequences of his actions." Judge Martin Jackson told Nunn, who has 21 convictions for 51 offences including dangerous driving in 2010: "Amphetamines was probably a major contributory factor to the collision. You told a probation officer you had been self-medicating with amphetamines for some 20 years. "You may have found it something that assisted you with your ADHD. I am satisfied that your driving must have been highly impaired by your habitual use of amphetamine. "You cut Harley's life very short. He was never given the chance to grow up and find his way in the world. That was down to your actions entirely. You deliberately disregarded the rules of the road." He jailed Nunn for 14 years for causing death by dangerous driving, as well as concurrent sentences of three years for causing serious injury to Mr Wilkinson, two months for possessing the weapons and three months for driving with a specified drug above the specified limit. Nunn, who told a previous court hearing he wanted to voluntarily hand in his licence, was also disqualified from driving for 10 years upon his release and must undertake an extended retest if he wants to get behind the wheel again.
Glasgow Times
17-05-2025
- Glasgow Times
Man who took amphetamines killed four-week-old baby in crash
Craig Nunn, 40, was jailed for 14 years at Worcester Crown Court on Friday for causing the death by dangerous driving of Harley Wilkinson and seriously injuring his father Jake Wilkinson in a crash in Worcestershire just after midnight on October 26 last year. The court was told Nunn, of Sandy Lane in Stourport, was nearly two times the drug-drive limit in his Ford Focus when he smashed into a black Suzuki Vitara being driven by Harley's mother Imogen Bradley. Ms Bradley was driving home with her partner Mr Wilkinson after picking their son up from her sister's home when the collision occurred as she turned from Walter Nash Way West onto the A451 in the direction of Stourport. Weapons including an imitation pistol, an axe and a knife were found in Craig Nunn's car following the collision (West Mercia Police/PA) Prosecutor Cathlyn Orchard said Mr Wilkinson, having been 'frustrated' trying to get Harley into his car seat, had him on his lap in the back seat for what should have been a short trip home. Nunn, who was driving in the direction of Kidderminster, crashed into the rear offside of Ms Bradley's car so hard having careered through a red light that her vehicle spun nearly 540 degrees and Harley was ejected out of the window and into the road. Ms Orchard told the court it was Nunn who alerted Ms Bradley to Harley's whereabouts, telling her: 'Your baby is over there.' Despite attempts to save his life, Harley suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and died at the scene while Mr Wilkinson suffered a cervical spine fracture, a severed artery and a blood clot in his neck. Pathologist Dr Brett Lockyer said it was not possible to say whether Harley would have survived the collision if he had been strapped into his car seat. Nunn initially tried to claim his brakes had failed but no faults were found with his vehicle and the court was told he would have had approximately 11.4 seconds between his traffic light changing from green to red until the collision occurred. Data from his vehicle found he was travelling at around 90mph on a 70mph dual carriageway before the speed limit changed to 40mph ahead of the junction and the speed at the point of impact was greater than 36mph, experts said. A driver who had stopped at the red light estimated Nunn was going between 40mph and 50mph through the junction. The knife that was found in Craig Nunn's Ford Focus by garage staff after the collision. (West Mercia Police/PA) Nunn, who appeared at the sentencing hearing via video link from HMP Hewell, seemed to wipe away tears as Ms Bradley told the court her world had been 'ripped apart' by the loss of her 'miracle' son. She said: 'The loss is unbearable. I am broken and don't know if I will ever feel whole again.' The court was also told that when Nunn's car was at a garage awaiting inspection after the crash, workers found a knife, an imitation pistol and an axe in the vehicle. Adam Western, on behalf of Nunn, said the defendant had 'accepted his wrongdoing unequivocally' and did not wish to ever drive again. He said his guilty pleas to all the charges he faced were an indication of his remorse. He said: 'He recognises his responsibility for what his driving caused. He understands who the victims are and he doesn't see himself as a victim in any sense. 'That is not to say that these events haven't also had a profound effect on him. 'He has asked me on his behalf to express his sorrow for what he has done. Simply saying sorry doesn't undo the damage he has done or the pain he has caused. 'He will have to live for the rest of his life with the consequences of his actions.' Judge Martin Jackson told Nunn, who has 21 convictions for 51 offences including dangerous driving in 2010: 'Amphetamines was probably a major contributory factor to the collision. You told a probation officer you had been self-medicating with amphetamines for some 20 years. 'You may have found it something that assisted you with your ADHD. I am satisfied that your driving must have been highly impaired by your habitual use of amphetamine. 'You cut Harley's life very short. He was never given the chance to grow up and find his way in the world. That was down to your actions entirely. 'You deliberately disregarded the rules of the road.' He jailed Nunn for 14 years for causing death by dangerous driving, as well as concurrent sentences of three years for causing serious injury to Mr Wilkinson, two months for possessing the weapons and three months for driving with a specified drug above the specified limit. Nunn, who told a previous court hearing he wanted to voluntarily hand in his licence, was also disqualified from driving for 10 years upon his release and must undertake an extended retest if he wants to get behind the wheel again.
North Wales Chronicle
17-05-2025
- North Wales Chronicle
Man who took amphetamines killed four-week-old baby in crash
Craig Nunn, 40, was jailed for 14 years at Worcester Crown Court on Friday for causing the death by dangerous driving of Harley Wilkinson and seriously injuring his father Jake Wilkinson in a crash in Worcestershire just after midnight on October 26 last year. The court was told Nunn, of Sandy Lane in Stourport, was nearly two times the drug-drive limit in his Ford Focus when he smashed into a black Suzuki Vitara being driven by Harley's mother Imogen Bradley. Ms Bradley was driving home with her partner Mr Wilkinson after picking their son up from her sister's home when the collision occurred as she turned from Walter Nash Way West onto the A451 in the direction of Stourport. Prosecutor Cathlyn Orchard said Mr Wilkinson, having been 'frustrated' trying to get Harley into his car seat, had him on his lap in the back seat for what should have been a short trip home. Nunn, who was driving in the direction of Kidderminster, crashed into the rear offside of Ms Bradley's car so hard having careered through a red light that her vehicle spun nearly 540 degrees and Harley was ejected out of the window and into the road. Ms Orchard told the court it was Nunn who alerted Ms Bradley to Harley's whereabouts, telling her: 'Your baby is over there.' Despite attempts to save his life, Harley suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and died at the scene while Mr Wilkinson suffered a cervical spine fracture, a severed artery and a blood clot in his neck. Pathologist Dr Brett Lockyer said it was not possible to say whether Harley would have survived the collision if he had been strapped into his car seat. Nunn initially tried to claim his brakes had failed but no faults were found with his vehicle and the court was told he would have had approximately 11.4 seconds between his traffic light changing from green to red until the collision occurred. Data from his vehicle found he was travelling at around 90mph on a 70mph dual carriageway before the speed limit changed to 40mph ahead of the junction and the speed at the point of impact was greater than 36mph, experts said. A driver who had stopped at the red light estimated Nunn was going between 40mph and 50mph through the junction. Nunn, who appeared at the sentencing hearing via video link from HMP Hewell, seemed to wipe away tears as Ms Bradley told the court her world had been 'ripped apart' by the loss of her 'miracle' son. She said: 'The loss is unbearable. I am broken and don't know if I will ever feel whole again.' The court was also told that when Nunn's car was at a garage awaiting inspection after the crash, workers found a knife, an imitation pistol and an axe in the vehicle. Adam Western, on behalf of Nunn, said the defendant had 'accepted his wrongdoing unequivocally' and did not wish to ever drive again. He said his guilty pleas to all the charges he faced were an indication of his remorse. He said: 'He recognises his responsibility for what his driving caused. He understands who the victims are and he doesn't see himself as a victim in any sense. 'That is not to say that these events haven't also had a profound effect on him. 'He has asked me on his behalf to express his sorrow for what he has done. Simply saying sorry doesn't undo the damage he has done or the pain he has caused. 'He will have to live for the rest of his life with the consequences of his actions.' Judge Martin Jackson told Nunn, who has 21 convictions for 51 offences including dangerous driving in 2010: 'Amphetamines was probably a major contributory factor to the collision. You told a probation officer you had been self-medicating with amphetamines for some 20 years. 'You may have found it something that assisted you with your ADHD. I am satisfied that your driving must have been highly impaired by your habitual use of amphetamine. 'You cut Harley's life very short. He was never given the chance to grow up and find his way in the world. That was down to your actions entirely. 'You deliberately disregarded the rules of the road.' He jailed Nunn for 14 years for causing death by dangerous driving, as well as concurrent sentences of three years for causing serious injury to Mr Wilkinson, two months for possessing the weapons and three months for driving with a specified drug above the specified limit. Nunn, who told a previous court hearing he wanted to voluntarily hand in his licence, was also disqualified from driving for 10 years upon his release and must undertake an extended retest if he wants to get behind the wheel again.
