Latest news with #Stoke-on-TrentCrownCourt
Metro
3 days ago
- Metro
DPD worker printed fake labels to steal expensive gadgets over Christmas period
A DPD worker printed off fake labels and stuck them on packages containing expensive phones and gadgets so he could steal them over Christmas. Amardeep Singh was paid £20 per parcel he diverted, many of which contained presents for over the festive season, including an iPhone, an iMac computer and an Apple watch. Singh, 31, placed false labels bought on Parcel Monkey over genuine tags to divert the packages to several addresses in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle under Lyme, where they would be picked up by either himself or his wife. While some of the targeted parcels were intercepted by DPD, the scam ended up costing the courier £8,750 in reimbursements to customers. The total value of the parcels intended to be stolen was estimated to be £26,400. Singh, who worked at DPD between November 2022 and January 2023, was found to have factory reset his phone while being interviewed. When questioned, the former warehouse operative said he had been approached by a man in Smethwick who offered him money in exchange for collecting parcels. After delivering around five parcels to the man, Singh claimed he was unable to call his contact by phone and discarded the sim card he had been given. He denied that either he or his wife knew the contents of each package. Jamie Scott, defending said that Singh has since 'matured' and had 'learnt his lesson'. He told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court: 'The impact of these proceedings has been felt by him. 'He has moved back to London and works six days a week as a motorcyclist delivery driver. 'He is an example of a hard-working immigrant trying to make the best of himself. His motivation was money but not greed.' Recorder Jeremy Lasker, sentencing, said that Singh had come within 'an inch of going to prison'. 'It is noticeable that you only commenced your employment with DPD in November 2022. So it was not long afterwards that you began this dishonest course of conduct', he said. More Trending He continued: 'This was a well thought out plan. It involved a degree of preparation and sophistication. 'The false address labels must have been prepared in advance and it was down to you to decide which parcels were worthy of diversion.' Singh was handed a 20-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He will also have to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Shannon Matthews detective reveals moment 'bewildered' girl was found MORE: First look at White Lotus star's 'stunning' Marks and Spencer Christmas ad MORE: Babysitter who sent disabled children to paedophile boyfriend sobs at 100-year sentence
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Depraved police officer said 'my life's f*****' as he was arrested
Owen Mills, 22, from Cornwall, made "sexual contact" with a woman who had brain damage due to alcoholism and he had been tasked with supervising, a court heard An officer who made "sexual contact" with a vulnerable woman in a police car as well as sending her racy messages, said "my life's f*****" when arrested. A court heard how Owen Mills had been tasked with supervising the woman, who had brain damage due to alcoholism. The 22-year-old made his depraved move while she was detained in a police car, having been turned away from one hospital, before further explicit contact was made when the pair were alone in a second hospital for 'about 20 minutes'. Mills, a former officer with Staffordshire Police, went on to send racy messages to the woman while she was kept in hospital. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that Mills had also sent inappropriate messages to another woman, who had been witness to a shoplifting crime. Mills resigned from his position with the force in June 2023, reported StokeonTrentLive. Prosecutor Kat Shields described how Mills first made sexual contact with the vulnerable woman after she had been turned away from Harplands Hospital, a mental health facility in Stoke. She said: "He took part in the transport of the woman to Harplands Hospital where she was to be detained under the Mental Health Act. The hospital would not accept her as a patient. She was turned away. She was detained in a police car. "An officer informed Mills to remain with her and he explicitly instructed him to turn his body worn footage on. Mills acknowledged that instruction. What followed was sexual contact between Mills and the woman in the back of the police car while detained under the Mental Health Act outside the hospital. "When his colleague returned the woman seemed happier and bubblier. He thought Mills had put her at ease. She was taken to St George's Hospital in Stafford where a bed had become available. At the hospital Mills was again left alone with the woman. They were alone for about 20 minutes. Sexual contact again took place between them." The court heard the woman was admitted to St George's for a number of days and she exchanged messages with Mills. Miss Shields said: "The messages continued on Christmas Eve. They were of a sexually explicit nature and referred to the interactions they had had in the police car outside hospital and in the waiting room at the other hospital. On Christmas Day he sent her a message which said, 'I want you all over me'." On New Year's Day he sent her a photo of himself in a police uniform. In January the woman asked staff at a mental health care facility if it was alright to be seeing a police officer. Mills was arrested on January 12, 2023. He told officers, 'That is it, my life is f*****'. He was suspended but resigned from the force on June 6, 2023. The court also heard Mills had been crewed with just male officers after a number of female officers had reported to their superiors that he made them feel uncomfortable due to his sexual comments and childish behaviour. And in another incident Mills took a statement from a woman shop worker in relation to a shoplifting offence in September 2022. He asked her for her phone number. She told him he already had it on the form and he stored the number in her phone and texted her. The pair then exchanged messages and there was a WhatsApp conversation between them between October 2, 2022 and January 4, 2023. Miss Shields said: "He sent her a topless photograph and asked her to send nude photographs in return. She declined, although she did send one of herself in a bra. He sent a video of himself masturbating. They did not meet up and later lost touch." Miss Shields added: "A deterrent sentence is necessary. He was an inexperienced police officer at the time. But that does not excuse his very serious offending and his manipulation of two women in this case, one of them extremely vulnerable." Mills, of Bude, Cornwall, pleaded guilty to two charges of corrupt or improper exercise of police powers or privileges. Elizabeth Power, mitigating, said Mills was aged 18 when he joined the police. She said: "It is clear from the statements he received little or no support from his colleagues and how they viewed him. He was a young man isolated from his family and those around him. It is clear it is born out of some degree of loneliness and isolation. "He takes full responsibility for his actions. He accepts overstepping the line. He has some insight into his offending and how his offending has brought the police service into disrepute. He accepts it amounts to a serious breach of trust. He is now maturing. He is 22. He was of good character. He has lost that good character." Miss Power added that Mills may be targeted in a prison environment. Mills was jailed for up to two years. Judge Richard McConaghy said Mills abused his position as a police officer to engage with a witness in a criminal investigation. He said: "You were doing so for your own sexual gratification." Judge McConaghy said Mills' interactions with the second woman were more serious. He said: "When your colleague was inside the hospital discussing whether or not she was to be admitted, you were tasked with supervising her and taking care of her welfare, but you engaged in physical sexual contact with her. "It is clear from the messages the two of you engaged in further sexual contact in the hospital waiting area. In the aftermath you continued to contact her and a sexual relationship followed. "Members of the public must be able to trust the police. They must be able to trust that those in a vulnerable position are not exploited by the police. You knew what your responsibilities were and you ignored them to your own sexual end. The vast majority of police officers work very hard and maintain high standards. Those who offend in the way you did undermine the confidence that the public can have in the police." The judge said the offending was so serious only immediate custody was appropriate. Mills will serve 40 per cent of the jail term with the rest on licence.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Benefits cheat who said she couldn't stand to cook caught after posting 10k run photos on Facebook
A benefits cheat who lied about her multiple sclerosis (MS) to claim more than £20,000 was caught after competing in scores of running events and sharing them on social media. Sara Morris, 50, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005 but in 2020 she exaggerated the extent of her condition and claimed Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The mother-of-three inflated the severity of her MS and also claimed to be so anxious when she left the house that even a trip to the pharmacy to collect her medication left her in tears. She had also claimed that she lacked balance, and was unable to get out of her bath nor stand at her cooker. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard she failed to mention to the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) that she was in fact a member of the Stone Master Marathoners and regularly ran 5km and 10km races. She was caught out by her own Facebook posts of her running. Morris, of Walton Way, Stone, was overpaid £20,528.83 between October 20, 2020 and April 25, 2023. She pleaded guilty to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain a benefit and was jailed for eight months last July. During her court case, she accepted that her application 'crossed over into the realms of dishonesty'. She ended up serving nine weeks in total and recently reappeared at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime hearing. Judge Graeme Smith was told Morris benefited from her criminality by £22,386.02 and the available amount was £60,000. He ordered Morris to repay £22,386.02 within 28 days or serve nine months in prison in default.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Benefit cheat's lies exposed by her own Facebook posts
A benefits cheat who lied about her MS battle to claim more than £20,000 was caught out by her own running posts on Facebook. Sara Morris, 50, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005, and in 2020 claimed that the severity of her disease had left her unable to stand at the cooker. The mother-of-three also claimed she lacked balance and experienced difficulties in getting out of the bath unassisted. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard she was paid £2,292.63 a month in Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and told the Department for Work and Pensions she was anxious about leaving the house, with even a trip to the pharmacy to collect her medication leaving her in tears. But she failed to mention that she was a member of the Stone Master Marathoners and regularly ran 5km and 10km races, the court heard. She was caught out by her Facebook posts about her running, the court was told. A DWP investigation carried out in Feb 2023 found Morris took part in a five-mile race and was seen running without assistance, showing no signs of balance problems. The investigation uncovered that she competed in 73 races between May 2019 and Dec 2022. Morris, from Stone, Staffordshire, was overpaid £20,528.83 between Oct 20 2020 and April 25 2023. She pleaded guilty to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain a benefit and was jailed for eight months last July. Now she has appeared at the same court for a proceeds of crime hearing. Judge Graeme Smith was told Morris benefited from her criminality by £22,386.02 and the available amount was £60,000. He ordered Morris to repay £22,386.02 within 28 days or serve nine months in prison in default. Paul Cliff, mitigating, said Morris was diagnosed with MS 19 years ago and the 'severity of its impact ebbs and flows to a degree'. Mr Cliff added: 'But it is accepted by her that the application did not give the full picture. It crossed over into the realms of dishonesty.' He said Morris's marriage broke down in the spring of 2020, and that she did not enjoy a lavish lifestyle as a result of her fraudulent claim. Mr Cliff said: 'She lost her home because of financial problems and was struggling to keep her head above water financially. 'The application did not give the full picture. She did say running was one of the ways she tried to manage her MS. She has found it difficult to come to terms with her dishonesty.' Morris was also ordered to pay a £187 surcharge. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Wales Online
02-06-2025
- Wales Online
Mum who claimed she struggled to get out of bath caught out by Facebook posts of her running
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A deceitful mum who falsely claimed over £20,000 in benefits while participating in numerous running events has been ordered to repay the money. Sara Morris, 50, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2005 but exaggerated her condition in 2020 to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The mother of three lied about the severity of her MS, claiming she lacked the strength to stand at the cooker, had balance issues and struggled to get out of the bath without help. She also claimed that leaving the house caused her such anxiety that even a trip to the pharmacy to collect her medication would reduce her to tears. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that she received £2,292.63 in PIP each month. However, she failed to inform the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) that she was an active member of the Stone Master Marathoners and regularly participated in 5km and 10km races. Her dishonesty was exposed by her own Facebook posts documenting her running activities. Morris, from Walton Way, Stone, was overpaid £20,528.83 between October 20, 2020 and April 25, 2023. She admitted to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain a benefit and was sentenced to eight months in prison last July, reports Stoke on Trent Live. Now she has reappeared at the same court for a Proceeds of Crime hearing. Judge Graeme Smith was told Morris benefited from her criminality by £22,386.02 and the available amount was £60,000. He ordered Morris to repay £22,386.02 within 28 days or serve nine months in prison in default. The court heard investigators carried out surveillance on Morris from February 5 to February 20, 2023. Prosecutor Regan Walters said: "On February 5 she took part in a five-mile race and was seen running without assistance and showed no signs of balance problems. On February 11 she was seen running with the Stone Master Marathoners and showed no signs of discomfort." The investigation uncovered that Morris competed in 73 races between May 2019 and December 2022. The defendant was interviewed on May 11, 2023 and she stated her MS had worsened and she was suffering from fatigue. But she confirmed she had been a member of Stone Master Marathoners running club prior to making her claim. She added she filled in her PIP form on her worst day. Paul Cliff, mitigating, said Morris was diagnosed with MS 19 years ago and the 'severity of its impact ebbs and flows to a degree'. Mr Cliff said: "But it is accepted by her that the application did not give the full picture. It crossed over into the realms of dishonesty." He said Morris's marriage broke down in the spring of 2020. He said Morris did not enjoy a lavish lifestyle as a result of her fraudulent claim. Mr Cliff said: "She lost her home because of financial problems and was struggling to keep her head above water financially. "The application did not give the full picture. She did say running was one of the ways she tried to manage her MS. She has found it difficult to come to terms with her dishonesty." Morris must also pay a £187 surcharge. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here Find crime figures for your area
