Latest news with #WolverhamptonCrownCourt
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Driver jailed for Tipton hit-and-run that killed pedestrian
A driver who mounted the pavement in a stolen car and killed a pedestrian has been Whitehouse, 43, was fatally injured in February 2021 while he was talking to a friend on St Marks Road in Tipton, according to Betts, 28, of Douglas Avenue, Oldbury, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving earlier this year. At Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday he was jailed for 13 years and seven months. Following April's verdict at the end of a trial Betts failed to attend, West Midlands Police said he had driven off after the crash and left Mr Whitehouse "lying in the road", before dumping the vehicle in nearby Griffiths Street.A warrant was issued after his no-show in court and he was arrested. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Belfast Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Pair found guilty of murder after ‘horrific' arson attack caught on CCTV
A three-week trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court was told Daniel Tatters was filmed by a security camera as he smashed and removed a bay window at the home of Akashdeep Singh, before using a flammable liquid to engulf the living room in flames. Mr Singh died in hospital hours later after being trapped upstairs by the blaze at his home in Plascom Road, East Park, Wolverhampton, which the court heard may have been targeted by mistake. Tatters and Dale Francis, who acted as a driver and look-out at the scene, were both unanimously convicted of murder, arson with intent to endanger life and attempted murder on Tuesday after jurors deliberated for more than nine hours. CCTV played to the trial showed Tatters, who is from Stoke-on-Trent but of no fixed address, approaching the house carrying a container and hammering out the window before running away as a fireball filled the lounge. Tatters, 26, and 37-year-old Francis were alleged by prosecutors to have started the fire at about 1am on June 25 last year 'as the outcome of a considered agreement' following several previous journeys to familiarise themselves with the area. A lighter discovered by fire crews near the bay window was found to have Tatters's DNA on it, while phone records, an in-car tracking device and other CCTV footage linked Francis, of Clare Street, Basford, Stoke-on-Trent, to the attack. Tatters told jurors he had never been to Wolverhampton and had cut his hand on a glass pane while falling over in his garden. Francis, whose barrister described the consequences of the fire as tragic and horrific, declined to give evidence, claiming in a written statement he thought his accomplice only intended to 'torch' a car. Opening the case at the start of the trial, prosecutor Mark Heywood KC said the defendants had travelled around 40 miles from Stoke-on-Trent in Francis's Volkswagen Golf. Tatters visited the Royal Stoke University Hospital around two-and-a-half hours after the fire for treatment for cuts to his fingers. CCTV proved Tatters, who was staying at an address in Sneyd Green, Stoke-on-Trent, went on foot to Plascom Road after the Golf was parked in Sutherland Avenue, around a third of a mile away. The footage also showed the driver's door of the Golf being opened minutes before two figures were seen entering East Park at a location said to be a six-minute walk to Plascom Road. Mr Heywood told the court: 'Their actions make it clear that, whichever one of them actually started the fire, each of them shared the intention to murder all the occupants and each assisted and/or encouraged the other to carry that out as planned. 'As to why they went to that house on that night, and as to why they did what they did, these are not matters which the prosecution need to prove. It may never be possible to know why. 'Only the would-be killers or those involved in the enterprise may know that, and for obvious reasons, you may think, they would never reveal it.' The defendants were both remanded in custody and will be sentenced by Mr Justice Wall on Thursday.
Belfast Telegraph
12-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Man who killed ‘selfless' father by punching him outside nightclub is jailed
Kejuan Malone, 33, hit Kevin Taylor, 51, five times outside Decode Lounge in Lichfield Street in Walsall shortly before 5am on December 7 last year, with the final blow causing him to fall back and hit his head on the pavement. On Monday, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Malone, of Osprey Close in Hall Green, Birmingham, made no attempt to help Mr Taylor as he lay unconscious and instead left the scene in a car with his friends. CCTV footage from outside the club showed Mr Taylor had been moving from group to group talking to people and 'trying to be sociable' before he approached Malone and his friends, who he did not know. While the interaction was initially cordial, Mr Taylor appeared to lightly push Malone, who 'took exception' and hit the victim twice in the face. After getting his phone out to start filming, someone else knocked the device to the ground and as he bent over to pick it up, Malone punched him again twice in the head and neck. The final punch was more 'forceful', the court heard, and led to Mr Taylor stumbling backwards and hitting his head on the pavement. The court was told no-one initially came to help Mr Taylor as he lay unconscious, with some bystanders taking pictures and videos of him while on the ground. A member of the public did then try to administer first aid and paramedics were called but they could not revive him and he was pronounced dead at 5.20am. Malone, appearing in court for his sentencing via video link from HMP Birmingham wearing a green T-shirt and sitting behind a table, seemed to be watching intently as the CCTV footage was played to the court. He looked down as Mr Taylor's daughter Chantel told the court her family had been filled with grief following his death. Describing him as a 'kind and selfless man', Ms Taylor said the family had to ask for financial help to return his body to Zimbabwe for his funeral. Calling him a pillar of the Zimbabwean community, she said: 'Since that day our lives have been filled with grief, pain and a deep sense of loss none of us can describe. 'He was always the first to give even though he didn't have much himself. He never missed a chance to uplift others. He was a man of deep faith. He had a positive outlook on life that inspired everyone around him. 'Losing him so violently has broken us all. Every day is a reminder of what we have lost.' Jailing him for five years and four months, Judge Michael Chambers KC accepted Malone felt genuine remorse for his actions and had pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the earliest opportunity, but said it would have been obvious to him at the time that Mr Taylor was vulnerable and intoxicated. He said: 'As a result of your unlawful violence in a public place, you caused the untimely death of Mr Taylor. 'He was clearly a decent, hard-working family man. He was obviously much loved. 'He was clearly and obviously vulnerable because he had had a lot to drink, as he was perfectly entitled to do. 'Mr Taylor can be seen moving from group to group in a perfectly proper and lawful manner. 'There was some sort of altercation resulting in his pushing you with his left hand. 'On any view, it was a gentle push and it did not justify the assault by you on him. 'His death was caused, in effect, as a result of blunt force head trauma. 'This wasn't a one-punch manslaughter. 'Although there was a push by the deceased, it constitutes minimal provocation. 'It must have been obvious to you he had had a great deal to drink. 'This was a sustained assault in a public place and you did not remain to assist.'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man who killed ‘selfless' father by punching him outside nightclub is jailed
A man who killed a 'kind and selfless' father by punching him multiple times outside a club has been jailed for more than five years for his manslaughter. Kejuan Malone, 33, hit Kevin Taylor, 51, five times outside Decode Lounge in Lichfield Street in Walsall shortly before 5am on December 7 last year, with the final blow causing him to fall back and hit his head on the pavement. On Monday, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Malone, of Osprey Close in Hall Green, Birmingham, made no attempt to help Mr Taylor as he lay unconscious and instead left the scene in a car with his friends. CCTV footage from outside the club showed Mr Taylor had been moving from group to group talking to people and 'trying to be sociable' before he approached Malone and his friends, who he did not know. While the interaction was initially cordial, Mr Taylor appeared to lightly push Malone, who 'took exception' and hit the victim twice in the face. After getting his phone out to start filming, someone else knocked the device to the ground and as he bent over to pick it up, Malone punched him again twice in the head and neck. The final punch was more 'forceful', the court heard, and led to Mr Taylor stumbling backwards and hitting his head on the pavement. The court was told no-one initially came to help Mr Taylor as he lay unconscious, with some bystanders taking pictures and videos of him while on the ground. A member of the public did then try to administer first aid and paramedics were called but they could not revive him and he was pronounced dead at 5.20am. Malone, appearing in court for his sentencing via video link from HMP Birmingham wearing a green T-shirt and sitting behind a table, seemed to be watching intently as the CCTV footage was played to the court. He looked down as Mr Taylor's daughter Chantel told the court her family had been filled with grief following his death. Describing him as a 'kind and selfless man', Ms Taylor said the family had to ask for financial help to return his body to Zimbabwe for his funeral. Calling him a pillar of the Zimbabwean community, she said: 'Since that day our lives have been filled with grief, pain and a deep sense of loss none of us can describe. 'He was always the first to give even though he didn't have much himself. He never missed a chance to uplift others. He was a man of deep faith. He had a positive outlook on life that inspired everyone around him. 'Losing him so violently has broken us all. Every day is a reminder of what we have lost.' Jailing him for five years and four months, Judge Michael Chambers KC accepted Malone felt genuine remorse for his actions and had pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the earliest opportunity, but said it would have been obvious to him at the time that Mr Taylor was vulnerable and intoxicated. He said: 'As a result of your unlawful violence in a public place, you caused the untimely death of Mr Taylor. 'He was clearly a decent, hard-working family man. He was obviously much loved. 'He was clearly and obviously vulnerable because he had had a lot to drink, as he was perfectly entitled to do. 'Mr Taylor can be seen moving from group to group in a perfectly proper and lawful manner. 'There was some sort of altercation resulting in his pushing you with his left hand. 'On any view, it was a gentle push and it did not justify the assault by you on him. 'His death was caused, in effect, as a result of blunt force head trauma. 'This wasn't a one-punch manslaughter. 'Although there was a push by the deceased, it constitutes minimal provocation. 'It must have been obvious to you he had had a great deal to drink. 'This was a sustained assault in a public place and you did not remain to assist.'
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
Fake £4m Xanax drug gang boss jailed
A gang leader who co-ordinated from Thailand a £4m fake Xanax drug-making operation in West Midlands sheds and garages has been jailed for eight years. Up to 11 million tablets were made in various locations in Tipton, Wednesbury and Wolverhampton and then sold on the dark web via cryptocurrency payments. The criminal enterprise, between 2018 and 19, was run from a luxury villa in Thailand by Brian Pitts, 30, of Beebee Road, Wednesbury, who is one of 10 being sentenced for their part in the operation. The fake tablets were shipped across the UK and to America, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard. Pitts, who had earlier pleaded guilty to six charges, including conspiracy to supply Class C drugs, was described by Judge John Butterfield as "the beating heart of this enterprise". He said the ringleader controlled every part of the drugs operation and was constantly involved in it. Pitts was arrested by police when he returned to the UK with his then-partner Katie Harlow, who was also part of the Thai-end of the criminal operation. The officers were able to seize his mobile phone, which prosecutors described as a "goldmine of information", showing his involvement at all levels of the operation. The court had heard the gang made the tablets in houses, sheds and garages in the West Midlands. It would be wrong, Judge Butterfield said, to dismiss the enterprise as "a minor cottage industry" and that it was instead "large scale, organised and determined". The gang's activities had initially come to light after an investigation was launched by Pfizer, the manufacturer of the genuine Xanax tablets, which are used to treat anxiety. The inquiry was then picked up by the Regional Organised Crime Unit, which discovered the gang had purchased legally four pill-making machines, enabling them to press more than 16,000 tablets an hour. While the gang made £4m, the number of tablets they made could have fetched them more than £11m, the court heard. The gang also purchased the powders needed to make the tablets and fake Xanax stamps. But tests revealed the amount of the active ingredient Alprazalam in the fake tablets varied from none at all to twice the proper amount. Harlow, 27, of Lane Street, Bilston was sentenced to two years and one month in jail, after she earlier admitted a charge of converting and transferring criminal property. Judge Butterfield said that while it appeared Pitts had taken some actions in her name, none of them were without her knowledge. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Gang made millions selling fake Xanax pills on dark web HM Courts & Tribunals Service
