2025.2.28 Wharf Chambers: Arrest after man allegedly raped in Leeds city centre beer garden
A man has been arrested on suspicion of raping a man in a beer garden in Leeds city centre.
Detectives from West Yorkshire Police investigating the attack against a man outside of Wharf Chambers have made the arrest following a public appeal.
The 24-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of this morning (Friday) on suspicion of rape in connection with an incident that happened outside Wharf Chambers, in Wharf Street, at about 5am on Saturday, February 22.
The man remains in custody and detectives from West Yorkshire Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team are continuing to progress the investigation.
2025.2.28 Manchester man who tried to smuggle stash of drugs hidden in underpants into Creamfields is jailed
“Despite the countless warnings we issue each year there are those who are brazen enough to think they can get into the site without being detected.”
A Manchester man has been jailed for trying to smuggle cocaine hidden in a roll of deodorant in his underpants into a Cheshire music festival. Lucas Greene was stopped by officers as he attempted to enter the Creamfields event near Warrington in August last year.
He was halted after a drug detection dog indicated to them that Greene may be in possession of illegal substances. On being challenged, Greene removed a roll-on deodorant container from his underpants which had a quantity of drugs inside.
The 20-year-old was found to be in possession of shampoo bottles containing snap bags of white powder, cannabis and yellow pills.
When interviewed, Greene told officers that he was well aware of the risks of taking drugs into Creamfields and had seen the warning signs on approach to the festival entrance, intending to bring them inside to hand over to a drug dealer in order to settle a drugs debt.
He was charged with to possession of a class A drug (cocaine), possession with intent to supply a class A drugs (MDMA), possession with intent to supply a class B drug (ketamine) and possession of a class B drug (cannabis).
Greene, St Hildas View, Audenshaw, pleaded guilty to the offences at Chester Crown Court at the first opportunity on Tuesday, January 7. He has now been sentenced at Chester Crown Court to three years in a youth offender institution.
Police Constable Lisa Green, of Cheshire Police’s Creamfields Team, said: “Despite the countless warnings we issue each year regarding the usage and supply of drugs within Creamfields, there are still those who are brazen enough to think they can get into the site without being detected.
2025.2.28 Paedophile ex-cop who abused two young girls dies in prison
Rodney Savage was jailed for nine years in 2023 after he admitted six counts of sexual abuse
Ex-police officer Rodney Savage has died behind bars
A paedophile who sexually abused two young girls has died in prison. Rodney Savage was sentenced to nine years in jail in 2023 after admitting to six counts of sexual abuse against two young girls.
The victims were aged six and 10 when the abuse began, with the offences taking place over a period from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s in the Carlisle area of Lancashire. Savage served in the police force between 1974 and 1987, having previously joined the British Army.
He later ran a pub in Yorkshire. Following Savage’s sentencing, Investigating Officer, Detective Constable Lisa Atkinson, praised the victims’ courage: “Both women have been incredibly brave in reporting what happened to them and they deserve huge credit.
“Our enquiries uncovered the scale of abuse of which Savage carried out over a period spanning almost two decades. When interviewed, Savage continually denied that he sexually abused these women when they were children.
“He has shown no remorse whatsoever for his crimes. I hope that this sentencing sends a clear message to survivors of sexual abuse, we are here to investigate what has happened and bring offenders to justice.”, reports Lancs Live.
Adding: “No matter how long ago an incident occurred, we will do all we can to identify offenders and hold them to account.
“In this case we applied for Savage to be extradited from Cyprus so we could interview him and subsequently secure convictions.
“Together with trusted partner agencies, we can provide you with tailored support that continues throughout the length of our enquiries.
“If you are a victim of sexual abuse, please do not suffer in silence.”
Authorities have confirmed through the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman that Savage passed away at Haverigg Prison in Cumbria on January 14 this year, aged 71.
2025.2.26 Three sentenced in Portslade high street brawl
Three men have been sentenced following a brawl in a busy high street.
In the afternoon of April 2, 2024, multiple men were reported to be involved in an altercation with weapons in Station Road and Franklin Road, Portslade.
One of the perpetrators were seriously injured during the violence, suffering a large wound to their arm.
Officers attended and between April 2 and April 4, nine people were arrested in connection with the police investigation. Two were later released without charge.
Six of the men were charged on April 4 and appeared at Brighton Magistrates Court.
Kosar Banaee, 20, from Brighton, was charged with violent disorder and remanded in custody. He was later released on court bail.
Hogr Banaee, 24, from Hove, was charged with violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon. He was remanded in custody, but later released on court bail.
Kozheen Banaee, 24, from Brighton, was charged with violent disorder, possession of an offensive weapon and grievous bodily harm with intent. He was remanded in custody, but later released on court bail.
Ali Husseini, 20, from Brighton, was charged with violent disorder and bailed with strict conditions.
Ayob Mohammed, 21, of Western Road, Brighton, was charged with violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon and remanded in custody. He was later released on court bail.
Sardam Qadir, 31 of Blacksail Walk, Oldham, was charged with violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon and bailed with strict conditions.
On April 5, Sarbast Ibrahimi, 25, of Westry Close, Norfolk, was also charged with violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon. He appeared at court the following day where he was remanded in custody, but later released on court bail.
The case went to trial at Brighton Crown Court in November 2024, where Kosar Banaee, Hogr Banaee, Kozeen Banaee, and Husseini were acquitted.
Three men, Mohammed, Qadir and Ibrahimi, were all found guilty of their involvement and were released on bailed ahead of their sentencing.
On Tuesday, February 25 at Lewes Crown Court, they were jailed for the roles they played.
Ibrahimi was given a term of two years and nine months. Qadir was sentenced to two years, and Mohammed, 18 months.
2025.2.25 A convicted rapist is back behind bars after targeting young women on nights out in Manchester city centre. Fabrice Kapena, 32, would befriend his would-be victims after they were separated from friends.
He would promise them lifts home – or entry to clubs – before driving them out of the city centre to a quiet road in Withington. Kapena raped one woman and stole from two others.
One woman was out with friends on Deansgate when Kapena said he could get them into a VIP area at a club. CCTV showed she was ‘really intoxicated’ and was held up Kapena. At one point, he picked her up while walking to his car.
Kapena said he would go back her for friends, but drove off. He stopped and kissed her, before picking her up and raping her on the backseat of the car.
“During the rape he grabbed and squeezed her throat, making her fear she was going to die,” said Huw Edwards, prosecuting, told Manchester Crown Court.
When Kapena was arrested, officers found the woman’s broken nail in his car.
Kapena, of Bridgelea Road, Withington, was handed a 20 year sentence – comprising 13 years in prison with an extended licence period of seven years.
2025.2.24 Man, 94, answered knock at door in his wheelchair but was met by ‘face of evil’
The thug bizarrely halted his appalling attack at one stage and began shaking the ex-marine’s hand before resuming the assault
A 94-year-old ex-marine answered a knock at his door in his wheelchair and was battered by a stranger in his own home. Leon Burgess burst into his elderly victim’s home with an “evil look on his face” and subjected the OAP to an appalling assault while in a drink and drug induced stupor.
This even saw him bizarrely halt the shocking ordeal at one stage and shake the war veteran’s hand before resuming his attack. The thug then fell asleep on the housebound man’s sofa, enabling him to flee in terror and seek help at a nearby petrol station.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Monday, that the pensioner, who the ECHO has chosen not to name, was at the address in Newton-le-Willows, where he lives alone, at around 8pm on December 6 last year. He had been expecting a delivery from his carer at the time and answered a knock at the door, but was instead “greeted by the defendant towering over him” with an “evil look on his face”.
Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, described how Burgess began shouting at the complainant, who attempted to shut his front door again but was overpowered by the unwelcome visitor. The 22-year-old, of no fixed address, told him at this stage: “I’m here to look after you.”
The homeowner attempted to resist by aiming a kick to his groin, but Burgess pushed him and “began to get in his face”. The old man, who said he had “never been as frightened in his whole life” and “thought he was going to die”, also tried to hit his attacker with his walking stick, but was ultimately disarmed following a struggle.
The altercation then continued in the living room, where Burgess “stood over him in his wheelchair, raised a fist and tried to punch him”. The victim, who has been forced to use a wheelchair “following a severe covid infection” and has not left his house for “a number of years” as a result, said of this: “I thought that that was it and I was going to die. The look on his face was just evil. I can’t describe it in any other way.”
Burgess subsequently sat down on the sofa opposite him before standing up and “rather bizarrely” starting shaking his hand. He thereafter “raised his fist again”, leaving the veteran “unable to do anything but take what was happening”, then took his seat once again.
After the intruder’s “eyes began to close” and he appeared to have fallen asleep, the complainant, a former marine who served during the Malayan emergency, escaped to the main road and attempted to flag down cars before seeking help at a Texaco garage on Crow Lane.
A woman then phoned the police and called her boyfriend, who attended the address while the victim waited nearby for his own safety. He was left with a 3cm cut to his forearm which will cause a permanent scar, as well as suspected broken ribs and bruising to his forehead and chest, and said in a statement which was read out to the court on his behalf: “I’ve never felt this scared in my life, and I’ve lived a long life. Nobody has the right to assault me or enter my property.
“It made me wonder whether I was targeted. Was this person watching me? I honestly thought my life was going to end. No person should have to feel this way.”
Burgess was meanwhile arrested by officers at the scene, later telling detectives under interview he “didn’t cause the injuries” and that a “false allegation had been made against him”. He however, “refused to elaborate” on this claim.
His criminal record shows four previous convictions for 16 offences. Louise McCloskey, defending, told the court: “I’m the worst human being and I’m deeply sorry for my actions. Those are the words of this 22-year-old man, who indicates genuine remorse.”
When Judge Gary Woodhall remarked that he was “struggling with his motivation”, Ms McCloskey said: “His alcohol problems and or his drug problems have clearly underpinned most of his offending history. He was under the influence.
“Having ended up at this gentleman’s property, he then remains and falls asleep until the police attended and he was arrested. It is clear that the defendant himself is struggling to identify specific reasons why he ended up in that property, no doubt because he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time.
“He has been abstinent from drugs and alcohol. He has engaged in courses to address these problems. He looks different, even from when he entered his pleas.
“This is a serious and unpleasant offence on an elderly gentleman in his own home. There is nothing I can say which is going to make the experience any better for this gentleman. Hopefully, he will come out a very different person. At a young age, that is more likely to happen.”
Burgess, who appeared via video link to HMP Liverpool, admitted wounding without intent and aggravated burglary. He was due to be sentenced today, but will now learn his fate on Thursday due to a lack of court time.
Adjourning the case and further remanding him into custody, Judge Woodhall said: “I want to reflect on the sentence I impose before I settle on what that is. I will sentence you on Thursday.”
2025.2.24 Woman arrested at airport told police she did it for ‘pornstar’
The woman flew to Jersey from Liverpool John Lennon Airport when she was stopped by customs officers
A woman who flew from Liverpool to Jersey smuggling £13,000 of drugs told customs officers “it’s just a bit of coke”. Emma Louise Llewellyn, from Stoke-on-Trent, arrived on the island on a flight from Liverpool John Lennon Airport on November 8 last year and when questioned by Jersey Customs and Immigration officers said she was there for the weekend to see a friend.
But a search of her baggage was conducted and several swabs were taken, which proved positive for cocaine. Llewellyn, 39, initially denied drug use but later admitted to using cocaine the previous week. Following a search, she was found to have concealed a wrapped package containing 52 grams of the class A drug.
The Jersey Evening Post reported that when asked about the package she responded: “It’s just a bit of coke”. She later admitted attempting to import the drugs and said she would have received £1,000 in payment.
Jersey’s local paper also reported that she told officers she owed £350 to the individual, who she said was known as “pornstar”, who had given her the drugs to import. She described “pornstar” as Asian, around 50, with a “fat belly” and “quite flashy”, according to the Jersey Evening Post.
Llewellyn was sentenced to four years and six months in prison on Thursday, February 20. Paul Le Monnier, senior manager at Jersey Customs and Immigration Service, said: “Individuals will be offered payment or the ability to clear debts by attempting to import drugs, on behalf of others, but the huge risks involved, and the sentencing handed out by the courts should be a clear deterrent.”
2025.2.24 Man back behind bars after going on ‘crime spree’
Leon Sherratt appeared in court once again
A man has found himself behind bars after his “prolific” offending. Leon Sherratt’s latest offending began on Sunday, February 2 when he stole items from vehicles in the Latchford area of Warrington.
Then, on Friday, February 21 police were called to reports of a disturbance at an address on Cromwell Court. Officers attended the scene and located the 40-year-old along with a woman.
He was searched at the address and found in possession of a quantity of amphetamine along with a bank card which was not in his name. Sherratt, of Orange Grove, Poulton-with-Fearnhead, was arrested at the scene and later charged with two counts of theft from a motor vehicle, breaching a criminal behaviour order (CBO) and possession of class B drugs (amphetamine).
He appeared at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, February 22 where he pleaded guilty to the charges. He was sentenced to a total of 20 weeks in prison and ordered to pay £154 court costs.
Following the sentencing Police Constable Andy Schofield said: “Sherratt is a prolific offender, and I welcome the fact that he is now back behind bars. During his crime spree he once again breached his CBO and also stole items from a number of cars.
“Thankfully, as a result of the work of the team here at Warrington, and intelligence we received from the local community, Sherratt was swiftly identified, and he is now being held accountable for his actions.”
2025.2.23 Liam Cain was found unanimously guilty of murdering his girlfriend Courtney Boorne by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court after one hour and nine minutes of deliberations. She was heard screaming out of the window of the couple’s 14th storey flat on Quarry Green Heights in Kirkby moments before police discovered her lifeless body on a bed inside, having been strangled to death aged 20.
Liverpool Crown Court previously heard that Ms Boorne had phoned her mum Cheryl at around 3.30pm on December 23, 2022. During this call, she told her mother “if she didn’t hear from her within an hour to call the police, because something was going on”.
Around an hour later, a neighbour rang 999 reporting that she could see a woman in an apartment opposite “screaming and climbing onto the window ledge”. She was also heard saying “please”.
Another witness also called the police to “report a female shouting out of the window, screaming, shouting ‘call the police, he’s choking me’”. Officers then attended the top floor property “very quickly” and had to force entry upon their arrival shortly before 5pm. They discovered Ms Boorne unconscious on a bed in the bedroom with “visible marks to her neck”.
She was rushed to Aintree Hospital, but was pronounced dead at 7.02pm. A post-mortem investigation later found that she had suffered a cardiac arrest “because of the asphyxia, the strangulation, the smothering of her by this defendant”.
Cain was arrested after being found “crouched down, leaning on an armchair in the living room” with “scratch marks” on his head and face. The 19-year-old, from Anfield, had sent a text to his dad saying: “I love you the world, everyone. I’m so sorry. Tell everyone.”
During his trial, Cain callously attempted to blame his victim for the vicious assault. He claimed that he had acted in self-defence after Ms Boorne had attacked him, first hitting him in the head with a plant pot before setting about him with a brush and a knife. However his account presented glaring inconsistencies.
Cain, of Skipton Road in Walton, was sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2023 and was told he must serve a minimum of 17 years before he can be considered for release.
2025.2.23 A thug attacked his girlfriend as she recuperated in hospital after giving birth to their baby and stalked her from a fake Facebook account under the pseudonym “Bobby Firmino”. Neil Jones subjected his partner to a series of vile assaults over the course of around two years, including repeatedly attacking her while she was pregnant with his child.
The youth club volunteer’s “despicable” behaviour then continued within hours of her giving birth, having punched her in the face as their tiny son lay next to her in his cot. Jones, of Saltergate Road in Dingle, was with is former girlfriend for around two years, although their relationship was said to have “changed” after he lost his job in November 2022.
Jones admitted engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour, stalking involving fear of violence and making threats to kill. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool wearing a grey Berghaus tracksuit top, he was jailed for 30 months and handed a 10-year restraining order.
2025.2.21 Mum murdered her sons, aged two and five, by drowning them in bath
Kara Alexander had claimed they drowned while she was asleep
A mother has been found guilty of murdering her two young sons. Kara Alexander, 47, of Dagenham, east London, was accused of murdering Elijah Thomas, two, and Marley Thomas, five, in the bath at their home in Cornwallis Road in December 2022.
She was found guilty on Friday at Kingston Crown Court of two counts of murder, a court official confirmed. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said post-mortem examinations found the children’s cause of death was either drowning or suffocation.
Alexander denied murdering her sons, claiming that they had drowned in the bath while she was asleep. The CPS said the prosecution team set about proving that they could not have accidentally drowned and that the only reasonable explanation for their deaths is that Alexander caused them to drown.
The jury was told how the children’s father was due to have the boys that weekend and became increasingly concerned when he had not heard back from Alexander. When he arrived at their home she told him the children were upstairs sleeping.
The CPS said that when he went upstairs he found the boys’ bodies together in the lower bunk of their shared bunk bed dressed in pyjamas. The ambulance service and police came to the house, but there was nothing that could be done as the boys had been dead for some hours, the CPS said.
Samantha Yelland, a senior Crown prosecutor in the CPS London Homicide Unit, said: “Our thoughts remain with Elijah and Marley’s family and friends who have been completely devastated by their loss. It is unimaginable to think what those poor children went through in their final moments.
“It is a parent’s job to keep their children safe and Kara Alexander not only failed to do that, but robbed them of their lives. I hope today’s verdict will provide the family with some closure knowing now that Alexander has been held accountable for their murders.”
Scotland Yard said Alexander will be sentenced on April 11. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Waller, who led the investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with the family, especially the boys’ father who found them dead when he went to collect them for the weekend after Kara Alexander had failed to return his messages.
“No parent should have to go through such a horrific experience and then have to listen to the detailed evidence highlighting what led up to these events. I would also like to praise those who were first on scene – our colleagues and the paramedics – who also experienced this traumatic event first-hand.
“This has been a difficult investigation for everyone involved. This guilty verdict cannot turn back the clock, but it does provide the children’s family with some form of resolution.”
2025.2.21 Burglar behind bars within 48 hours of Bristol school break-in
Another man was also arrested
A man in his 20s has been jailed just days after he broke into a primary school in Bristol. On Tuesday (February 18) a witness called police after seeing someone climbing into the grounds of Whitehall Primary School.
As officers arrived at the scene they found a school shed had been broken into and a number of items were taken. Connor Joe Godfrey, 27, of Eastville, was arrested as he attempted to climb back over the fence.
Officers located and returned some of the stolen items. A second man was also arrested nearby but was later released without charge.
Godfrey appeared at Bristol Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Thursday, February 20) where he admitted to burglary and possession of heroin and crack cocaine. He was jailed for 16 weeks. A further charge of going equipped to steal was dismissed, police said.
Chief Inspector Vicks Hayward-Melen said: “This just goes to show the important part our communities can play in helping us to keep our neighbourhoods safe.
“We always want to hear about crime in progress and will respond whenever resources allow.”
A statement from Avon and Somerset Police said: “A man has been jailed within 48 hours of committing a burglary in Bristol.
“On Tuesday 18 February officers responded to a call from a member of the public reporting someone climbing into the grounds of Whitehall Primary School during the half term break. On arrival they found a school shed had been broken into and items taken.
“Connor Joe Godfrey, 27, of Eastville, was arrested by officers as he climbed back over the fence. Officers found and returned some of the stolen items.
“Godfrey, pictured, appeared at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 20 February, and was jailed for 16 weeks after admitting burglary and possession of heroin and crack cocaine. A further charge of going equipped to steal was dismissed.
“A second man arrested nearby was later released without charge.”
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