HERE is a look back at court cases we have covered during March:
- Gareth Sheridan
A MAN who downloaded and swapped child abuse images with others was sent to jail.
Police raided Gareth Sheridan’s home in St Helens and found thousands of the disturbing images, many of them videos, and some showing babies as young as six months old.
Sheridan, of Ferhill Walk, Clock Face, who had been helped by the Prince’s Trust as a young man, also had in his possession extreme pornographic images involving a dog.
Judge Anil Murray told the 30-year-old mobile telephone salesman that he accepted he has some mental health problems but said: “The only appropriate sentence is immediate imprisonment.”
Read more here.
- Attack outside Empire nightclub
TWO teenage girls lay in wait outside a St Helens nightclub before exacting violent revenge on a young woman and her auntie who had bumped into them on the dancefloor, a court heard.
Courtney Smith and Rhiannon Sweeney, both now 21, carried out the attack outside the rear door of Empire nightclub in St Helens town centre in the early hours of October 27, 2019.
Both defendants were convicted by a jury after a trial on February 7 at Liverpool Crown Court.
Smith, of Elmfield Close, Thatto Heath, was found guilty of grievous bodily harm without intent (Section 20) on victim Jeanette Wills.
Meanwhile, Sweeney, of Princess Drive, Liverpool, was convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm on Ms Wills’ niece, Jorden Pilkington.
Smith was handed a 12 month prison sentence with Sweeney receiving a nine month jail term suspended for two years.
Read the full story here.
- Fraudsters
A MAN was jailed after claiming more than £500,000 through fraudulent VAT receipts and avoiding paying his creditors.
Hugh Black, 58, from Rainford, set up several energy-efficiency companies between 2014 and 2016 in order to submit a host of fraudulent claims.
Desmond Fazackerley, 59, from Failsworth, Greater Manchester ran one of these companies, McClean Energy, which was used to submit the majority of the claims.
Consistently falsifying and altering invoices from legitimate companies, the two men claimed for a total of £593,000, with £284,000 paid out.
Additionally, Black fraudulently transferred £350,000 out of his failing company, Ecogreen Renewables Ltd, to avoid paying the company’s creditors.
The money was transferred to Phoenix Interiors (North West) Ltd, a company that he and his wife Helen, 51, were the directors of.
On Monday, March 7 Hugh Black was sentenced to five years in jail at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to fraudulently evade VAT; two counts of fraud in anticipation of winding up; and knowingly making a false statement.
Helen Black was sentenced to 14 months in jail, suspended for two years after pleading guilty to two money laundering offences, acquiring criminal property and transferring criminal property.
Desmond Fazackerley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and was jailed for three years.
Reda more here.
- Gunshot disturbance
THREE men involved in a huge disturbance which saw gunshots fired and left victims fearing for their lives have been jailed.
Rueben Price Snr, 49 and Rueben Price Jnr, 27, from Newton-le-Willows, and James Price, 24, ‘took matters into their own hands’ following a dispute between two families.
The victims were subject to threats and intimidation, while a vehicle was deliberately rammed by a yellow tipper.
Price Snr, of Regent Street in Newton-le-Willows, was jailed for three years, while Price Jnr, of Southworth Road in Newton-le-Willows, was sentenced to two years and five months.
James Price, of Bagueley Avenue in Halebank, was also jailed for two years and five months.
Read the full story here.
- Town centre yob
The teenager was sent to custody for four months at Merseyside Youth Court on Tuesday, March 29.
The boy received the order for numerous offences after he repeatedly terrorised businesses and members of the local community in St Helens town centre.
This included possession of an offensive weapon, drugs anti-social behaviour, violence, assault, breach of a curfew and theft of a pedal cycle and shop.
The yob's latest breach was on Friday, March 25, when he was seen on Corporation Street in St Helens coming from the bus station, then turning onto Parade Street.
Read more here.
- Burglary gang
TWO men who were part of a gang which stole two cars from a house after a night-time break-in have been given jail sentences.
Shaun Jaundrill, 29, and James Hull, 39, who appeared at Liverpool Crown Court via video link from prison on March 31, were given jail sentences in relation to the stealing of vehicles from a property on Birchley Street, St Helens, on the night of June 2 last year.
Jaundrill had also pleaded guilty to an attempted robbery in relation to a separate incident.
The defendant had attempted to rob a car belonging to the then manager of the Nine Arches pub in Earlestown on September 26 last year.
Jaundrill punched and kicked his victim in the “ribs, face and crotch forcing him to throw the key down”.
He then attempted to start the car “but couldn’t do so”.
Jaundrill was jailed for four years and Hull for five months.
Read more here.
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