Rapist totally unrepentant in dock

Herald Series: Anthony ShirleyAnthony Shirley (Image: Thames Valley Police)

Rapist Anthony Shirley’s victim was left so traumatised by his assault that she took an overdose within hours of it happening.

When he was jailed at Oxford Crown Court last month, unrepentant Shirley accused the woman of ‘chatting s***’ and muttered ‘drop dead’ from behind the glass of the dock.

Sending him down for four years and 10 months, Recorder Samantha Presland told Shirley that there was minimal credit for his plea of guilty on the morning of the trial – as the victim, who feared that her child was Shirley’s before it was established he was not the father, had been ‘basically accused of lying’.

READ MORE: No remorse from rapist jailed for almost five years

Dangerous driving near Top Gear legend’s farm

Herald Series: Lewis SmithLewis Smith (Image: Thames Valley Police)

‘Bat out of hell’ driver Lewis Smith ploughed head-on into an oncoming car near Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm.

The 25-year-old, who was uninsured and driving a friend’s car, ignored give way signs at a junction, sped down the A361 near Chadlington, cut a blind bend and smashed into the oncoming Ford Ka on September 15, 2021.

Jailing him for two years for causing serious injury by dangerous driving, Recorder John Bate-Williams said: “You deliberately drove at a very excessive speed and an obviously dangerous speed after ignoring the need to stop or give way to traffic on the main road.

“You seem to have paid no thought at all to the likelihood of oncoming traffic, poisoned as you were by some degree of alcohol and what seemed to me to be a desire to put [your friend’s] car through its paces with what can only be described as catastrophic consequences.”

READ MORE: Head-on crash left three hospitalised outside Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat Farm

Man stamped on partner's head

Herald Series: Anthony SextonAnthony Sexton (Image: Thames Valley Police)

Controlling Anthony Sexton put his ex-partner through one of the ‘worst experiences of her life’, forcing her to come to the crown court to give evidence at his trial.

He was convicted of attacking her and her friend in separate incidents in Jericho and Botley last year. He was also found guilty of controlling and coercive behaviour towards the woman.

Imposing five years’ imprisonment, Recorder John Ryder KC told Sexton: “It’s plain what you did had an enduring effect upon her. She said during the course of the trial that your behaviour made her feel nervous and worthless.

“The reality is that you exploited her; you used her and you abused her.”

READ MORE: Domestic abuser left ex-partner feeling suicidal

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‘Mike Skinner’ was dealing drugs

Herald Series: Paul JonesPaul Jones (Image: Thames Valley Police)

BMW worker Paul Jones became the latest member of an Oxford-based organised crime group to be jailed for involvement in supplying kilos of cocaine at a time.

Evidence from encrypted phone messages and police surveillance showed Jones had been sent as far away as Wales, Cornwall and Bury St Edmunds to transport cocaine and ketamine.

He admitted being responsible for handling around 18kgs of cocaine and between six and seven kilos of ketamine in about a month.

Prosecuting, Lisa Goddard said there was mention in the encrypted messages that Jones – given an EncroChat username ‘Mike Skinner’ – would have received wages of around £1,000.

But Lyall Thompson, mitigating, told Oxford Crown Court: “He hadn’t got to the stage of being paid before he was arrested by the police.”

Jailing him for five-and-a-half years, Judge Michael Gledhill KC said: “You’ve only to sit in this court for a day or two to realise the utter misery that is caused by those who are addicted to such drugs, to those who get involved. It destroys their lives and their families’ lives.”

READ MORE: 'Mike Skinner' sent across the country to deliver massive amounts of cocaine

Rapist filmed assault on sleeping victim

Herald Series: Kiefer Ewers outside Oxford Crown CourtKiefer Ewers outside Oxford Crown Court (Image: Oxford Mail)

Rapist Kiefer Ewers filmed his sick assaults on his sleeping victim, even showing the woman footage of what he had done.

The woman said that seeing the film had made her feel ‘sick’ and, in a victim personal statement read to the crown court last month, that what Ewers did had left her feeling ‘damaged’.

Ewers, from Woodstock, was found guilty of a catalogue of offences including rape and voyeurism.

Recorder Ryder KC, who jailed him for 12 years, said: “You essentially used the victim as an object for the purposes of your personal sexual gratification.

“You recorded your sexual abuse by way of a video and camera on your mobile telephone. On other occasions you secretly photographed the victim’s […] naked body whilst she showered."

READ MORE: Rapist filmed assault on sleeping victim

‘Shocking’ police chase

Sebastian Trivella hit 115mph on the Oxford ring road a day after he was spared jail at Northampton Crown Court for another piece of dangerous driving.

Police dash cam footage showed the officers’ patrol car struggling to keep up with Trivella’s BMW as it turned into the Aldi car park off Horspath Driftway and speed down the bypass before the car was finally ditched in Littlemore.

Jailing him for two years and two months, Judge Ian Pringle KC described the 24-year-old’s driving as ‘shocking’.

WATCH MORE: Watch dangerous driver speeding down Oxford bypass

Jungle drugs line dealer caught beneath a bed

Herald Series: Delano JohsonDelano Johson (Image: Thames Valley Police)

Drug dealer Delano Johnson was caught hiding beneath a toddler’s bed, the court heard.

The ‘third strike’ dealer was responsible for operating the ‘Jungle’ drugs line out of Oxford.

A month before his eventual arrest, police raided another house linked to him this time in Oxford – seizing weighing scales, razor blades and other accessories required to cut and weigh crack cocaine and heroin for street supply.

Johnson was also sentenced for assaulting a former partner. It was this that earned the ire of judge Recorder Bate-Williams, who told the defendant that he had clearly never learned the playground lesson that you ‘never, ever hit a woman’.

He jailed Johnson for 68 months.

READ MORE: 'Jungle' drugs line stooge was found hiding under child's bed

Stinking rapist gets 11 years

Herald Series: Malcolm PlaistedMalcolm Plaisted (Image: Thames Valley Police)

Malcolm Plaisted’s victim said she could still remember the ‘dirty smell of feet combined with body odour’ left behind in her home after the rapist left.

He had left the older woman ‘terrified’ after he produced a knife part-way through his assault, after inviting himself in to her Oxford home.

Bizarrely, he offered his little finger to the woman after molesting her – as if in a ‘pinkie promise’ when she said she would not go to the police.

Plaisted, who had only just been released on licence from a burglary sentence when he committed the rape last November, was jailed for 11 years and given an extended licence period of six years.

READ MORE: 'Stinking' rapist tried to make older victim give him 'pinkie promise'

Pregnant drug dealer jailed

Herald Series: Sophia EwersSophia Ewers (Image: Thames Valley Police)

Pregnant Sophia Ewers, 30, admitted being involved in the supply of class A drugs from her home in Greater Leys last year.

But she claimed that she played only a limited role in the ‘Blue’ drugs line – and that she had been ‘exploited’ by a man she named in court as Dean and who she kicked out of her home just days before a police raid in November.

A judge rejected her account – given on oath from the witness box – and concluded that she played a significant role in the operation.

Recorder Bate-Williams imposed 136 weeks’ imprisonment, the equivalent of around two years and seven months.

READ MORE: Pregnant drug dealer could give birth behind bars

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Permanent marker penis provoked stabber

Noel Boyce stabbed his friend Wayne Jones in a drug-enhanced rage – after discovering his pal had drawn a penis on his forehead in permanent marker.

Mr Jones had left the Oxford house where they were bingeing on drink and drugs after lewd graffiti was discovered, hoping to cool things down.

But he went back into the property when he saw that Boyce had grabbed a knife and was standing over their friend.

The victim was stabbed through the arm, Oxford Crown Court heard.

Jailing him for 16 months, Recorder Bate-Williams told Boyce: “This was an essentially unprovoked attack on Mr Jones with a bladed article during which you expressed the desire to kill him.

“You stabbed him in his upper right arm fairly close to his heart in what I can only describe as a drug and drink-fuelled rage.”

READ MORE: Man stabbed after drawing 'c*** and balls' on knifeman's forehead

Half-naked nemesis

Herald Series: Zion YearwoodZion Yearwood (Image: Thames Valley Police)

Zion Yearwood, 22, used a brick or rock to smash his way in to the property his on-off girlfriend was housesitting – after seeing her apparently romping with another man.

He demanded to know where the man had gone, not realising that his nearly-nude ‘nemesis’ had jumped from an upstairs window and fled.

Yearwood grabbed a knife and slashed the woman’s head, leaving her scalp bloodied.

Sending Yearwood to prison for two years and five months, Recorder Bate-Williams said he would take into account the ‘real shock’ the defendant would have felt when he realised his ‘nemesis was actually in the house with the woman you were expecting to spend the rest of the night with’.

READ MORE: Knifeman's half-naked 'nemesis' seen jumping from upstairs window

Man ‘controlled’ wife

Herald Series: Imran BegImran Beg (Image: Thames Valley Police)

Imran Beg subjected his wife to a number of violent assaults, including choking her, and ripping her clothing while he beat her up in their bedroom.

On another occasion, when he was supposedly prevented from having contact with his wife, he was found in a hire car with the woman.

She had passed police details of the car on to officers, which the judge said he was satisfied was because she ‘wanted to make sure the police were aware of the details of the vehicle in case [Beg] had taken her away in it’.

Although Beg’s victim did not support the prosecution, the case went to trial and he was convicted of controlling and coercive behaviour among other offences.

Since the trial, he was said to have been contacting the woman from prison.

Judge Gledhill jailed Beg for four years and imposed an extended year on licence.

READ MORE: Controlling husband continued making calls to wife from prison

'Danny' line dealers

Herald Series: Williams (left) and Hollinrake (right)Williams (left) and Hollinrake (right) (Image: Thames Valley Police)

Two men were jailed for a combined total of more than five years for their involvement in the ‘Danny’ drugs line.

Police officers had raided his Marcel Williams’ in Mole Place, Greater Leys, in November, where they found a Nokia phone handset containing the sim card associated with the ‘Danny’ line. They also found cash and a knife.

The phone had been used to send out bulk advertising messages offering class A drugs for sale. There were also exchanges with customers interested in buying the line’s product.

Co-defendant, Keiron Hollinrake, 48, submitted a basis of plea in which he admitted being a ‘runner’ for the line. He worked in exchange for drugs, to which he had long been addicted, and credit for his mobile phone.

Recorder Bate-Williams sentenced Williams to 34 months’ imprisonment. Hollinrake received 27 months.

READ MORE: Jail for men involved in 'Danny' drugs line in Oxford

Burglar with the tear drop tattoo

Herald Series: Taffyn BetnayTaffyn Betnay (Image: Thames Valley Police)

Taffyn Betnay posed as a delivery driver to scam his way in to a Littlemore block of flats.

When he was challenged by another resident once inside the apartment block, he claimed he was there to do building work on the top floor.

His line of work appeared to be more demolition than construction, as he smashed his way through a wall in order to get into a flat.

Burglar Betnay, who has previous for robbery, stole a Rolex watch and other belongings before fleeing the scene.

CCTV showed him in the apartment and prosecutor Lee Harris said the burglar was identified in part from a distinctive tear drop tattoo on his face.

Judge Maria Lamb jailed him for 29 months.

READ MORE: 'Robin Hood' who smashed through wall was identified from this unusual tattoo