Casework Results Archive
August 2004
Colin Scarley - 4 years for a violent attack on a woman
Melanie Forbes died in a fire in March 2004 which is unconnected with this case. Before she died, Colin Scarley attacked her on two occasions (on 13 January and 17 February 2004) at his Northampton flat and he also attacked a man who tried to stop him assaulting her further during the February incident.
The attacks on the deceased were particularly violent and included Scarley hitting her, dragging her by the hair and forcing an empty syringe into her arm.
Scarley pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH), one count of affray and one common assault. He was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for the offences on 20 August 2004 at Northampton Crown Court.
Thomas Tiffoney - 9 months for harassment of children
Thomas Tiffoney contacted two 12-year old girls from Northampton through an Internet chat room. He obtained their mobile phone numbers and made sexually explicit phone calls to the girls between February and March 2003. Tiffoney had been due to stand trial for inciting the girls to commit acts of gross indecency but on the day of his trial, he pleaded guilty to harassing the girls.
He was sentenced to nine months imprisonment and made subject to a Sex Offenders Prevention Order on 29 August 2004, at Northampton Crown Court. He was also dishonourably discharged from the Army with whom he was serving.
Rickki Stewart - life for murder
Philip Haselip, known locally as Mick, was murdered at a house in Corby in November 2003. He had been beaten unconscious and then stabbed to death in what the court heard was an alcohol-fuelled rage. Rickki Stewart was due to stand trial for his murder but he eventually admitted it. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on 16 August 2004 at Northampton Crown Court.
Leisha Di Blasio - detained under the Mental Health Act for a hoax
Leisha Di Blasio put white powder into two letters which she sent to two members of staff who worked for Northamptonshire County Council's Social Services Department, in May 2003. The court heard that this was because her children had been taken into care. The white powder was, in fact, a mixture of flour, garlic salt and dried mashed potato.
This was a lengthy case due to the issue over whether the defendant was mentally fit to enter a plea and it was the first prosecution by CPS Northamptonshire under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act.
The day before she was due to stand trial, she pleaded to both counts of sending the white powder. On 13 August 2004 at Birmingham Crown Court, Di Blasio was detained under section 41 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Julia Barnett said: "In sending the letters containing white powder, Mrs Diblasio wanted the recipients to believe that their lives would be in danger or that their health was at serious risk.
"The impact of her actions on the recipients was compounded by the climate of heightened national security following September 11. Her offending also took place at a time of anthrax scares.
"We take public safety very seriously and will continue to pursue prosecutions against people who carry out hoaxes of any kind. Hoaxes cause fear and undermine people's confidence in the community in which they live and work - this is not acceptable."
Ian Pell - 8 months for voyeurism
This was the first prosecution by CPS Northamptonshire under the new Sexual Offences Act. In January 2004, Ian Pell observed the victim in her shower by installing a video camera in the attic above her bathroom and this was also linked to recording equipment.
He admitted observing a person in a private act for sexual gratification and installing equipment to watch a person during a private act for sexual gratification. Pell was jailed for 8 months and put of Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years on 6 August at Northampton Crown Court.
Vikaar Williams - 2.5 years for malicious wounding
Vikaar Williams attacked Gary Read with a nine-inch kitchen knife after a night out in Northampton in February 2004. He admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) and was sent to prison for two and a half years in the first week of August 2004.
Kevan Clinton - life imprisonment for murder
Kevan Clinton strangled his partner Sharon Barrs at their home in Rothwell in September 2003. Her four-year old son was in the house at the time. Clinton admitted manslaughter on the grounds of provocation but we refused to accept this plea and he was therefore tried for murder. The trial took place at Northampton Crown Court and lasted for four days. On 5 August 2004, the jury found him guilty of murder after just 90 minutes and he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
June 2004
Operation Zenith - 19 years in total for sexual abuse of boys
This operation by Northamptonshire Police led to the prosecution of six defendants for the sexual abuse of a number of boys in the in the 1980s, in the east Northamptonshire area. Paul Alcock pleaded guilty. Another defendant, Ian Killips, was acquitted on 16 April 2004. Bryan Freeland was released during the trial due to ill health and two charges of indecent assault were left to lie on the file.
Norman Carlisle admitted 14 counts of indecent assault and serious sexual assault against eight boys. Following the trial which began in March 2004, Alexander Browning-Jones was convicted of 4 indecent assaults and an attempted buggery on 2 boys and Dennis Roadknight was convicted of 2 indecent assaults on 2 boys.
These three men were sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on 4 June 2004. Norman Carlisle got 12 years, Alexander Browning-Jones got 5 years and Dennis Roadknight got 2 years.
May 2004
R V Naomi Woodward - 4 years for careless driving
Naomi Woodward, who held a provisional licence as a learner driver, caused the death of Paul Gibson on the M1 on 24 May 2003. She pleaded guilty to careless driving and failing to provide a specimen and was sentenced to four years and banned from driving for four years, on 14 May 2004 at Northampton Crown Court.
April 2004
R V Daniel Neville - 18 months for false imprisonment
Daniel Neville stripped his ex-partner naked, handcuffed her to a bed for several hours and periodically hit her at a house in Wellingborough. He was convicted of false imprisonment following a trial in November 2003 and received a 100 hour Community Punishment Order and a 2 year Community Rehabilitation Order.
CPS Northamptonshire successfully appealed against this sentence on the grounds that it was unduly lenient. On 28 April 2004, the Court of Appeal on increased the sentence to 18 months and gave the defendant 48 hours to surrender to the police.
R V Adrian Ellison - 5 years and disqualified from driving for 10 years for causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drugs
Sarbjit Singh Hair was a passenger in a car being driven by Ellison and died in a crash near Riverside, Northampton in May 2003. Pleading guilty at Northampton Crown Court, he was sentenced to 5 years and banned from driving for 10 years on 6 April 2004
R V Lee Robins - 3 years and disqualified from driving for 15 years for causing death by dangerous driving
An incident on the Wellingborough Road in Northampton in June 2003 left Joanne Woods dead. On 2 April 2004 at Northampton Crown Court, Robins was sentenced to 3 years, to run consecutively to another 3 years he had already be sentenced to, and was disqualified from driving for 15 years
March 2004
R V Paul Holt - 3 years for causing death by careless driving whilst over the limit
He pleaded guilty to causing the deaths of two young men near Deanshanger on in February 2003 and was sentenced to three years at Northampton Crown Court on 19 March 2004.
R V McKinnon and Ferrie - life for murder and 6 years for ABH
Lee Wright was killed in June 2002 at the White Hart public house in Corby. At an earlier trial Andrew Ferrie pleaded guilty to wounding with intent. A re-trial for Thomas McKinnon was sought and a jury at Northampton Crown Court found him guilty of murder. On 19 March 2004, McKinnon was sentenced to life for the murder and his accomplice Ferrie received 6 years for wounding.
R V Magee & Others - 46 years in total for conspiracy to cause GBH
In 2003, ten defendants stood trial at Leicester Crown Court for conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) to Frank Gillespie in Corby, in May 2002. Four of these defendants were found not guilty by the jury and a re-trial was sought for the remaining six defendants. James McGrath Junior and Matthew McGrath pleaded guilty and James McGrath Senior, Anne McGrath, Jacqueline Magee and Scott Martin were found guilty following the re-trial at Northampton Crown Court. These six people were sentenced to 46 years between them on 18 March 2004.
R V Ian Taylor - 15 years for multiple rapes
Following a two-week trial on sexual offences against several girls, this former social worker at Tiffield was found guilty of committing of 7 rapes, 2 indecent assaults and an act of gross indecency against a child. He was sentenced to 15 years on the 5 March 2004 at Northampton Crown Court