Jailed in November: Faces of 38 criminals jailed for crimes linked to Merseyside

These are the faces of 38 criminals jailed in November for crimes linked to Merseyside.

A remorseless murderer who shot a defenceless man dead with a crossbow, and a thug who tried to burn a man alive after he allegedly chatted up his girlfriend, are among those to have been dealt with at Liverpool Crown Court and beyond.

A cocaine-fuelled man who repeatedly bit a 14-week-old baby, a racist dentist who threatened to fry a psychologist's brains and cook his children, and a Merseyside dad who travelled to Syria to fight against Islamic State but was convicted of terrorism offences, all ended up behind bars.

And a judge even had to listen to details of how a cocaine-fuelled yob urinated on a woman, then broke her jaw in three places, during a date from hell.

Here is an overview of some of the most serious cases to have concluded in the courts over the past month.

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Ryan Morritt

Ryan Morrit attacked a taxi driver with a bat - leaving the victim to push a broken bone back into his own arm.

Adam Henderson suffered a broken arm and dislocated elbow when he was repeatedly hit by his step-daughter's boyfriend.

Mr Henderson went to the squat where Morritt was living in Agnes Grove, Liscard, at around 4.30pm,  on July 27 this year.

Prosecutors said Mr Henderson found a number of weapons and put them in his car, which was parked nearby.

A man appeared, apparently trying to bait Mr Henderson, before 20-year-old Morritt ran at him with a wooden weapon.

After the attack, the victim sat down outside a nearby pub "noticed a bone sticking out of left arm and decided to push it back in".

He required two operations, has been unable to continue to work as a taxi driver because of his injuries, and needed physiotherapy.

Morritt was serving a 12-month suspended sentence for attempted robbery and aggravated vehicle taking at the time.

The thug, who has six previous convictions for 11 offences, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm.

He was locked up for seven years in total.

Ian Massey

Heartless Ian Massey broke into his neighbour's home while he was sick in hospital to steal food and drink.

The 60-year-old was caught in the act by the victim's daughter, who watched the cruel burglary unfold on CCTV cameras.

Massey had crawled into his elderly neighbour's kitchen window on September 6, while the homeowner "lay helpless" in hospital.

He first crept into the home at 5.30pm, when he rifled through kitchen cupboards and stole butter and a bottle of Fanta from the fridge.

Massey, of Acton Road, Warrington, then left, before returning at 11.50pm to search the address again, only to activate an alarm.

He admitted two counts of burglary and was jailed for two and a half years.

Speaking after the case, Detective Sergeant Tom Hall, of Cheshire Police, said: "To stoop so low as to burgle your own neighbours home while he lay helpless in hospital is despicable."

James Vasey and Jason White

James Vasey and Jason White subjected a man to a terrifying ordeal when he was imprisoned in a drugs den.

The victim was locked in a property in Hawthorne Road, Bootle and the pair of thugs demanded money from him.

Kenneth Grant, prosecuting, said the victim, Gareth Murphy, had visited the flat, where drugs were being taken.

Vasey, 37, claimed Mr Murphy had insulted him and that he was entitled to compensation, before demanding £1,000.

He threatened to cut the victim and placed a serrated knife on a table, leading to Mr Murphy trying to persuade his mum to produce the cash.

The court heard White's role was that of a "moody, menacing presence" to prevent the frightened victim from leaving the premises.

Vasey, of Hawthorne Road, Bootle, admitted blackmail, and White, of Camden Street, Liverpool city centre, admitted false imprisonment.

Vasey was jailed for three years and nine months and White for two years and three months.

Jack Deponio

Jack Deponio threatened to rape a police officer after hurling two knives at a bus while high on drugs.

Police spotted the yob wielding four kitchen knives - two in each hand - in Laird Street in Birkenhead.

The 22-year-old threw two of the weapons at a passing bus, in front of shocked children and their parents.

Officers in a car drove into the crazed knifeman, of no fixed address, trapping him against a wall and under a wheel.

But he spat in a policeman's mouth, said he would find out where the officer lived, then issued the sinister threat.

An "aggressive" gang then gathered, during ugly scenes on Saturday, September 14 this year, and he spat at another officer.

Mobile phone footage of his arrest, which circulated on Instagram at the time, featured a male shouting "rats" at police.

As Deponio was handcuffed, he shouted over "Dippo, don't worry about it bro," while another youth said: "Dippo, you're a soldier lad."

Deponio was found to have six wraps of cocaine and four wraps of heroin down one of his socks following the 3.30pm incident.

He admitted affray, possession of a bladed article, two counts of assaulting an emergency worker, and possessing Class A drugs.

Deponio was jailed for 10 months.

Dan Zaharia

Racist dentist Dan Zaharia threatened to fry a psychologist's brains and cook his children during a campaign of vile antisemitic abuse.

The 59-year-old, of The Deck, Runcorn, tormented psychologist Dr Eli Somer and his family after briefly being his patient in Israel in 1995.

After discharging himself from treatment, the qualified dentist developed delusions that the doctor had "mind-raped" him.

He made calls and left voicemails making threats to murder Dr Somer and his relatives, and threats of sexual violence against his family.

Zaharia’s stalking extended to targeting Dr Somer’s elderly parents, who had survived the Holocaust, with antisemitic abuse down the phone.

His "obsessive" abuse included singing Nazi songs to Dr Somer, threatening to "strangle" him, kill his family, and harm his granddaughter.

In one disturbing call, Zaharia told Dr Somer’s wife that he would "fry his (her husband's) brains" and "cook his children".

He also threatened to "kill his donkey", and at times sounded as though he was performing a sex act while on the phone.

Zaharia was arrested in 2017 when he turned up at a conference in Switzerland, where the doctor was a guest speaker.

Zaharia’s vile racism was not confined to Jewish people and during one rant he made a sick threat relating to his victim’s "n***** granddaughter".

When arrested, enquiries revealed he was jailed for two months while in the Israeli Army for threatening to kill and rape a dental assistant.

Zaharia admitted malicious communications covering contact from January 1 to November 30 and was jailed for 19 months.

David Bennett

David Bennet bashed a brave Co-op worker in the head with a brick when he tried to stop his persistent shoplifting.

Kevin Cross chased the prolific thief after he stole from his Lark Lane store for the eighth time in just over a month.

But when he cornered the drug addict at a block of flats, Bennett grabbed a half brick and repeatedly lashed out.

The 41-year-old, of Livingston Avenue, Aigburth, left his victim with blood pouring from the back of his head.

Prosecutors said Mr Cross shouted: "Look what's happened! Just give me the bag and I won't phone the police."

However, Christopher Taylor, prosecuting, said: "This defendant replied, quite tellingly, 'I can't. I've got to have it'."

Bennett struck at the supermarket from September 2 to October 4 this year, on one occasion headbutting Mr Cross.

During another incident he struggled with Mr Cross and assaulted him, but the worst came on October 4, at around 1.20pm.

He fled with £60 of meat and was found hiding behind bushes near wheelie bins, at an enclosed courtyard in Bloomfield Court.

Bennett hit his victim three times, which caused him to "bleed considerably", but Mr Cross wrestled the brick off him.

He admitted assault causing actual bodily harm, two common assaults, eight counts of theft, and breaching a conditional discharge.

The crook, who has 33 previous convictions for 72 offences, was jailed for 20 months.

Jason Day

Heroin dealer Jason Day spent four years on the run but said he was in Liverpool all along - washing cars and cleaning windows.

Police discovered 187 packages of heroin - worth nearly £2,000 - when they raided Jason Day's home in Field Street, Everton.

They also found £600 hidden in a meter cupboard, tick lists, and scales showing traces of the Class A drug, on July 28, 2014.

Day, then 19, admitted possessing heroin with intent to supply and was granted bail at Liverpool Crown Court on June 5, 2015.

But he failed to turn up for his sentencing a month later on July 9 and was only arrested in Fazakerley on October 25 this year.

The now 24-year-old admitted breaching his bail when he appeared in court again this week, via video link from HMP Altcourse.

Paul Becker, defending, said: "I asked him the most obvious question, 'where have you been for the last four and a half years?'

"He said at his home, in this locality. He's been doing occasional work, cleaning cars, some window cleaning. He's not committed offences.

"When we quickly got to the crucial question of where have you been, the answer was 'I've been scared'."

He was jailed for three years, plus a further three months - to be served consecutively - for breaching his bail.

Aidan James

Formby dad Aidan James travelled to Syria to fight against Islamic State but was jailed for terrorism offences.

The 28-year-old, who was rejected from the British army due to his mental health, was convicted of training in weapons with a banned political organisation.

James had no previous military knowledge when he left the UK to join the war in Syria in 2017 and trained with a group called the PKK in Iraq. 

The trial at the Old Bailey in London was the first time that a Briton has been tried for travelling to Syria to fight against ISIS.

He had previously told the ECHO that he was willing to die on the frontline against ISIS.

The court heard that Mr James was in contact with the anti-terror Prevent programme before he left Britain to travel to Iraq in August 2017.

He claimed that he was going to Syria to help with "humanitarian aid" and dismissed the claim he was engaging in terrorism as "ridiculous".

James, who finally returned to Liverpool John Lennon airport on February 14, 2018, was jailed for four years.

He also admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply and possessing cannabis in Formby on April 28, 2017.

Neil McMinn 

Convicted drug addict Neil McMinn tried to smuggle £3,000 of heroin into prison by hiding it up his bum.

But the drugs, which were worth many thousands of pounds in prison, were discovered at Wirral Custody Suite.

McMinn had handed himself in as he knew there was a warrant for his arrest in Kilmarnock for a fraud offence.

Ironically he was subsequently just fined for that offence, but his plan was to be taken to prison with the stash.

The 39-year-old, formerly of Water Street, Wallasey, went to the police on November 21 last year and was searched.

He had cigarette papers in his waistband and officers put him in a cell with a toilet with an inspection chamber.

They found two knotted balloons, containing two more balloons, with 50% pure heroin mixed with paracetamol and caffeine inside.

McMinn told police he was taking the drugs, which had a street value of £3,200, with him for his own use and also to sell in jail.

He admitted possessing the drugs with intent to supply and was jailed for four and a half years.

James Prytherch

James Prytherch sexually abused a schoolgirl less than half his age after grooming her on Snapchat.

The dad worked as a delivery driver and after sexualised chat via text and Snapchat, he began collecting her in his van.

The 33-year-old, who lived with his partner and children, drove the girl, whom he knew was 14, to secluded locations.

Prosecutors said they engaged in sexual activity, eventually culminating in unprotected, consensual sexual intercourse.

The offences came to light after the girl confided in a friend, who told school staff, before social services and police were alerted.

Prytherch, who has no previous convictions, told the child he lived in shared accommodation, but he was actually living with his family.

The pervert, of Cheviot Avenue, St Helens, admitted 16 sexual offences and was jailed for six years.

Judge Garrett Byrne said: “You gave no thought to the emotional consequences on this young woman and her family.”

He ordered him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life and imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Connor Highcock

Knife wielding burglar Connor Highcock pulled a young mum around by her bra as she tried to protect her baby girl.

The 23-year-old and two other unknown thugs raided the home of a 23-year-old woman and her 18-month-old daughter.

Highcock, who had taken a cocktail of drink and drugs, and one accomplice went in the sleeping child's bedroom.

He then confronted the mum - wearing just pyjama bottoms and a bra - as her terrified partner hid behind a bedroom door.

The victim covered herself with a quilt, but Highcock ripped it away, held a Stanley knife near her throat, and demanded cash.

Prosecutors said he grabbed her bra strap - she felt as a way to control her - and "frogmarched" her downstairs.

But when they returned upstairs, the boyfriend jumped out, recognised Highcock, and he and the mum fought him off.

The gang, including one waiting on a moped, fled empty handed and the mum later picked Highcock out at an identity parade.

The intruders struck at the mum's home, in Alder Street, Newton-le-Willows, at around 1am on September 15 this year.

Highcock, of Ashurst Drive, St Helens, knew he was wanted, handed himself in to police and admitted aggravated burglary.

The dad, who has a two-year-old son, has four previous convictions for five offences, including a past aggravated burglary.

Highcock was jailed for 12 years, with an extended four years on licence, and given an indefinite restraining order.

David Ball

David Ball murdered a defenceless dad-of-one by shooting him in the stomach with a crossbow.

The 50-year-old denied killing Lee Atkins, 38, following a day-long drugs and alcohol bender, in a shocking trial.

Prosecutors alleged it was a "revenge" attack, after the pair had brawled outside their friend Kevin Riley's house.

Ball, of Brookhill Close, Bootle, claimed his crossbow "just went off" and said he apologised after the "accident".

But he repeatedly changed his account and lost his cool when questioned over why he fled and left his victim to die.

During the trial, Ball told Richard Pratt, QC, prosecuting, to "shut up", and later called the lawyer a "f***ing weapon".

Asked "how did you show you were sorry?" he said: "What do you want me to do? Buy him a box of Milk Tray to say I'm sorry?" 

Mr Pratt said: "There's all sorts of ways you could show you were sorry, how about hanging around to see if the ambulance came?"

Ball was unanimously found guilty of the murder, which took place in the early hours of Bank Holiday Monday, May 6 this year, after a 14-day trial.

The fatal shot was fired by Ball in Monfa Road, Bootle, near Mr Riley's Netherton Road house, at around 2am.

Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, told Ball: "You have not shown the slightest remorse for your actions."

The judge jailed Ball for life with a minimum of 27 years.

Stanley McBrien and Edward Crompton

Stanley McBrien and Edward Crompton tried to burn a man alive for allegedly chatting up McBrien's girlfriend.

The cousins doused Joseph Holding in petrol and set him on fire after McBrien said: "This is for trying to shag my bird."

The terrified 25-year-old victim was turned into a human torch and raced upstairs to try and put the flames out in a shower.

Mr Holding realised his mum's flat in Waterloo was ablaze and jumped out of a first floor window on November 9 last year.

He was left covered in blood, with burns over 50% of his body, in an attack centred around McBrien's partner, Taylor Brown.

Fearing he would die, he asked paramedics for a pen and paper to write down the names of McBrien, Crompton and Miss Brown.   

Doctors didn't think Mr Holding would survive and he was brought out of an induced coma so detectives could speak to him.

McBrien and Crompton also slashed him with a machete because he allegedly "made a pass" at Miss Brown, which he denied.

Crompton, 26, of Bowland Drive, Litherland, was arrested last December after spending three weeks in hiding, before standing trial.

He was convicted of attempted murder in June and jailed for life with a minimum of 15 years and five days.

Police caught McBrien, 24, of Wembley Road, Crosby, at a graveyard in Cheshire in May.

He admitted attempted murder, ahead of a trial in November, and was jailed for life with a minimum of 12 years and 273 days.

Dale Thomas

Dale Thomas' taste for depraved child sex abuse was exposed after cyber police were alerted to an online account called "BearPaedo565".

The 31-year-old, of Castle View House, East Lane, Runcorn, collected more than 10,000 sickening files, some of children aged just three months.

Police raided his family home in Ellesmere Port on May 5, 2015, after an image was uploaded online using an email address beginning "BearPaedo565".

Thomas admitted nine counts of possessing, downloading and distributing images; one of inciting or attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity; and possessing cannabis.

Judge Patrick Thompson described the "horrific" material as "beyond belief", adding that the horrendous details should be heard so the public could grasp how severe the offences were. 

He noted that Thomas had tried to "minimise" his offending by claiming the images "popped up" on his computer, but said: "I don’t accept that, you sought them out.

"I’m afraid you are a paedophile and clearly present a danger to children."

Thomas was jailed for four years and told to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.  

Peter Hillman

Killer thug Peter Hillman aka 'the Bootle bully' was sentenced over the possession of cannabis.

The notorious crook stabbed a 17-year-old boy to death after terrorising residents across north Liverpool as a teen.

The ASBO yob was branded a danger to society and indefinitely locked up over killing Alexandros Laou in 2005. 

The then 19-year-old, who admitted manslaughter, spent a decade behind bars, before his release from jail in 2015.

But he was Tasered and arrested by armed police at gunpoint, following an incident in Netherton, on March 25 last year.

The now 33-year-old was accused of stabbing his neighbour Rachel McKenna at her St Christopher's Avenue home.

Prosecutors alleged Hillman tried to bite her left ear off while high on cocaine and naked except for a pair of sliders.

DNA found in a bite wound to her cheek was said to match his and officers discovered 39 wraps of crack cocaine in his flat.

But he denied wounding with intent, an alternative charge of unlawful wounding, and possessing cocaine with intent to supply.

Hillman said any force he used was in self-defence, he never bit Ms McKenna, and that the drugs were planted by a neighbour.

Jurors - who were told about his manslaughter conviction - found him not guilty of all charges, after a four-day trial.

But Hillman, who was recalled on licence and has been in custody for 20 months, admitted possessing cannabis found at his flat.

Under the terms of his 2005 Imprisonment for Public Protection, he will not be released until a parole board decides it is safe.

He was handed five days in jail and a five-year restraining order, preventing him contacting Ms McKenna.

Michael Dabbs

Cocaine-fuelled Michael Dabbs bit a 14-week-old baby three times after a drug and alcohol binge.

The 29-year-old sank his teeth into the baby's left shoulder, abdomen and knee, prompting the astonished family to contact social services.

Detectives wrongly suspected the baby's mum until he had a pang of conscience four months later, and emailed police officers to confess to the crime.

Dabbs claimed it was "like he blacked out" and that the baby had been smiling and laughing, then started crying loudly, before he attacked.

He suggested he started taking cocaine for pain relief after breaking his leg while working at Wirral shipyard Cammell Lairds.

And he told police he didn't remember his attack, before adding: "I wish I was in control of my actions when under drugs.

"I don’t think I was man enough to face the consequences but now I think I'm ready."

Prosecutors said the delayed confession meant the little girl was away from her mum for longer than if he had come clean earlier. 

"Ashamed" Dabbs, of New Chester Road, Bromborough, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm.

Jailing him for 16 months, Judge Rachel Smith said: "This was gratuitous violence on a 14-week-old child."

Anthony Roscoe

A twisted paedophile raped a child in a supposed 'threesome' arranged by his girlfriend.

When confronted, Anthony Roscoe told police: "When somebody hands you the Holy Grail, you’re going to grab it, aren’t you?"

Chloe Bradley, 17, messaged her on-off boyfriend Roscoe about a rendezvous and then escorted the young girl to his home.

The then 27-year-old pervert took turns having sex with Bradley and raping the 12-year-old victim at his property in St Helens.

Police became involved by chance when a passing patrol spotted the girls leaving Roscoe's home, at around 5.30am the next day.

Bradley's phone was later examined and found to contain disturbing and incriminating conversations between her and Roscoe.

Roscoe, now 29, of St Helens, admitted rape and was jailed for four years.

He was told to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life and to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for five years.

Bradley, now 19, lives with her grandparents in Worsley Hall, Wigan, Greater Manchester.

She pleaded guilty to arranging the commission of a child sex offence and was handed 22 months in jail, suspended for a year.

Bradley was given a three-month home curfew, told to sign the Sex Offender Register for 10 years and to comply with a SHPO for five years.

Frank Barham

A veteran driving instructor and decorated Sergeant Major from the British Army sexually assaulted six of his young pupils during lessons.

Frank Barham, from Ellesmere Port, was branded a "predator" by a judge for the way he targeted "vulnerable" victims over a period of 17 years.

The 69-year-old abused a teenage girl, who was so traumatised she ended up homeless on the streets and regularly self-harmed.

The married dad-of-two and grandfather once groped the inner thigh of one victim, and put his hand inside the bra of another, it was heard.

Barham also stuck his hand down one teenager's knickers as she was driving down a country lane in Hooton, just outside Merseyside.

Another woman claimed the former soldier, who served for 22 years in the forces, hugged her and slapped her bottom on the day of her driving test.

And one victim said Barham, who ran the now-defunct Frank's School of Motoring, suggested she wear lacy red knickers as a lucky charm for her test.

The former 22nd Cheshire Regiment serviceman denied all offences against him, claiming physical contact was part of his teaching style.

But the "remorseless" fiend was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault and nine counts of indecent assault after a trial.

Barham, of Halton Road in Great Sutton - whose wife is standing by him - was jailed for eight years and told to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Judge Patrick Thompson said: "Underlying your public persona was a cunning sexual predator who hid a dark secret from those who knew him best."   

John Connell

John Connell was jailed after he was caught with sickening child abuse images including a photo of an infant in pain.

But a judge said the paedophile's sentence could have been longer, if not for his inoperable, life-threatening heart condition.

The morbidly obese pervert missed a court hearing last month because he was in hospital, having suffered six angina attacks.

The next day he admitted possessing nearly 8,000 indecent images, featuring child sex abuse victims as young as three.

Connell was jailed for four years in 2010 for trading videos of babies being raped and collecting a "repulsive and repugnant" stash.

The FBI tipped off Merseyside Police officers, who found so many horrific photos they were forced to give up counting after 70,000.

At the time, Connell was told to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for life.

However, he was sent back to prison in 2016, after searching for photographs of schoolchildren online, then trying to cover his tracks. 

Despite breaching his SHPO yet again, Connell was then handed a three-year community order in February 2017.

Police went to the now 64-year-old's home in Belle Vale on January 24 this year, to check again whether he was complying.

He handed a female officer a tablet device and said: "You won't find anything on there, I've been really good lately."

Connell, now of no fixed address, who admitted downloading and possessing the sick files, was jailed for two years.

Adam Campbell

Drug dealer Adam Campbell was rumbled after ordering cannabis from America to be delivered to his home address.

The bungling cocaine dealer, 28, of Whernside, Widnes, caught the attention of the UK authorities on September 12, 2017.

Border Force staff at Coventry International Hub intercepted two vacuum-packed bags of cannabis, dispatched from Oregon.

Not only had the 'skunk' cannabis, weighing 651g, been ordered to his own property, it was also ordered in his own name.

Cheshire Police were informed and raided Campbell's home on October 27, 2017, where they discovered 158g of cocaine, split up into batches.

The cocaine, with purities of up to 93%, was stored alongside substances such as benzocaine, lactose and creatine, and worth up to £12,600 if adulterated.

Officers also found £40 of cannabis and £2,570 in cash, a mobile phone containing texts relating to cannabis deals.

After the cocaine was seized, Campbell was stabbed as retribution over the loss of the drugs, but refused to name his attackers.

Campbell admitted possession of cocaine with intent to supply, possession of cannabis, and being involved in the importation of cannabis.

Judge David Aubrey, QC, jailed him for two and a half years and said the sentence would have been much longer but for the delay in bringing the case to court.

John Adam

John Adam repeatedly raped a schoolgirl leaving her "tormented" for the rest of her life by his evil abuse.

The paedophile targeted the teenage victim, and also molested a little girl, under the age of 10, three decades ago.

The 69-year-old, who was in his late 30s at the time, sexually abused the children when living in Newton-le-Willows. 

Adam, of Fidler Street, Thatto Heath, left the older victim feeling "weak, disgusting and alone" and she has since self-harmed.

The pensioner, originally from Scotland, denied any wrongdoing, meaning his victims had to give evidence during a four-day trial.

A jury unanimously found him guilty of three counts of rape and four counts of indecent assault, after three hours of deliberation.

The court heard the victims didn't feel able to report the attacks at the time, but found the courage to speak to police in 2017.

The judge, Recorder Jeremy Lasker, said the older victim was Adam's "primary target" and she was "tormented by what had happened".

He said: "You knew full well what you were doing was seriously wrong because you threatened her not to tell anybody."

He said Adam was "an offender of particular concern" and jailed him for 14 years, with an extended 12 months on licence.

This means Adam must spend at least half of the custodial term - seven years - in jail, before he is eligible for parole.

He must sign on the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

Leanda O'Hare

Leanda O'Hare showed "superhuman strength" when she threatened to stab a police officer with a kitchen knife.

The 42-year-old heroin addict struggled with a terrified female PC, who had only recently returned to duty after giving birth.

The victim feared she wouldn't see her husband or baby again when confronted by "wild" O'Hare "foaming at the mouth".

The drug-fuelled menace was sprayed with CS gas and hit with a baton, yet still managed to climb over a wall and escape .

Two officers went to arrest O'Hare at her home in Osborne Road, Birkenhead on the afternoon of September 30 this year.

The policewoman saw O'Hare - who has 42 convictions for 100 offences - in the backyard, who shouted: "Don't take me back."

She described a struggle when the suspect tried to slam a door on her arm, then to punch and bite her, when they fell to the floor.

Iain Criddle, prosecuting, said: "She describes the defendant being wild and foaming at the mouth and feels throughout the incident she had superhuman strength."

O'Hare grabbed a six-inch kitchen knife and yelled "get back or I will stab you" before escaping, despite a further struggle.

The victim described the incident as being "like a horror movie or a nightmare" and feared she would be killed.

O'Hare admitted assault with intent to resist arrest and possessing a knife in public.

She was jailed for 12 months.

Colin Leyland

Robber Colin Leyland broke into a pub, threatened a terrified barmaid at knifepoint.

The 43-year-old drug addict climbed through a window into a flat above the Red Lion in Robins Lane, St Helens.

He disturbed Katherine Clarke, who had been lying in bed watching TV, and demanded she lead him to a safe.

When she said there was no safe upstairs, he took a butter knife in a kitchen and warned: "You have two seconds to tell me."

The prolific thief then took £1,200 from cash tins, before telling the frightened victim that he was dying from HIV.

Before leaving the pub on October 17 this year he added: "If I get caught or you tell anyone I know where you live."

Bizarrely, it then emerged Leyland had been talking to a police officer outside the pub just minutes beforehand.

Ms Clarke said she has since suffered with anxiety and depression and the pub's security has now been increased.

Leyland, of no fixed address, who admitted robbery, has 40 previous convictions alone for theft and dishonesty.

Jailing him for seven years, Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, said the raid had "a deep and lasting effect" on the victim.

William Farrell

William Farrell broke a woman's jaw after she told him off for urinating in a bathroom sink and then on her hand.

The 25-year-old had only been seeing Michelle McDonald for a few weeks when he invited her back to his home after a night out.

She went to the toilet and sat on the lavatory, only for the filthy yob to burst in and start relieving himself, much to her disgust.

But when she complained about his vile behaviour, said it was horrible and tried to push him away, Farrell urinated on her hand.

The cocaine-fuelled lout lost his temper and smashed his TV, causing her to flee his house in Aberdale Road, Old Swan in fear.

Farrell chased his victim down the street, then delivered a vicious punch to her jaw, breaking it in three places, in September last year.

The victim was taken to hospital and required surgery, with metal plates being inserted in her jaw, and has suffered from anxiety. 

Farrell claimed he acted in self-defence during a trial, but when being cross-examined, burst into tears and confessed: "I'm sorry."

The lout, of no fixed address, had denied inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent and an alternative charge of inflicting GBH.

Farrell, who accepted he urinated in the sink but not on her hand, admitted the lesser offence, which was accepted by prosecutors. 

He was jailed for 18 months and handed a two-year restraining order.

Charlie Lawton

Drunken thug Charlie Lawton bottled an Edge Hill University student when she tried to split up a fight in Ormskirk.

Katie MacDonald was knocked out and suffered deep cuts to her face when set upon by Charlie Lawton outside Alpine nightclub.

A group of men started barging into the 20-year-old's friends before a row broke out and someone threw the contents of his drink over one of them.

Prosecutors said the Southport Rugby Club player was stuck in the middle, trying to calm things down, and when they left the bar, things escalated.

They said Katie saw one of the men pick up a bottle from a wall and heard them talking about "getting" one of the men she was with, last January.

The victim told them "to pack it in" but a man shouted "move, you stupid s***", before she saw something green and felt a blow to her face. 

The shocking attack prompted appeals for witnesses, first from her mum, who branded the attacker a coward, then Lancashire Police.

Lawton, 24, of Cottage Lane in Ormskirk, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon.

His friend, David Moran, 22, admitted affray and possessing an offensive weapon for his role in the incident, which did not involve hurting geography student Katie.

Lawton was jailed for nine months but Moran, of Redgate, Ormskirk, was handed six months in prison, suspended for 18 months.

Lancashire Police are yet to release Lawton's mugshot.

James Roberts

Convicted fraudster James Roberts is back behind bars after flouting a driving ban and failing to convince police with a whopping lie.

The 29-year-old, of Boundary Farm Road, Halewood, was behind the wheel of a car on Sandy Lane in Weston Point, Runcorn, on October 1.

When asked to stop by police he immediately pulled over, but while sitting in the driver's seat, then bafflingly told officers: "I'm not driving."

Roberts admitted he was disqualified from driving and told Cheshire Police in interview that he had bought the car three weeks earlier.

He has past convictions, mainly for dishonesty and breaching court orders, and was jailed for three years for fraud in July 2017.

Shortly after his release, he was sentenced to 20 months in jail, suspended for two years, for conspiracy to commit fraud in October 2018.

Roberts was banned from driving for six months on July 19, but first breached the ban and received a community order on August 14.

He admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance, and breaching both his suspended sentence and community order.

Jailing him for 15 months, Judge Patrick Thompson said: "You were given a chance, you really were given a chance."

He also banned Roberts from the road for a further 19 and a half months.

Mark Hollaway 

Mark Hollaway slashed a police officer's face open with a broken vodka bottle and later said: "I wish I had killed him."

The cocaine and alcohol-fuelled yob flipped in the waiting area of Royal Liverpool Hospital and refused to back down when approached by police..

The 36-year-old made repeated threats, asking officers "are you tasered up?" before telling them he didn't believe they were genuine bobbies.

Hollaway, of no fixed address but formerly of Tuebrook and Anfield, lunged at PC Daniel Hughes, striking his head, shoulder and thigh.

It took at least three officers to restrain him as he refused to loosen his grip on the broken bottle in his hand, at around 4.20am, on June 8.

PC Hughes was so traumatised he needed months off work and has now reverted to a desk job after being unable to return to frontline policing.

The stabbing has had a "severe psychological impact" on him, and he has been re-prescribed anti-depressants and sleeping tablets.

He had previously been stabbed eight times in another incident, which led to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

Hollaway, who has 29 previous convictions for 66 offences, was jailed for nine years, with an extended four years on licence.

Callum Martin

Callum Martin and another burglar struck at a man's home - only to be confronted by the victim's mum.

Jeremy Stevens was in a car park 200 miles away having just returned from holiday when his phone alerted him to intruders in his home.

Initially thinking his gardener might have accidentally triggered the internal security camera system, he rang his mum to pop round to check.

But as then saw an edging stone had been used to break into his bedroom, one intruder inside and his companion outside the window.

The thieves stole irreplaceable jewellery belonging to late relatives with great sentimental value from the property in New Brighton. 

Mr Stevens' mum confronted the intruders, who tried to cover their faces, as they fled and Martin was later tracked down by police.

Martin, 30, formerly of Netherton Road, Bootle - a three strike burglar - was caught thanks to the footage from the victim's phone.

He admitted burglary after stealing £1,400 worth of jewellery and watches and was jailed for three years.

Lucas Melling

"Psycho" boyfriend Lucas Melling punched and kicked his pregnant girlfriend in a campaign of cowardly abuse.

Melling, 28, of York Terrace, Everton, met the victim through a dating site and moved into the home she shared with her dad in Garston.

That was in May, but the attacks began shortly after his partner discovered she was pregnant in July, when his behaviour changed.

Michael Stephenson, prosecuting, said: "He punched and kicked her in the arms and legs so many times that she lost count.

"This nearly always occurred in her bedroom. They were a daily occurrence."

He said he insulted his victim to degrade and humiliate her, accompanied her to work, and said he'd hit her harder if she wasn't pregnant.

The shocking offences only came to light after concerned colleagues noticed her injuries and she said he was a "psycho".

Melling admitted using controlling and coercive behaviour and two separate offences of assault causing actual bodily harm. 

He was jailed for 12 months.

Wayne Hill

Drunken knifeman Wayne Hill tried to murder an elderly woman in a “sickening” street attack.

The 52-year-old set upon the OAP in Wetherby Way, Ellesmere Port on August 20 this year.

He had been drinking heavily before the vicious assault on the 78-year-old victim, at around 10.30pm.

She was rescued by brave neighbours who dragged him off the pensioner and restrained him.

Hill, now of London Road, Sandbach, admitted attempted murder and was jailed for life with a minimum of 10 years.

Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Stuart York, of Cheshire Police, said it was "a sickening assault".

He said: "He had said to her that he was going to kill her and his actions show that he had every intent to carry that threat out.

"Thankfully people living in neighbouring homes came to her rescue and I cannot praise them enough for restraining Hill."

DI York added: "They bravely put the victim’s welfare above their own and their actions undoubtedly saved her life."

Jamie Rawlings

An idiot robber fleeing police jumped over a garden wall - only to fall 50ft down a railway embankment and break his wrist.

Jamie Rawlings and an accomplice threatened to kill a woman when she was sitting in her Mercedes outside her Wavertree home.

The victim screamed in terror as 19-year-old Rawlings, of Gorseburn Road, Tuebrook, smashed a window and said "get out or we'll kill you".

The two robbers took her laptop and handbag, before speeding away in her car, but were chased by police to Sterndale Close in Edge Hill.

They abandoned the vehicle and Rawlings leapt over a garden wall, only to be discovered lying injured at the bottom of an embankment.

A force helicopter using thermal imaging equipment located the teen squirming in pain and he was taken to hospital before being arrested.

Rawlings, who admitted theft and possession of cannabis, was found guilty of robbery after a trial.

He was sent to a Young Offenders Institute for four years.

Mark Griffiths

A brave neighbour fought off hammer-wielding Mark Griffiths after hearing someone scream: "I'll smash your head in."

The thug swung the weapon and loudly kicked the front door of a home after arriving there armed and unannounced.

The 53-year-old, from St Helens, launched his attack at the house in Poplar Avenue at around 10.45am on July 27 last year.

Michael Chadwick and his partner were upstairs when they heard two men at the front door of the property in Ashton-in-Makerfield.

One of the men at the front door screamed: "Get out of your f***ing house. I'm going to smash your head in."

Mr Chadwick confronted the crooks and Griffiths pulled out a hammer and swung it at him, narrowly missing his head.

He punched Griffiths in the face, who fell to the ground, and a neighbour stepped in to help him tackle the other yob.

Griffiths, of Phoenix Brow, who has 32 convictions for 42 previous offences, admitted being possessing an offensive weapon.

He was jailed for nine months.

John McDonough, Jason McDonough, Liam Miller and Lee Williams 

Four men were part of a drug plot which saw ordinary homes turned into large scale cannabis farms.

They rented houses across Runcorn and Merseyside, using false documents and fake names to con letting agents.

The gang then moved equipment into the properties to cultivate and produce thousands of pounds worth of cannabis.

John McDonough, Jason McDonough, Liam Miller and Lee Williams were all convicted of conspiracy to produce cannabis.

John McDonough, 31, of Stanley Avenue, Wallasey, was jailed for five years and three months.

His dad Jason McDonough, 50, of Little Heath Road, Speke, was jailed for three and a half years. 

Liam Miller, 24, of Gladstone Street, St Helens, was jailed for 18 months.

Lee Williams, 35, of Masseyfield Road, Runcorn was jailed for three and a half years.

Francis Cain

Drug smuggler Francis Cain was caught with £800,000 of cocaine in a secret compartment in his van.

Cain skipped his bail back in 2010 after being arrested over a plot to flood North Wales with drugs.

The 45-year-old, from Liverpool, spent four years on the run before being arrested and jailed for nine years.

After serving only half of his sentence, he was released from jail, but caught red handed just months later.

Cain was stopped by police while driving his vehicle along the A1 in Durham on September 23 this year.

Officers searched the van and found 10kg of 81% pure cocaine hidden in a purpose-built compartment behind the driver's seat.

He was jailed for 12 years and banned from driving for two years.