Man obsessed with weapons faces jail for making electric fly swat

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October 3, 2018
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Tobias Ruth has previous convictions for racially-motivated graffiti attacks

A Torquay man who once plotted a nationwide hate campaign could be sent back to prison after being found with a prohibited weapon.

Tobias Ruth, 23, has become obsessed with knives and weapons, Exeter Crown Court was told.

He admitted two weapon-related offences when he appeared at the court for a short hearing.

The court was told he had adapted a fly swat into a stun gun and had a .22 air rifle.

Mr Kevin Hopper, defending, said Ruth had become ‘somewhat obsessed’ with collecting knives and weapon paraphernalia.

But he said the weapons had not been used in any crime and the electric fly swat did not work.

“He had no intention of using it on anyone,” said Mr Hopper

The defendant, formerly of Walnut Road but appearing via video link from custody, pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited weapon on August 7 and possessing a firearm when prohibited.

Judge David Evans said he wanted Ruth to speak to the probation service before sentencing him.

He said all options, including immediate imprisonment, would be considered.

He adjourned sentence to October 25.

Ruth was just 18 when he and a friend carried out a campaign of racist vandalism in Torquay in 2012.

They styled themselves as Knights Templar and studied the crimes of Norweigian mass murderer Anders Breivik.

Their arrest led to houses being evacuated and roads cordoned off.

Ruth admitted conspiracy to send malicious messages and conspiracy to cause criminal damage. He was jailed for 33 months.

The judge at the time said the communications were intended to cause the fear of racial violence and plainly had a racial element.

Devon Live

You can read about his 2012 conviction here

Boozed-up thug blames alcohol after he went on the rampage at a pub

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October 1, 2018
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A booze-fuelled thug who punched a friend through a broken window has told a court that he blamed alcohol for his bad behaviour.

Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard on September 13 how Liam Cooper, 31, of Cornwall Drive, Brimington, Chesterfield, was arrested by police after the attack at the Butcher’s Arms, at Brimington, Chesterfield.

Prosecuting solicitor Emma Price said: “It was August 22 in the early hours of the morning when officers were called after a report that the defendant had smashed a window and they arrived and saw he was under the influence of alcohol.

“They tried to stop him speaking to others and he was trying to get away and he had to be restrained.”

Mrs Price added that Cooper was being aggressive and he was removed from the pub and as the complainant was trying to calm him down he was punched threw a window and the glass was smashed.

Cooper screamed and swore and threatened police when they arrived, according to Mrs Price, and he had to be taken to the ground and restrained.

The defendant complained that the complainant had been goading him from behind the pub window and he had reacted and he was sorry for what he had done.

Mrs Price added that the defendant also told one of the officers that he was going to break his nose.

Cooper later told police that he blamed his behaviour on alcohol and he claimed that he did not behave that way normally.

The defendant, who has previous convictions from between 2005 to 2011 including public order offences, pleaded guilty to damaging a window, using threatening behaviour towards a police officer and admitted the assault.

Defence solicitor Felicity Coats said: “He’s remained out of trouble for the last seven years. There are similar offences on his record but he has done a lot to change.”

Mrs Coats added that Cooper had not intended to cause the assault but he did so when he punched the window in temper.

She said: “The gentleman in the pub is a long-standing friend he’s known for years and they have made-up.”

The court heard that the defendant, who has paid for the damage caused, suffers from a head injury which affects his ability to control his temper.

He said: “I have changed. I have been a bit of a lunatic when I was younger. I have apologised to the police and I was out of order but drink is a dangerous thing. I do not know how it is legal. That is why I don’t drink usually because that’s what happens to me.”

Magistrates fined Cooper £240 and ordered him to pay a £30 victim surcharge, £85 costs and £125 compensation.

Cooper added: “That was a dear night wasn’t it?”

Derbyshire Times

‘Hang Theresa May’ Facebook post councillor Richard Alderman admits sending menacing messages

By
September 27, 2018
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Rutland councillor called for Prime Minister to be hanged for treason :: Also posted offensive messages about Diane Abbott and Anna Soubry

Richard Alderman sent a Facebook post calling for the Prime Minister Theresa May to be hanged

Richard Alderman sent a Facebook post calling for the Prime Minister Theresa May to be hanged

A councillor who used his Facebook page to call for Theresa May to be hanged for “treason” has admitted four criminal charges.

Richard Alderman called for the Prime Minster’s public hanging three days after being elected to Rutland County Council.

It came after he posted other grossly offensive messages about shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and Tory MP Anna Soubry.

The independent councillor – described in court as “pro-Brexit and anti-immigration” – refused to say whether he would resign his post as he left Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.

The 72-year-old admitted four charges of sending a menacing or grossly offensive message via the public communication network.

They included posts describing Ms Abbott as a “monkey” and calling for Ms Soubry to be shot and drowned.

Opening the facts of the case against Alderman, prosecutor James Bruce told the court the charges related to six Facebook posts made between April and July this year.

What the prosecution says

Submitting the comments made about Ms Abbott constituted a hate crime, Mr Bruce told the court: “In essence, Mr Alderman posted publicly on Facebook when responding to news articles with comments that were a mixture of the grossly offensive and menacing.

“They relate to public figures with whom Mr Alderman disagrees with their politics, and came to the attention of the police as a result of Mr Alderman’s election to Rutland County Council on July 12.

“When members of the public looked up who their new councillor was, and looked up the postings, they decided to report them to the police.”

The court heard Alderman, of Lonsdale Way, Oakham, Rutland, admitted six of a number of messages he posted were menacing or offensive, after writing the prime minister’s assassination was “long overdue”.

A post in May used an African word for monkey to describe Ms Abbott, while a further message in June added: “The monkey is out of her tree again, send it to the animal labs.”

A further message written before Alderman’s election to the council, next to a meme criticising Nottinghamshire MP Ms Soubry, read: “Hang, shoot and drown the witch to make sure it’s dead.”

Alderman, who was reported to the police after another councillor took screenshots of the messages, was granted unconditional bail until sentencing next Thursday.

District judge’s comments

Ordering pre-sentence reports, District Judge David Robinson told Alderman: “You have pleaded guilty to these four charges and you will receive credit for that in due course.

“I am going to order the probation service to prepare pre-sentence reports to tell me more about you and the circumstances behind these offences.”

Rutland County Council said in a statement: “Councillor Alderman has admitted his wrongdoing and pleaded guilty to all four charges brought against him.

“Criminal conduct of this kind is totally unacceptable.

“Following sentencing, Councillor Alderman’s actions will be the subject of a further investigation by our own Standards Committee and reviewed against the Council’s Code of Conduct.”

Leicester Mercury

Sheffield man could face jail for vile torrent of racist abuse at neighbour

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September 25, 2018
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A racist neighbour who placed a racist doll, vile messages and a camera in the window of his Sheffield home has been warned he could face jail.

Glynn Fairclough, of Retford Road, Handsworth, admitted charges of harrassment and racially aggravated harrassment at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

The court heard he placed racist messages and a golly doll in his landing window facing the home of his neighbour.

He also threw litter and empty cans into her home over a period of 10 weeks between June and August this year.

Fairclough, 52, pleaded guilty to both charges and District Judge Paul Healey warned him he could face prison.

Judge Healey said: “You subjected the victim to a torrent of racist abuse over a period of time. Because you are charged with racially aggravated element to the offending I am allowed to commit the case to the Crown Court.

“You have a real risk of facing an immediate prison sentence.”

Judge Healey adjourned sentencing for three weeks so that a pre-sentence report can be prepared.

Fairclough was released on conditional bail until his next appearance on October 17.
Sheffield Star

Hard-man jailed after Newcastle nightclub shooting

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September 21, 2018
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A WELL-known hard man has been jailed after being convicted of an offence relating to the ride-by shooting of a nightclub bouncer.

John Henry Sayers was given a three-and-a-half-year sentence at the Old Bailey on Friday after being convicted of perverting the course of justice, a court official said.

During the trial, jurors were told the defendant was “a man to be feared” who had “acquired and promoted a reputation” and would not allow his name to be disrespected.

He had initially been accused of ordering the attack on doorman Matthew McCauley outside the Tup Tup Palace on June 6 2015, but was found not guilty of conspiracy to murder, alongside co-defendant Michael Dixon, 50. Both men are from Walker, Newcastle.

Prosecutor Simon Denison QC had claimed Sayers ordered the attack after his son was turned away from the Newcastle nightclub weeks earlier, but this was rejected by the jury.

The 54-year-old was also cleared of conspiracy to possess a shotgun with intent to endanger life, while Dixon was found guilty of the same offence and given a life sentence with a minimum of eight years, the court official said.

Sayers and a third defendant, Michael McDougall, 50, were convicted of perverting the course of justice over a false statement given in 2017.

Convicted murderer McDougall, who is serving a life sentence, told “a pack of lies” by trying to claim he was the gunman in the incident, jurors heard.

As a result, he was given two years to run consecutively after his current life sentence

Sayers had previously been cleared of ordering another murder – the doorstep shooting of a man in 2000 – and subsequently cleared of nobbling the Leeds jury in that case.

However, he is a convicted robber and tax evader and is said to be a name to be feared in Tyneside.

Northern Echo

Details of the murder conviction can be found here.

Shoplifting thug who bit an Asda security guard’s finger flees from court

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September 20, 2018
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Grant Ainley was due to be jailed for 20 weeks when he ran from Kirklees Magistrates’ Court

A man fled from court after being jailed for attacking a security guard who challenged him as he stole from a Huddersfield supermarket.

Grant Ainley bit the Asda worker’s little finger and threatened to smash a stolen bottle of champagne over his colleague’s head.

The 35-year-old was jailed for 20 weeks by Kirklees magistrates but ran from the court building before he could be taken into custody.

The incident happened at the Aspley branch of the supermarket on August 29 when Ainley was challenged as he tried to take two bottles of champagne.

Prosecutor Alex Bozman said that he told the security guard to get out of his way.

When the member of staff asked Ainley to put the alcohol down he threatened to smash a bottle over his head, magistrates were told.

The security guard managed to take one of the bottles off Ainley but he maintained a grip on the other one.

With help of his colleague Nicholas Foard the security guard managed to detain him, Mr Bozman said.

He told magistrates: “Ainley made threats that he would spit and bite at them.

“He scratched Mr Foard on his hand with his nails and bit him on the little finger, causing injury.”

Ainley, of Eastlands in Almondbury, was arrested but refused to comply with a police station drug test.

Mr Foard said in a victim personal statement read out to the court: “I come to work every day to do a job I enjoy.

“I do not come to work for people to steal from us or, even worse, get assaulted.

“My injuries may be scratches and bites but I do not know if he has any diseases.”

Ainley pleaded guilty to stealing from the store, assault and refusing to provide a sample for a Class A drug test.

He also admitted to the theft of meat and wine totalling £116 from Almondbury Co-op between June 7 and 17.

Jonathan Slawinski, mitigating, explained that Ainley had struggled with a drug problem since the age of 19.

He had managed to overcome this problem but still owed money to drug dealers.

Mr Slawinski explained: “When people stop using drugs they don’t always escape their past as debts catch up with them.

“The only way he knew how to get rid of the debt was sadly to do what he knows how to do and steals from the shops.”

He added that Ainley had been drinking at the time of the thefts but was “somewhat ashamed” of what he did to the security guard.

As magistrates pronounced their sentence, Ainley fled from courtroom number two before security staff could take him into custody.

A warrant was issued for his arrest. When he is released from his prison sentence he will have to pay Mr Foard £100 compensation.

Huddersfield Examiner

Michael Vickers of Shann Crescent, Keighley, jailed for catalogue of offences

By
September 20, 2018
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Michael Vickers, who has been locked up for 27 months

Michael Vickers, who has been locked up for 27 months


A KEIGHLEY man has been jailed for more than two years for a catalogue of offending, including ramming a car off the road and using someone else’s passport to travel to Spain.

Michael John Vickers, 35, of Shann Crescent, Keighley, was jailed for 27 months for 15 separate offences, which also included spitting in a police officer’s face and a racially aggravated public order offence.

Bradford Crown Court was told the offences relate to an ongoing feud between Vickers’ family and another family in the town.

The first offence to take place was on January 9, 2017, prosecutor David Hall explained.

He said Vickers used racist language towards two Asian men, before punches were exchanged, initiated by Vickers’ son.

Shortly after Vickers and his son got out of their car and continued to be aggressive, punching and kicking the men.

The next offending was three counts of breaching a non-molestation order while at prison on May 19 and June 14, when he sent letters and an abusive Snapchat message to his former partner.

On July 31, 2017, he failed to surrender to custody at Leeds Magistrates Court and was convicted in his absence.

He breached the non-molestation order again on August 4, 2017, when police had to be called to arrest him when he was found hiding in the loft at his former partner’s house.

He resisted arrest and also assaulted a police officer by spitting in his face, and was “argumentative and difficult after being arrested”, said Mr Hall.

On December 9 last year, while driving along Oakworth Road, Keighley, Vickers rammed another vehicle off the road.

He was driving towards a Nissan Micra in his Mitsubishi L200 pick-up truck, causing the car to swerve out of the way. He then turned his truck round and chased the car, ramming it from behind, damaging the car and causing the three passengers minor injuries.

He also admitted sending threatening Snapchat messages to a man who was due to give evidence in a court case, and affray, where he along with three other men drove to another man’s house, before getting out, pointing a stick towards the man in his seventh floor flat, and making a throat-cutting gesture.

On May 8 of this year, he was arrested at Leeds Bradford Airport after flying home from Alicante using a friend’s passport.

Julian White, mitigating, said the offending was due to an ongoing feud between families, and many of the offences were due to frustration from Vickers at the situation.

He said Vickers fled to Alicante in an attempt to lay low to stop the feud, “but realised it was pointless and came back”.

In sentencing, the Recorder of Bradford Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said Vickers had “been appearing at court with depressing regularity”.

He said: “The racially aggravated abuse troubles me, what happened was out of order.

“You used your car as a weapon which is clearly dangerous driving. This court does not approve of feuds.”

Vickers was jailed for six months for the racial incident, one month per non-molestation order breach and six months for affray to be served concurrently.

He also received one month for assaulting a police officer, 12 months for dangerous driving, three months for perverting the course of justice, and five months for using false travel documents to be served consecutively, and no further penalties for failing to surrender and criminal damage.

Telegraph and Argus

Blackpool knifepoint robber jailed

By
September 20, 2018
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A DRUG addict who robbed a college lecturer at knifepoint has been jailed.

Craig Gilroy, 23, of Ribble Road, central Blackpool, took cash, an iPhone and food from his victim when he pounced on the man in an alleyway at the back of a mini market on Palatine Road.

The thug pleaded guilty to robbery at Preston Crown Court yesterday, and was jailed for two years and eight months.

Louise Whaites, prosecuting, said Gilroy approached his victim on November 3 and was holding a glinting eight inch bladed knife by his waist.

Gilroy demanded money, but the lecturer, who was walking home from Blackpool and the Fylde College university campus on Palatine Road, said he did not have any.

Miss Whaites told the court: “The defendant pushed him against the alleyway wall, raised the hand holding the knife and held it to his neck and again requested money.”

The man gave him £10 cash and went on to give him his iPhone, worth £495, and a bag of food.

He waited in the alley until Gilroy had rejoined two other men and moved away from the area, and became extremely distressed when he arrived home.

Gilroy, who was wearing a hooded top at the time, with a scarf up to his nose, later sold the mobile for £20 and bought two bags of heroin.

The thief, who has 65 previous offences on his record, told his partner he had “jacked some guy”, but denied the offence when questioned by police.

Paul Humphries, defending, said his client accepted using the knife to threaten, but denied any intent to use it to cause harm. He also denied threatening to kill the man if he went to the police.

Mr Humphries said: “He tells me he is very sorry. He understands the pain and misery he has caused the male and his family.

“He wishes he could turn the clock back. He was at a low point in his life.

“There was also a food shortage in the house.”

Gilroy had also been on a methadone programme but was not attending at the time.

Judge Philip Butler said: “It must have been a terrifying experience for the man.

“That he suffered no physical injury is very little mitigation because one can imagine the psychological effect”.

From 2011

Blackpool Gazette

Craig Gilroy, 30, theft

By
September 20, 2018
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A thief who was short of money in the run up to Christmas targeted the same shop two days running.

Craig Gilroy, 30, of George Street, North Shore, pleaded guilty to two offences of theft.

He was given a 12 months conditional discharge and ordered to pay £47 compensation with £85 costs plus £20 victims’ surcharge.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said Gilroy was detained at the B and M Bargains store, Whitegate Drive, on December 23 at noon, after stealing three jars of coffee valued at £14.

CCTV showed he had been in the shop the day before and taken four bottles of liqueur worth £47.

He had a record of 29 previous offences of theft and similar matters and at the time of the offence was on post prison sentence supervision.

Howard Green, defending, said in the run up to Christmas his client was short of money and decided to steal to get some. Gilroy, who had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, was estranged from his family.

He had no permanent accommodation but was allowed to sleep at the address he had given.

He had also missed appointments with the probation service on his post prison sentence supervision.

Blackpool Gazette