Here's who has been jailed this week at Bradford Crown Court

Jack Simpson

A 16-YEAR-OLD boy was sentenced to six years detention for killing three people while speeding the wrong way down the M606 at Bradford in a stolen Ford Transit van.

Jack Simpson was aged 15 when he crashed head-on into a taxi on the southbound carriageway on June 13.

Taxi driver Sohail Ali, 28, and his passenger Simon McHugh, 49, were pronounced dead at the scene. Kyden Leadbeater, 18, who was a passenger in a van, died in hospital a day later.

Sentencing Simpson, the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Richard Mansell QC, said: “Allowing you credit for a guilty plea the sentence on the three offences is one of six years concurrent on each.

“That is six years detention on the grounds that neither a sentence of detention and training, nor a youth rehabilitation order are appropriate disposals in this case.

He continued: “These sentences will be regarded by many as placing a wholly inadequate value on the lives of Mr Ali, Mr McHugh and Mr Leadbeater.

“They are not intended to place a value on their lives, and the sentences are in truth the maximum sentences I could pass on you for such offences.

“You will serve half the period of six years in custody less time on remand to date and then will be released on licence.

“It means you will be just approaching 19 by the time you are released on licence.”

The hearing was delayed for almost six hours because of a defective sending from the youth court. Simpson was resent to the higher court from Leeds Youth Court and pleaded guilty to three charges of causing death by dangerous driving and one charge of dangerous driving on the same date.

Judge Mansell said Simpson could now be named publicly after a written application by the Telegraph & Argus. But the Press must not report his address.

Prosecutor David McGonigal said the van was stolen and on false plates when it smashed into Mr Ali’s taxi.

Simpson, from Bradford, had accelerated away from the police and the blue lights and sirens were activated. He drove through a red light at roadworks and the wrong way round roundabouts. He was on the wrong side of the road when he hit the taxi.

Film footage was shown in court of the fleeing blue van doing up to 90mph with the police in pursuit, and of the collision scene.

Simpson was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary and transferred to Leeds General Infirmary with a fractured leg and other serious injuries.

Peter Moulson QC said in mitigation that he had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, he was 15 at the time and had no previous convictions.

He had a chaotic and unstable upbringing that had affected his development. He had been exposed to domestic abuse and neglect that had left him traumatised.

He had special educational needs and was emotionally immature partly because of his lack of regular attendance at school.

The crash was unplanned. He himself was injured and his friend killed.

While on remand he had behaved well and was taking steps to make progress in that environment.

He accepted full responsibility and had demonstrated remorse, saying: ‘I’m never going to forgive myself’ and he didn’t like talking about it ‘because I would never stop crying.’ Judge Mansell said Simpson was just days short of his 16th birthday and on bail and a curfew for burglaries.

Just before 11pm he was driving the van with two front seat passengers when he accelerated away from the police.

He was doing 70mph in a 30 zone and he went through a temporary red light at roadworks and the wrong way round a roundabout heading for Cleckheaton. He speeded up to 95mph at one point.

Just before the Chain Bar Roundabout he passed between parked vehicles to switch lanes to take an exit road and go the wrong way round the roundabout.

He joined the southbound carriageway against the flow of traffic. A driver flashed his lights and blew his horn to avoid a collision.

A lorry driver saw the deceased men travelling at normal speed. The van ploughed straight into the taxi at 70mph and both men died at the scene. Kyden Leadbeater died soon afterwards.

Judge Mansell said the maximum sentence for causing death by dangerous driving was 14 years. New guidelines had raised it to life imprisonment just days after the crash.

Simpson was banned from driving for six years and he must pass an extended test before he applies for a licence.

Terry Brockhill

A DRUG and alcohol-fuelled man who attacked two women and forcefully kicked a dog trying to protect its mistress was jailed for 20 months.

Terry Brockhill had been drinking vodka and taking cocaine when he set about his partner and her sister at a house in Keighley on March 26, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Brockhill, 38, of Kingfisher Grove, Allerton, Bradford, pleaded guilty ahead of his trial to two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The court heard he throttled one woman so that she had difficulty breathing and kicked the other when she was on the ground.

Prosecutor Gareth Henderson-Moore said the three had been drinking the previous night and Brockhill had taken cocaine.

In the early hours, at about 1am, he suddenly got up and attacked his first victim. He punched her in the face, loosening her tooth, and then grabbed her by the throat.

When her sister intervened, he pushed her out of the room. The dog then went to protect its mistress and Brockhill ‘kicked it with force,’ Mr Henderson-Moore said.

The police were alerted and Brockhill was arrested at the scene.

Both women sustained bruising and told the police they were very frightened during the attack. One said he had ‘a look in his eye’ and she was petrified. The second said she was also extremely afraid.

Brockhill had 12 previous convictions for 16 offences but nothing for violence, the court was told.

Lydia Pearce said in mitigation that he had done a lot of work in custody to address his thinking and his actions that night.

While in prison on remand for five months he had shown a high level of motivation to address his issues with drugs and alcohol.

Miss Pearce said any jail sentence could be suspended to allow him to seek help from the probation service.

The women’s injuries were ‘limited to bruising’ although there had been an element of strangulation and kicking on the ground.

Recorder Ian Mullarkey said Brockhill had been drinking and he had taken cocaine.

He had stood up in the early hours and punched his first victim in the face and grabbed her by the throat, squeezing with such force that she had difficulty breathing, effectively throttling her. The second woman was punched and kicked.

Brockhill had no similar convictions and had made good progress in custody.

He was jailed for 16 months for the first assault and four months to run consecutively for the second.

Daniel Frayne

A BURGLAR who ransacked a Bradford barber’s shop to make off with property worth £4,500 was jailed for two years.

Daniel Frayne, with 56 convictions on his record for 111 offences, smashed his way into The Yorkshire Chair in Town Gate, Wyke, in the early hours of March 29, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Frayne, 37, of Moresby Road, Woodside, Bradford, caused damage and stole hairdressing equipment, an Apple Mac Book and two cameras, prosecutor Kelly Gallagher said.

Following the burglary, between 2am and 3am, Frayne tried to burgle Towngate Community Shop by smashing a window but he was unable to gain entry.

He told the police he sold the items stolen from The Yorkshire Chair to pay for drugs.

Miss Gallagher said that on August 2 he smashed a window at his partner’s home after an argument and later threatened to return to do more damage to her windows.

Frayne, who was then in breach of two suspended sentence orders, pleaded guilty at the magistrates’ court to burgling the barber’s shop, criminal damage and threatening to cause criminal damage.

He was remanded into custody and sentenced on a video link to Leeds Prison.

The further offences of burglary and attempted burglary were taken into consideration by the court.

Frayne’s solicitor advocate, Saf Salam, said he had been without money and a home at the time of the burglary, leading him to commit further offences.

He was a window cleaner with employment available on his release and he was reconciled with his partner after the argument.

Frayne knew that immediate imprisonment was inevitable, Mr Salam said.

The judge, Recorder Ian Mullarkey, said there was a degree of ransacking when Frayne broke into the barber’s shop. The owner of the business was caused significant financial loss from the damage and the theft of property.

Frayne had gone on to smash a window at his partner’s home when her dog was inside the address and suffered cuts to his paws. He had then threatened to return there to do more damage.

He had 111 offences on his record and had breached two suspended sentences, Recorder Mullarkey said.

Frayne was jailed for 12 months for the burglary, plus ten months for threatening to cause criminal damage and two months of the suspended sentences were activated, making a total of two years because the sentences were all consecutive.

Brett Tasker

A 39-YEAR-OLD father was jailed for 32 months after he attacked a man on crutches in the street and broke his jaw.

Brett Tasker’s victim, who he had known since childhood, was left slumped on his crutches and bleeding in Fountain Street, Halifax. He had to have teeth removed and two metal plates fitted to repair his damaged jaw.

Bradford Crown Court heard that the complainant was restricted to a liquid diet for some weeks after the broad daylight attack in March.

Recorder Ian Mullarkey said the man had been plainly vulnerable because he had been using crutches at the time.

Prosecutor Lauren Smith said Tasker, of no fixed abode, had approached his victim at about 3.30pm and punched him once in the face.

When the complainant asked why he had done it, Tasker made a reference to his own girlfriend and added: “When I see you again I will break your other leg.”

Miss Smith said the man was in hospital for three days and later returned for surgery to his broken jaw.

The court heard that Tasker, who had previous convictions, later sent messages apologising for the attack, but when he was questioned by police he denied being involved and gave a false alibi. He went on to admit causing grievous bodily harm.

Barrister Abigail Langford, for Tasker, said his last conviction for an offence of violence was in 2015.

He was remorseful and sorry and described the attack as ‘a momentary lapse of self-control.’ Recorder Mullarkey said the complainant had suffered permanent and irreversible injury due to the loss of teeth.

Reece Drohosz

A MAN who repeatedly elbowed a woman in the face during a disturbance at a Halifax nightspot was jailed for three years.

Reece Drahosz, 27, knocked his victim unconscious when he struck her three times in the face and head as she lay on the floor of the La Salsa bar.

Bradford Crown Court heard how the attack followed an altercation between two groups of women in the bar in August, 2020, and Drahosz was said to have pulled the complainant away from his mother.

Prosecutor Daniel Cordey said during the same incident Drahosz was seen dragging another woman by her hair across the bar before throwing her into some tables and chairs.

When the police arrived, Drahosz’s victim was still unconscious and she was distressed and crying when she was came round.

She had suffered bleeding in and around the brain as well as bruising to an area which controls motor function.

A CT scan a few days later showed some improvement but she was struggling to walk and had slurred speech.

In a victim impact statement she described how she had a stutter for some time after the attack and moving her head made her feel disorientated and sick.

She missed out on planned holidays because she was unfit to fly and later suffered ‘head rushes’ when driving.

Drahosz, of Solstice Way, Illingworth, Halifax, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and a further charge of assault relating to his second victim.

Mr Cordey said that although the principal complainant appeared to have recovered well she had suffered a grave injury at the time.

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Richard Mansell QC, commented that Drahosz could count himself incredibly lucky because injuries such as bleeding on the brain could result in death if not properly managed.

Barrister Stephen Welford, for Drahosz, said he had initially got involved in the altercation between the women as ‘a peacemaker’ but he accepted that his behaviour overstepped the mark.

Judge Mansell said he took no pleasure in jailing someone like Drahosz but the offence was too serious and a prison sentence was inevitable.

Mr Welford said the jail term would devastate his client’s life with his partner due to give birth early next year.

The judge imposed a three-year jail term for causing grievous bodily harm with intent but as an act of mercy he passed a concurrent six month sentence for the assault.