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

Martin Mitchell attacked the woman at her flat in Tranter Grove, Tyersal, Bradford, when he was ‘steaming drunk’ leaving her lying on a mattress covered in blood and what he himself described as ‘150 bruises.’

He delayed calling an ambulance for several hours and she was bleeding from the ears, nose and mouth on the way to Leeds General Infirmary.

Prosecutor Alisha Kaye told Bradford Crown Court that the victim had sustained life-threatening injuries in the prolonged and persistent beating.

Martin Mitchell, pictured (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

She had a dangerously low Glasgow Coma Scale reading of 9-11 in the ambulance and had suffered injuries including a fractured eye socket, broken nose, eight broken ribs, a punctured and collapsed lung, bruising to her liver and kidney damage.

She was put on a breathing tube and a ventilator in intensive care and needed a blood transfusion.

Miss Kaye said that when she woke in hospital, she didn’t know why she was in there and couldn’t recall what had happened to her. She thought she had been kidnapped.

Mitchell, 50, who was living at the flat before he was remanded into custody, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent on September 11.

His victim was in court to hear the case and to get a restraining order without limit of time banning him from contacting her.

In her victim personal statement, she said she was still on painkillers and had difficulty climbing the stairs. She had almost passed out on a visit to the shops.

“She says she trusted him with her life and he nearly took it away from her,” Miss Kaye stated.

The court heard that Mitchell trashed the flat that night as well as attacking her. He had been drinking vodka and fell over because he was ‘steaming drunk.’

His previous convictions included a common assault but nothing for violence on this scale.

Mitchell’s barrister, Abigail Langford, said that tragically the woman was ‘his world.’ He had to live with what he had done and would deal with the jail sentence.

He had shown genuine remorse and wanted to plead guilty from the outset.

Miss Langford said Mitchell couldn’t explain what happened. It was out of character for him after he had abstained from alcohol. He wondered if there was ‘something in his drink’ that night.

“The reality is that he brutally attacked someone he loved very deeply and he has to live with that,” Miss Langford said.

Mitchell knew that a prison sentence of more than seven years would be imposed that would mean he had to serve two-thirds of it behind bars.

He had already attained enhanced prisoner status while on remand in HMP Leeds. He had a job in the kitchen and was working towards getting a positive report from the Parole Board.

Judge Andrew Hatton said the circumstances of the offence were ‘far, far from clear.’

Mitchell was drunk and the woman was taken to hospital in a very serious state of injury.

He had inflicted gross violence upon her. When he eventually phoned for an ambulance he said she was ‘covered in 150 bruises’ and bleeding in and around the ear.

He told a pack of lies seeking to blame others and never gave a satisfactory explanation, thereby potentially hindering her urgent need for treatment.

In the ambulance she was bleeding from the ears, nose and mouth. She was put on a ventilator and was in intensive care where she was given kidney dialysis.

She was unlikely to ever recover physically, mentally or financially, Judge Hatton said.

Mitchell had delivered multiple significant blunt force blows to the woman over a prolonged period of time. He must have used a weapon, a foot or significant blows from the hand; or a combination of all of those.

It was at least three hours before he phoned for an ambulance and he was significantly under the influence of alcohol.

Mitchell was jailed for eight years and three months and will spend two-thirds of it locked up.

He was banned from having any contact with the woman until further order.

A DRUGGED-UP burglar who wrote off a £20,000 Jaguar car and did £7,000 damage smashing it into a wall and gates while ‘off his head’ was jailed for three years and four months.

Bobby Baker, pictured (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

Bobby Baker, 42, with a lengthy criminal record including robbery and housebreaking, stole from two addresses in Skipton overnight while the occupiers were asleep, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Baker, of Highfield Terrace in the town, took the keys to the Jaguar from a home in Brook Street at 5am on August 4 after turning out cupboards and drawers, prosecutor Philip Adams said.

He tried to reverse the vehicle away but hit a wall, waking up the householder who went outside to see his car knock into wheelie bins and get wedged sideways, damaging a six foot high stone wall, gatepost and gates.

Baker, who had panicked and driven the car backwards and forwards, narrowly missed running into him, the court was told.

Neighbours were alerted to the commotion and one videoed Baker on their phone meaning he was later recognised by the police, Mr Adams said.

He left the scene after stealing the man’s wallet from the wrecked car.

The £20,000 Jaguar was a write-off and £7,000 damage was done to the wall, gatepost and gates.

Baker then went on to burgle a vulnerable disabled man the same morning. He stole the keys to his Mini Cooper from his flat and drove off in it. He was caught later that day at the wheel in Black Hill Lane, Keighley, with a woman passenger.

He made no comment when he was arrested and questioned by the police.

He pleaded guilty to two offences of dwelling house burglary, aggravated vehicle taking causing damage, theft, taking without consent and driving without insurance.

Baker had 17 previous convictions for 32 offences, including robbery, house burglary, taking without consent, assault, theft by employee, shop theft and making off without payment.

His barrister, Ismael Uddin, said he was extremely remorseful and very sorry. He had struggled with misuse of drugs from a young age and had ‘fallen off the wagon’ that day. He recalled little of the incidents, being incoherent and ‘off his head’ at the time.

He welcomed the prison sentence about to be imposed as the best opportunity to get off drugs and stay clean.

Judge Andrew Hatton jailed Baker for a total of 40 months and banned him from driving for two years on his release.

He said: “These are both serious and unpleasant dwelling house burglaries.”

David Bunting, pictured (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

A FANTASIST who invented stories about being kidnapped and held hostage by a gang from Manchester to extort money from a terrified woman was jailed for three years.

David Bunting left his victim ‘paralysed with fear’ with his tales of killing three gang members and being ‘left on the brink of death’ after they had tracked him down, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Bunting, 59, of Allerton Road, Bradford, pleaded guilty to harassment causing fear of violence.

Prosecutor Rebecca Young said he was in a brief relationship with the woman several years ago while he was still living with a partner.

He was absent for long periods of time and when she ended it, she began to receive threatening and abusive messages. She confided in Bunting and he said he would sort things out.

Then he told her that he had killed three members of a gang from Manchester and others had tracked him down wanting retribution.

Bunting then purported to be one of his own family members messaging the woman to say he had been beaten up and was ‘on the brink of death’ in a hospital in Devon.

A further message demanded £8,000 to stop one of her relatives being exposed as a criminal.

She blocked the number but Bunting changed SIM cards to pretend to be other people sending the messages.

Miss Young said the victim was terrified that she was going to be killed if she didn’t provide the money.

Bunting now accepted that he sent the messages, the court was told.

When he was arrested, he denied all knowledge of them, saying he had been ‘set up.’

Investigations revealed that the furthest his van had travelled in that period was Manchester.

Victim impact statements from the woman spoke of her being too terrified to even hang out the washing.

“Every message I get makes me feel physically sick and I can’t breathe,’ she said.

She couldn’t sleep and feared every noise in the street.

Bunting’s barrister, Harriet Lavin, said he was 59 with no previous convictions.

He had acted out of jealousy and thought he was having a nervous breakdown at the time.

It wasn’t sophisticated offending and it was four years ago.

Bunting was in employment and financially supporting his ill partner.

Judge Andrew Hatton said Bunting had been involved in ‘a romantic entanglement’ with his victim several years ago while still in another relationship.

Then she had received threatening and abusive messages from different numbers. They were bizarre and disturbing and all done to extort money.

“It was fantasy but accepted by her and she terrified,” Judge Hatton said. She lived life paralysed with fear.

He made a restraining order without limit of time to protect the victim and her family in the future.

Jamal Ahmed, pictured (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

A MAN was jailed for two years and eight months after an unprovoked hammer attack in broad daylight in Bradford city centre.

Jamal Ahmed followed his victim from a shop in Sunbridge Road and hit him on the head from behind, knocking him to the ground, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Ahmed, 30, of Pemberton Drive, Shearbridge, Bradford, struck the glancing blow in an unprovoked attack with no warning, prosecutor Camille Morland said.

Ahmed and his victim, who were strangers to one another, had exchanged a few words before the assault on Westgate on the morning of October 24 last year.

The man suffered bruising and swelling to his head.

Ahmed ran off but was arrested soon afterwards arguing with someone on Sunbridge Road, still in possession of the hammer.

The court heard that he was in breach of an 11-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, for offering to supply cocaine.

Ahmed mistook a police officer for a member of the public when he tried to sell him two wraps of the Class A drug for £70 in the early hours of March 13, 2020.

After the hammer attack he was sent to Rampton Hospital for treatment before being transferred to Leeds Prison and held on remand.

Ahmed was originally charged with the more serious offence of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm but his plea to assault occasioning actual bodily harm was accepted by the Crown.

His barrister, Julian Jones, said he was now free from drugs and expressing genuine remorse for the assault.

He had a stable family home to return to and the offer of work at a timber business.

He was now much improved mentally and had been held in hospital and prison for almost a year.

“There’s real hope for Mr Ahmed who’s been through a very troubling time,” Mr Jones said.

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Richard Mansell KC, said Ahmed had made ‘little or no progress’ on the suspended sentence order when he committed the assault seven months’ later.

He followed his victim and struck him with the hammer causing him to go to the ground. Mercifully, he sustained a bruised and swollen scalp and no more serious injury.

Judge Mansell said the man would have ongoing psychological issues after being hit with a hammer in broad daylight in the city centre.

Ahmed was jailed for 21 months for the assault and the whole of the suspended sentence was activated on top, making a total of 32 months.

Because of the amount of time he had spent in hospital and prison, he would be released on licence in about four months, the judge told him.

Andrew Mitchell, pictured (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

 A DANGER driver in a stolen campervan immobilised two patrol cars and injured two officers when the police tried to box him in on a single lane road in Queensbury, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Andrew Mitchell was spotted at the wheel of the Fiat motorhome at 6pm on October 24 after it had been taken from an address in Rawdon.

Mitchell, 34, of Bradford Road, Cleckheaton, was unlicensed and uninsured when he failed to stop for the police on a dark road with other vehicles and cyclists around, prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said.

When three patrol cars with blue lights flashing attempted to box him in to stop him, he swerved and struck one, pushing it across the road into a wall and a lamppost. The vehicle was immobilised and the two officers in it were injured.

Mitchell then hit a second police car, damaging the wheel arch and disabling it.

He mounted the pavement, narrowly missing parked vehicles and then turned into a cul-de-sac and jumped out of the moving van. It ran out of control before coming to stop after hitting a parked vehicle.

Mitchell was apprehended at the scene and said: ‘I’m sorry.’

He later made some admissions but said the police had backed into him.

He went on to plead guilty to dangerous driving on Halifax Road and Simpson Street in Queensbury and driving without a licence or insurance.

He had 71 previous convictions for offences that included taking without consent, aggravated TWOC, vehicle interference and driving while disqualified.

His barrister, Stephen Uttley, said Mitchell never went more than 50mph in the pursuit and dropped to 20mph at some points.

It was not a deliberate act to ram the police car; he was swerving to avoid the patrol vehicle in front of him.

Mitchell, who was unemployed at the time, had a partner and a child, Mr Uttley said.

He knew he had been stupid to drive off like that and he was aware that an immediate jail sentence would be imposed.

Judge Andrew Hatton said Mitchell had tried to break out of the police vehicles boxing him in, injuring two officers, before jumping from the moving van.

He jailed him for 75 weeks and he was banned from driving for three years on his release. He must pass an extended retest before he can drive again.

Judge Hatton reminded the court that the maximum penalty for dangerous driving is ‘but two years’ imprisonment.

Mitchell was sentenced on a video link to HMP Leeds where he was remanded awaiting sentence.

William Wilson, pictured (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

A ‘TOOLED UP’ drug dealer caught with £9,000 in cash, expensive jewellery and a Rolex watch was jailed for three years and four months.

William Wilson had a sword and a machete at his home when the police searched it more than three years ago, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Wilson, 28, of Rillington Mead, Greengates, Bradford, pleaded guilty to offering to supply cocaine and cannabis and possession of cannabis with intent to supply over a period of almost 12 months.

His home was searched on May 13, 2019, and the sword, machete and cash were seized along with thousands of pounds worth of jewellery, the watch, scales, dealer bags and cannabis.

His barrister, Laura McBride, said the offences were more than three years ago and Wil-son had since turned his life around.

He had stable accommodation and had stopped misusing drugs. He had sought treat-ment for his anxiety and he was now a hardworking member of the community.

He was aged 24 and 25 when he was selling drugs to fund his own habit.

But Judge Ahmed Nadim said: “The supply of Class A drugs ruins lives and blights com-munities.”

Wilson had been ‘tooled up’ with weapons that went with that lifestyle.

He had five previous convictions for six offences, but nothing that involved drugs.

Judge Nadim said Wilson had found himself at a low ebb and engaged in the escalating use of drugs before getting involved in their supply.

He had inflicted on others the misery that had caused his own downfall at the time.

The watch and jewellery showed that he had wanted to live beyond his means.

He was now remorseful and had made changes in his life that boded well for the future.

But Judge Nadim said he had to sentence him within the framework of the guidelines for Class A drug dealing that indicated a starting point of four-and-a-half years.

Wilson had offended over about a year and there were two types of drugs involved, co-caine and cannabis.

But the offences were more than three years ago and he had demonstrated remorse and that he could lead a law-abiding life.

He was jailed for a total of 40 months and told he will serve half of that before he is re-leased on licence.

Connor Dewhirst (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

AN armed robber was jailed for four years for holding a knife to the cheek of a terrified taxi driver.

Bradford Crown Court heard that the unsuspecting victim had driven to School Close in Halifax at about 9am on April 2, 2022 in order to pick up three men including 27-year-old Connor Dewhirst.

Prosecutor Laura McBride told the court that Dewhirst got in the front passenger seat while the other two men, including one holding a beer bottle, got in the back of the taxi.

“Suddenly the defendant produced a knife, placed it on his cheek, demanded money and threatened to kill him,” said Miss McBride.

“He continued to hold the knife to his cheek and caused a small cut.”

Fortunately the taxi driver did not have his seatbelt on and he was able to get out the taxi and shout for help.

Two female witnesses alerted the police and Dewhirst eventually fled with some cash and a PDA system worth £150.

The taxi driver later picked out Dewhirst during an identification procedure and in his victim impact statement he described how the attack had left him suffering nightmares for months.

Miss McBride said the complainant had been unable to sleep and he had taken three weeks off work.

During the incident the taxi had rolled backwards into a garage and the repair bill was put at £1,200.

Dewhirst, of Plymouth Grove, Halifax, pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a bladed article.

Barrister Charles Blatchford, for Dewhirst, said his client had suffered PTSD after seeing a cellmate self-harming while he was serving a jail sentence in 2019.

He said Dewhirst had been “self-medicating” with alcohol and drugs and the night before the robbery he had consumed significant amounts in the company of two older men.

But he said Dewhirst was now making determined efforts to turn his life around and he was not someone without hope.

In a letter he read to the judge himself, Dewhirst expressed his remorse for the offence and blamed the “cocktail” of drugs and alcohol for his out of character behaviour.

“I am deeply sorry for my actions,” he said.

Judge Ahmed Nadim told Dewhirst that people like taxi drivers provided an important and valuable public service and they were vulnerable to such attacks.

“Therefore it is in the public policy interest that sentences be passed that are designed to protect such vulnerable victims.” he said.

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