Bradford Crown Court: Here's who was jailed this week

A SERIAL burglar who climbed in through a window at night to rape a sleeping woman has been labelled a public danger and given an extended prison sentence totalling 19 years.

Mark Winterburn, 33, of Kirklands Close, Yeadon, was convicted by a jury at Bradford Crown Court of the ‘dreadful incident’.

The trial judge, Recorder Richard Woolfall, sentenced him to 14 years in jail with a five-year extended licence period.

He will serve at least two thirds of the custodial term before he can even be considered for release by the Parole Board.

Winterburn, a drug and alcohol abuser, was on licence at the time and had preyed on vulnerable victims in the past, the judge said.

He had experience of entering properties as a burglar and had got into the woman’s home uninvited through a window at night.

She was very intoxicated after previously not drinking for some considerable time and had woken to find Winterburn raping her. She had pushed him off and spoke in her victim personal statement of feeling vulnerable, dirty and shaken.

She was constantly on edge afterwards and had felt unsafe even though she knew Winterburn was in HMP Leeds on remand.

She had depression and anxiety and used taxis instead of public transport because she was scared.

Prosecutor Brian Russell said Winterburn had previous convictions for house burglary.

He was on licence at the time after he was jailed following an offence in which he burgled an elderly lady after dozing off in her bed next to her. He had forced his way into her home while under the influence of drugs and alcohol before making off with some cash.

He then targeted another elderly victim by throwing a rock through her window and burgling the address.

Winterburn’s barrister David Hall said that the rape offence was ‘ad hoc, drunken and chaotic.’ Winterburn had led a lonely and dissolute life with a long-standing drug addiction since suffering a tragic family bereavement.

He behaved well in custody when away from drink and drugs and had engaged with mental health services while in prison.

Recorder Woolfall said Winterburn got into the woman’s address uninvited through the window when she was intoxicated and asleep.

She was considerably distressed but now more positive after the jury’s guilty verdict, knowing that she was now safe. When sober there was a different side to Winterburn, but when in drink he ‘behaved as he wished.’ He had experience of entering properties uninvited as a burglar and although he had no previous convictions for sexual offences, he had preyed on vulnerable victims before. This was ‘a dreadful incident,’ the judge said.

Winterburn’s probation officer had concluded that he posed a high risk to vulnerable women. He must sign on the sex offender register for the rest of his life.

A TERRIFIED teenager was bundled into an Audi S3 and made to hand over more than £6,000 after being threatened with being ‘chopped up with a chainsaw,’ Bradford Crown Court heard.

The 18-year-old had a bag forced over his head during the lengthy ordeal in the early hours of February 5 last year when he was ‘sandwiched’ into the back of the car by a group of men and driven to locations in Bradford and Halifax.

Emmanual Sherriff, 26, of Etna Street, Great Horton, Bradford, was jailed for five years and one month after pleading guilty to kidnap, robbery and four counts of fraud in relation to the incident that began in Bradford city centre.

He went to Scotland afterwards and was traced and brought back to West Yorkshire by the police in February this year.

Prosecutor Camille Morland said the victim began chatting to a young woman on Snapchat in late January last year.

On February 4, they met up in Bradford city centre and went to a pub and a nightclub. They were in Sackville Street at 2am when they encountered Sherriff who was known to them.

He was curious about their relationship and being nosey, Miss Morland said.

Sherriff became angry and punched the teenager three or four times in the face.

He then took his phone and scrolled through it. The victim snatched it back and was chased by Sherriff and went to the ground.

Two other males arrived in a blue Audi S3 and the teenager was punched and knocked over and then put or pushed into the back of the car. He was lying on his back and a black bag was put over his head.

He was driven to a warehouse some minutes away where three more men became involved. He was ‘sandwiched’ in the Audi and driven through roller doors to another location.

He was still hooded and repeated demands for money were made by one of the kidnappers. He demanded £5,000 or the teenager would be ‘chopped up with a chainsaw.’

He was terrified, Miss Morland said.

He was robbed of his wallet, keys, driving licence and bank card.

In all, £6,100 was taken from his accounts after he was moved into the back of a Nissan Micra and driven around until 9am.

He was taken to Mixenden and then to Queensbury where he was threatened again and told to tell the bank the money was for a new car.

The teenager was dropped off in Park Lane in Queensbury and told to count to a minute. He then took off the bag, went home and the police were alerted.

He had abrasions and bruising to his face, grazed arms, a cut to his thumb and grazed knees.

The court heard that three males had each been jailed for 51 months for their involvement and two others had not been identified.   

The victim personal statement spoke of the profound effect on the 18-year-old.

He was now afraid to leave his home and he felt so insecure that alarms were provided for himself and his family members. His physical injuries took up to three weeks to heal.

Defence barrister, Rodney Ferm, said ‘a small guy’ was responsible for demanding the money and making the chainsaw threat. He took the lead in the intimidation and Sherriff could not have foreseen how events would develop after the kidnap.

He came from a loving and decent family who were very supportive. He had been in regular work in the security business but that was now forever closed to him.

Sherriff was in a relationship with a woman from Scotland and he was the father of a son. He saw his future in that country with his partner and child.

The offending was ‘a one-off occasion,’ Mr Ferm said.

Judge Jonathan Gibson said it was a serious case and Sherriff had played a significant role in it.

He believed the victim was in a relationship with a girlfriend of his. He took his phone and examined it and then arranged for his associates to arrive in the Audi.

The teenager was bundled into the car and hooded. He was terrified and threatened by another male with a chainsaw, although none was produced.

“You had the leading role at the start of the incident because you arranged the kidnap but once the victim was in the car, others were equally prominent in the course of the detention and threats,” Judge Gibson said.

He had read letters from Sherriff’s family and colleagues that showed a positive side to him and he had family responsibilities.

TWO burglars who sneaked into a residential home for the elderly at night to force a television off the wall and steal it were jailed at Bradford Crown Court.

Reece Douglas and Naomi Marum also raided bottles of alcohol and raffle prizes out of a storeroom in the foyer area and rooted through drawers.

The court heard that the burglary took place at supported living accommodation for elderly people in Halifax on April 4.

The police then went to Cash Converters in Halifax where Douglas and another male had tried to sell the television set. 

CCTV from the residential home showed the burglars entering the building and Marum was identified.

Douglas, 55, of no fixed address, refused to leave the police cell to answer any questions following his arrest.

Marum, 28, of Brougham Road, Boothtown, Halifax, told officers she went into the home but denied stealing anything.

Both pleaded guilty to the burglary.

Marum also admitted a string of shop thefts in March in breach of a Criminal Behaviour Order (CRIMBO).

She had 32 previous convictions for 77 offences.

Saf Salam, for Douglas, said he had been in custody in HMP Leeds for more than four months. Although he was homeless at the time he now had an address in Halifax.

No one came into the foyer while the burglars were there and thankfully the television was recovered and returned.

Douglas, who was struggling with substance misuse at the time, had 31 previous convictions but just one for burglary.

For Marum, Graham O’Sullivan said she too had been remanded in custody for several months.

Her role in the burglary was peripheral but she conceded that she was part of the enterprise. Since being held on remand in HMP New Hall she was off illegal drugs.

Judge Sophie McKone said it was a very mean burglary from the home of elderly and vulnerable people who would have really valued their television set.

Marum was a prolific shoplifter who was offending in Halifax town centre in March in breach of a CRIMBO banning her from the area.

Douglas was in breach of a community order for driving while disqualified.

Judge McKone said Marum had been in the grip of a drugs addiction. She had suffered a dreadful childhood and had mental health problems.

Douglas was jailed for 20 months.

Marum was sentenced to a total of two years and two months imprisonment.

 

A STALKER who broke into a woman’s home and slept in her bed after she had left the address in fear of him was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

David Collison, 32, of no fixed address, was in breach of his bail after smashing a window with bricks to gain entry to the property while the victim hid upstairs, Bradford Crown Court heard.

He appeared on a video link to HMP Leeds after earlier pleading guilty to stalking, possession of cocaine and using violence to gain entry into premises.

Collison was in breach of a two-year suspended sentence imposed the previous month for assault occasioning actual bodily harm on another former partner.

The court heard that the latest victim had been in a short relationship with him.

He was heavily in drink when he smashed the kitchen window with two bricks to force his way into her Calderdale home. When he heard sirens, he fled with the door keys.

Collison was arrested and found to have cocaine on him.

He was bailed with a condition not to contact the woman.

The court heard that she was too afraid to live in her house so she left to stay elsewhere.

Collison returned to the property, broke in through the boarded-up window he had smashed and slept in her bed. She returned to see footprints and the bed unmade.

He had been seen loitering outside, the court was told.

He made numerous calls to the woman, including 56 in the early hours of one day.

In her victim personal statement, she said she had been affected mentally and emotionally. She didn’t want to go out, couldn’t sleep and was constantly looking over her shoulder.

Collison had two previous convictions for seven offences.

Holly Clegg said in mitigation that he had taken alcohol and cocaine the evening when he smashed the window with bricks and broke in.

The woman had locked him out and he rang her repeatedly because he wanted his things back. He wasn’t thinking straight because of the drugs and alcohol.

Collison had suffered tragic bereavements and made positive steps while in custody to address his substance misuse.

Judge Sophie McKone said he used violence and damage to get back in when asked to leave the woman’s address and was then arrested with cocaine on him.

On bail, he was ‘arrogant and controlling.’ He broke in again and he used her house as his own.

He had committed offences against the woman a very short time after receiving the suspended sentence for domestic violence.

Judge McKone activated it in full, with six months consecutive for the new offences.

She made a restraining order for five years banning Collison from having any contact with the woman.

 

A PERSISTENT drug dealer caught multiple times with crack cocaine and heroin to sell on the streets was jailed for six years.

Israr Ali, 27, of Devonshire Street, Keighley, pleaded guilty to eight offences of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and two of being concerned in their supply.

He gave evidence in a Trial of Issue at Bradford Crown Court after the prosecution refused to accept his basis of plea.

Jeremy Hill-Baker, for the Crown, said Ali was drug dealing on his own account. Significant amounts of money had been found with him when he was arrested.

The prosecutor took issue with the claim that Ali’s only reward was receiving drugs and reducing his debt.

Ali told the court he had been beaten up, stabbed and had his jaw broken after being pressured and threatened over a drugs debt.

He agreed that he had previous convictions and had been jailed in February 2016 for 42 months. He told the court he began using drugs after he was released from that sentence and he was taking crack cocaine and heroin from about 2017.

In 2018/19 he was unemployed and ran up a drugs debt. He was recalled to prison for using heroin while on licence.

Ali said his dealer then caught up with him and demanded payment. He was pressurised and threatened.

“If I don’t do it, he’s going to beat me up,” he said.

He alleged he was beaten up several times and stabbed. He was treated at Leeds General Infirmary and at Bradford.

Mr Hill-Baker accepted that Ali had been attacked and treated in hospital.

Shufqat Khan, Ali’s barrister, said the defendant had intellectual development disorder.

He was extremely suggestible and drug dealers utilised people with that vulnerability.

Judge Sophie McKone said that Ali was dealing for a two-year period from 2020 to 2022.

He was first caught in March 2020 with drugs and cash and then bailed.

In May of that year, he was again found with cocaine and heroin, and in November, 2021, the same thing happened.

In May, 2022, Ali was caught with £14,500 in cash, substantial amounts of drugs and a dealer phone.

Judge McKone accepted that he was pressured and coerced and paid in drugs and for a reduction of his drug debt.

He was of low intelligence and his mother had passed away while he was in custody in HMP Leeds. He was working hard on remand to rid himself of his drug addiction.

But he had chosen to continue to go back out on to the streets time and time again to continue dealing misery, the judge stated.