Among those facing justice were a paedophile who downloaded hundreds of child abuse images, a violent thug who attacked his girlfriend when she returned home later than he demanded, and two drug dealers caught with thousands of pounds worth of illegal substances at Leeds Festival.
The criminals all appeared before judges in the city, with jail sentences ranging from just a few months up to several years.
7. Richard Lister
Richard Lister, 32, a convicted paedophile, was jailed after he was found to be staying with a woman and her children under an assumed identity. He gave her the fake name after meeting online and failing to tell her about his sordid past. Lister, from Wakefield, is subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and is on the sex offender register until 2029. He admitted breaching the SHPO and the terms of the register, and was jailed for 14 months. Photo: Adobestock
8. Cocaine gang
Top from left, Mccauley Barron, Karim Hamad and Martin Loveridge. Bottom from left, Zachary Snellgrove and David Reynolds. This reckless cocaine gang incriminated themselves by boasting over phone messages about “moving kilogrammes over the years” and spending thousands on luxury holidays. After police raided the home of former Rugby League player Mccauley Barron, 27, a network of criminals was toppled. They found phones with messages about buying and selling the drug in bulk. Barron admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine. The other four also admitted charges, including Karim Hamad, 25, of Hyde Park Road, who was described in court as a “wholesaler” who dealt in large quantities, Martin Loveridge, 30, who was found with bags of cocaine at his home in Spen Green in West Park, Zachary Snellgrove, 29, of Benson Gardens, Wortley, who was found with £6k in cash at his home, and David Reynolds, 53, of Clayton Court, West Park, who was found with dealer bags. Hamad and Barron were jailed for five years and seven months each, Loveridge for four years and 11 months, Snellgrove for four years and nine months and Reynolds for three years and two months. Photo: West Yorkshire Police/PA
9. Nico Lugini
Nico Lugini, 50, attacked his girlfriend when she returned from a hen party after midnight, having demanded she be home by 9.30pm. He has a long history of violence and accused the woman of cheating on him. Lugini pinned her down on a bed with both hands around her neck and squeezed, leaving her “gasping for air”. After letting go, he slapped her and twice slammed her head against a wall. He has 13 previous convictions for 37 offences spanning nearly 30 years including kidnapping, robbery, ABH, threats to kill and battery. Lugini was given an extended sentence of three years and nine months, which includes 21 months’ jail, with a two-year extended licence period. Photo: West Yorkshire Police/National World
10. Corin Armitage and Cody Harper
Corin Armitage, 20, left, and Cody Harper, 18, were caught with thousands of pounds of drugs at the Leeds Festival. They both had large amounts of cocaine, MDMA and ketamine valued at between £6,000 and £7,000.They each admitted two counts of dealing in Class A drugs, one of Class B, and possessing criminal property. Armitage also admitted a charge of affray after becoming involved in a brawl in a Barnsley nightclub in November 2022, in which a man was left with three fractures to his face. Armitage, of New Street, Barnsley, was given three years’ detention in a young offender institute. Harper, of William Street, Barnsley, was given 30 months in a young offender institute. Photo: West Yorkshire Police
11. Steven Regan
Steven Regan, 46, broke into the same Leeds business twice, just days apart. The burglar and drug addict broke into Face Perfect Clinic, in Park Square, earlier this year stealing around £5k worth of items, including iPads. But a tracker took the owner right to Regan’s address in Kingston Terrace. Having been arrested, interviewed and bailed, he went back to the shop just nine days later and broke in again, taking another £3.5k worth of equipment. Then, in October, he broke into Leeds Mathematics School, in Albion Street, taking items of an unknown value. Regan admitted three counts of non-dwelling burglary. He has 25 previous convictions for theft and similar offences. Regan was jailed for 15 months. Photo: West Yorkshire Police/National World