William Joyce (left) was found guilty of murdering Darren Leach (right) in his own home, having bullied him for money. While Mr Leach died as a direct result of a fire, reports found that he had suffered significant injuries prior to death, including a broken neck and voice box - consistent with being strangled - and abrasions to his eye and face. Joyce was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years.placeholder image
William Joyce (left) was found guilty of murdering Darren Leach (right) in his own home, having bullied him for money. While Mr Leach died as a direct result of a fire, reports found that he had suffered significant injuries prior to death, including a broken neck and voice box - consistent with being strangled - and abrasions to his eye and face. Joyce was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. | WYP

37 abhorrent criminals locked up in Leeds in November including Darren Leach's killer

Alex Grant
By Alex Grant

Senior Reporter

Published 1st Dec 2025, 16:30 GMT

Here are 37 abhorrent criminals who were locked up in Leeds last month.

They included a man jailed for life after being convicted of the murder of Darren Leach in Leeds.

Also locked up at Leeds Crown Court during November was an evil teacher who filmed and sexually abused young girls at a Leeds primary school.

Here are the names and faces of 37 criminals who appeared before judges at Leeds Crown Court during November.

Drug addicts Lee Wass, 35, James Greenway, 34, and Ricky Stewart, 28, were jailed after a father and son in Pontefract were left “fearing for their life” after the armed trio kicked down the front door armed with a knife, scissors and a kettle. Wass was sentenced to 10 years for two separate robberies, while Greenway and Stewart received six years and nine months and six years.

25. Lee Wass, James Greenway, Ricky Stewart

Drug addicts Lee Wass, 35, James Greenway, 34, and Ricky Stewart, 28, were jailed after a father and son in Pontefract were left “fearing for their life” after the armed trio kicked down the front door armed with a knife, scissors and a kettle. Wass was sentenced to 10 years for two separate robberies, while Greenway and Stewart received six years and nine months and six years. | WYP

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Career burglar Michael Swanson who began breaking into homes at the age of 15 has been jailed again after targeting 10 homes in a frenzied spree. While he was unable to gain access to most, Swanson was able to steal cars from the driveway of two homes and used stolen bank cards from one break-in to buy goods in Leeds city centre. He was jailed for seven years.

26. Michael Swanson

Career burglar Michael Swanson who began breaking into homes at the age of 15 has been jailed again after targeting 10 homes in a frenzied spree. While he was unable to gain access to most, Swanson was able to steal cars from the driveway of two homes and used stolen bank cards from one break-in to buy goods in Leeds city centre. He was jailed for seven years. | WYP / NW

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24-year-old Chinese national Heyi Quan was handed a lengthy jail sentence of 11 years and four months at Leeds Crown Court after imprisoning, beating and raping a girl at the Hilton Hotel in Leeds. He also tried to blackmail the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, into giving him thousands of pounds. He was put on the sex offender register for life.

27. Heyi Quan

24-year-old Chinese national Heyi Quan was handed a lengthy jail sentence of 11 years and four months at Leeds Crown Court after imprisoning, beating and raping a girl at the Hilton Hotel in Leeds. He also tried to blackmail the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, into giving him thousands of pounds. He was put on the sex offender register for life. | WYP / Google Maps

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Drug dealing duo Joshua Shand, 35, and Sufiyan Ali, 23, were both jailed at Leeds Crown Court after reaching speeds of 70mph while attempting to flee from police in Leeds. Shand was sentenced to five years and 11 months in jail, and handed a driving ban of seven and half years, with an extended test at the end of it. Ali was sentenced to two years and nine months.

28. Joshua Shand and Sufiyan Ali

Drug dealing duo Joshua Shand, 35, and Sufiyan Ali, 23, were both jailed at Leeds Crown Court after reaching speeds of 70mph while attempting to flee from police in Leeds. Shand was sentenced to five years and 11 months in jail, and handed a driving ban of seven and half years, with an extended test at the end of it. Ali was sentenced to two years and nine months. | WYP

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Corey Furey, 28, filmed himself raping a 22-year-old Leeds student, while on bail for the rape of a child. Videos showed him raping the girl, who was “clearly intoxicated and struggling to stand,” from behind. Judge Clark told Furey he posed a “significant” reoffending risk to the public. He handed him a custodial sentence of seven years, to run consecutively with his existing 11 year sentence for child sex offences.

29. Corey Furey

Corey Furey, 28, filmed himself raping a 22-year-old Leeds student, while on bail for the rape of a child. Videos showed him raping the girl, who was “clearly intoxicated and struggling to stand,” from behind. Judge Clark told Furey he posed a “significant” reoffending risk to the public. He handed him a custodial sentence of seven years, to run consecutively with his existing 11 year sentence for child sex offences. | WYP

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