Despite the well-documented lack of prison space, judges at Leeds Crown Court have had little choice but to dish out some of the harshest penalties to the most hardened of criminals over the last 12 months.
Brutal murderers, sick killers and devious paedophiles make up the lengthiest of spells behinds bars, with some destined not to taste freedom for the next 20 or maybe 30 years.
In some cases, these despised criminals will no doubt die behind bars - but few will shed a tear.
From a 34-year jail term for a double murder, to sex offenders whose sordid past caught up with them years later, here are a selection of some of the most depraved and outright dangerous criminals from the past 12 months.
And justice will undoubtedly continue to be served as 2025 ticks over, and a new batch of criminals have their day in court.
1. Bardia Shojaeifard
Bardia Shojaeifard, 15, (pictured left) was told he must serve at least 13 years behind bars of a life sentence after murdering teenager Alfie Lewis in November 2023. Leeds Crown Court heard that he had carried a kitchen knife around all day intending to attack 15-year-old Alfie (pictured right) outside a school in Horsforth. (from June 2024) | West Yorkshire Police/SWNS Photo: West Yorkshire Police/SWNS
2. Lisa Ellwood
Lisa Ellwood (pictured left) was convicted of murdering her husband Ryan (pictured right) after a drunken row at their Wakefield home in August 2022. She was told she must serve at least 16 years behind bars after picking up the kitchen knife from a drawer and "plunging" it into his chest. (from March 2024) | WYP Photo: wyp
3. Riggon, Bryant and Jeffers
The three men were told they must serve at least 27 years of a life sentence after the murder of 19-year-old Emmanuel Nyabako in Chapeltown in August 2023. Riggon (left), Bryant (middle) and Jeffers (right) stabbed him to death on Francis Street in a revenge killing for an earlier shooting. (from August 2024) | West Yorkshire Police
4. Mark Metcalfe
Mark Metcalfe (pictured left) was found guilty of manslaughter after he callously killed a woman, stashed her in a wheelie bin and then dumped her decaying remains outside Asda in Harehills. The body of Teresa Jordan (pictured right) was so badly decomposed it proved impossible to clarify her cause of death. Metcalfe was given a 17-year sentence. (from November 2024) | West Yorkshire Police/National World/Google
5. Jonathon Hopkinson
Jonathon Hopkinson, 36, was jailed for eight years after he admitted causing death by dangerous driving, serious injury by dangerous driving and drink-driving. He ploughed head-on into a car driven by Alice Birchall on Manston Lane in Cross Gates in June 2022 while travelling at speeds of possibly up to 118mph. (from June 2024) | West Yorkshire Police Photo: West Yorkshire Police
6. Macfarlane
Hayley Macfarlane in court and the park cordoned off in the hours after the tragic death of the five-month-old youngster. (pics by Elizabeth Cook/PA and National World) | Elizabeth Cook/PA and National World