As a news outlet responsible for holding authority to account, our reporters also have to sit in court and hear details of crimes committed by people from across East Lancashire, to ensure justice is served in an open and honest way.
While some of the details may not make easy hearing for our reporters, you - our loyal readers - spend a lot of time perusing over our court stories, with some being read thousands and thousands of times due to either the severe or shocking nature of the case, or because of its high profile.
Over the next two days we’ll bring you the most read court stories of 2023, staring today, with January through to June.
January:
Blackburn boy beaten by parents and brother after coming out
Back in January the courts heard how a 16-year-old boy was beaten by his parents and his elder brother after coming out as gay.
Blackburn Magistrates' Court was told how his parents told him he "could be changed" and enlisted the help of his older brother.
In a victim impact statement the boy, who is of South Asian heritage and cannot be identified for legal reasons, but is from Blackburn, said he was scared for his life at the time of the incidents.
He feared his family would continue to use violence towards him if he hadn’t moved away from the area, the court was told.
Full story here: Blackburn boy beaten by parents and brother after coming out
Burnley woman who 'pretended to be doctor paid £1m by NHS'
Meanwhile, in the same month, Manchester Crown Court heard how a woman from Burnley was branded a “most accomplished fraudster” when she was paid more than £1million by the NHS after forging a degree certificate and pretending to be a qualified doctor.
Zholia Alemi, of Plumbe Street, Burnley, worked as a psychiatrist after claiming to have qualified at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, a trial at Manchester Crown Court was told.
She denied 20 offences, including forgery and fraud.
Opening the case, Christopher Stables, prosecuting, said: “To put it bluntly, the defendant is a fraud.
Full story here: Burnley woman who 'pretended to be doctor paid £1m by NHS'
February:
Burnley accountant spent £250k of work's money on prostitutes
In February, Preston Crown Court heard how an accountant stole more than a quarter of a million pounds from his employers, spending the money on prostitutes, hotel stays, laptops and work on his own home.
Darren Parker, 43, started working for a company called Stortec Engineering Ltd in 2018 and almost immediately began a “catastrophic fall” from grace as he started to transfer and withdraw money from the company into his own accounts, to the tune of £255,304.84.
Parker, of Barley Grove, Burnley, made bank transfers between March 15, 2018, and June 16, 2020, amounting to £181,596.83.
Full story here: Burnley accountant spent £250k of work's money on prostitutes
Darwen drugs gang leaders sentenced to more than 20 years
Also in February, six members of an organised crime group who controlled the production, supply and importation of hundreds of kilos of amphetamine and cannabis from a warehouse in Darwen were jailed for more than 35 years.
Ex-Royal Marine, Sam Stone, alongside his partner in crime, Zac Deaffern, was involved in the supply and production of more than 200kg of amphetamine and 400kg of cannabis, with the pair using accomplices John Rowe, Phillip Alderson, Dexter Ryan and Joshua Main to help import the cannabis into the UK from Italy and other areas of Europe.
Full story here: Darwen drugs gang leaders sentenced to more than 20 years
March:
Five fined £20k for demolishing Punch Bowl and ordered to rebuild pub
In March, five people were ordered to pay a total of nearly £70,000 after illegally demolishing the Punch Bowl Inn - and were also told to rebuild the pub within a year.
Ribble Valley Borough Council, which brought the case to court, said the grade II listed pub on Longridge Road, Hurst Green, was razed to the ground unlawfully on June 15, 2021.
A trial last year at Burnley Magistrates' Court, found Andrew Donelan, 61, Nicola Donelan, 59, and Rebecca Donelan, 29, all of Carr Hall, Whalley New Road, Wilpshire; David Cotterell, 58, of Percliff Way, Philips Road, Blackburn; and Brian Ingleby, 70, Hollowhead Avenue, Wilpshire, unlawfully demolished the pub.
Full story here: Five fined £20k for demolishing Punch Bowl and ordered to rebuild pub
Blackburn drug dealers jailed for heroin and cocaine conspiracy
Later in March, three drug dealers from the same family who operated a drugs line using various different hire cars for around six weeks, selling heroin and cocaine to users in Blackburn were jailed for a total of more than 15 years
Brothers Atiq Ashraf, 33, and Tussif Ashraf, 36, and their cousin Asraar Ali, 32, were all working for the ‘Immy’ drugs line, ending 1181, from May to June last year, before being caught by police, Preston Crown Court heard.
The court was told Atiq Ashraf was the main person responsible for the ‘Immy’ line and would send out regular ‘batch texts’ to drug users, and take orders for different amounts of heroin and cocaine, before directing Tussif Ashraf and Ali to deliver and drop off the drugs at various locations in Blackburn.
Full story here: Blackburn drug dealers jailed for heroin and cocaine conspiracy
April:
Fake clothing boss from Lancashire convicted of £150m fraud
In April, the mastermind of a fake designer clothing scam was convicted of one of the UK’s largest ever carousel tax frauds.
Sock manufacturer Arif Patel, 55, of Preston, and his criminal gang tried to steal £97million through VAT repayment claims on false exports of textiles and mobile phones.
They also imported and sold counterfeit clothes that would have been worth at least £50 million, had they been genuine. The proceeds were used to buy property across Preston and London through offshore bank accounts.
Full story here: Fake clothing boss from Lancashire convicted of £150m fraud
Father spat in face of Mount Carmel High School deputy head
Meanwhile, at Preston Crown Court, it was heard a ‘volatile’ father spat in the face of a deputy headteacher after his son was expelled from school.
Jonathan Semain, 51, had been called into Mount Carmel School in Accrington to have a meeting with the headteacher and deputy headteacher regarding his child.
Alex Beevers, prosecuting, said Semain’s son had previously been temporarily excluded from the school.
Headteacher Xavier Bowers and deputy head Paul Dugdale called Semain in for a meeting to talk about his son's reintroduction to the school.
Full story here: Father spat in face of Mount Carmel High School deputy head
May:
Arif Patel, from Lancashire was sentenced to 20 years
In April we told you how two men involved in one of the UK’s largest ever carousel tax frauds were convicted, with that being our most read story court story of the month.
It’s no surprise then, that when they were sentenced to a combined total of 31 years in jail in May, the story was widely read.
Sock manufacturer Arif Patel, 55, formerly of Preston but now of Dubai, was sentenced in his absence to 20 years behind bars, while co-accused Mohamed Jaffar Ali, 59, also of Dubai, was also sentenced in his absence to 11 years in jail.
A joint HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Lancashire Police investigation found Arif Patel and his criminal gang tried to steal £97million through VAT repayment claims on false exports of textiles and mobile phones.
Full story here: Arif Patel, from Lancashire was sentenced to 20 years
Blackburn women sentenced for perverting course of justice
In that same month, two women who knowingly provided false names in their response to speeding tickets received sentences totalling more than two years.
Hajrah Jahan, 27, was charged with two counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and one count of perverting the course of justice, while Aneesa Ramzan, 30, was charged with one count of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Jahan pled guilty to the three offences if February. Ramzan was convicted of her count after a trial.
Full story here: Blackburn women sentenced for perverting course of justice
June:
Man blamed for costing Blackburn Rovers play-offs given ban
Mid-year saw two completely different court stories resonate with readers.
First, the man widely blamed for costing Blackburn Rovers a play-off spot and the chance of a £100million Premier League place was banned from all football grounds for five years.
A hearing at Blackburn Magistrates' Court viewed video footage of Carl Hayes running on the pitch at Deepdale - home ground of Preston North End - in the dying seconds of the Championship game between Preston and Blackburn Rovers on April 22
At the time of his invasion, Blackburn held a 1-0 lead over their Lancashire rivals.
Full story here: Man blamed for costing Blackburn Rovers play-offs given ban
Blackburn woman guilty over horrific Bully Kutta dog attack
A woman was found guilty of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control after it caused serious injuries to another dog walker.
Ashiya Hussain, 32, pleaded not guilty to the charge at a previous hearing and maintained that plea ahead of the hearing at Burnley Magistrates Court on Wednesday, May 31.
The victim, 60-year-old Donna Ormerod, was savagely attacked by the dog, a Bully Kutta, when she was out walking her own pets in Preston Old Road, Feniscowles.
She suffered life-changing injuries to her leg during the incident and had to undergo surgery and rehabilitation
Full story here: Blackburn woman guilty over horrific Bully Kutta dog attack
Keep an eye out tomorrow for our round up of the most read court stories from July to December.
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