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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Adam Everett

Killers, crime family boss and Facebook perv among 14 crooks jailed this week

The boss of a notorious crime family, a sex offender chef and a robber who killed a dad for his Rolex watch were among the Merseyside criminals jailed this week.

Also locked up were a daughter and dad who stabbed a man and bit his face as he lay unconscious in the street. Meanwhile, Liverpool Crown Court heard that a BMW driver was travelling at nearly double the speed limit when he ran over and killed a pensioner.

Here are the faces of 14 criminals from our region who were imprisoned in the past week:

READ MORE: Killer sobs as she's found guilty of murdering 'drinking partner' pushed down stairs

Damola Olateju

Damola Olateju, 37, who was jailed for attempting to rape a woman after a party at a flat (Cheshire Police)

A dad filmed himself trying to rape a woman as she pleaded "no" and "get off me".

Damola Olateju may have got away with the shocking attack had detectives not extracted the damning video from his mobile phone. The 37-year-old was found guilty of attempted rape and jailed for five years.

Jason McGuire

Jason McGuire (Merseyside Police)

A man who killed a dog walker was driving almost double the speed limit.

Alan Williams, 74, and his pet dog Sam both suffered “multiple and catastrophic injuries” when they were hit by 33-year-old Jason McGuire's BMW. The crash occurred at 5.45pm on November 23 2020 on Childwall Valley Road

The driver was travelling at 58mph at the point of collision, despite the 30mph speed limit. Mr Williams' son then received an alert via his Apple watch telling him his father had a “hard fall” and rushed to the scene, discovering what had happened.

McGuire pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. He was sentenced to five years and six months in prison

Jordan Short

Jordan Short has been jailed (GMP)

A drug dealer who took part in a horrific gang attack to steal a Rolex watch from a dad has been jailed.

Jordan Short, of Rushey Hey Road, Kirkby, was 19 when he took part in the killing of joiner Steven McMyler, a 34-year-old father of two young children, in the grounds of Wigan Parish Church on August 6, 2020. Now 21, Short was jailed for 13 years for his part in the crime on Tuesday.

Moments after he was sentenced, a member of the McMyler family left the public gallery from which there was no view of the dock to go into the courtroom to shout 'f***ing rat!' at Short. He was ordered to leave the court.

Robert Youds

Robert Youds (Merseyside Police)

A pervert claimed his friends had sent a string of lewd messages to a girl from his Facebook account in a "practical joke" after being caught in a paedophile hunter sting.

Robert Youds told the supposed 13-year-old she was "stunning" and asked to have a bath with her during the sickening chats. But, unbeknown to him, he was actually messaging a decoy account set up as part of an online ruse - and was ultimately dobbed in by his own mum.

Youds admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child. He was jailed for 27 months.

Paul Whitney

Paul Whitney, 44, of Clocktower Drive in Walton (Merseyside Police)

The leader of a notorious crime family ranted "it's a f***ing joke that" at a judge after he jailed him for nearly 15 years.

Paul Whitney was previously locked up as the ringleader of the Whitney gang, a family drugs ring which flooded the city's streets with heroin and crack cocaine.

He is now back behind bars once again after being identified as the man who peddled class A and B substances using the handle "BulletHawk" on the encrypted communications platform EncroChat. And his angry outburst in the dock reflected similar comments he made when police raided his home on his 43rd birthday.

Whitney told officers "it's my birthday, this is a joke" as they arrested him while executing a search warrant. He admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin, ketamine and cannabis and conspiracy to launder money and was jailed for 14 years and nine months

Paul Blackhurst

Paul Blackhurst, 28 years, from Litherland, may be able to help with enquiries after an assault which took place in Litherland in December 2021 (Merseyside Police)

A man used a sharpened dog tag to slash his uncle’s face after a fight in a pub.

Paul Blackhurst, of Knowles Street, Wigan, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday after attacking his uncle following an argument in the pub. On December 18, 2021, the 29-year-old joined his family at a party at the Jubilee Inn, in Litherland, where his uncle, William Lloyd, was also present.

The pair had a prolonged verbal altercation at the party at around 11pm, which resulted in Blackhurst striking Mr Lloyd in the face with the sharpened edge of a dog tag. He pleaded guilty to wounding with intent, and was sentenced to three years and nine months in jail.

Thomas Goodier

Thomas Goodier (25), of St Helens, was jailed for 20 years after being found guilty of two counts of rape committed in North Wales (North Wales Police)

A man has been jailed for 20 years after raping a woman.

Thomas Goodier, 25, from St Helens appeared in Caernarfon Crown Court on Wednesday, December 14, where he was found guilty of two counts of rape committed in North Wales. One of those counts referred to multiple offences committed over a period of time.

Goodier was jailed for 20 years, with an extended license of seven years.

Gary Simpson

Gary Simpson (Cheshire Police)

A cruel robber snatched cash from the hands of a man who was about to have his beloved dog put down.

Gary Simpson followed his victim out of a shop after he had used its cash machine to withdraw hundreds of pounds in order pay vets bills for the heart-wrenching procedure, then callously stole these monies. Later the same day, he robbed a supermarket at knifepoint - causing the woman working behind the till to start sleepwalking.

The 37-year-old then appeared holding a packet of Poppets which he seemed to be wishing to purchase at the counter of a nearby Heron Foods store. He instead shoved her over, at which point she saw that he was brandishing a knife with a curved blade of around five inches in length, and stole £50 from the till.

Simpson admitted robbery, theft and possession of a bladed article in a public place. He was jailed for 56 months.

Nathan Sweeney

Clifford McNamee, 47, of Rusland Road, Kirkby and Nathan Sweeney, 46, of Fern Close, Kirkby, were involved in a large-scale conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Sweeney, with the EncroChat handle "RigidForce", and McNamee, who went by "CliffsHard", each owned an encrypted device and were identified based on images and messages sent. Sweeney was sentenced to ten years and one month imprisonment, and McNamee was sentenced to nine years and one month.

Phillip Lam

Phillip Lam (Merseyside Police)

A wanted fraudster fled the country and remained at large for nearly two years before being arrested after a car crash in Spain.

Phillip Lam went on the run before he was due to be sentenced for stealing the details of more than 1,000 credit cards to book flights and hotels in a scam worth in the region of a million pounds. He was able to fund a lavish lifestyle on the back of his deception, which left his victims significantly out of pocket and businesses on the brink of bankruptcy.

The 31-year-old - of no fixed address, but from Dingle - failed to appear for his sentencing in March 2021, having been released on bail after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud. The swindler was handed four years and nine months behind bars in his absence.

But Lam appeared in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday after being extradited back to the UK. He was detained on an international arrest warrant in Marbella at around 2.30am on November 6 this year following a collision, after which he attempted to resist Spanish police officers.

Lam arrived back into the country at Gatwick Airport on Wednesday night with the assistance of Interpol and the National Crime Agency. He admitted breaching bail the following day and was handed an additional two months behind bars.

Peter Wright

Peter Wright (Merseyside Police)

A top chef shook his head and smirked as he was finally brought to justice for sexually abusing young girls.

Peter Wright, who has worked in some of the city's most highly-regarded restaurants and been hired to cater for private clients abroad, "poisoned" his two victims - leaving them "devastated". Despite this, he has shown an "utter disregard" for his vile crimes and "does not seem to care" for the impact on their lives.

A trial at Liverpool Crown Court previously heard that the now 31-year-old, of Old Swan, repeatedly targeted them when they were aged as young as 12 during the noughties. Wright, who was also a juvenile at the time, also tried to rape one of the girls on one occasion.

Wright was convicted of attempted rape and eight counts of sexual assault by a jury. He was jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Kristofer Mason

Kristofer Mason (Merseyside Police)

The dad and a mysterious figure known only as "Rock Forever" sat at the top of a lucrative heroin and cocaine ring.

Kristofer Mason used the handle "AtomHawk" as he discussed the importation of class A drugs on encrypted communication platform EncroChat. But he was eventually ensnared at an airport as he prepared to board a flight out of the UK.

The 44-year-old "organised the adulteration and supply" of kilo quantities of drugs throughout the country in partnership with fellow user "RockForever" - who has not yet been identified. They had a network of couriers with vehicles boasting hides to stow illicit substances in and used taxi drivers to transport commodities during lockdown.

Mason admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine and cannabis. He was jailed for 13 years and four months.

Nathan Nash

Nathan Nash assaulted a woman after following her onto a train (Merseyside Police)

The “danger to young women” sexually assaulted a woman on a train and returned to the scene to find her again.

The victim managed to record pervert Nathan Nash, of Ribblesdale Close, Eastham, as he told her he was "horny" and rubbed her thigh on the Merseyrail service. The 30-year-old the followed her to her place of work before waiting for her at the train station after her shift ended.

He admitted sexual assault and was jailed for a year.

Hollie Griffin

Hollie Griffin (Merseyside Police)

A woman repeatedly stabbed a man in the legs before her dad bit his face as he lay unconscious then viciously booted him in the head.

Paul Griffin knocked the victim out after the first blow had been swung at him outside his daughter's home. But the railway worker then began raining a flurry of sickening blows down on Gareth Rowlands' face while he was lying motionless in the street.

At the same, Hollie Griffin hacked at his legs with a kitchen knife - which her father had been using to cook a roast dinner only minutes before. Paul Griffin finished off the shocking assault - which was caught on camera - by sinking his teeth into Mr Rowlands' face, smashing his head into the floor and kicking him so hard that his flip flop flew off.

Both Griffins admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a bladed article in a public place. Hollie Griffin was jailed for 40 months, with Paul handed six years.

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