Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Neil Docking

Racist dentist, cocaine dealer who fought ISIS and rape threat yob jailed this week

These are the faces of 10 criminals locked up for crimes linked to Merseyside this week.

Judges dealt with a racist and antisemitic dentist who threatened to fry a psychologist's brains and cook his children.

They heard about a thief who bashed a brave Co-op worker in the head with a brick, when he tried to stop him shoplifting.

And they listened to details of how a drugged-up yob threatened to rape a police officer, after hurling two knives at a bus.

Meanwhile, a Merseyside dad travelled to Syria to fight against Islamic State, but was jailed for terrorism offences.

Here is an overview of some of the most serious cases to have concluded this week.  

James Vasey and Jason White

James Vasey and Jason White subjected a man to a terrifying ordeal when he was imprisoned in a drugs den.

The victim was locked in a property in Hawthorne Road, Bootle and the pair of thugs demanded money from him.

Kenneth Grant, prosecuting, said the victim, Gareth Murphy, had visited the flat, where drugs were being taken.

Vasey, 37, claimed Mr Murphy had insulted him and that he was entitled to compensation, before demanding £1,000.

He threatened to cut the victim and placed a serrated knife on a table, leading to Mr Murphy trying to persuade his mum to produce the cash.

The court heard White's role was that of a "moody, menacing presence" to prevent the frightened victim from leaving the premises.

Vasey, of Hawthorne Road, Bootle, admitted blackmail, and White, of Camden Street, Liverpool city centre, admitted false imprisonment.

Vasey was jailed for three years and nine months and White for two years and three months.

Jack Deponio

Jack Deponio, 22, of no fixed address, was pinned against a wall by a police car (Liverpool Echo)

Jack Deponio threatened to rape a police officer after hurling two knives at a bus while high on drugs.

Police spotted the yob wielding four kitchen knives - two in each hand - in Laird Street in Birkenhead.

The 22-year-old threw two of the weapons at a passing bus, in front of shocked children and their parents.

Officers in a car drove into the crazed knifeman, of no fixed address, trapping him against a wall and under a wheel.

But he spat in a policeman's mouth, said he would find out where the officer lived, then issued the sinister threat.

An "aggressive" gang then gathered, during ugly scenes on Saturday, September 14 this year, and he spat at another officer.

Mobile phone footage of his arrest, which circulated on Instagram at the time, featured a male shouting "rats" at police.

As Deponio was handcuffed, he shouted over "Dippo, don't worry about it bro," while another youth said: "Dippo, you're a soldier lad."

Deponio was found to have six wraps of cocaine and four wraps of heroin down one of his socks following the 3.30pm incident.

He admitted affray, possession of a bladed article, two counts of assaulting an emergency worker, and possessing Class A drugs.

Deponio was jailed for 10 months.

Dan Zaharia

Dan Zaharia, 59, has been sentenced to 19 months in prison after tormenting a psychologist and his family with a campaign of "extreme" anti-Semitic abuse. (cheshirepolice)

Racist dentist Dan Zaharia threatened to fry a psychologist's brains and cook his children during a campaign of vile antisemitic abuse.

The 59-year-old, of The Deck, Runcorn, tormented psychologist Dr Eli Somer and his family after briefly being his patient in Israel in 1995.

After discharging himself from treatment, the qualified dentist developed delusions that the doctor had "mind-raped" him.

He made calls and left voicemails making threats to murder Dr Somer and his relatives, and threats of sexual violence against his family.

Zaharia’s stalking extended to targeting Dr Somer’s elderly parents, who had survived the Holocaust, with antisemitic abuse down the phone.

His "obsessive" abuse included singing Nazi songs to Dr Somer, threatening to "strangle" him, kill his family, and harm his granddaughter.

Crime sentence guidelines

In one disturbing call, Zaharia told Dr Somer’s wife that he would "fry his (her husband's) brains" and "cook his children".

He also threatened to "kill his donkey", and at times sounded as though he was performing a sex act while on the phone.

Zaharia was arrested in 2017 when he turned up at a conference in Switzerland, where the doctor was a guest speaker.

Zaharia’s vile racism was not confined to Jewish people and during one rant he made a sick threat relating to his victim’s "n***** granddaughter".

When arrested, enquiries revealed he was jailed for two months while in the Israeli Army for threatening to kill and rape a dental assistant.

Zaharia admitted malicious communications covering contact from January 1 to November 30 and was jailed for 19 months.

David Bennett

David Bennett, 41, of Livingstone Avenue, Aigburth (Liverpool Echo)

David Bennet bashed a brave Co-op worker in the head with a brick when he tried to stop his persistent shoplifting.

Kevin Cross chased the prolific thief after he stole from his Lark Lane store for the eighth time in just over a month.

But when he cornered the drug addict at a block of flats, Bennett grabbed a half brick and repeatedly lashed out.

The 41-year-old, of Livingston Avenue, Aigburth, left his victim with blood pouring from the back of his head.

Prosecutors said Mr Cross shouted: "Look what's happened! Just give me the bag and I won't phone the police."

However, Christopher Taylor, prosecuting, said: "This defendant replied, quite tellingly, 'I can't. I've got to have it'."

Bennett struck at the supermarket from September 2 to October 4 this year, on one occasion headbutting Mr Cross.

During another incident he struggled with Mr Cross and assaulted him, but the worst came on October 4, at around 1.20pm.

He fled with £60 of meat and was found hiding behind bushes near wheelie bins, at an enclosed courtyard in Bloomfield Court.

Bennett hit his victim three times, which caused him to "bleed considerably", but Mr Cross wrestled the brick off him.

He admitted assault causing actual bodily harm, two common assaults, eight counts of theft, and breaching a conditional discharge.

The crook, who has 33 previous convictions for 72 offences, was jailed for 20 months.

Jason Day

Jason Day, pictured aged 19, of Field Street, Everton, admitted possessing heroin with intent to supply (Liverpool Echo)

Heroin dealer Jason Day spent four years on the run but said he was in Liverpool all along - washing cars and cleaning windows.

Police discovered 187 packages of heroin - worth nearly £2,000 - when they raided Jason Day's home in Field Street, Everton.

They also found £600 hidden in a meter cupboard, tick lists, and scales showing traces of the Class A drug, on July 28, 2014.

Day, then 19, admitted possessing heroin with intent to supply and was granted bail at Liverpool Crown Court on June 5, 2015.

But he failed to turn up for his sentencing a month later on July 9 and was only arrested in Fazakerley on October 25 this year.

Jason Day, 24, of Field Street, Everton, admitted possessing heroin with intent to supply and breach of bail (Liverpool Echo)

The now 24-year-old admitted breaching his bail when he appeared in court again this week, via video link from HMP Altcourse.

Paul Becker, defending, said: "I asked him the most obvious question, 'where have you been for the last four and a half years?'

"He said at his home, in this locality. He's been doing occasional work, cleaning cars, some window cleaning. He's not committed offences.

"When we quickly got to the crucial question of where have you been, the answer was 'I've been scared'."

He was jailed for three years, plus a further three months - to be served consecutively - for breaching his bail.

Aidan James

Aidan James, from Formby (Liverpool Echo)

Formby dad Aidan James travelled to Syria to fight against Islamic State but was jailed for terrorism offences.

The 28-year-old, who was rejected from the British army due to his mental health, was convicted of training in weapons with a banned political organisation.

James had no previous military knowledge when he left the UK to join the war in Syria in 2017 and trained with a group called - the PKK in Iraq. 

The trial at the Old Bailey in London was the first time that a Briton has been tried for travelling to Syria to fight against ISIS.

He had previously told the ECHO that he was willing to die on the frontline against ISIS.

The court heard that Mr James was in contact with the anti-terror Prevent programme before he left Britain to travel to Iraq in August 2017.

He claimed that he was going to Syria to help with "humanitarian aid" and dismissed the claim he was engaging in terrorism as "ridiculous".

Aidan James, from Formby, who has travelled to Syria to fight against IS with the YPG. Pictured here with other members of the group he is fighting with. (Handout)

James said: "Nothing will stop me going, even if you take my passport off me I will still find a way to go.

"I cannot sit at home and watch people getting f***ing butchered because it's another country."

James said he was turned down by Army, RAF, Navy and Territorial Army on mental health grounds.

The dad-of-one then set off for Iraq in August 2017, after his bail was cancelled and his passport was returned.

He wrote in his diary that sitting on a roof with a 50 calibre machine gun was like something out of "Mad Max".

James, who finally returned to Liverpool John Lennon airport on February 14, 2018, was jailed for four years.

He also admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply and possessing cannabis in Formby on April 28, 2017.

Neil McMinn 

Neil McMinn handed himself into police (Merseyside Police)

Convicted drug addict Neil McMinn tried to smuggle £3,000 of heroin into prison by hiding it up his bum.

But the drugs, which were worth many thousands of pounds in prison, were discovered at Wirral Custody Suite.

McMinn had handed himself in as he knew there was a warrant for his arrest in Kilmarnock for a fraud offence.

Ironically he was subsequently just fined for that offence, but his plan was to be taken to prison with the stash.

How to stay safe from drugs - advice and support for drugs and addiction

The 39-year-old, formerly of Water Street, Wallasey, went to the police on November 21 last year and was searched.

He had cigarette papers in his waistband and officers put him in a cell with a toilet with an inspection chamber.

They found two knotted balloons, containing two more balloons, with 50% pure heroin mixed with paracetamol and caffeine inside.

McMinn told police he was taking the drugs, which had a street value of £3,200, with him for his own use and also to sell in jail.

He admitted possessing the drugs with intent to supply and was jailed for four and a half years.

James Prytherch

Dad James Prytherch groomed the schoolgirl on Snapchat (Merseyside Police)

James Prytherch sexually abused a schoolgirl less than half his age after grooming her on Snapchat.

The dad worked as a delivery driver and after sexualised chat via text and Snapchat, he began collecting her in his van.

The 33-year-old, who lived with his partner and children, drove the girl, whom he knew was 14, to secluded locations.

Prosecutors said they engaged in sexual activity, eventually culminating in unprotected, consensual sexual intercourse.

The offences came to light after the girl confided in a friend, who told school staff, before social services and police were alerted.

How to keep your children safe online

Prytherch, who has no previous convictions, told the child he lived in shared accommodation, but he was actually living with his family.

The pervert, of Cheviot Avenue, St Helens, admitted 16 sexual offences and was jailed for six years.

Judge Garrett Byrne said: “You gave no thought to the emotional consequences on this young woman and her family.”

He ordered him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life and imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Connor Highcock

Connor Highcock, 23, of Ashurst Drive, St Helens (Liverpool Echo)

Knife wielding burglar Connor Highcock pulled a young mum around by her bra as she tried to protect her baby girl.

The 23-year-old and two other unknown thugs raided the home of a 23-year-old woman and her 18-month-old daughter.

Highcock, who had taken a cocktail of drink and drugs, and one accomplice went in the sleeping child's bedroom.

He then confronted the mum - wearing just pyjama bottoms and a bar - as her terrified partner hid behind a bedroom door.

The victim covered herself with a quilt, but Highcock ripped it away, held a Stanley knife near her throat, and demanded cash.

Prosecutors said he grabbed her bra strap - she felt as a way to control her - and "frogmarched" her downstairs.

But when they returned upstairs, the boyfriend jumped out, recognised Highcock, and he and the mum fought him off.

The gang, including one waiting on a moped, fled empty handed and the mum later picked Highcock out at an identity parade.

The intruders struck at the mum's home, in Alder Street, Newton-le-Willows, at around 1am on September 15 this year.

Highcock, of Ashurst Drive, St Helens, knew he was wanted, handed himself in to police and admitted aggravated burglary.

The dad, who has a two-year-old son, has four previous convictions for five offences, including a past aggravated burglary.

Highcock was jailed for 12 years, with an extended four years on licence, and given an indefinite restraining order.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.