A woman who stabbed her husband, a dangerous driver who caused the death of a 20-year-old man and a hacker brought down with help from the FBI were handed some of the longest jail terms in 2024.
There was also the careless motorist whose driving claimed the life of a much-loved great grandfather. In another case two drug dealers who stored industrial quantities of steroids in Rhyl were brought to justice in North Wales.
Judges gave all these offenders and more lengthy prison sentences in the last 12 months. Here is a summary of these proceedings here. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here
Helen Jones
Helen Jones
(Image: North Wales Police)
A grandmother who knifed her husband who suffers from Parkinson’s disease has been sent to prison for 42 months in January. Helen Jones, 54, of Piercy Avenue, Marchwiel, Wrexham, pleaded guilty at Mold Crown Court. to stabbing Martin Edwards, for whom she was the carer, with intent to cause serious injury.
Nicolas Williams, prosecuting, said her husband would shake because of his Parkinson’s and had recently lost some strength. The defendant would prepare his meals and medication.
In October 2023, after they had been out together, Jones was drunk, became argumentative, and, while her husband lay in bed, stabbed him in the thigh and calf and punched his head. He went to the flat of a neighbour who applied a tourniquet and was driven by car to hospital but, fortunately, the injuries were not life-threatening
Paul Jones
Paul Jones, 43, of Nant y Glyd Road, Rhyd-y-Foel, Conwy, was jailed for four years for various offences including intimidating a witness.
(Image: North Wales Police)
A man who assaulted his partner told her she “wouldn’t be going to Heaven”. She took it to mean he would kill her, a court heard.
Paul Jones, 42, was convicted of two assaults causing actual bodily harm against the woman. But he committed a further offence of intimidating a witness – his now ex-partner.
A judge at Mold Crown Court criticised Jones’ “appalling” attitude towards women. He jailed the defendant, of Nant y Glyd Road, Rhyd -y-Foel, Conwy, for a total of four years in February.
Nicholas Wilcock
Nicholas Wilcock, 47, of Bethel Place, Connah’s Quay, was jailed for six and a half years for offences including burglary, fraud and theft
(Image: North Wales Police)
A persistent offender was jailed in February for six and a half years for offences including burglary, fraud and theft. Nicholas Wilcock, 47, of Bethel Place, Connah’s Quay, appeared at Mold Crown Court.
In June 2023, Wilcock trespassed and stole stock from a business storage unit. Then, in July and August, Wilcock was involved in four shoplifting incidents over a period of five days, with items totalling over £500 taken.
In August and September, he trespassed and committed burglary on three occasions in the Ewloe and Connah’s Quay areas, stealing items including power tools, cash and bank cards worth over £700. On the same day, Wilcock committed fraud by attempting to use the stolen bank cards at a nearby newsagents.
Barry Byrne
Barry Byrne, 44, of Hafod Park, Mold, was jailed for four years and eight months for blackmail at Caernarfon Crown Court with other sentences to run concurrently.
(Image: North Wales Police)
A North Wales hacker who stolen victims’ personal data was brought down after a tip off from the FBI. Barry Anthony Byrne was jailed for four years and eight months in March.
Officers discovered he stole usernames, passwords and other information using the dark web to try to avoid detection. The 44-year-old father-of-three from Mold then threatened and mocked them while bragging to a friend.
He admitted a string of offences including blackmail, fraud and selling his hacking techniques to others, some of whom he also targeted. Caernarfon Crown Court heard he also sold cannabis, leaving the Class B drug in his garden barbecue for people to collect.
Michael McClarence
Michael McClarence, 36, of Portugal Street, Bolton, was jailed for four years for inflicting GBH on his then partner in an incident at RAF Valley
(Image: North Wales Police)
A soldier was left with serious brain injuries after being knocked unconscious during a row with her partner at RAF Valley on Anglesey. Michael McClarence caused his partner such bad injuries that her army career is now over.
The “jealous” 36-year-old was convicted of wounding by inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent against Jessica Connolly after a trial. A judge jailed him for four years in March.
Caernarfon Crown Court heard she suffered a fractured skull and brain injuries which gave her Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Former soldier McClarence also has PTSD from serving in Afghanistan, the court heard.
Dale Hilton
Dale Hilton, 42, of Heol Kenyon, Johnstown Wrexham, was jailed for four years for causing death without due care and attention while over a specified limit for a specified, controlled drug
(Image: North Wales Police)
A “beloved” great grandfather was killed by a driver four times over the drug drive limit. Dale Hilton’s car collided with George Stevenson who waited hours for an ambulance.
A judge condemned Hilton for the “thoroughly avoidable” death but said it couldn’t be known if the three-hour wait for an ambulance also played a part in the tragedy. Today Hilton was jailed for four years for causing death by careless driving while under the influence of a controlled drug.
The 42-year-old, of Heol Kenyon, Johnstown, Wrexham, was said to have struggled with the Covid-19 lockdown and turned to cocaine. He rang Mr Stevenson’s wife and brought her to the scene, Mold Crown Court heard.
Dwayne Thomas
Dwayne Thomas
(Image: North Wales Police)
A controlling brute strangled his partner and sickeningly broke her teeth with a kick. Dwayne Thomas, 33, of Henry Street, Holyhead, Anglesey had “no control” over himself, a judge said at Caernarfon crown court, sitting at Llandudno.
Thomas was jailed for four years and eight months in October. He also received a life-time restraining order after he admitted attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to his former partner and controlling behaviour. He will be on licence for another three years.
Prosecutor Gareth Bellis outlined a catalogue of abuse by “unpredictable” Thomas. He was accused of restricting the mum’s breathing with his arm until she lost consciousness, attacking her with a metal vacuum pipe, throwing a heavy glass ashtray at her, forcing a pizza cutter in her mouth and holding knives to her.
Lee Ablitt
Lee Ablitt
Christopher Thompson
Christopher Thompson, 49, of Scot Lane, Wigan, was jailed for 33 months for conspiring to supply a controlled Class C drug
(Image: North Wales Police)
A gym owner and doorman who used self-storage containers in Rhyl to store large quantities of steroids have been jailed for conspiracy to supply class C drugs. They had stored “industrial” amounts, across North Wales and the north-west of England, totalling 1,326,000 steroid tablets and 64,870 millilitres of liquid steroids worth a total of between £1.5m to £2.1m, Mold Crown Court heard in November.
Lee Ablitt, 51, from the Warrington area, was stopped driving on the M56 for being a disqualified driver. When police searched the vehicle they found multiple boxes of class C drugs.
Police enquires led to two storage containers in Rhyl, registered to Ablitt, where a significant quantity of steroids and performance enhancing drugs were discovered along with a large quantity of cash.
Roger Brenninkmeyer
Roger Peter Brenninkmeyer, 60, of Hinderton Road, Neston, Cheshire, was jailed for six years and eight months for causing death by dangerous driving
(Image: North Wales Police)
A dangerous driver was travelling at nearly 100mph when he collided with another car killing a “caring and gentle” 20-year-old motorist. Driver Roger Brenninkmeyer’s BMW had hit an embankment on a rural road, overturned, collided with the victim’s car and spun into a field, stopping 99 metres away.
Droy Darrock-York died in the collision near Pwllheli. A woman who brought him up from the age of four told Caernarfon Crown Court said: “The world is a darker place without Droy. He was the sunshine to my day’.
A judge jailed the defendant, of Hinderton Road, Neston, for six years and eight months for causing death by dangerous driving. He was banned from driving for eleven years and four months.
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