?1.3m drugs gang members among those locked up in Coventry …
A number of dangerous and reckless criminals were taken off the streets by the courts in May. Among them were a ‘dangerous’ teenager and one of the largest organised drugs gangs in the Midlands.
Courts heard about a ‘dangerous’ teenager who was part of a gang that robbed three boys at knifepoint, a £1.3m organised drugs gang and a drug dealer who claimed that he was bulk-buying them to be ‘thrifty.’
Judges also sentenced an armed thug who ‘threatened to kill’ residents in their own home as well as a deceptive employee who scammed the company he worked for out of £320,000. Sentences range from four months to a combined total of more than 165 years, which was handed to one of the largest gangs ever snared by Warwickshire Police[1].
CoventryLive has compiled the most shocking criminal cases over the past month as well as the faces of those behind the crimes in Coventry and Warwickshire. Here are seven of the most notable offenders to be locked up in May 2023.[3][4][5]
Peshang Ahmed
Peshang Ahmed forced his way into a property in Hillfields (Image: West Midlands Police)
Peshang Ahmed ‘threatened to kill’ residents during a terrifying raid in Coventry[6]. He forced his way into a property before demanding a sum of money.
Ahmed, 26, was armed with a machete as he threatened to harm the resident before two more people from the address in Hillfields[7] were awoken and went to help. All three residents challenged the 26-year-old, forcing him to drop the weapon and flee the property empty-handed.
He was later jailed for four years and six months at Coventry Crown Court[8]. Click here[9] for the full story.
Michael Fotis
Michael Fotis was part of a group that robbed three boys at knifepoint in Riversley Park (Image: Warwickshire Police)
Michael Fotis was part of a gang that robbed three boys at knifepoint in Riversley Park in Nuneaton[10]. He was described as a ‘dangerous man who thinks nothing of using threats of violence.’
One of the victims had a knife held to his throat and another was stabbed in the arm with a butter knife by one of the gang before they fled with a phone, jacket and bag. Officers attended the scene and the 19-year-old was arrested nearby.
He was later jailed for four-and-a-half years at Warwick Crown Court[11]. Click here[12] for the full story.
Ryan Stacey
Ryan Stacey was jailed for four years following a burglary in March (Image: Warwickshire Police)
Ryan Stacey was jailed following a burglary in Nuneaton[13] in March. A resident returned to their home on Chancery Lane to find a watch and cash stolen after the 27-year-old forced entry into the property.
After being identified as a suspect, Stacey was spotted by police driving on Hope Close. When the officers got out of the car to arrest him, he tried to escape by driving across a garden before crashing into an unmarked police car.
Stacey, of Purcell Road, Coventry[14], continued to flee along Hope Close before crashing with another unmarked police car which led to his being arrested. He was later locked up for a total of four years, according to Warwickshire Police[15]. Click here[16] for the full story.
Thomas Black
Thomas Black was found to be in possession of the watch stolen from Chancery Lane (Image: Warwickshire Police)
Thomas Black was found to be in possession of the watch stolen from Chancery Lane in Nuneaton[17] after being arrested by officers investigating a series of vehicle crimes. Officers also seized a stolen electric golf caddy from his property.
Black, 27, of Hope Close, Keresley End[18], was jailed for four months after pleading guilty to two counts of handling stolen goods. Click here[19] for the full story.
Ian Powell
Ian Powell claimed he was bulk-buying drugs to be ‘thrifty’ (Image: Warwickshire Police)
Ian Powell was jailed for four years for drug dealing. He claimed that he was bulk-buying drugs to be ‘thrifty.’
Officers raided his home on Vernons Lane in Nuneaton[20] in October 2022 and discovered crack and heroin with a combined street value of around £1,390. Powell, 49, claimed that the drugs were for personal use and when he was asked why he had such quantities in his house, he said he bought them in bulk to save money.
Click here[21] for the full story.
Harminder Gill
Harminder Gill admitted to living the high life after stealing £350,000 (Image: Warwickshire Police)
Harminder Gill stole £350,000 from his North Warwickshire[22] employer and ‘splashed the cash on a jet-set lifestyle.’ He exploited a glitch in the system and transferred funds to himself which he spent on luxury holidays, hiring executive cars and staying at hotel suites, including at The Shard.
Gill, 27, set up six bank accounts in his name and the name of a family member and started to transfer large sums of money. Detectives said the 27-year-old started off small, only transferring a few thousand pounds at a time but realising nobody had noticed, he became more brazen and started transferring more, the largest amount being £32,000.
His deceptive behaviour was soon uncovered after a member of staff at the company complained of not being paid for one month which led to an audit of the payroll system being carried out. Gill was jailed for four-and-a-half years after previously pleading guilty to fraud.
Click here[23] for the full story.
‘Dangerous’ Drugs Gang
A large organised gang trafficked drugs from Merseyside to Warwickshire (Image: Warwickshire Police)
A mum and daughter, an OAP and a prisoner were among members of one of the biggest organised crime gangs ever brought down by Warwickshire Police[24]. A total of 21 people were convicted as part of ‘Operation Scorecard’, a five-year-long sting to bring down a group that brought £1.3m of drugs from Liverpool into Warwickshire[25].
Among them were mother and daughter, Caroline Dalley and Stacie Burdett. Officers uncovered thousands of pounds worth of amphetamines stashed in a freezer, and other drugs hidden inside a kids’ bedroom at a property in Daventry.
Others who played a role in the 21-strong drugs gang include Christopher Reeve, Garvey Thompson, Wayne Philpotts, David Burdett and Tony Wilshire. All 21 members were jailed for a combined total of 165 years and seven months at Warwick Crown Court[26].
Click here[27] for the full story.
Sign up for our daily newsletter here[28] for all the latest news about Coventry[29].
References
- ^ Warwickshire Police (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Armed thug ‘threatened to kill’ residents during terrifying raid in Coventry (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ CoventryLive (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Coventry (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Warwickshire (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Coventry (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Hillfields (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Coventry Crown Court (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ here (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Nuneaton (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Warwick Crown Court (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ here (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Nuneaton (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Coventry (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Warwickshire Police (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ here (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Nuneaton (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Keresley End (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ here (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Nuneaton (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ here (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ North Warwickshire (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ here (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Warwickshire Police (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Warwickshire (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Warwick Crown Court (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ here (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ here (data.reachplc.com)
- ^ Coventry (www.coventrytelegraph.net)