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The months are flying by and hopefully better weather and warmer temperatures are just around the corner. But regardless of the weather outside the wheels of justice continue to turn at Truro Crown Court.
Throughout April a number of criminals were jailed at the court, for crimes spanning the criminal spectrum. Those sent to prison included an ingrained paedophile who is believed will never change his ways, a sadistic rapist who was finally brought to justice thanks to the bravery of three women and a drugs gang who flooded Cornwall with cocaine and heroin.
Here are the criminals jailed at Truro Crown Court in April.
Read more: Last member of drug empire jailed as cops speak of huge operation
Franklyn John Williams
A paedophile with “an entrenched sexual interest in children that will never go away” is back behind bars for engaging in sex chats with a Filipino child. Franklyn John Williams, 75, also went money to the victim’s mum in the Philippines.
Williams, from Penrose Court in Penzance, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child.
Prosecuting the case, Judith Constable told the court how Williams is a known sex offender and was jailed at Truro Crown Court for similar offences back in 2019.
He was released from prison and in January of last year two PCs attended his home to complete a risk assessment. They examined his phone and found a suspicious Facebook Messenger conversation. The girl he was communicating with was nine or ten-years-old and lived in the Philippines.
In the disgusting chats Williams complimented the girl and made lewd comments. Pictures were exchanged and he sent her a topless photo of himself in bed saying that he’d like to kiss her and wished she was there with him. Ms Constable added that Williams is considered a high-risk sex offender.
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The court heard how Williams has sent money to the Philippines also also helped pay for a school out there. He sent money to the victim’s mum which helped her pay for a washing machine.
Representing Williams, Martin Pearce said: “He has reached a low ebb and is asking for help. He doesn’t understand why he commits these offences but he knows they’re wrong and he is seeking help for his actions.”
Sentencing Williams, Judge Simon Carr outlined the sexualised nature of the conversation and said the reasons were obvious why Williams sent money to Asia. He added: “You have an entrenched sexual interest in children that will never go away.”
Judge Carr jailed Williams for 15 months, near to the maximum sentence he could legally pass for such an offence.
Martin Butler
A rapist turned his back to his victim, two women who helped bring him to justice and his own daughter as he was sentenced to a lengthy stretch behind bars. Martin Butler, 61, described in court as “a magnet to young girls”, raped a woman in Mevagissey when he was in his mid 20s.
Butler, of Stevenage, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence after being convicted after a trial of rape and buggery charges.
Butler was brought to justice after a social media campaign by two women who also say they were targeted by Butler. The trial centred around a woman who was raped by Butler at his parents’ house in Mevagissey in the 1980s. She awoke to find her hands and feet tied together and Butler then proceeded to rape her.
The victim buried the secret for many years until she saw a Facebook post from another woman saying she had also been abused by Butler. It was then that the victim decided to go to the police and report what had happened to her.
The Facebook post was made by Laura Hughes. Laura reported what had happened to her, but the charge was stayed – not dropped but not proceeded with – and Butler at the time remained a free man.
Laura bravely gave evidence during the trial and described how she had a sexual relationship with Butler from when she was 14 or 15 and he was in his early 40s. She said that Butler would regularly tie her up to have sex and put his hands around her neck. She also awoke to find him having sex with her.
Another witness, who says Butler had forceful and violent sex with her when she was 14 or 15, also gave evidence at the trial. The second witness also said that Butler raped her and would tie her up to restrain her. Both said that Butler would give them drugs to facilitate the abuse.
At the sentencing hearing Butler positioned himself so that his back was turned to the packed public gallery. Prosecuting barrister Jason Beal told the court that Butler’s previous offending included dishonesty, violence, child cruelty and drug supply.
In a victim impact statement the rape victim described still suffering from nightmares of being tied up and strangled and PTSD symptoms. She added that she struggles when having to wear anything that puts pressure on her nose and mouth such as a mask.
Representing Butler, Deni Mathews spoke of the time that has passed since the offence and that it was 23 years since Butler’s last conviction.
Sentencing Butler, Recorder Christopher Quinlan KC said that on the night in question the victim awoke to find Butler tying her up and preventing her from breathing, adding that it “must have been terrifying” for her. He went onto detail what Butler did next and how the victim thought she was going to die.
Recorder Quinlan added how Butler then fled, leaving the victim abandoned. He said: “She (the victim) didn’t go to the police right away and that is not a criticism. She confided in friends and others over the years about what you did to her. In 2018 she saw a Facebook post posted by another woman. It sought victims of child abuse and grooming at your hands and it was then she felt able to go to the police.
“All three woman played a part in you being convicted of a serious crime you continue to deny.”
Noting how the attack took place in a location where the victim should have felt safe, Recorder Quinlan sentenced Butler to 11 years.
Restraining orders were also put in place to prevent Butler from contacting those involved in the case and he must sign the sex offenders’ register for life.
Richard McLean, Kevin Condliffe, Johnathan Fincham and Kieron Ellis
The final member of “a planned, sophisticated, sustained and determined” drugs conspiracy has been put behind bars. CornwallLive has previously reported how three men were jailed for the empire that saw Cornwall flooded with heroin and cocaine and more than half a million pounds in cash sent back to Liverpool from small Cornish post offices.
The operation saw around 140 packages sent back up north containing more than £500,000 cash. Half a kilo of heroin and cutting agent was also seized during a string of raids. The enterprise came tumbling down when police caught a break when coffee jars of drugs were accidentally left behind in a Cornish pub.
Recorder Christopher Quinlan KC previously jailed Kevin Condliffe and Richard McLean, 46 and 39 respectively, from Liverpool and Kieron Ellis, 44, from the Penzance and St Ives area. Condliffe was on Friday April 21 jailed for nine and a half years, McLean eight and a half years and Ellis seven.
Last to learn his fate after issues with his case were resolved on Monday April 24 was Johnathan Fincham, 53, from Pellor Fields, in Breage near Helston. Truro Crown Court heard that he had a number of previous offences recorded against him but not for drugs.
Representing Fincham, Chris Spencer said: “Since his remand he has been working in the prison laundry and is doing English and art classes. He has a good work record and was employed at a dockyard until 2021 when he failed a drugs test, was sacked and his downfall really begun.
“He moved to Cornwall in 2003 and it was his heroin misuse that brought him into contact with Mr Condliffe. He regrets allowing himself to be drawn into it.”
Sentencing Fincham, Recorder Quinlan said that Fincham accepts he played a significant role in the conspiracy, operating below Condliffe and McLean but above Ellis. He added that the top of the chain operated in Liverpool.
Describing the drugs enterprise as “planned, sophisticated, sustained and determined”, Recorder Quinlan said that not only had half a kilo of heroin been found as well as cutting agent during raids, but £500,000 in cash sent back to Liverpool by post from post offices in Mullion and Ruan Minor to reduce the risk of somebody being stopped carrying cash they couldn’t explain.
Fincham was arrested at his home and found to be in possession more than £800 in cash, diamorphine and cocaine. £13,000 had been moved through his bank accounts to third parties. Recorder Quinlan said that Fincham moved the drugs to others in the chain for onward supply and “facilitated in the role of arranging vehicles”.
Fincham, who was present on occasions when the money was being posted, was jailed for a total of six and a half years as Recorder Quinlan commended police on their work.
The sentences followed Operation Foxshine, a police investigation into the supply of controlled Class A drugs by a well-established Organised Crime Group operating the County Line ‘Scouse Mick.’
(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)
Phone and financial analysis proved that between 1 January 2021 and 14 July 2022 the group were bringing drugs from Liverpool to Cornwall by car and using the Royal Mail to post the cash profits back up the line to associates in Liverpool.
A detailed review identified that the group posted 140 parcels during that time. Based on weights, the parcels were believed to contain more than £560,000 in cash, equating to the sale of around seven kilograms of drugs.
Officers carried out warrants and seizures on a number of occasions during the investigation including in September 2021 when Condliffe and McLean left a carrier bag containing £50,000, or 5,000 deals, of heroin in coffee jars in a pub. The pair returned a short time later to retrieve the bag, only to find police had already seized it.
Thousands of messages between the four were found on mobile devices discussing the distribution of drugs and movement of cash – these were identified by police despite the men regularly changing phone numbers in order to avoid detection.
On 13 July 2022 Condliffe posted two parcels containing nearly £10,000 in cash to Liverpool. Officers from Devon and Cornwall Police and Merseyside Police awaited confirmation that the parcels had been successfully delivered the following morning before executing 11 warrants simultaneously in Helston, Penzance, Carbis Bay and Liverpool.
The men were all arrested in Cornwall and later charged. The investigation team, along with Royal Mail, have received an International Digital Investigation Award (IDIA) for their work on the case.
Nicholas Carter
A Post Office worker was left terrified after a regular customer barged behind the counter and grabbed a considerable amount of cash from the till. Nicholas Carter, 41, was so well-known by staff that the employee present thought he was joking at first.
Carter, from Flushing, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to robbery.
Prosecuting the case, Michael Green described how on February 25 at around 3:30pm Patricia Lowe was working at Penwerris Post Office in Falmouth.
She was serving another customer when she heard Carter saying he wanted money, Ms Lowe presuming that he wanted to make a cash withdrawal.
Mr Green spoke of how Carter then walked around the side of the counter while Ms Lowe was serving another customer, entering a staff only area and walking towards Ms Lowe. Ms Lowe thought Carter was joking but he soon pulled out the cash drawer and started taking cash.
Carter then forcefully grabbed Ms Lowe’s arm and pushed it away. Ms Lowe described being “frightened and scared”, saying his grip was hard. It was estimated Carter took between £1,500 and £2,000. Ms Lowe sounded the alarm and told police who Carter was and he was arrested two days later.
In her victim impact statement Ms Lowe spoke of being shaken, now being suspicious of everybody in the shop and being scared to walk to and from work.
Representing Carter, who has 14 previous convictions, Dieter Kehler said: “He moved down to Cornwall to get away from his troubles as a young man but moving down didn’t remove him from his mental health issues.
“In stressful situations he doesn’t think as clearly as the rest of us. On that day he was at an extremely low point. He was homeless, was using alcohol to excess and was in a very desperate situation.
“It was an unsophisticated matter. Everyone in the post office knew who he was. It was a desperate grab for money.
“Things have now changed. He is working in a gardening and landscaping job and he recognises the problems he has to address.”
Sentencing Carter, Recorder Christopher Quinlan KC went over the facts of the case, adding that Ms Lowe was vulnerable as she was working alone on the shop floor. He also noted Carter’s change in circumstances and attempts to get his life back on track before jailing him for 18 months.
William Pascoe
(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)
A criminal with 142 previous convictions armed himself and tried to break into a hotel room as its occupants cowered inside. William Danny Pascoe, 32, also went on a spending spree with stolen bank cards.
Pascoe, of Guildford Road in Hayle, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence after pleading guilty to burglary, fraud, handling stolen goods and theft.
Prosecuting the case, Nick Lewin described how on April 19 last year in Camborne, Pascoe attended the Regal Hotel and was seen on CCTV with his brother gaining entry through a back window.
Armed with a table leg, Pascoe could be seen trying to break into a flat but was unsuccessful and fled before police arrived. Mr Lewin said: “It was obvious the Pascoe brothers were very determined to gain access to the flat.” The attempted entry caused more than £1,000 damage.
Pascoe was released under investigation and on August 10 a woman reported having some items taken from a van overnight. The bank card was used at the Shell garage at Loggans for three transactions worth £52, £77 and £62, as well for £3 at McDonald’s before the card was eventually declined. Police investigated and CCTV showed Pascoe was the user of the card.
In February of this year another woman reported items missing from an Astra parked outside of her home in the Illogan area. A subsequent search of Pascoe’s address found various items suspected to have been stolen.
The court heard that Pascoe has a remarkable record of 142 convictions recorded against him and wanted to enter the hotel room as his possessions were said to be inside..
Representing Pascoe, Dieter Kehler said that he hadn’t entered with the baseball bat, but broken a table and armed himself with it when inside. Tony Ciocci from The Probation Service said: “Mr Pascoe has had a significant Class A drug habit for the majority of his life. He had a traumatic early life and his lifestyle is linked to his offending.”
Sentencing Pascoe, Judge Simon Carr remarked that the people inside the hotel room were cowering; they must have been terrified. He spoke about Pascoe’s lengthy record, adding “most of which was an attempt to fund your addiction that I accept is entrenched”. Pascoe was jailed for two years.
Sean Cruise, Richard Vasey, Jayden Edgington, Uthman Khan and Imdadul Haque
Members of a drugs gang have been sentenced to years in prison for sending Class A drugs to Cornwall and selling them from a home of a local addict. Richard’s Vasey’s St Austell home was taken over by members of ‘The Ghost Line’ who then pedalled misery to local addicts.
Vasey, 46, Imdadul Haque, 24, Uthman Khan, 22, and Jayden Edgington, 25, appeared at Truro Crown Court to be sentenced after being convicted of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.. A fifth defendant Sean Cruise, 46, was sentenced in his absence after failing to attend the sentencing hearing. All the defendants are from Birmingham, except from Vasey of The Copse in St Austell.
Prosecuting the case, Peter Coumbe said that on February 4 2020 Edgington was based at Vasey’s home and was collected by Cruise who dropped off Khan and Haque at the property. Edgington was arrested with Cruise on the way back to the midlands.
Mr Coumbe explained how Edgington had on him two phones which showed dealers’ lists and photos of bundles of cash. There were also recordings on his phone of him boasting how he made £285 in a morning. The footage clearly showed St Austell’s streets.
Mr Coumbe stated that Edgington reported back to a drugs line, and that it was clear he was being directed as he provided updates on levels of drugs and what he had left to sell. Mr Coumbe said: “Edgington had a supervisory role and it was clear he was controlling Vasey as he was receiving instructions about when Vasey would be paid.”
Edgington when stopped had more than £500 in cash on him. In interview Vasey said that he had allowed his home to be used for drugs supply. When the address was raided Khan was present and officers found 180 prepared street deals of Class A drugs worth £1,800 stashed around the property.
Haque was also there and found to have £355 cash on him. Phone messages from Khan linked him to the operation, including a message saying that he’d been kicked off a mechanics course and had turned to dealing drugs. Vasey’s phone also showed messages offering drugs for sale.
Mr Coumbe said: “Phones showed Haque and Khan had travelled overnight with Cruise and arrived a couple of hours before police executed a warrant.” Vasey had a phone message from someone higher up telling him that they had his cash, the prosecution alleging that he too performed a role in supplying drugs.
The Ghost Line was linked to all five defendants, although there was little phone contact between them. Mr Coumbe saying the evidence showed they were all being directed by others and everybody bar Khan had direct phone contact with the line.
On behalf of the absent Cruise, the court heard that he suffered from poor health and trauma from a young age which led him down the path he took. Cruise doesn’t accept being involved in the supply of drugs, saying he was paid to drive the van with his co-defendants down to Cornwall.
Ramsay Quaife, representing Haque said that he has no previous convictions and this is the only time he’s engaged in criminal activity. Mr Quaife said: “At the time he was a first year uni student. He has taken stock of his life and cut contact with those involved and reduced his drinking. He feels genuine remorse for the shame he has brought on his family.”
For Khan, Rupert Taylor said: “He had been working in a garage, injured his back and left his job. He became isolated from his family and started taking drugs and became involved in this enterprise. Three years on he’s a very different man and has rebuilt his relationship with his family.”
Evie Dean for Vasey, said: “He performed a limited function and was under direction. He was involved due to his vulnerability and had little awareness of the scale of the operation. He is a long-term addict and has been using drugs on and off for 20 years. His early life was difficult and he has suffered for some time with paranoid schizophrenia. He was particularly vulnerable in the community.”
Adrian Chaplin, representing Edgington, said: “He was unemployed and needed money. He quickly realised he was in over his head and wanted out. He went to the police and tried to find a way back to Birmingham. He has experienced custody for the first time and has reflected.”
Sentencing, Christopher Quinlan KC said: “It has been said before Class A drugs are a blight on this county and cause widespread misery. Villains from out of county, from the north west and the midlands, target this county.”
Recorder Quinlan said that it is clear all five defendants were being directed by others and that none of them were by any means at the top of the chain. Cruise, the driver transporting drugs, people and money, was in a trusted position according to Recorder Quinlan and in contact with the drugs line number.
According to Recorder Quinlan, Haque was evidently involved in selling the drugs, and had an awareness and understanding of the scale of the operation. Khan, Recorder Quinlan, added had a lesser role given he was the only one not in direct contact with the drugs line. Vasey was also said to have had a lesser role.
Finally, Edgington was in St Austell for a number of days and Recorder Quinlan said “it was clear according to his telephone he was reporting to others higher up the chain”. He went onto say that he had an awareness of the scale of the operation and given he boasted about the money made, he was making a financial gain of some kind.
Cruise was jailed for four and a half years with a warrant out for his arrest, Haque for three years, Khan for 27 months, Vasey for 27 months and Edgington 32 months.
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