A drunk driver who caused the death of his childhood friend and a drunk driver who escaped from a bridge and crashed into the highway below – before blaming his partner who was unconscious in the vehicle – are among those jailed for the past month. A drug gang found with 600 600,000 worth of heroin, as well as .000 18,000 in cash and six luxury cars, was also convicted this month following one of the largest drug deposits in the Northeast. Read more: West Denton productive thief who has been out of trouble for two years returns to old These are the criminals who closed in April. George MacDonald George McDonald was already behind bars when he reappeared in court via video link from HMP Northumberland to be convicted of contempt of court. The 24-year-old appeared in Newcastle Crown Court on February 16, where he was sentenced to 16 months in prison for assault that caused actual bodily harm and joint assault. But after the sentence was handed down, McDonald, from Castle Terrace, Ashington, jumped over the dock and ran out of the courtroom. He then attacked security personnel before finally restraining himself, but managed to grab a police officer by the neck in the process. MacDonald was sentenced to nine months in prison, which will continue with the 16-month prison sentence imposed in February. Hugh Raymond Holmes Hugh Holmes has been jailed for 32 months (Image: Durham Police) Hugh Raymond Holmes put a woman in critical condition after the car she was driving fell off a bridge and broke on the A1 motorway from below. Emergency services were called to the J61 Bowburn Exchange after the incident on the morning of January 21st. A woman in her 40s was seriously injured and was airlifted to hospital and left in critical condition. The court heard that witnesses saw the female passenger trying to get out of the vehicle shortly before the accident. The court also heard that Holmes refused to give a breath sample after the incident, telling an officer to “walk away”. Holmes, who had a wound on his forehead, was later arrested and later gave a prepared statement to police, “blaming” his co-driver, claiming she was the driver. Now Holmes, from Tudhoe Moor, Spennymoor, has been jailed for 32 months after appearing in Durham Crown Court. The judge also banned him from driving for a total of 343 weeks and he has to do an extensive test. Elvis Pietri and Iraklis Poimenidis Iraklis Poimenidis and Elvis Pietri Elvis Pietri, 22, and Iraklis Poimenidis, 23, were described as “predators circling their prey” just before a woman was sexually assaulted on the streets of Sunderland. In the early morning hours of August 8, 2020, they attacked the drunk woman, who had been seen collapsing outside a bar earlier in the evening. CCTV arrested the two students with the woman outside the Sunderland train station, before continuing to kiss her and then “humiliating and humiliating” her, sexually assaulting her on the street. The couple has now been jailed and will be on the sex offenders’ list for life after appearing in Newcastle Crown Court earlier this month. Pietri, from Lyndhurst Road, Wood Green, London, was jailed for 30 months. Poimenidis from Hylton Road in Sunderland was also jailed for 34 months. Liam Loraine Liam Loraine, who has been jailed for harassment (Image: Newcastle Chronicle) Liam Loraine bombarded his partner with 183 messages and 105 calls in just six hours after he fired her. Loraine, who has a history of home-related crimes against his girlfriends, could not accept that the victim had ended their relationship on Easter weekend and so began harassing her with messages and phone calls. A court heard that the woman did not respond to the 26-year-old, who had been sentenced to suspension for sending malicious communications to another of his ex-partners at the time. But the foolish move cost Loraine, from Cartmel Grove, Saltwell, Gateshead, his freedom after he was arrested and pleaded guilty to one count of harassment. He was serving a suspended sentence and had recently been released from prison for a domestic assault, and District Attorney Andrew Teate sentenced him to 12 weeks in prison. The court heard that Loraine was extremely sad and had contacted the victim only to ask for “clarity”, as she thought it was a member of her family who sent the original message to divorce him. Jack Bolton Jack Bolton jailed for sexually assaulting a young boy (Image: Newcastle Chronicle) Serial pedophile Jack Bolton returned from behind bars because he ruined the life of another young boy by sexually abusing him. The disgraced former Boys Brigade officer has a morbid history of sexually assaulting male children dating back to the 1970s and was jailed for nine years in 2011 for 33 counts of indecent assault. Now the 79-year-old pervert, from Yetholm Road, Dunston, Gateshead, has admitted to abusing a well-groomed boy by offering to drive his car and kneeling him about 30 years ago. The victim, now an adult, showed up bravely after he kept the abuse to himself and said it had a devastating impact on his life. The Newcastle Crown Court heard the victim remember Bolton selling eggs and taking him out in his car. Bolton pleaded guilty to indecent assault on the victim, which occurred no more than five times. He also admitted indecency to a child on the grounds that it happened no more than ten times. He was sentenced to three years and four months in prison. Mark Heron Mark Heron, from Cramlington, jailed for rape (Image: Newcastle Chronicle) Perverted Mark Heron was sentenced to nine years in prison for raping a drunken teenager. The victim, who was under 16 years old, had fallen asleep due to the state of intoxication and turned to find Mark Heron above her. Heron, who ran away during his trial with a “cowardly” act, was found guilty of raping the teenager by jurors. The Newcastle Crown Court heard the 45-year-old, who still maintains his innocence, let his victim live in fear. The court heard that the victim found that Heron had taken off her clothes and was on top of her. Prosecutioner Anne Richardson said: “Even though she had fallen asleep in her leggings, she realized they were no longer wearing them and her legs were up to her ankles. “The accused was wearing a T-shirt but no pants, he had one hand over her mouth and the other hand on her waist while having sex with her. He noticed that there was a chair that closed the door leading to the stairs. He just understood what it happened she said to the accused “No” and he said “Shhh does not matter”. Heron, from Arcot Avenue, Cramlington, Northumberland, who has previously been convicted of indecent exposure to a “group of young women,” said he should serve at least two-thirds of his nine-year prison sentence. He was given an extra four weeks because he did not surrender after his absence from trial. Heron will also have to sign a sex offender record for life and be given a restrictive indefinite decree. Jeffrey Main Jeffrey Mein, a former employee of Durham University, was jailed for indecent image offenses (Image: Newcastle Chronicle) Jeffrey Mein, a health and safety officer at Durham University, had a collection of illegal photos and videos on his personal computer and phone that he shared online. Newcastle Crown Court heard its heartbreaking collection of images of adults having sex with animals. The 58-year-old now lost his job at university when his shocking secret life was revealed. Prosecutor Jane Waugh told the court that police raided Mein’s home last August and he immediately confessed to what he did. Mein, without pre-determined address, admitted to distributing obscene images, voyeurism, possession of extreme pornography, possession of prohibited images of children and three counts of creating obscene images of children in relation to more than 400 illegal images and movies, in all seriousness categories. Judge Robert Adams sentenced him to two years and eight months behind bars. Mein must also sign the sex offender register and comply with a ten-year sex harm prevention order. Michael Nicholas Michael Nicholas, jailed for witness intimidation (Image: Newcastle Chronicle) Michael Nicholas recorded himself shouting “nonce” and “grass” at a witness in a courthouse. Nicholas, 24, of Glasgow Road, Jarrow, shouted intimidating abuse at the victim, who was in a witness care room at the South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court. He used his cell phone to record what he did, which is forbidden in court buildings, while looking through a window at the inside door of the witness room. Recorder Christopher Rose sentenced him to seven months behind bars with a five-year restraining order, telling him: “Complainants in any criminal case should be able to go to court and give evidence unhindered and unhindered.” Ross Ray Ross Reay, from Birtley, was jailed for assaulting his partner and possessing a weapon (Image: Newcastle Chronicle) This bully removed his partner’s shoes to hit her with them and used a stun gun because he thought it was funny. Ross Reay had been in a relationship with the woman for two years when he subjected her to horrific violence after he lost his temper because he could not transfer some photos to a new phone. The Newcastle Crown Court heard him shout at her to take off her shoes and then forcibly took them off and hit her on the head with them. He then hit, kicked and put his hand around her neck trying to strangle her. She later revealed that he had attacked her in the past holding a shotgun, disguised as a mobile phone, on her leg and giving her a …
