While some of these defendants acknowledged their wrongdoing through guilty pleas, other were convicted after jurors found them guilty at the conclusion of trials.
In addition to sex crimes, defendants have been jailed for a wide range of offences relating to fraud, drug dealing, violence and burglary.
The longest prison sentence passed down by Sheffield judges is one of 19 years, while the shortest is one of a year and 10 months.
9. Shahid Hussain: Shameless Sheffield paedophile evaded justice for 21 years after police failed to act when victim reported him
Shahid Hussain evaded justice for his attack on the girl, who was then aged 14, for more than 20 years - and even fled the country to avoid the consequences of his indecent assault; but he was finally jailed during a hearing held at Sheffield Crown Court on September 24, 2024. While Hussain, of Ferrars Road, Tinsley, Sheffield, was free to do, and live his life, as he chose in the intervening years, the girl he preyed upon in a ‘dark, muddy lane’ in Rotherham in 2003 has continued to suffer, feeling as though her ‘life has been ruined,’ the court heard. Judge Graham Reeds KC explained: “After the attack she went to the police, and gave the same account she told the jury…no allegation was taken further at that time.” He told Hussain: “When the case was restarted, you left the country, you didn’t come back for the trial, you had to be brought back.” “She considers her life ruined by what you did.” Judge Reeds said Hussain’s criminal behaviour would today be charged as rape, the maximum sentence for which is life imprisonment; whereas the maximum sentence for the offence of indecent assault that jurors convicted Hussain at the conclusion of a trial at the same on July 30, 2024 is 10 years. Judge Reeds sentenced Hussain to eight years’ imprisonment, and told him he would be required to serve two-thirds of his sentence in custody, after which time he will face deportation. Hussain was also made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, and was told he must also remain on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely. | SYP
10. Andrew Bowes: Registered sex offender jailed over messages to '14-year-old girl'
A registered sex offender who arranged to meet who he thought was an underage girl has been jailed. Andrew Bowes, aged 48, was arrested on September 1 after communicating with who he thought was a 14-year-old girl. Bowes, of Oakwood Road, Balby, Doncaster, asked the ‘child’, who was actually a decoy from an online child activist group, to share indecent images of herself before suggesting they meet face-to-face. When he was caught out, he told the police “I was only messing about”. After his arrest, a search of his phone led to the recovery of devices which showed the messages between Bowes and the decoy. Bowes, who was handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) in 2020, was jailed for three years at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 after pleading guilty to three counts of breaching his SHPO, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence. | SYP
![During the course of a two-month period, over March and April 2024, Arshad Mohammed committed nine offences across different areas of Sheffield, the majority of which were racially aggravated, Sheffield Crown Court heard.
Sending Mohammed to begin yet another prison sentence, the judge, Recorder Taryn Turner, told the 55-year-old: “Anyone listening to your antecedent [criminal] history would be appalled.”
“You are a disgrace, your behaviour and conduct has been vile, disgusting and extremely abusive. I have no hesitation in telling you there will be a custodial sentence in your case.”
A hearing held on October 8, 2024 heard how Mohammed made threats, racist comments and used pejorative slurs in three separate incidents on Sheffield trams, after conductors asked him - and on one occasion, a friend - about fare payments.
One incident took place in a building used by the Probation Service, where Mohammed demanded to be given accommodation and subjected a member of staff to racist slurs, and threatened to find out where he lived and make him ‘homeless,’ the court heard.
Mohammed’s latest spate of offending came to an end on April 17, 2024, when he was arrested by officers, who he racially abused, before being taken into custody and threatening to ‘kill’ an officer present there.
Recorder Turner jailed Turner for 14 months, and told him: “It’s high time, a lifetime of being in drink or not, that you as a 55-year-old man got your act together and started behaving yourself.”](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/10/16/10/49/Arshad-Mohammed-100-crime-thug-racially-abused-tram-staff-and-cops-brandished-pitchfork-in-Sheffield.jpeg?crop=4:3&trim=&width=640)
11. Arshad Mohammed: '100 crime' thug racially abused tram staff and cops & brandished pitchfork in Sheffield offence spree
During the course of a two-month period, over March and April 2024, Arshad Mohammed committed nine offences across different areas of Sheffield, the majority of which were racially aggravated, Sheffield Crown Court heard. Sending Mohammed to begin yet another prison sentence, the judge, Recorder Taryn Turner, told the 55-year-old: “Anyone listening to your antecedent [criminal] history would be appalled.” “You are a disgrace, your behaviour and conduct has been vile, disgusting and extremely abusive. I have no hesitation in telling you there will be a custodial sentence in your case.” A hearing held on October 8, 2024 heard how Mohammed made threats, racist comments and used pejorative slurs in three separate incidents on Sheffield trams, after conductors asked him - and on one occasion, a friend - about fare payments. One incident took place in a building used by the Probation Service, where Mohammed demanded to be given accommodation and subjected a member of staff to racist slurs, and threatened to find out where he lived and make him ‘homeless,’ the court heard. Mohammed’s latest spate of offending came to an end on April 17, 2024, when he was arrested by officers, who he racially abused, before being taken into custody and threatening to ‘kill’ an officer present there. Recorder Turner jailed Turner for 14 months, and told him: “It’s high time, a lifetime of being in drink or not, that you as a 55-year-old man got your act together and started behaving yourself.” | SYP
12. Kevin Proctor: Jail for man who defrauded Barnsley animal charity of almost £250k
Jailing 62-year-old Kevin Proctor for fraud by abuse of position, Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC said: “There will always be the label that you are a fraudster.” Sheffield Crown Court heard on October 4, 2024 how Proctor pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position while working at Barnsley Animal Rescue Centre (BARC). Between August 2016 and August 2022, Proctor defrauded the animal charity out of £230,875.35. He created false invoices to various organisations, and paid them straight into his own bank account. In due course, an accountant became concerned of the outgoings, and a proper audit was undertaken. This led to the discovery of Proctor’s fraud, and he subsequently left the charity in 2022. Sending Proctor to begin a three-year prison sentence, Judge Richardson said: “You breached that trust in grotesque fashion. This was an animal charity doing extremely good work in the Barnsley area. “The general public will be rightly outraged by your conduct.” | SYP