Faces of 10 defiant smiling South Yorkshire criminals who received jail terms
By Jon Cooper
Published 11th Sep 2022, 04:45 BST
Police and judges have helped to wipe the defiant smiles of these ten criminals’ faces.
They all received time behind bars for offences ranging from assaults to arson and threatening behaviour.
Below are some of the more serious and dreadful cases to have passed through Sheffield Crown Court recently where some of the victims have been left traumatised.
Offenders have been involved in stabbings, an arson attack, controlling and coercive behaviour as well as threatening behaviour and aggravated vehicle taking.
One knife-wielding thug stabbed four victims on a Sheffield estate during a reign of terror and another convicted murderer had his sentence extended after he attacked an officer at a Young Offender Institution.
Offenders have been involved in stabbings, an arson attack, controlling and coercive behaviour as well as threatening behaviour and aggravated vehicle taking.
5. 5. Michael Cavanagh
Michael Cavanagh, pictured, aged 52, of Well Drive, at Thrybergh, Rotherham, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to 11 months of custody and was made subject to a five-year restraining order after he pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm upon a neighbour.
Sheffield Crown Court heard on August 15 how Michael Cavanagh, followed the 62-year-old neighbour to his nearby flat at St Leonard’s Avenue and refused to leave before he grabbed an extendable baton from his victim and beat him with the weapon. Photo: SYP
Pictured is Mark Brooks, aged 61, of Shirecliffe Road, at Shirecliffe, Sheffield, who was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to nine years and six months of custody after he pleaded guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to his daughter and to threatening to kill her.
The court heard on August 9 how Brooks had gone to see his daughter after a dispute concerning her new boyfriend and he poured flammable liquid over her clothes and tried to ignite a lighter but fortunately it would not light.
The judge – Recorder Matthew Happold – told Brooks: “You poured liquid from a bottle onto her and took out a lighter and attempted to set it alight on two occasions.
"You hit and kicked her and threatened to kill her and then she took refuge in a neighbour’s flat and you threatened to set that front door alight.” Photo: SYP
Pictured is Harry Trench, aged 20, of Daylands Avenue, at Conisbrough, Doncaster, who was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to 18 months of custody after he admitted threatening behaviour, causing criminal damage, obstructing a police officer, failing to comply with a community order, failing to surrender to custody and a burglary.
The court heard on August 4 how Trench threatened staff at Best Phones, on Copley Road, Doncaster, after they refused to give him cash relating to a previous transaction and he proceeded to damage the store’s roof tiles.
Trench began throwing items and as it was feared he was going to walk away with an XBox 1S and as he was threatening to cause damage, the staff locked him in the shop, according to prosecuting barrister Katherine White.
Ms White said Trench repeatedly punched roof tiles causing them to fall off before he was arrested and he gave false names and dates of birth to police. Photo: SYP
Pictured is Arron Jeffcock, aged 30, who has 17 previous convictions and was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to 45 months of custody after he pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour, to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and to witness intimidation. He also accepted breaching a suspended prison sentence.
The court heard on August 3 how Jeffcock, of Challoner Way, at Westfield, Sheffield, had repeatedly questioned his partner’s movements during their relationship and he stopped her from seeing friends and punched and headbutted her.
Recorder David Brooke QC confirmed that during the relationship Jeffcock’s partner said she had been punched to the eye, headbutted twice and after she had left him he threatened to kill himself.
Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said that after Jeffcock was arrested for controlling and coercive behaviour he also assaulted the complainant and her friend at her home.
Jeffcock punched his ex-partner’s friend and as she tried to get her phone he grabbed and dragged her causing a laceration to her foot before pinning her down with his knee on her neck. Photo: SYP