Court round-up: Driver jailed over boy's death and man sentenced for stabbing
A driver who killed a five-year-old boy, a man jailed for a fatal stabbing, a former police staff member convicted of child sexual offences and a man who rammed a tractor into a house are among the latest cases heard in the courts.
A number of serious criminal cases involving Yorkshire have recently been heard in the courts. Here is a round-up of some of the latest sentences and hearings.
Driver jailed for six years over death of five-year-old boy
A driver who ignored a no-entry sign and hit a five-year-old boy in Leeds before fleeing the scene has been jailed for six years.
Colin Agyei, 32 from Knottingley, was driving a Nissan Note when he struck Abdullah Ebrahim on Back Camberley Street on Thursday (Jul 7), 2022.
Abdullah was taken to hospital but died shortly afterwards.
An investigation found Agyei had been travelling at around 15mph along the narrow back street, where officers established vehicles could not safely travel at speeds above 7mph.
Agyei admitted careless driving but denied causing death by dangerous driving. He was convicted following a trial in August and sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday (Sep 24).
In a victim personal statement, Abdullah's mother, Salma Begum, said: “Four years have passed, but my grief has not passed. I still miss my son. I still think about him every day.”
Man jailed for 17 years over fatal Menston stabbing
A man has been jailed for 17 years after being convicted of the manslaughter of a 30-year-old father in Menston.
John Robinson, 30 from Menston, stabbed Mason Jones, from Bournemouth, in the stomach during a confrontation on Iron Row shortly before 10am on Sunday (Mar 1).
The court heard Robinson had armed himself with a knife after a woman asked him to attend her home following an argument at the address.
Mason was taken to hospital but died later that afternoon.
On Friday (Sep 25), a jury cleared Robinson of murder but found him guilty of manslaughter and possession of a bladed article in a public place. He was sentenced that afternoon.
Paying tribute, Mason's family described him as a loving son, brother, father, partner and friend whose smile lit up every room.
They said: “Mason will never be forgotten. He will always be loved, forever missed, and remembered as our cheeky, loving boy.”
Former West Yorkshire Police staff member jailed for child sexual offences
A former West Yorkshire Police staff member has been handed a six-year extended custodial sentence after being convicted of child sexual offences and sending threatening messages.
Christopher Thompson, 33, was working in the force's Regional Scientific Support Services when an investigation was launched into messages he had sent to two women in January 2024.
He was arrested and suspended from duty the day after the first report was made. Electronic devices seized during his arrest were subsequently found to contain indecent images of children.
Following a trial at Kingston-upon-Hull Crown Court in July, Thompson was convicted of two counts of making indecent photographs of a child, sending a threatening message and intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an either-way offence. The latter related to attempting to arrange sexual activity with a child under 13.
He was sentenced at Great Grimsby Crown Court on Tuesday (Sep 22) and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life. He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and indefinite restraining orders relating to the two victims.
West Yorkshire Police confirmed that misconduct proceedings would now be arranged, with a view to barring Thompson from working in policing again.
Man jailed after ramming stolen tractor into house during feud
A man who stole a tractor and hay baler before deliberately ramming them into a Middlesbrough house during a feud has been jailed for seven years and two months.
Nathan Blagg, 28, targeted the property in Priory Road in May after a rival, Luke Lancaster, desecrated the graves of his father and brother, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Blagg stole the Massey Ferguson tractor from a farm near Kirklevington, North Yorkshire, and drove it around nine miles before crashing it into the terraced house.
The property was empty at the time, but the impact caused extensive structural damage. The tractor required £56,000 of repairs, while the hay baler, which had cost £30,000, was written off.
Blagg admitted aggravated vehicle taking and criminal damage while reckless as to whether life was endangered, as well as affray relating to an earlier confrontation with Lancaster.
He also admitted aggravated vehicle taking after stealing a Jaguar five days after the tractor attack and crashing it into a lamppost, seriously injuring himself and a passenger.
Blagg was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison, with a further two years on extended licence, and banned from driving for seven years.
Recorder Paul Reid acknowledged the provocation Blagg had suffered but described the criminal damage caused by the tractor attack as “about as serious as it gets, in my judgment.”