Locked up in October: A bottle attacker, woman beater, 'mean' thief and more

A number of very serious cases have been through our courts in Nottingham during October. Here, reporter Martin Naylor rounds up a few of the ones we covered as a new month begins today:

Bottle attacker Amanda Ross

Talented young footballer India Totty’s dreams of playing professionally and joining the army were ruined by an unprovoked bottle attack on her by drunk mum-of-three Amanda Ross. The victim also had to spend an extra year studying part-time to finish her degree at Nottingham Trent University due to the long-term impact of the injury inflicted on her by the East Leake defendant.

The 39-year-old, of Cinnabar Way, threw a vodka bottle which struck Ms Totty’s head as they travelled together on a bus heading to the victim’s home in Clifton.

And in an impact statement, bravely read to the court in person by the now Sports Science graduate, she told of the loss of her two “passions in life” with her having played for clubs such as Leicester City, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion, Loughborough and Sheffield.

Jailing Ross for two years, Judge Michael Auty KC said: “She had two tremendous passions. One was the army and the second was football and she plainly excelled in both.

“I have absolutely no doubt she would have had a terrific career in football and a career she would have been proud of in the army. You have robbed her of that because of your behaviour.

“It is a remarkable demonstration of her integrity and character that she presents as she does in this court this morning. A young woman who is determined to cope with what life has thrown at her and make the best of every opportunity.”

The attack happened as Ms Totty and a male friend were travelling home to Clifton from a night out in Nottingham on February 14, 2022.

Ross, of Cinnabar Way, handed herself in following a media appeal in August 2022, six months after the bus attack and later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.

Woman beater Daley Oldham

Daley Oldham, who has a history of serious violence against women, broke his then partner’s jaw with a single punch after grabbing their baby daughter from her arms. The 38-year-old, of no fixed address, then refused to take the Nottingham woman to hospital until she agreed to his story to tell medics that she had received the fracture having “accidentally been elbowed” while on a night out.

At the time, the victim, who has two children with the 38-year-old defendant, had no idea he had a history of serious violence against ex-girlfriends as he had not told her about his previous convictions. And he will only now be released from jail when the parole board deem him to no longer be a danger to the public.

Handing Oldham a two-year and three-month prison term, Judge Steven Coupland said: “Your relationship quickly became toxic and you then resorted to what you know - violence.

“She was then not allowed to seek medical help until she agreed to tell the lie you had told her which was that you had not caused it. Even now she still suffers ongoing physical problems but there is an emotional impact just as much.

“She felt worthless, anxious and frightened of you and no-one should have to live with that fear.”

The defendant pleaded guilty to assault occasioning grievous bodily harm on the second day of his trial at Stoke Crown Court in June of this year. As well as the jail sentence, the judge handed Oldham a lifetime restraining order not to contact the victim.

Stefan Fox, mitigating, said: “The reality is that he will not be released from prison until the parole board is satisfied he is no longer a danger to the public.”

Prolific criminal Linnette Burton

Prolific criminal Linnette Burton has an astonishing 135 court appearances to her name for a shocking 332 offences. The 41-year-old’s latest bout of offending saw her target shops in Nottingham city centre and twice burgle student accommodation in Radford.

The thief, of no fixed address, took designer handbags, sunglasses and perfume from the shops and stole clothes and a TV when she got herself into the Orbital Housing block in Ilkeston Road.

And in 2019, when she was jailed for getting a man to throw drugs over a prison wall to her disguised at Fruit Pastilles, the judge, on the occasion, told her: “In all of my 36 years [practising law] I don’t think I’ve seen a list of previous convictions that goes on to three pages.”

Jailing her for a total of 20 months for her latest offences, Judge Julie Warburton said: “You have a prolific record for offending in the same way or a similar nature with 135 appearances for 332 offences of which a significant number are for thefts.

“I accept your main mitigation is your guilty plea and you have plainly been trapped in a lifestyle which has left you entrenched in a pattern of offending over many years.

“You had a difficult and traumatic childhood but you are now an adult and if you continue to offend you will continue getting custodial sentences.

“The only person who can change that is you.”

The most recent offence took place over a six-week period during the summer of this year.

She pleaded guilty to five counts of theft and two counts of burglary.

Council fraudster Alan Doig

Alan Doig, a senior accountant at Gedling Borough Council who stole almost £1m of taxpayers money to fund his gambling addiction, was jailed for five years. Over nearly 20 years, the 57-year-old transferred £934,343.30 of money meant to pay for public services into his own bank accounts.

The defendant, of Daybrook, massaged figures relating to the council’s employee car loan scheme to syphon cash to himself, by raising fake invoices, fake credit notes and moving money around different accounts to avoid detection. And after he was arrested, he admitted had he not been caught he would have carried on his illegal enterprise.

Jailing the defendant, Judge Nirmal Shant KC said: “You gained knowledge and expertise but what you did with that knowledge and expertise was to manipulate the system for your own gain. Your theft has had a real impact on each of the residents that live in the borough. You stole from them and squandered their money on gambling.

“Between 2003 and 2022, you made 86 fraudulent transactions to obtain just under £1m. You were in a position of trust and responsibility and you abused that.”

Doig, of Bedale Road, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position and obtaining money transfer by deception. He has no previous convictions of any kind.

Alan Murphy, prosecuting, read out a business impact statement made by Mike Hill, on behalf of the council and the defendant’s former employees. He said:”He was an expert and used his position to abuse the system. The money he stole would have been 6% of the council’s 2024-2025 budget. This has had an impact on every single resident in the borough.”

Lorry driver killer Matthew Wright

“Inexperienced” HGV driver Matthew Wright killed “kind, funny, caring and generous” motorcyclist Nigel Osler who was on his way to work as a lorry driver himself when he was struck by the defendant’s vehicle. The defendant didn’t see the victim in his mirrors when he carried out what Mr Osler’s wife called “a highly dangerous manoeuvre” in his Amazon Prime lorry and collided with the Yamaha bike in Mansfield.

Mr Osler, a 61-year-old grandfather of Derbyshire, was rushed to hospital but his family had to make the agonising decision to switch off his life support machine as he was not going to survive so his organs could be donated as he would have wanted. And in a heart-wrenching victim impact statement, bravely read to the court by his wife, she said: “It took us ages to decide whether it was right to keep him alive but we just could not do it. We had to let him go with as much dignity as possible.”

Jailing 45-year-old Wright, for nine years, Judge Stuart Rafferty KC said: “In just a few short minutes - or even not that long - a life was lost and it should not have been. The devastation you caused is immeasurable and of course your life has changed also.

“Whatever sentence I give you, your life will never be the same again and whatever sentence I give you will not bring back Mr Osler.”

The collision took place at the A617/A60 crossroads junction in Mansfield shortly after 4am on July 12, 2023.

Wright, a father-of-two teenagers, of Leeson Avenue, Charnock Richard, Chorley, Lancashire, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving

As well as the jail term, the judge disqualified him from driving for 11 years. Nottinghamshire Police does not have a custody photograph of the defendant.

Drug dealing brothers Hassan Amjid and Husnain Amin

Brothers Hassan Amjid and Husnain were both jailed for “peddling the misery of drugs in the streets of Nottingham”. The pair were both snared more than once with heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis with the older brother even trying to dump wraps in a flower pot as he ran from officers.

The duo, both of Coleridge Street, Radford, also had scales, dealer bags and up to £27.000 of class A substances, mainly in the bedroom they shared. And the hearing was told they became involved in selling to help pay off a debt of up to £10,000 Amjid has amassed smoking crack cocaine to deal with family bereavements and losing his job at a Boots warehouse.

Jailing them, Judge James Sampson said: “Class A drugs cause crime, they blight lives and destroy communities and both of you were peddling this misery on the streets of Nottingham. You have to take responsibility for your actions and accept the consequences.

“Mr Amjid, it is obvious you were a busy dealer looking to make easy money to pay off a debt.”

Drugs were seized from the home the two defendants shared with their family on three separate occasions between May 2021 and November, 2023.

Amjid, 25, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and cannabis. He was jailed for four years and nine months.

Amin, 23, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis and was sent to prison for three years and two months.

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, which could see cash and assets seized from the brothers, will take place at a future date.

Rogue roofer Jimmy Dolan

Rogue roofer Jimmy Dolan fleeced thousands of pounds from elderly and vulnerable victims who lived alone. The 38-year-old, of Retford, would use aliases as part of his rise and gained the trust of the mainly female women in their 80s and 90s, to part with their cash for work that was either not done or was completed “to an unsatisfactory standard”.

The defendant, who has served time in prison for similar offences, would disappear with their money and on one occasion even fled from one lady’s home and jumped over a fence to escape with it. Jailing him for four years, Judge Michael Auty KC said: “This is a case where you chose to deliberately exploit the elderly and vulnerable for your own gain and you have done it before. This offending went on for just under a year, it was persistent and determined.

“Your own counsel has described your offending as repugnant and he is entirely right. They are truly abhorrent crimes committed against people that should expect the protection of the courts. I have read victim impact statements from two of the cases which truly give a flavour of the misery, suffering and distress you inflicted on these elderly victims.

“The impact has had a seriously detrimental effect on them. The youngest of your victims was 63, two were 85, one was 87 and the eldest, from whom you took the most money, was 91.”

Dolan, of Trinity Road and who targeted the five victims between the summers of 2023 and 2024, pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud.

Prolific thieving grandmother Amanda Cunningham

Bilborough's grandmother Amanda Cunningham, who has more than 60 court appearances for over 300 offences, is back behind bars. The 45-year-old’s latest crime spree saw her target supermarkets, one of which she was banned from entering earlier this year.

The defendant, of Darnhall Crescent, would use her know-how to try and bypass shop electronic security systems to wheel out trollies full of booze to sell to pay for drugs. And on one occasion, she entered John Lewis in the Victoria Centre with a child and wheeled it out sitting in a stolen pushchair she had ripped the tag off.

Jailing her for two years and three months, Judge Steven Coupland said: “Your life has been marred for many years with an addiction to drugs and no doubt many of the offences on your appalling record come from funding that addiction. You were given a chance in January with a suspended sentence and it is a great pity you were not able to take that opportunity.

“Your spree of thefts and attempted thefts totalled more than £3,000 and we are now at the stage, I am afraid. where the court cannot give you any more chances.”

The defendant, of Darnhall Crescent, pleaded guilty to eight shop thefts, one attempted shop theft and common assault between May and June of this year. She also admitted breaching both a criminal behaviour order and her suspended sentence order.

‘Mean’ thief Lee Goodwin

Heavily-convicted Lee Goodwin betrayed the trust of an Aslockton pub landlady who had helped him to steal £3,000 from her. At the time the 45-year-old carried out the “mean” offence against the woman he was on bail for threatening a couple with a machete at a caravan park in Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire.

And in 2019, the amputee, of Kielder Drive, Bingham, was handed a six-month sentence for what a judge called “a classic road rage” incident when he also waved a machete around. Jailing him for 19 months, Judge Steven Coupland said: “In 2020, you got involved in a confrontation with other people who lived in the same caravan park as you did in Lincolnshire. You threatened to go away and get a machete and you did get the machete and started waving it around and threatening them as you had before in 2019.

“Thankfully the people on the other side were able to get that from you but you created a risk of serious injury. One of them says witnessing this devastated her and left her suffering nightmares and she had to have cameras installed.

“While you were on bail for that you stole from someone who had shown you kindness, giving you a place to stay. You went to her car and took a bag which contained £3,000 which was from the pub she was running.

“That was an opportunistic but mean offence and you disputed it (the money) was hers and tried to hang on to it. That was a serious betrayal of trust.”

The Lincolnshire offence took place in Ingoldmells, near Skegness, on August 22, 2020. Then, in May 2022, when he was living in Cottage Avenue, Whatton, he befriended the landlady of the Cranmer Arms in neighbouring Aslockton who had allowed him to stay over.

By this time he had a prosthetic limb having had part of his left leg amputated. On May 25, he went to the victim’s car and took the £3,000. Goodwin, who has 38 previous court appearances for 125 offences, pleaded guilty to affray and theft.

Newsagent masked robber Richard Kavanagh

Alcohol-dependent Derby man Richard Kavanagh, who reached the age of 36 without ever troubling the police, robbed the same Nottingham newsagents twice in three days. On both occasions the masked defendant threatened to stab the lone worker in the MSR store in Radcliffe Road, West Bridgford, opposite the Trent Bridge Inn.

Two days after those robberies he entered the same shop a third time but was recognised by one of his victims who alerted a customer and local councillor who followed him until the police arrived. Now he is tasting custody for the first time in his life just short of his 39th birthday.

Jailing the defendant, of Normanton, for two-and-a-half years, Recorder Adrian Reynolds said: “These people offer a service to the public and what you did, particularly to the second victim when you produced a weapon, was not just steal his employer’s money but you stole his peace of mind which is something altogether more precious.

“For a considerable amount of time after, he was looking over his shoulder and you cannot treat people like that. Unusually you have no previous convictions and you are a man in his mid-to-late 30s not some hot-headed teenager.”

The robberies took place on August 10 and 13, and Kavanagh, of Palmerston Street, pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and possession of an offensive weapon. He was handed just over £100 during the two incidents.