Shropshire criminals jailed in October for domestic abuse, sex offences, theft and more
Dozens of criminals from in and around Shropshire, and the wider West Midlands, have been locked up in recent weeks.
The Shropshire Star has covered a number of these sentencings which have resulted in offenders being 'taken down' to cells.
Most of these have been at crown court, for crimes such as fraud, domestic abuse, sexual offences and dangerous driving, but even some appearing in magistrates court have been handed custodial sentences.
Here are some of those put behind bars during October.
Predator sexually assaulted unconscious woman
Robert Bebb, also known as Nicholas Bebb, was videoed by a friend, molesting the woman while she was passed out at his home.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard how he "took pleasure" in boasting about what he had done, and was only caught due to police discovering the videos when Bebb and his friend were arrested in connection with another crime.
When officers interviewed Bebb about the incident, he provided a prepared statement in which he said he had "consensual" sexual contact with the woman.
The victim said in an impact statement that thinking about what happened "sends shivers down my spine". She spoke about self-harming, and that she feels like she can't wear certain clothes because she doesn't want to attract other men.
Bebb, 34, and of Rectory Gardens, Hanwood, Shrewsbury, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault. He has 10 previous convictions dating back to 2008, including robbery and harassment.
Bebb was jailed for 27 months and ordered to sign onto the sex offenders' register for 10 years.
Charity shop thief
Shamine Cameron, aged 40, stole a bag full of garments from the Samaritans shop in Crown Street, Wellington, on June 29.
Sex offences at school
On October 3, a 73-year-old man was jailed for 27 years for non-recent sexual offences against children at a former boarding school in the West Midlands in the 1960s and 70s.
Keith Figes, aged 73, of Breach Close in Bourton, Dorset, was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court after previously pleading guilty to 11 counts - six of which are specimen offences.
The offences took place between 1966 and 1974 at Berrow Wood School in the village of Pendock, on the border of Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.
The school housed boys aged 10 to 18, many of which were considered to have behavioural or learning difficulties.
Illegal TV services
Through his firm 'Pikabox', Steven Mills, 58, of Yorton, Shrewsbury, provided set-top boxes, 'Firesticks', and apps to allow people to bypass TV subscriptions over the course of nearly four years – from October 2017 to July 2021.
He also offered virtual private network (VPN) services so customers could avoid detection by masking their IP addresses.
Shrewsbury Crown Court, sitting at Telford Justice Centre on October 5, heard that Mills had boasted of having more than 30,000 subscribers.
But Ari Alibhai, prosecuting, said that the number of transactions identified in Mills' PayPal account was actually around 15,000 – worth around £1.2m. Judge, Recorder Richard McConaghy, was told that the enterprise had cost broadcasters, such as Sky and Disney Plus, millions of pounds.
Mills' lawyer said the 58-year-old had had 'foolishly' got himself involved, and is "not someone going to appear before the court again". Mills, who admitted two charges of supplying articles for their use in fraud and one of obtaining services dishonestly, was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Rapist still a danger to women
Perry Marsh was handed a seven-and-a-half year immediate jail sentence with an extended licence period of three years when he appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court on October 5.
The 33-year-old, of Avon Road, Kidderminster, had denied raping a woman in Telford in August 2021 but was found guilty after a trial.
Judge Peter Barrie told Marsh he was treating him as a dangerous offender.
"You pose a significant risk of carrying out further offences against women," he said.
The judge also imposed a restraining order saying March must not try to contact the woman, directly or indirectly for 15 years and barred him from working with children.
Mr Stefan Kolodynski, prosecuting, said that in a victim impact statement the victim said she still had flashbacks from the night and had contemplated ending her life.
Shoddy gas fitter
Daniel Mountain put customers at risk by illegally carrying out work on homes.
The 36-year-old carried out work in Dudley, Oldbury and Newport in Shropshire between 2020 and 2021 under the pretence of being Corgi registered and even when he had a prohibition order against him specifically banning him from installing and servicing boilers and radiators.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Mountain broke the order when carrying out work at the home of David Trueman in Oldbury and a property in Newport where he used the name of a company he had previously worked for called Elite Gas, passing it off as his to install a boiler.
He was jailed for two years.
Woman stole war veteran's medals
Joanne Terrell Wilkins, aged 44, who gave her address as Dallamoor, in Telford, stood stunned in the back of the court when magistrates in Telford handed down an eight-week jail term for the "despicable" crime of stealing nine medals from a "vulnerable" old war veteran.
Magistrates said on October 11 that her offence had been "so serious that only a custodial sentence is justified".
Telford Magistrates Court heard that the victim Peter Dawson had seen Wilkins as a daughter and trusted her to let her stay at his bungalow and let in workers when he had to go to hospital from July 16 to August 1.
But Wilkins, who had pleaded guilty on September 13 to the charge of theft, had shattered the old man's trust by taking four of his war medals and five military medals belonging to Mr Dawson's father and taking them to a pawn shop.
Wilkins was told that she would be released on licence for half of the sentence and will be supervised for 12 months when her sentence ends.
She was ordered to pay £120 to cash converters, and pay a victims surcharge of £154 and prosecution costs of £184.
Magistrates also told her not to contact her victim, who lives in Telford, for 12 months.
