​Grandparents' stolen Christmas lights found 'smashed to bits'...

December 5, 2016, 9:55 am

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A pair of grandparents have been left "disgusted" after their Christmas lights were stolen and later found "smashed to bits". Sheila and Stephen Connolly, of Chard Barton, in Honicknowle, say the theft of their front garden lights, which were stolen late on Saturday, December 3, has "taken the joy out of Christmas" for them. The couple, who have eight grandchildren, discovered their decorations had been smashed into pieces and dotted around the neighbourhood the...

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Family's Christmas presents destroyed in flat fire which has left...

December 6, 2016, 2:30 am

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A family-of-three from Plymouth have been left homeless and without Christmas presents after their flat and possessions went up in flames.Nina Middleton and her two young children, Scarlett, nine, and Taylor-Rose, six, were forced to flee their flat at Penrose House in Lockyers Quay, near the National Marine Aquarium, after a fire broke out in their kitchen in the early hours of November 26.Nina was awoken by the building's main fire alarm to find smoke filtering into her bedroom and her kitchen...

Sick pervert teacher who drove girl to suicide bid is banned from...

December 6, 2016, 3:58 am

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A perverted teacher jailed for grooming a former pupil into abusing herself believed he could have sued the girl for harassment, it has emerged.Shocking details of a letter sent by maths teacher Richard Ariss were released after a hearing of the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL).Ariss, a former teacher at her school in the Plymouth area, was jailed in March this year after a court heard how his sexting and online grooming led the girl to attempt suicide.The 29-year-old has also...

Teenagers in the poshest villages near Plymouth are skipping...

December 6, 2016, 5:01 am

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Police have launched a major operation to crackdown on teenage use of 'legal highs' in the South Hams. Operation Venus aims to tackle the use of psychoactive substances - formerly known as legal highs - among teens in the region. It was set up following concerns at the rising number of teenagers becoming vulnerable as a result of having access to the drugs, including skipping school, becoming ill or experiencing frightening side-effects. The operation comes after a similar campaign by...

Dash cam catches M5 hard shoulder speeder get just deserts

December 6, 2016, 5:23 am

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An impatient driver caught speeding up the hard shoulder of the M5 to avoid a traffic jam got what they deserved.Dash cam footage captured the motorist zipping up the emergency lane to beat the queues on the motorway close to the Bridgwater in Somerset.But a few moments later the guilty driver is stationary on the hard shoulder having been stopped by the police.Read more: Sick pervert teacher who drove girl to suicide bid is banned from classroomThe video was posted on Bridgwater Dash Cam...

Sickening footage sends leader of animal fighting gang to jail

December 6, 2016, 5:45 am

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Two of 11 men have today been sentenced for their part in an illegal deer-killing and animal fighting gang. The prosecution said the primary motivation of those involved "seems to be gratutious pleasure". Graham Coombes, 41, of Abbey Road, Bovery Tracey, was hauled away in handcuffs after being sentenced to 20 weeks in prison for his part as the ring leader.WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT District Judge Diane Baker spoke said the video footage...

Woman sexually abused as a child attempted suicide, Plymouth jury...

December 6, 2016, 6:44 am

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A woman who attempted suicide told hospital staff she had been sexually abused as a girl, a court heard.The complainant took an overdose of paracetamol more than a decade after she claims she was repeatedly touched indecently by a teenager, a jury was told.Lee Mitchell, now aged 31, has gone on trial at Plymouth Crown Court accused of sexually abusing her and a boy over the same period.The woman told hospital staff after her overdose that she had been abused as a child. She then went to the...

Suspected drug dealer 'pulled out knife' before police chase

December 6, 2016, 9:14 am

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Police chased and tackled a suspected dealer in the street after he pulled out a knife, a major drugs and money laundering trial heard.Plain clothes detectives knocked Momoh Bangura, aged 22, to the ground after spotting an apparent deal going down in Stonehouse, a jury was told.Bangura pulled a knife from his waistband and held it above his head before dropping it during the chase, Plymouth Crown Court heard.Prosecutors claim Bangura was one of several dealers sent down from London to sell...

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Banned driver who rammed police car caught behind the wheel again

December 6, 2016, 9:46 am

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A danger driver banned from the road for ramming into the door of a police car was caught behind the wheel of a van three months later, a court heard.Connor Calam, aged 20, faces jail for breaching the suspended sentence imposed for nearly hitting an officer.Calam rammed the door of a police car as he sped away through red lights in a five-mile chase through Plymouth in July.He straddled lanes and jumped lights on several of the city's main roads before his flat-bed Ford Transit truck broke down...

'Abhorrent' gang who set dogs on wild animals sentenced

December 6, 2016, 11:45 am

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Eleven men were today sentenced – three receiving jail terms – for their part in a series of "abhorrent" attacks by dogs on deer, badgers and foxes. Graphic and distressing video footage found on the mobile phone of the ringleader was shown in court, showing dogs savaging badgers and deer as the accused looked on and gave encouragement. At one stage during the sentencing hearing at Plymouth Magistrates' Court today, District Judge Diane Baker said anyone involved in the...

Plymouth drug dealer twice caught with heroin hidden in his body

December 6, 2016, 12:35 pm

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A dealer caught twice with heroin hidden in his body has been jailed.Luke Reilly, aged 29, has been locked up for three years and four months for having large amounts of the drug secreted on his person.Police shut him in a cell until the heroin appeared, Plymouth Crown Court heard.Judge Ian Lawrie told him: "You were caught in possession of drugs and you were dealing those drugs to support your own habit."You should know of the misery that these drugs cause because you are on the...

'Drugs gang ringleader was in phone contact with dealers in...

December 8, 2016, 5:13 am

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The suspected ringleader of a London gang was in frequent phone contact with dealers selling drugs in Plymouth, a jury was told.Anthony Okopie, aged 29, made hundreds of calls to men believed to have used the coach to bring heroin and cocaine from the capital, a court heard.Okopie, from Peckham, is also suspected of phoning known drug users in Plymouth.The jury in the drugs and money-laundering trial of four defendants heard an expert attribute eight different handsets to Okopie.Phone analyst...

Who has been in trouble with Plymouth magistrates?

December 8, 2016, 5:34 am

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ASSAULT: CHRISTOPHER MCCAFFREY, aged 30, of George Place, Plymouth: assaulting a woman by beating and breach of a court injunction by attending her home – jailed for 24 weeks, ordered to pay £115 victim surcharge. MALCOLM MACIVER, aged 65, of Park Road, Plymouth: assaulting a man by beating – fined £390, ordered to pay £350 costs, £150 compensation and £39 victim surcharge. THEFT: EMMA CUFFE, aged 34, of York Road, Plymouth: theft from a shop...

Lying nursing home boss used dirty money to fund her own tea room...

December 8, 2016, 8:26 am

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A nursing home boss who defrauded the organisation out of £3,000 and invested the money in a tea room business she ran alongside it has avoided a prison sentence.Jane Thom, 53, from Wellington Street in Torpoint, arrived at Truro Crown Court to be sentenced earlier this week after pleading guilty to four counts of fraud on the morning of an intended trial.The fraud related to a period between September 2012 and September 2013 when she worked as house manager at the Abbeyfield Torpoint...

Plymouth sex abuse jury sent home after failing to reach verdicts

December 8, 2016, 8:51 am

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The jury in the trial of a man accused of sexually abusing a boy and a girl has been discharged after failing to reach verdicts. Lee Mitchell, now aged 31, pleaded not guilty to indecently touching the pair more than a decade ago. The jury at Plymouth Crown Court failed to reach verdict on nine counts after two days of evidence and more than five hours of deliberations. Judge Ian Lawrie sent the jury home and prosecutors now have a week to decide whether to press for a...

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Couple learned to grow £10,000 worth of cannabis on YouTube

December 8, 2016, 9:03 am

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A builder caught growing cannabis in his family home learnt how to cultivate the crop through YouTube, a court heard.Chronic user Lee Jones, aged 39, was arrested after police sniffed out the drugs from the street.Jones and partner Karry Donnelly grew cannabis in the basement of the home where they were raising two children – though the crop was kept under lock and key.Judge Ian Lawrie said the couple acted like a "sort of wholesaler" selling large amounts of drugs to street...

Plymouth residents warned to beware of phone scammers posing as...

December 8, 2016, 9:13 am

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Another scam is doing the rounds where bogus telephone callers are posing as council officials. Trading Standards officers have received a number of reports that residents are getting phone calls saying there is a problem with their council tax and asking for payment. The residents say that, when asked, the person on the other end of the phone was unable to tell them how much they owed or their account number. The callers got frustrated and hung up on the customer after they failed to...

Plymouth man jailed for having knife and drugs in street

December 8, 2016, 9:32 am

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A man caught with a knife in the street has been jailed after missing meetings with his probation officers.David Thomas, aged 28, was stopped by police who smelt cannabis just before Christmas last year, a court heard.He was found to be carrying both amphetamine and cannabis – and also a lock knife.Jailing him for four months, Judge Ian Lawrie called him a "hopeless individual".He added: "You have previous convictions and a bad record of not complying with orders. This order...

Crooks who will steal anything are targeting Plymouth cars, say...

December 8, 2016, 12:52 pm

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Police are warning car owners to be extra careful when leaving their vehicles and make sure they are locked after crooks have gone on a thieving bonanza.Officers have received a large number of reports in the last couple of weeks of thefts from motor vehicles, with high and low value goods targeted.The thefts have been reported across the city and police report crooks appear to have been checking handles of car doors and any found unlocked virtually everything in the vehicle "not fixed...

Hello, hello, hello - police spreading festive cheer and friendly...

December 8, 2016, 1:09 pm

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Devonport police will be spreading cheer – and sensible words of advice – this festive season. From December 12 to 23 officer from Devonport police's neighbourhood team will be engaging with the elderly and the vulnerable as part of Operation Smart.Police Community Support Officers and Neighbourhood Beat Managers from the station have organised a series of events including crime prevention measures such as 'property marking' on local building sites and 'scam awareness' sessions,...