All of the 7 criminals pictured here have been brought to justice at Sheffield Crown Court over the last two weeks, with combined prison sentences totalling 60 years, nine months.
Some of the defendants admitted their crimes through guilty pleas, while others were convicted after a Sheffield Crown Court trial.
In each of the cases, the defendants have been taken off South Yorkshire's streets to serve time at His Majesty's Pleasure.
The shortest sentence handed down was one of 16 months, while the longest one passed was life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 29 years behind bars.
1. Jailed at Sheffield Crown Court in October and November 2023
All of the defendants pictured here have been jailed, during Sheffield Crown Court hearings held in October and November 2023. Top row, left to right: Changase Akatar; Christopher Pearce; David Scott. Bottom row, left to right: Jason Marriott; Rigles Ndreka; Saed Mohamed; Tammy Lane. Bottom row, left to right: Jason Marriott; Rigles Ndreka; Saed Mohamed; Tammy Lane
2. Changase Akatar: Twisted thug beat woman so badly in front of her children they thought she was dead
Sheffield Crown Court heard how even after noticing the children were present, callous Changase Akatar continued to beat their mother, during an incident at a Rotherham property. Describing the circumstances of the assault, Judge Peter Kelson KC told Akatar: "You assaulted her, you punched her, and by reason of your punches, you took her to the ground, in your own home. You pulled her hair, you bit her, you stamped on her, and you rendered her unconscious by reason of this attack. "Her two children came downstairs, they witnessed the attack. You did not stop when they appeared…they thought their mother was dead. They saw her injuries, which were extensive." The woman was left with injuries including bruising to her eyes, face and upper body, and was also left with blood in her eyes, which took around five days to clear. Akatar, aged 44, sought to deny responsibility by pleading not guilty to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, but jurors rejected his account when they found him guilty at the conclusion of the Sheffield Crown Court trial in April 2023. Jailing Akatar, of Birch Avenue, Malton, North Yorkshire, for two years, Judge Peter Kelson KC told him: "This is a very serious case, there’s no getting around that…it was a nasty attack, it was a very, very serious attack." Judge Kelson also granted a restraining order, prohibiting Akatar from contacting the complainant until further order of the court.
3. Christopher Pearce: Sex offender raped woman as she slept
During a three-day trial, Sheffield Crown Court heard how Christopher Pearce sexually assaulted a woman, putting his hands down her trousers despite her telling him to stop, before she fell asleep. The victim subsequently woke up to Pearce shining a light in her face. He said to her: "You were awake for that weren’t you?" before she realised that her trousers had been removed and felt some pain, the court heard. Pearce, aged 31, of Crownhill Road, Brinsworth, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault and was sentenced to 14 years in jail at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, October 20, 2023.
4. Judge sentences Sheffield murderer David Scott for 'sordid, heartless killing'
A 40-year-old man who murdered his former Sheffield flatmate and repeatedly stole from her as she lay dead has been condemned for the 'heartless, sordid killing'. On Wednesday, November 1, 2023, jurors found David Scott unanimously guilty of the murder of 49-year-old Sarah Brierley, whose body was found at her home in Skelton Close, Woodhouse on February 20, 2023. The extent of 'decomposition' suggested she is likely to have died some days earlier, the jury of seven women and five men have previously been told. Prosecutors believe Ms Brierley, also known as 'Queenie,' is likely to have been killed on February 14, 2023, at some point between 2.48pm - when Scott was left alone with Ms Brierley in her flat, and 1.08pm, the timestamp of a picture showing Ms Brierley's dead body with her head covered with a bin bag that was recovered from a phone used by Scott. And on Thursday, November 2, 2023, Scott was brought to justice for the 'heartless' murder of Ms Brierley when Mr Justice Kerr sent him to begin a life sentence, and told him he must serve at least 29 years behind bars. Mr Justice Kerr told Scott: "You were supposed to be a friend of Ms Brierley's, you had been living with her...Ms Brierley trusted you to be alone with her in the flat, and you exploited and abused that trust. He said Scott, of Abbeyfield Road, Pitsmoor, Sheffield, had 'probably' killed Ms Brierley out of 'jealousy', after she 'professed' her love for his then-partner, Zoe Clark.