Leeds Crown Court round-up: The criminals who have faced justice this week

Other cases included a pervert who purposely got himself arrested because he had no money, and a thief who turned to burglary to pay back traffickers who brought him to the UK.

Richard Spink

Spink had only just been released from prison the day before when he pretended to be a delivery driver to gain access to flats on Merchants House on North Street. He stole a parcel left in a communal area – a £50 suitcase. But the 37-year-old was quickly arrested after CCTV caught him in the act. Having been freed from jail, he had been given accommodation in Burley in Wharfedale, north west of Leeds, but claimed he could not find the address, which the judge dismissed. He was jailed for six months with judge telling him: “I hope it was worth it.”

Fatmir Limani

The 23-year-old Albanian and an unnamed accomplice threw bricks through the patio of a house on Prince Henry Road in Otley, but their presence alerted the occupier on his phone. After being arrested Limani told police he needed to pay back traffickers the £25,000 he gave them to ship him illegally to the UK 19 months ago. Jailed for 18 months, he was told he would likely be deported once his sentence finishes.

Andrew Kenneth Iveson, Sean Lumb and Ian Stringfellow

Landlords were told they turned a “blind eye” after cannabis farms worth more than £750,000 were found at their properties in the Wakefield area. The three men were sentenced for allowing the sophisticated drug farms to be set up at the houses in South Kirkby and South Elmsall. After suspicions were raised about the smell of cannabis outside one house, the police traced others. However, they were all spared jail and given suspended sentences and community service.

Fynley Logan

Logan was part of a hooded gang that brazenly broke into a house in Morley in broad daylight and while the occupant was upstairs working. Having thrown rocks at the patio windows, they entered to steal the car keys and take the BMW parked on the driveway. The occupier had “presence of mind” to take photos of the yobs climbing into the car, one of which caught a glimpse of 19-year-old Logan's face. The judge spared him jail and said: “I’m told you want to turn your life around, so I’m prepared to give you one chance. But if you are brought back before me, I will lock you up.”

David Shaun Patrick Garland and Gareth Smith

Bungling criminals Garland and Smith were caught after ditching a stolen car, but their footsteps were traced by police to the house in which they were hiding. They were spotted in the Beeston area in the early hours of March 10 in the Toyota Aygo that had been earlier reported stolen from Morley. After getting stuck in a narrow alleyway, they were able to smash down a tree and make off again, but ditched the car a short time later. They bopth later admitted aggravated vehicle taking. Garland, age 44, was given a 12-month jail term, while Smith, aged 33, was given six months’ jail.

Tofail Iltaf

Pervert Iltaf attacked a woman in a car after she refused to give him her number. He grabbed the woman’s breasts and groin during the struggle in her car after they stopped on Gledhow Lane in Chapel Allerton. The woman had called the authorities and the “harrowing” six-minute audio recording was played to the court. She was heard screaming and sobbing as she struggled against the 27-year-old. He later admitted sexual assault and was jailed for 20 months and put him on the sex offenders register. The judge told Iltaf: “You were inappropriate, demanding and repetitive. You had no right to demand or a legitimate reason.

"You attacked her physically. We heard the screams that you were touching her everywhere. She was clearly terrified by your attack. Those screams were harrowing. It was beyond an unpleasant attack.”

Martin Ong

Desperate mechanic Ong faked a burglary at his own garage so he could claim on his insurance due to mounting debts. He turned his office over, cut a hole in the roof and even pretended to steal a van to make it look more realistic. But suspicions were raise within hours when the van was caught on camera in convoy with Ong’s own van. The 57-year-old quickly admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice. He later said he was under huge financial pressure and bailiffs had turned up at his home the day before, so took the “stupid” decision to fake the break-in. However, he was spared immediate jail and given a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months. He also gave him 150 hours of unpaid work.

Dean Smith

Violent Smith was jailed after being found guilty of controlling and coercive behaviour of his partner. The court was told he had been violent towards her, but later stopped, and began “controlling all aspects of her life” instead. This included her finances, her social media accounts and "what she could and couldn’t do”. He was jailed for three years.

Ramone Hazel

Drug dealer Hazel was given a 66-month jail sentence after he was caught selling crack cocaine and heroin, for which he has also been jailed in the past. The 29-year-old was caught twice in the space of two months driving around with large quantities of drugs in his car, which he initially claimed were for his own personal use. He later admitted selling them, but was living in his car because the community thought he was an informant.