MURDERERS, dangerous drivers and a paedophile make up the list of Berkshire residents jailed in November.
Some will spend more than two decades behind bars whereas others walked free with a community order.
Here are the royal county residents sentenced at Reading Crown Court or Reading Magistrates’ Court in November.
O’Neal Joseph
28-year-old Joseph formerly of Amersham Road, Reading, was handed a life sentence for the murder of Yannick Cupido in Caversham on Valentine’s Day 2021.
The two had an argument over a prank Cupido played in which he falsely alleged their mutual friend Reece Weatherburn had been arrested.
Their row snowballed as Joseph could not reach Weatherburn and the former messaged the latter to say he would kill him.
They met outside a corner shop in Caversham just after midnight on February 14 where they had a fight.
Joseph had brought a large kitchen knife with him and used it to stab Cupido in the chest.
O'Neal Joseph
The 24-year-old ran off but collapsed a minute later. He was pronounced dead at hospital less than an hour later.
Following a three-week trial, Joseph was convicted of murder.
He was given a life prison term and told he will serve a minimum of 24 years in prison.
James Lawton
Lawton, 28, of Wiltshire, was jailed for the murder of his month-old son Colby, who died in May 2020.
A jury agreed with the prosecution’s case that Lawton shook his son in the minutes before he died, causing him fatal injury.
He was also convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm after giving his son a skull fracture days before his death.
James Lawton
His former partner, Chantelle Stroud, 25 from Newbury, was cleared of any wrongdoing after being charged with allowing the death of a child.
Lawton was handed a life sentence and will serve a minimum of 17 years in prison.
Aaron Clare
Aaron Clare was today jailed for 8 years after he veered off the Bath Road in Southcote at 87mph and killed 41-year-old Kevin Burgess.
The 33-year-old was high on cocaine and xanax at the time of the incident in the early hours of May 23, 2020.
His speech was slurred when questioned by police immediately afterwards and in an interview at hospital, Clare told police: “I ran some matey over.”
Aaron Clare was sentened at Reading Crown Court
At his sentencing, Reading Crown Court heard how Clare was pursued by police for less than a minute after members of the public saw his BMW speeding and mounting the kerb.
But officers felt unsafe and called off the pursuit as they felt “unsafe”, prosecutor Lisa Goddard said.
35 seconds and 500 metres later, Clare had left the carriageway, collided into roadside signs and hit pedestrian Kevin Burgess.
An investigation showed Clare reached speeds of 87mph on the 30mph road before crashing and police found the car extensively damaged with windows smashed, airbags deployed and the bonnet smoking when they reached the crash scene.
Mr Burgess suffered internal injuries and died less than two hours later at 6.56am.
John Searle
A paedophile has been jailed to 16 years in prison for raping a girl under the age of 13.
John Searle of Bay Road, Bracknell, was found guilty of one count of rape of a girl under 13, and two counts of sexual assault of a girl under 13.
Police said the 48-year-old sexually abused the victims over a two year period and were non-recent.
JOHN ANTHONY SEARLE
He will be made to sign the sex offenders register for life and made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Case investigator Carole Sessions of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: “I am satisfied that Searle will no longer pose a threat to others.
“I would like to pay tribute to the victim for coming forward and speaking out against her abuser and giving evidence that led to his conviction.
“I hope that this case shows that time should be no barrier for offenders to be brought to justice when they sexually abuse others.
“If you have been a victim of sexual abuse please do report it. If you are in immediate danger please call 999, if you wish to make a report then you can call 101 or you can report online.
“There is further information and advice about sexual abuse on our website.”
He was convicted at Reading Crown Court on November 19 and sentenced the same day.
Martin Collins
A builder who sexually assaulted a seven-year-old girl on his way to pick up a toolkit from Screwfix has been sent to prison.
Martin Collins, formerly of Lower Henley Road, Caversham, was locked up after being found guilty of two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 back in April.
A court heard how the builder has been ostracized by his friends and his home has been graffitied following his convictions.
Martin Collins stood trial in April.
And now he is facing three years behind bars after being sentenced for his offences at Reading Crown Court.
The 66-year-old abused the seven-year-old girl on two occasions over the 2019/2020 Christmas period.
In the first instance, Collins was found to have touched the girl’s genitals over her clothes while she was sitting on his lap.
On the second occasion, the girl was sitting in the front passenger seat of Collins’ car when they were on their way to Screwfix to pick up a toolkit.
It was here in the car that Collins again touched the girl’s genitals over her clothes.
Aaron Smith
An 18-year-old was jailed for 16 weeks after a string of driving offences in Bracknell, including crashing into someone’s home.
Aaron Smith, of Oakengates, Bracknell, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop after a road accident and driving without a licence or insurance at Reading Magistrates’ Court on 17 November.
In one incident, which occurred on April 8, Smith was speeding in Birch Hill Road when he lost control of his car and crashed into a lamppost, causing the car to roll into a house and leaving significant damage, police said.
The occupants were home at the time, but Smith fled from the vehicle before handing himself in at Bracknell police station later that day.
PC Louise Rawnsley, based at Bracknell police station, said: "I'm pleased that Aaron Smith has received a custodial sentence for this incident of dangerous driving.
Read more: Man fined hundreds for driving 66mph on motorway
“We do not tolerate such behaviour on our roads, and it was only a matter of good fortune that nobody was seriously injured as a result of this incident."
Smith was banned from the roads for two years and fined £220.
Benjamin Taylor
A prolific beggar in Reading has been jailed for breaching his criminal behaviour order 25 times.
Benjamin Taylor, 35, of Russell Street, Reading, was caught begging in the streets of Reading town centre over the past six months.
Thames Valley Police said he breached his Criminal Behaviour Order 25 times.
He was arrested and charged on November 2.
Investigating officer, PC Vince Moore, of the Reading Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This is a great result for a prolific offender with a history of begging and breaching court orders a multitude of times.
“We know that the general public want to help people they see begging on the street, but they are often using the money to fund addiction. We ask instead that people donate to local charities that can assist them in getting the professional help they need.”
Taylor was then sentenced to 11 months and two weeks’ imprisonment on Thursday, November 11 at Reading Magistrates’ Court.
Darren Brown
A Reading man who told supermarket staff he had coronavirus, HIV and hepatitis after threatening them with a syringe has been locked up.
Darren Brown, of Basingstoke Road, Reading, was drunk and under the influence of drugs when he entered an Aldi supermarket on July 21.
Here, he stole two bottles of whisky in order to fund a drug habit, the court heard.
The 42-year-old was approached by staff about the bottles of whisky and dropped and smashed one when challenged.
He was taken outside by security when staff spotted a pair of broken scissors in his waistband.
Brown then produced a syringe, telling the supermarket staff to back off as he had HIV, hepatitis and coronavirus.
The incident led to Brown pleading guilty to theft from a shop, possession of a bladed article in a public place, and threatening a person with a sharp object in a public place.
These convictions brought him before Recorder Carlton at Reading Crown Court for his sentencing on Friday afternoon (November 26).
Refusing pleas from Brown to explain his actions that day as he appeared from custody via live video link, Recorder Carlton sentenced the 42-year-old to ten months behind bars.
Amie Scott
A Reading woman said she was ‘shocked’ to find a cannabis tent with thousands of pounds worth of product in her own home.
Amie Scott, from Caversham, was sentenced for allowing her property to be used for the production of cannabis between November 2019 and April 2020.
At the time of the discovery of the cannabis tent, 15 cannabis plants capable of producing £11,000 of street value drugs were being cultivated.
The tent was discovered by police during a visit for an unrelated matter on April 24, 2020.
Michael Attenborough, prosecuting, said the cannabis was being grown by Scott’s partner in her own home.
During a police interview, Scott was alleged to have said: “I had no idea what was in that room.”
“I was just being a good person letting him stay with me.”
The prosecution said Ms Scott claimed the use of her property for cannabis cultivation was a “shock” to her and she did not notice an increase in utility bills.
Scott was handed an 18-month community order as a sentence.
She was also told to take part in 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
The Caversham woman was sentenced on Tuesday, November 23.
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