Leeds court round-up: Mum who helped murder son, thugs and violent stalker all sentenced

They include a mother and her long term partner have both been jailed for life, a thug jailed after punching and strangling his girlfriend after a friend’s wedding and prison time for a violent who stalker stamped on his former girlfriend's head.

Agnieszka Kalinowska and Andrzej Latoszewski

The mother and her long term partner have both been jailed for life with a minimum term of 39 years for murdering her son during a campaign of "horrific and prolonged torture". Sebastian Kalinowski, 15 died of an infection caused by "untreated complications of multiple rib fractures", after weeks of what prosecutors described as "cruel assaults and abuse" at the hands of the pair.

Benjamin Peacock

A woman was left to suffer a sustained and terrifying attack by her boyfriend, who kept her in his house for more than four hours during a night of horrors. Peacock beat his girlfriend who thought “she was going to die” at his hands on the night of September 5 this year.

The 39-year-old threw his victim against a wall after she tried to escape through a bathroom window, before she desperately broke a glass door panel and screamed for help. Peacock was sentenced to three years, four months imprisonment, as well as a restraining order for the victim.

Mark Swan and Caroline Donachie

This couple have been jailed after supermarket staff member with a hammer and another was racially abused. A sentencing hearing at Leeds Crown Court heard how Swan had threatened a member of staff at a branch of B&M with a hammer, before Donachie racially abused a security guard at an Aldi earlier this year. While the sentencing judge accepted the two had drug addictions and were sorry for their actions, he said he had no choice but to put them behind bars due to the seriousness of the crimes. Each was sentenced to 27 months in prison.

Tony Brooks

This sick murderer left his victim’s body to rot for weeks while he used her bank account and impersonated her on social media. He beat and strangled his girlfriend Kirstie Ellis to death on February 1 this year, before moments later taking her television to Cash Converters. A sentencing hearing at Leeds Crown Court heard how Brooks then impersonated Ms Ellis by using her Facebook messenger account to convince her friends and family she was still alive.

During the hearing, the victim’s sister bravely faced Brooks and told him he would never be forgiven for what he had done. Brooks was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 24 years and nine months.

Adrian Blackburn

A woman feared she was about to be killed by her stalker ex-boyfriend as she was attacked in broad daylight in Wakefield’s Thornes Park.

The 38-year-old followed his victim to the park and stamped on her head, before threatening to burn down her home and family in a text.

During a sentencing hearing at Leeds Crown Court, Blackburn, of Lower Warrengate, Wakefield, became angry shouted at his legal representative to “do his f****** job”. Blackburn’s barrister had insisted his client was reflective about his behaviour, and had discovered a newfound passion for art. But that did not dissuade the judge from handing him a 20-month prison sentence.

Jack Slatter

This Pontefract man punched and strangled his girlfriend outside a wedding while also facing drink-driving charges.

A sentencing hearing at Leeds Crown Court heard how the 29-year-old had an argument with his partner when they had gone to a wedding, before threatening to drown her. Less than a week later, Slatter, of Conisborough Way, would enter the victim’s house, subjecting her to a string of abusive language. The incidents took place only a month after he was caught drink-driving while disqualified by police officers.

He was sentenced to 30 months in prison, as well as a restraining order for the victim.

Dante Knight-Mitchell

This bungling Wortley drug-dealer has avoided prison at a hearing in Leeds Crown Court.

The court heard Dante Knight-Mitchell, of Lower Wortley Road, was stopped by police last year, and attempted to “distract” officers from a stash of drugs and cash in the back of his car. Police would also soon find texts on his phone showing he was attempting to buy large amounts of cannabis, but did not have the funds to do so. The court heard the 23-year-old was unemployed at the time and had stacked up drug debts, which he was dealing to help pay off. Knight-Mitchell was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.