As the new year begins, the courts at Taunton and Bristol Crown Courts have handed out prison sentences to a number of criminals who have been convicted of heinous crimes, denying them a Merry Christmas and placing them behind bars.
One such criminal, Craig Coney, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for sexually exploiting a vulnerable child in Wiltshire. The 37-year-old from Devizes was found guilty of grooming a 15-year-old girl and engaging in penetrative sexual activity on multiple occasions in 2021.
Another shocking case involved the murders of two Bristol teens, Mason Rist and Max Dixon, who fell victim to a case of mistaken identity. Riley Tolliver, Kodi-Shai Westcott, and two unnamed teenage boys have been detained for life, with Tolliver and Westcott each receiving a minimum term of 23 years.
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In a different case, 32-year-old Alex Male, known as ‘Viking’, was sentenced to 18 years for supplying substantial amounts of drugs across southern England, amounting to an estimated £4.5 million in value.
The list of criminals also includes 34-year-old Dawid Dankiewicz, who was involved in selling illegal drugs through his dietary supplements business. He has been handed a 26-month jail term for his offenses.
The month also saw a disturbing case involving parents Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, who were sentenced to 24-and-a-half years and 19-and-a-half years respectively for causing the death of their three-year-old son by following an “extreme” vegan diet and then burying his body in their garden.
The courts have also made sure justice was served in cases involving theft, assault, and even child abuse, with severe penalties being imposed on perpetrators.
Good riddance to these criminals, and may their incarceration serve both as a punishment and a warning to potential wrongdoers.