Court round-up: Charity cyclist's killer jailed, international fugitive extradited and prison drugs gang exposed

Charity cyclist's killer jailed for more than 10 years

A dangerous driver who killed a charity cyclist while carrying out a reckless overtaking manoeuvre has been jailed for a total of 10 years and seven months.

Sohail Jahangir, 23, from Bradford, struck Adrian Stocks, 59, as he overtook another vehicle near Denton Bridge, off Denton Road, near Ilkley, on April 2, 2023.

Mr Stocks, a father-of-three and nursery owner, was training for a charity bike ride raising money for underprivileged young people in Bradford when he suffered fatal head injuries. He died around an hour after the crash.

At Bradford Crown Court on Thursday (Jul 16), Jahangir was sentenced to seven years and seven months for causing death by dangerous driving.

He also received further prison terms for separate drug dealing offences and another dangerous driving offence committed after the fatal crash, bringing his total sentence to 10 years and seven months. He was also banned from driving for 15 years and two months.

In a moving victim impact statement, Mr Stocks' wife, Della, said her husband's death had left a "permanent void" in their family.

Sentencing Jahangir, Judge Jonathan Rose criticised him for attempting to blame Mr Stocks before changing his plea to guilty on the day he was due to stand trial, telling him: "This was a lie."

International fugitive jailed after Halifax shooting

A man who fled the UK and sparked an international manhunt after a shooting in Halifax has been jailed for more than eight years.

Ellis Thornton, 26, from Leeds, fired four shots at a house on Lister Lane in January 2023, striking two ground-floor windows while people were inside. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Thornton fled overseas immediately after the attack, travelling through Suriname and Mexico before being arrested in the United States on an unrelated matter. Following an extensive international investigation, he was extradited to the UK in April this year.

He admitted possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possession of ammunition without a certificate before being sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday (Jul 14) to eight years and three months in prison.

Detective Inspector Andrew Ellis said Thornton had shown "a complete disregard for the safety of those inside the address" and said the consequences could easily have been far more serious.

Prison-run cocaine network dismantled

Four men have admitted their roles in a cocaine supply network that detectives uncovered was being directed from inside a prison cell.

An investigation by Humberside Police identified Liam Langton, 28, Lewis Wenn, 29, Jordan Withey, 27, and Nathan Langton as key figures in a drugs line supplying cocaine across Bridlington and the surrounding area.

The investigation linked the group through mobile phone evidence, CCTV footage and financial enquiries before officers discovered Nathan Langton had continued directing the operation from prison using a concealed mobile phone.

Police said the drugs line ceased operating after the handset was recovered during a specialist prison search.

Nathan Langton, Liam Langton and Lewis Wenn pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine at Hull Crown Court on Monday (Jul 13), while Withey also admitted possession with intent to supply Class A cocaine and possession of criminal property.

All four men are due to be sentenced at Hull Crown Court on July 28.

Keighley man jailed over fatal one-punch attack

A Keighley man has been jailed after a single punch outside a town centre pub left another man with fatal injuries.

Joseph Smith, 40, punched Daniel Illingworth, 34, in the doorway of the Albert Hotel in Bridge Street on March 7, 2025. The assault was captured on CCTV.

Mr Illingworth was taken to hospital but died six days later.

Smith was found guilty of manslaughter earlier this year and, on Friday, was sentenced to 12 years and six months, made up of seven years and six months in custody followed by an extended licence period of five years.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Damian Roebuck said: "Violence is never the answer," adding that the case demonstrated the devastating consequences a single punch can have.

Repeat weapons offender jailed after hiding firearm

A repeat offender with more than 130 previous offences has been jailed after trying to hide a firearm while fleeing from police in Sheffield.

Ben Dearden, 48, of Eastwood Court, Rotherham, was first stopped in Burngreave in February when officers found him carrying two knives and cannabis.

The following month, while on bail, he abandoned a motorbike without a number plate and ran from officers before hiding a bag containing a firearm and a burner phone behind a garden gate. Police quickly tracked him down and recovered the weapon.

Dearden admitted firearms, weapons and drugs offences before being sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to six years and eight months in prison.

Sentencing him, Judge Megan Rhys described him as "a violent man" with "a predilection with weapons" and said she considered him a dangerous individual, adding that she would have imposed an extended sentence if she had the power to do so.