Court round-up: Petrol bomb attacker jailed, £1m cocaine dealer locked up and care home manager sentenced

A number of serious criminal cases have recently been heard in courts across Yorkshire. Here is a round-up of some of the latest sentences and hearings.

Man jailed after petrol bomb thrown at family home

A man has been jailed after a petrol bomb was thrown at a Rotherham home where seven people, including an 11-month-old baby and two children, were inside.

Emergency services were called to Warwick Street in Moorgate in the early hours of November 25. All seven occupants escaped, although one suffered serious leg injuries after having to jump from the property.

Police established the fire had been started deliberately and CCTV enquiries showed a group arriving nearby in a taxi before a petrol bomb was thrown at the house.

Further footage showed Jamal Usman at a nearby petrol station getting into a taxi destined for Warwick Street, while enquiries with taxi companies also linked him to journeys away from the area.

Usman, 23, of HMP Doncaster, pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

At Sheffield Crown Court on Friday (Aug 28), he was handed an extended sentence of six years and four months, with a three-year extended licence period.

Two other people remain wanted in connection with the offence.

Detective Sergeant Chris Byne, of Rotherham CID, said it was "frankly a miracle that no lives were lost".

Drug dealer behind £1m cocaine operation jailed for 12 years

A drug dealer who used the name "machete" while employing others to sell cocaine has been jailed for 12 years.

Andrew Savage, 33, of Swinton Road, Stockton, employed multiple people to deal cocaine on his behalf and was estimated by police to have been responsible for supplying 13.7kg of the Class A drug, with a street value of more than £1m.

Detectives began investigating after another man was arrested and found to have received instructions from a contact referring to himself as "machete". Enquiries eventually identified Savage as the man behind the pseudonym.

Savage was arrested in March and a search of a property uncovered cocaine worth around £5,000 and £20,000 in cash.

Police also established Savage had received more than £1.8m in third-party payments over six years, with money spent on high-end vehicles, expensive flights, hotels and gold.

At Teesside Crown Court on Friday (Sep 4), Savage was jailed for 12 years for being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession with intent to supply cocaine and possession of criminal property.

Care home manager jailed after stealing more than £50,000

A former care home manager who abused her position of trust to steal more than £50,000 from vulnerable residents and their families has been jailed.

Michaela Golding, 58, of Greenfields Avenue, Osgodby, managed a care home in Filey when the offences took place between October 2022 and June 2024.

Golding offered to help families struggling to manage care home payments and finances, but in several cases money intended for care fees was instead paid into her personal bank accounts and spent by her.

More than £27,000 was taken from one victim alone.

She also altered invoices from a podiatry service to inflate costs and take additional money from residents' personal expenditure.

Golding pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position and false accounting before appearing at York Crown Court on Friday (Sep 4), where she was jailed for 32 months.

Fraud Investigator PC Emma Harris described Golding's offending as "despicable" and said she had taken advantage of vulnerable people for her own financial gain.

Businessman jailed after pointing shotgun at builders

A businessman who stole a shotgun before pointing it at two builders during an attempted robbery has been jailed.

Oliver Battye, 36, took the double-barrelled shotgun from his former father-in-law's home in Scarborough before driving to Burniston, where he encountered two brothers working at a property.

York Crown Court heard Battye pointed the weapon at the builders and demanded they get out of their works van and leave the keys.

The brothers initially "froze" with shock before getting out. Battye attempted to start their vehicle but failed and returned to his own before driving away.

Earlier, Battye had fired the shotgun through the windscreen of his own vehicle. He later told police: "I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to kill myself."

Battye admitted the firearm offence and attempted robbery and was jailed for two years and four months.

Judge Simon Hickey described the incident as "extremely serious". A formal not-guilty verdict was recorded on a burglary charge.