Grimsby Telegraph

Exorcism doctor and arsonists: The men jailed in September

- By SADIE RUSSELL sadie.russell@reachplc.com @SadieELTar­get

SEVEN men are now behind bars after losing their freedom in September - including one of the country’s most shocking and bizarre cases ever to be brought to court.

They include arsonists who inflicted revenge attacks on their victims, a paedophile who thought he had got away with his historic crimes and a Grimsby doctor who nearly killed him girlfriend in a bizarre exorcism ritual to rid her of evil spirits.

They have all been sentenced at crown courts in Grimsby, Sheffield, Lincoln and St Albans and are serving time behind bars.

Here is a round-up of the criminals who were jailed in September:

Connor Durnian

A van driver who caused a head-on collision which left four people injured and changed one of their lives forever vowed never to drive again when he was sentenced in September.

Connor Durnian was jailed for 14 months after he pulled out to go past a low loader on the A15 thinking the road ahead was clear.

But the 25-year-old, from De Lacy Way, Winterton, did not realise there was a dip in the road and found himself faced with an oncoming Vauxhall Vectra.

Phil Howes, prosecutin­g at Lincoln Crown Court said the Vectra driver instinctiv­ely swerved onto the verge in an attempt to avoid a collision but Durnian swerved in the same direction and the vehicles collided head-on at Ashby de la Launde, near Sleaford.

A rear seat passenger in the Vectra suffered life changing injuries. The driver and the two other passengers in the Vectra were also injured, suffering fractured bones.

Lawrence Burman

A North Lincolnshi­re paedophile branded ‘arrogant’ was jailed in September for historic crimes he thought he had got away with.

Lawrence Burman, 75, of Beck Side, Hibaldstow, pleaded guilty to four counts of gross indecency against a child and two counts of indecent assault against a child. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison and will be on licence following his release.

The offences related to three children - two girls and a boy - who were all aged between eight and 13 when the assaults took place in the 1970s.

Burman worked as a HGV driver in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordsh­ire, at the time.

The court heard that in 1970 he performed a sexual act in front of a male victim in his cab. He later went on to commit several offences in the village of Little Gaddesden, near Hemel Hempstead, against his two female victims between 1972 and 1978. One of these offences was also committed in Lincolnshi­re.

Dr Hossam Metwally

A doctor who could have killed his girlfriend after injecting her with highly dangerous drugs because he was “obsessed” with exorcism was locked up in September in one of the country’s most shocking court cases. Hossam Metwally, 61, was branded a “charlatan” and a “fanatic” and he “abused his position as a doctor” to control and manipulate vulnerable Kelly Wilson.

He was jailed for 14-and-ahalf years at Sheffield Crown Court after his actions left her fighting for her life in hospital.

Metwally kept quiet that he and his girlfriend had been

secretly taking part in rituals to get rid of “evil spirits”.

He was “prepared to endanger her life” and she was found “gravely ill” and in a deep coma after he had been injecting her with life-threatenin­g drugs.

John Elvidge QC, prosecutin­g, told the earlier trial that the matters came to light after Metwally’s partner, Kelly Wilson, was taken by ambulance to the A&E Department of the Diana, Prince of Wales Hospital late on the afternoon of July 4, 2019.

Metwally originally denied nine offences, including three involving administer­ing anaestheti­c drugs which endangered the life of Ms Wilson, three of supplying controlled drugs and medicines to her, possessing a controlled drug with intent to supply and fraud.

He changed his plea to guilty on the fraud charge and a jury, reduced to 10 because of problems, convicted him of the other eight offences.

He later admitted two offences of voyeurism involving two women who were his patients. He video recorded them in states of undress.

He will be on the sex offenders’ register for seven years.

Luke Lond and Scott Smith

A gang who went around setting vehicles on fire in horrifying revenge attacks, left their victims terrified.

Luke Lond, top picture, and Scott Smith were both been jailed for arson attacks and damage g to property.

Gareth Tasker, 40, 0, of Winchester Avee nue, admitted his part in the arson attacks and received a two-year ar suspended sentence.

Prosecutin­g at Grimsby Crown n Court, Fatima Zafar ar said how a Scartho o tradesman left his s white Ford Transit it van, containing all ll his tools parked d near his home in n Southwold Crescent on February 14 last year.

CCTV cameras later captured a Ford Galaxy being driven nearby.

Tasker, 40, of Winchester Avenue was the driver and Lond, 32, of Winchester Avenue, was the passenger. Lond was seen pouring accelerant over the van, setting it alight and running back to the car.

A week later a Southwold Crescent resident parked his blue Ford Focus near his home at 7.45pm on February 21.

CCTV footage had captured Tasker going to Lond’s address and then on to the Jet petrol station on Scartho Road where they were seen filling up a jerry can with fuel.

Neighbours and the car owner rushed out to the burning vehicle when it was deliberate­ly set alight.

Lond and Scott Smith, 31, of Newhaven Terrace, also admitted arson and criminal damage at the Chelmsford Avenue home of a friend of Smith’s ex-partner.

Bricks were lobbed at the windows of her home and the word ‘slag’ daubed on her front window in separate occasions.

The court heard Smith had sent her text messages with images of her car on fire. On January 9, this year she was awoken by the sound of her car engulfed in flames. The following day a missile was thrown at her front window.

On February 20, at 11.20pm friends staying with her went out to discover the abuse daubed on her window in yellow spray paint.

The home owner spotted Scott Smith driving past in a car shortly afterwards.

On February 20, this year a BMW owner was shocked to discover his car engulfed in flames on the driveway of his Grimsby home.

He raced out and drove the car despite the risk of explosion, in order to prevent the car fire spreading to his home. The court heard his wife had formerly worked in hospital, alongside Smith’s ex-partner.

Miss Zafar told the court Smith had paid Lond to carry out the damage and set fire to the BMW.

Lond was jailed for four years and eight months after admitting arson on two vehicles in Scartho.

Smith was locked up for two years for his part in a conspiracy to cause arson and damaging property.

Stuart Measures

Drunken thug Stuart Measures left a completely defenceles­s man with a fractured skull after punching him to the ground outside Freshney Place shopping centre.

The man’s head hit the pavement but Measures carried on a prolonged “senseless” and “wanton” attack.

Measures, 36, of Grimsby Road, Cleethorpe­s, admitted assaulting the victim, causing actual bodily harm, on August 12.

The court heard that Measures was begging outside Freshney Place shopping centre and was asked by security staff to move on.

He went towards a bus shelter and there was a confrontat­ion with Measures, who punched the man three times, including while he was on the ground.

Measures was in breach of a sixmonth suspended prison sentence imposed at Grimsby Magistrate­s’ Court on March 24 for assault and possessing a knife.

He was jailed for two years and nine months. The prison term included a consecutiv­e six months for breaching the suspended prison sentence.

Ryan Gilliatt

A drunken troublemak­er with a history of violence repeatedly punched his half-sister in the face before slicing a man with a pizza cutter.

Ryan Gilliatt, 27 left the man covered in blood when he came to the distressed woman’s rescue after seeing her with eye injuries.

Gilliatt, of Grimsby, admitted two offences of assault, causing actual bodily harm, on June 16.

Craig Lowe, prosecutin­g, said that Gilliatt’s half-sister returned home after a night out to find that he had let himself into her home and was lying on the floor.

“He punched her to the face on a number of occasions,” said Mr Lowe.

A man came to her assistance. Gilliatt aggressive­ly approached the man, who pushed him, causing Gilliatt to fall to the ground. He got up and returned to his half-sister’s home before returning with a pizza cutter taken from her kitchen.

He swung the pizza cutter at the man, slicing his left arm and back.

The man punched him on the jaw in self-defence, causing him to drop the cutter, which the man picked up. Gilliatt returned with a broken sweeping broom and tried to swing it at the man’s head.

He punched Gilliatt in the face and he fell. Gilliatt was jailed for two years and three months.

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