THE YOUNGSTERS
THESE young offenders have all been put behind bars in the last year. Young offender institutions (YOIs), such as Parc YOI in Bridgend, are prisons intended for young people aged between 18 and 21, while some deal with younger offenders aged 15 to 17.
Parc is one of five young offender institutions in England and Wales. The others are Cookham Wood in Kent, Feltham in Middlesex, Werrington in Stoke-on-Trent and Wetherby in West Yorkshire.
The majority of boys and young men at Parc YOI have been convicted of murder, manslaughter or other high-end violent offences.
These are the faces of some of the young offenders who have been locked up during the past 12 months.
CALVIN OCHAN
Calvin Ochan, 18, from Lollard Street in Lambeth, London, admitted possessing cannabis and possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply.
Ochan, who travelled to Bridgend from London to deal drugs, was caught by police with more than £3,500 worth of heroin and crack cocaine. He told officers he was just borrowing the jacket they found the drugs in.
The defendant gave a prepared statement to the police claiming he had borrowed money from someone to do a construction course and feared he would be stabbed if he did not pay it back. James Hartson, defending, said: “This is a defendant who has clearly been put to work on behalf of other people far higher up the chain. Like many users of heroin, he had built up a debt.”
Ochan was sent to a young offender institution for three years and four months and an order was made for the drugs to be destroyed. Recorder Christopher Clee QC said: “This is a classic county lines case.”
RHYS SAVILLE
Rhys Saville, 20, from Goodwick Road in Rumney, Cardiff, admitted attempted robbery and carrying a knife in a public place.
Armed police were called to a shop in Cardiff after Saville brandished a large kitchen knife and ordered the manager to empty the till. Firearms officers were dispatched to the Spar in Rumney following reports of a knifepoint attempted robbery which left the owner and shop assistant scared and shaken.
Prosecutors said the defendant was “emotional” throughout his police interview, crying with his head on the desk. He said he was being “kicked out” and had not eaten for two or three days. He had been thinking about robbing the shop and took the knife from his grandmother’s drawer.
Saville was caught on CCTV pulling a knife on the shop owner.
Saville was sent to a young offender institution for 28 months and must serve half of that in custody before he can be released on licence.
Judge Jeremy Jenkins said it was “a most serious offence”, adding: “Quite what was going through your mind is a mystery. What you did was reprehensible.”
SOHEIL BAHMANIFARD
Soheil Bahmanifard, 18, from Morden Lane in Newport, denied wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, but was found guilty by a jury following a seven-day trial.
Bahmanifard stabbed a man outside a centre for asylum seekers. The victim said he thought he was going to die as he desperately tried to get himself to hospital.
The defendant told the police he was acting in self-defence. During his police interview, he stated: “He made me angry. He assaulted me. I defended myself.”
Bahmanifard was sentenced to 12 years behind bars, starting in a young offender institution. He must pay a £170 victim surcharge.
Judge Neil Bidder QC said: “The attack, in my judgement, was determined and persistent.” ism is evil. It is incompatible with democratic civilisation.”
MALAKYI THOMPSON
Malakyi Thompson, 18, from Bryn Bevan in Newport, admitted possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply and possessing criminal property.
Thompson was caught dealing heroin and crack cocaine just weeks after he was released from a young offender institution. He was found to have 30 packages of heroin and 21 of crack cocaine inside his jacket which he had thrown in a bush.
Ben Waters, defending, said the new offences were committed as a result of the previous offence. On that occasion, Thompson was caught by the police with heroin and cash and came out of custody owing a debt to those above him in the chain. The court heard he was approached by those people following his release and was scared as he did not have the cash.
Thompson was sent to a young offender institution for four and a half years and ordered to pay a £181 victim surcharge.
Recorder David Elias QC said: “You knew what you were doing. You knew where you were in the chain.” in Rumney, Cardiff, admitted possessing an offensive weapon and wounding with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm. His brother, Liam Thomas, 18, from North Road in Gabalfa, Cardiff, admitted affray.
The brothers carried out an attack involving a knife outside a mosque in Cardiff during Ramadan. The incident happened by Dar Ul-Isra Mosque in the early hours of the morning.
Nick Gedge, for Luke Thomas, said: “He tells me he has fallen in with a bad crowd he is desperate to get away from.” Susan Ferrier, for Liam Thomas, said: “He did not take the lead here, that is clear. He followed his older brother.”
Luke Thomas was sent to a young offender institution for five years and three months. Liam Thomas was given an 18-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.
Judge Nicola Jones said: “This took place outside a place of worship on one of the most holy days of the year for that religion. Clearly it would have been terrifying.”
ELLIOTT RICHARDS-GOOD
Elliott Richards-Good, 20, from
Cirencester Road in Cheltenham, pleaded guilty to 11 offences, including displaying written material which is threatening, abusive or insulting. NICHOLAS MORGAN
MORGAN BUTTS Racist student Richards-Good Nicholas Morgan, 20, who does not Morgan Butts, 19, who appeared via deliberately targeted a Stand Up To have a fixed address, admitted video link from HM Cardiff Prison, Racism march in Cardiff and sprayed unlawful wounding and two counts admitted offering to supply MDMA, a swastika on the Senedd to comof indecent exposure. offering to supply cannabis and posmemorate Adolf Hitler’s birthday. AYDRIAN LYNCH Prison inmate Morgan punched a sessing cannabis with intent to supProsecutor James Wilson said: “The Aydrian Lynch, 18, who was in HM guard who asked him to stop using a ply. offending relates to involvement with Parc Prison, admitted assault occacomputer, leaving him needing
Butts was caught by the police after the extreme far-right group System sioning actual bodily harm and being stitches to a deep wound on his foreposting a video on social media Resistance Network.” concerned in offering to supply head. He went on to expose himself advertising Ecstasy for sale. He was Christopher Rees, defending, cocaine. to female staff at a probation hostel found to have 10 bags of cannabis at referred to his client’s “youth and He punched a Just Eat worker in and psychiatric unit, causing them to home and messages on his phone immaturity”. Reports suggested he the face, leaving him with a split lip feel vulnerable doing their jobs. offering to sell someone an ounce of found it difficult to socialise and “felt and smashed glasses. The attack hapClare Wilks, prosecuting, said the the Class B drug for £185. alienated” while trying to fit in. Mr pened near John Lewis on The Hayes attack was “completely unprovoked
When he was interviewed by Rees said his client became interin Cardiff city centre. and completely unexpected”. police, Butts denied doing anything ested in politics in Year 11 around the Jeffrey Jones, defending, suggested Morgan’s interview was stopped wrong. He stated he bought cannatime of the Brexit referendum and his client was not the “prime mover” when his legal representative raised bidiol (CBD) – a product derived “felt disillusioned”. as the co-defendant was responsible concerns about his fitness. He was from cannabis – on Amazon. Richards-Good filmed himself for the initial attack. The prosecution assessed and subsequently found fit
Robert Chudleigh, defending, said: sticking up racist, homophobic and offered no evidence against his coto plead. Judge Jeremy Jenkins said “He is still a very young man. He had anti-Semitic posters. defendant. he had read two psychiatric reports a difficult childhood.” The court Judge Eleri Rees sent him to a Lynch was sentenced to 10 weeks and one doctor concluded the heard Butts was in foster care and young offender institution for 16 in custody, to be served on top of his defendant was at times “feigning was diagnosed with attention deficit months and made a five-year Crimicurrent sentence. In September 2019, mental illness to manipulate scenarhyperactivity disorder.ios”.HealsohadnalBehaviourOrder.hewassenttoayoungoffenderinstidifficulties with speech and lanJudge Rees quoted Lord Justice tution for 22 months for burglary and Morgan was sent to a young guage. Rose: “[...] Racism must not be theft of a vehicle. offender institution for 19 months
Recorder David Harris sent him to allowed to flourish. The message Judge Neil Bidder QC described and must register as a sex offender a young offender institution for 11 must be received and understood in the attack as “unpleasant and totally for five years. months and ordered him to pay a every corner of our society, in our unprovoked”.
£140 victim surcharge. He made an streets and prisons, in the services, in order for the drugs and paraphernathe workplace, on public transport, lia to be destroyed. in public houses and clubs, that rac
LUKE AND LIAM THOMAS
Luke Thomas, 20, from Harlech Road
DIANDRE HENRY AND TAMBA MOMODU
Diandre Henry, 19, from Bridle Walk