An Ipswich man who murdered a fellow guest house resident, and a man who made 73 nuisance calls to the police and ambulance services are among those jailed in Suffolk this week.
Warren Atkinson
Warren Atkinson, 41, was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of murdering a fellow guest house resident.
Atkinson, of Norwich Road, Ipswich, had denied murdering Stephen Povey at the Beaumont Guest House in Norwich Road on July 9 last year but was convicted by a jury last month after a nine week trial.
During Atkinson’s trial, the court heard that Mr Povey was found lying on the floor on his back in a small top-floor communal kitchenette at the guest house, with a wooden coffee table standing on top of him and a large amount of blood spattering on the walls.
When he was discovered by the landlady, who had gone upstairs to investigate after hearing banging, Mr Povey appeared to be unconscious and his face was “battered, purple and swollen”.
Pathologist Benjamin Swift said Mr Povey had died as a result of traumatic brain injury and blunt force injuries to his neck, which could have been caused by punching, stamping or compression.
He said Mr Povey’s injuries included two black eyes, a possible fractured nose, brain damage, a missing tooth, lacerations to his lips, a fractured larynx and areas of bruising to his face, head, ears, arms and body.
Nicholas Balderston
Nicholas Balderston, 31, was jailed for three years and nine months after he tried to strangle and suffocate his former partner.
Balderston, of no fixed address, denied using controlling and coercive behaviour, assault causing actual bodily harm and perverting the course of justice but was convicted after a trial.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting a police officer by kicking.
During his seven month relationship with the woman Nicholas Balderston constantly phoned her, took her glasses away and made her walk round her house during video calls to prove she didn’t have anyone else there, Ipswich Crown Court heard.
On one occasion in February this year he had put his hand over her mouth and nose and in May he had pushed her on the bed and strangled her until she struggled to breathe.
During the incident he had also accused her of being unfaithful, took off her glasses and head butted her.
In an impact statement read to the court the victim said her life had been turned upside down by the way she’d been treated by Balderston and she’d found it hard to pick herself up.
Lee Hollands
Lee Hollands, 40, was jailed for four months after he kicked and attempted to bite a police officer while resisting arrest.
Hollands, from Haverhill, pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency service worker at Ipswich Crown Court.
The 40-year-old was arrested by police at about 9.40pm on July 15 at Anglian Place in Haverhill, on suspicion of theft from a motor vehicle.
During the arrest Hollands resisted and kicked the police officer and attempted to bite him.
He was then further arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and possession of 1.6 grams of cannabis.
Andrew Alden
Andrew Alden, 61, was jailed for nine months after he made multiple calls to the police and ambulance service.
Alden, of Pintail Road, Stowmarket, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of breaching his criminal behaviour order and one count of sending false message by public electronic communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety.
Between March 2, and November 20, police had logged 73 calls logged from his home address - the ambulance service also received a significant number of calls.
The initial criminal behaviour order issued was issued by Ipswich Magistrates Court on 4 August 2020.
The CBO prevented the defendant from calling 999 emergency services and from calling 111 NHS number unless the such call was a genuine emergency, reasonable and justifiable and was to run between August 4 2020 and August 3 2022.
This was issued following a conviction in 2020 for sending false message by public electronic communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety for multiple false calls to police and ambulance.
Robert Witt
Robert Witt, 50, was jailed for 16 weeks after he was arrested twice in one day.
Witt, of Upper Road, Great Cornard, was first arrested at his home on Saturday (December 3) morning for failing to appear at court for various motoring offences and appeared at Suffolk Magistrates' Court where he was given a three-year driving ban.
Later that same day the 50-year-old was stopped once again by police in Head Lane where he was arrested on suspicion of driving with excess alcohol, driving whilst disqualified and driving with no insurance.
He was taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre for questioning and was charged with driving with excess alcohol, driving whilst disqualified and driving with no insurance.
He was remanded to appear before Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty and was given a 16-week jail sentence and banned for a further 54 weeks.
Mohamad Al Sarnawi
Mohamad Al Sarnawi, 31, was jailed for 16 months after he brandished an aftershave bottle in the shape of a pistol while demanding money from staff in a betting shop.
Al Sarnawi, of Salmon Lane, London, admitted two offences of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and a separate offence of fraud.
During the incident, he walked into Coral bookmakers in Sudbury on June 8 this year carrying a shopping bag and what appeared to be a pistol, Ipswich Crown Court heard.
As he approached the counter where two cashiers were working he started waving the pistol around and said: “Give me the money”, said Benedict Peers, prosecuting.
At that stage the barrel of the gun fell off and when Al Sarnawi picked it up the cashiers realised it wasn’t real and asked him if he was drunk.
Al Sarnawi had then threatened to get a real gun and had eventually left the shop after other customers intervened.
He then walked along King Street and asked a woman for a cigarette.
When she said no he had pulled out the imitation gun and said: “Maybe this will change your mind” and pointed it at her.
He had then broken the gun in two and told her he was joking.
However, the woman told police she had thought it was real and had been frightened.
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