Remember Jean and John that used my DM's house? Update

[CustardCreamsfortea]

For anyone that remembers the previous thread
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5315647-cfs-have-been-using-my-mums-house-as-a-hotel?page=1

I have an update now the police investigation is over. The police charged "John" with trespass, criminal damage and breaking and entering. He got 14 months in prison. We still don't know the full story, but we do now know (as some of you suspected) that was letting my DM's house on a well known website.. (ABNB) 🙄 the "relatives" were some of his tenants. Complete CF 😡

We never saw Jean (his wife) again after he was arrested. I believe (from Anne - who's since become a good friend) that she's moved out of her property and is planning to sell it.

The best news - after we sorted out the damage caused by John, my DM's house went back on the market and we accepted an offer a month later. It should hopefully be completing sometime in September if everything goes to plan 🤞🤞

Thanks for all your messages and support on the previous thread. It really helped! 🙂

I love a good ending!

I’m going to read the full thread now. Thanks for the happy news.

Great news. Did he actually go to jail or was it a suspended sentence?

He was arrested in April, it's already gone to court and he's already been sentenced? In four months? And he got 14 months? That seems incredibly harsh for the crimes he was charged with, unless he has a lengthy criminal history.

I had a quick Google to answer a few questions;

how long between a crime and conviction UK
Summary Offenses (Magistrates' Court):
For summary offenses, the police or CPS must lay information with the court within 6 months of the offense. After that, the case can proceed relatively quickly, potentially within a few months.
Is criminal damage a summary offense
Criminal damage can be either a summary offense or an "either way" offense, depending on the value of the damage.
what sentence can you get for criminal damage
Significant damage: Community orders to up to 12 months in custody with a compensation order.

What an update! Hope you can all move on with your lives now. And lovely that Anne has become a good friend.

Wow OP, are all your public services that efficient where you are? If so I think we’ll all be moving there!

According to Google, the maximum sentence a magistrates court can give is 12 months.

So are you saying it went to Crown Court OP?

Sentencing happens quickly if there is a guilty plea - like after rioting? Maybe that’s what’s happened here?

How do you all know what happened though, it might have escalated, John may have went nuts and actually attacked a police officer. She might not be living in the UK either. I believe her.

Hmmm, if this was England or Wales, trespass is a civil, not criminal offence. I don't know about Scotland though.

Agreed - very dubious.

My son testified against someone in court in February; they were sentenced in June.

Was this reported in the (local) news OP?

Because believe me, the OP would've told us every detail if that happened.

Either way, getting to crown court so quickly is amazing.

That's correct, but I think criminal damage was the basis of a possible case.

Oh wow! I followed your first thread … I genuinely thought they were his relatives! Glad justice has been served.

We still don't know the full story, but we do now know (as some of you suspected) that was letting my DM's house on a well known website.. (ABNB)

isn’t this a further offence though? Surely some sort of fraudulent behaviour, he’s likely profited heavily from this?

That's not CFuckery, that's massively criminal.

What goes off in the heads of these people?

Good luck to John in renting out his prison cell.

If John pled guilty it's quite possible.

People seem to get hung up on the length of time it takes to go to trial, which is dreadful but would not have been the case if there was a guilty plea

Haha, I think you might have been better waiting a year before posting this "update". Unless we are about to get a drip feed that you aren't in the UK, the timeline and the sentence are not remotely plausible

It is possible to get up to 18m in a Mags court, especially if activating a former suspension or recall to prison. Also if John had pleaded guilty it would have been a sentencing hearing not a trial so could have moved reasonably quickly.

@applegingermint I was a victim of a robbery in October, the trial was in February and he was sentenced in April. So I don’t think outcomes necessarily take a long time, particularly if a guilty plea is given which makes a trial not necessary? I’m guessing given the police caught OP’s offender in the act, there may have been evidence that meant he couldn’t plead not guilty.

Can you please link us to the case/ local paper about it @CustardCreamsfortea ?
Fascinating!

This would have been in Crown Court not Magistrates for that sentence and the average time from charges to outcome is about a year at the moment. So 4 months from arrest was extremely efficient.

Do we know for sure that OP is on mainland UK not somewhere outside of "normal" rules like Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, etc where timings might be different?
Also as a PP said if he pled guilty it goes a lot quicker. The first rioter last year was sentenced only a few weeks later, if that, because of his guilty plea.