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! 🙂

No chance of the OP coming back now I reckon.

Sure, but it's lack of reporting + v. unusual sentence for those charges + implausible timeline

You don't get medical reports for people with anger issues! This isn't netflix. Christ crown court backlog is big enough as it is

Thank you for the update. I do remember being astounded by your story at the time. A CF to beat all CFs! So glad you got some justice.

Not sure how to link but was a serving JP for over 10 years. The Mags Court wouldn’t be sentencing for more than 12 months but they could activate an already existing suspended sentence or recall to prison if on licence. Then sentence for up to 12 months to run consecutive to the above for the new offences. That’s how you can reach over 12 months in a Mags’ Court. Sorry if I was unclear.

Thank you for updating us and I'm so pleased he got locked up

Update - We got here and John had kicked the front door in and they had gained entry to the house. He's destroyed the sofa, thrown paint everywhere and smashed a hole in the living room wall (among other damage). The police have arrested him (for breaking and entering and criminal damage). He was ranting and raving and proper off his rocker

He could easily claim mental health issues that caused his anger, which would slow the whole thing down and possibly work in his favour.

Well done, thanks for the update!

Ahh I see.

But would running consecutively actually give him 14 months in prison as the OP states?

Very pleased for you and justice has been done. For those protesting that “John’s” sentence is too long in proportion to the crime, l think it is fair. He has committed fraud apart from anything else as well as intimidating and threatening the OP and her family. In any case, it’s highly unlikely that he will serve the full term.

Man banned from Morrisons and Aldi over 'five-finger discount' strategy - LancsLive https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/man-banned-morrisons-aldi-over-32218053

This news report is a man given a 1 year and 8 week sentence (14 months) from the magistrates court so it must be possible

Could be. If John was on licence/suspended sentence to serve a remaining/existing 6 months on a sentence that would be ‘activated’ to serve first, with automatic right to early release revoked. Then further charges sentenced accordingly (with any discount for guilty pleas) to continue afterwards. Doesn’t happen every day but I’ve seen it happen.

As we all know, time sentenced does not equal time served so it’s unlikely John would serve all 14 months. That’s to the prison governor’s discretion, not the court.

I’m not saying this is what has happened but just that it is possible.

Also, I’m not aiming this at you, but some posters on here are very quick to call people liars and I would never do that without being sure of my facts.

It is actually more likely that the trial was heard in Mags’s Court and found guilty, but the Mags’ felt that their sentencing powers were insufficient after hearing the facts so send the sentencing decision ‘up’ to a judge in the Crown Court to sentence, with a view to a longer sentence being given. Again this procedure is much quicker than straight to CC and is not done every day or done lightly but it does happen.

You can visit any court in the land and just sit at the back and observe (unless it is a closed court for juveniles etc). The clerks of the court will point you towards the most interesting case to be heard if you ask. It’s simultaneously very interesting and very boring. I was observing the day that 6 of the defendants in the Telford grooming/ paedophile ring were brought in and charged.

Gosh, the wheels of justice turn faster than an F1 car.....

Why would he plead guilty to something he didn’t actually do. He had a key. He wasn’t trespassing. And if he did plead guilty, he likely would have received a much reduced sentence as a recognition of that.

It doesn’t add up at all. The biggest issue (if this even happened, which is unlikely), is fraud. No mention if that in his charges. He defrauded AirBnb and he defrauded the “guests”, and also the owners of the house. He must have had one hell of a crappy lawyer if he was advised to plead guilty to trespass when he had a key. A good lawyer would have got that charge dropped.

The timing is also remarkably fast, but I’m not the first or the last one to notice that.

I also agree that this type of story would have made the local items, maybe even the tabloids. Along the lines of “be careful what can happen if you give your neighbours a key to water your plants while you are on holiday” type of story. Along with standard photo of miserable-looking homeowner and a messy property.

But he - bizarrely - was not charged with fraud.

There is zero chance the sale of the house has been this quick to completion for next month 🙄

It could have gone to Crown Court for sentencing committal - they tend to be quite quick as they are relatively simple.

As I said previously, possibly on Committal from Mags which would be quicker than waiting for a CC trial.

Yes I think you've maybe come to the thread a bit late as the points you're making have already been covered.

Very local to me there was an assault in March this year, the perpetrator pleaded guilty and was sentenced towards the end of April. He was given 2.5 years. There are definitely people sentenced and given jail time on fairly short timescales at Crown Court.

I thought Op had changed the locks and he kicked the door in but I might be mistake.

Yes, a guilty plea would attract a discount which is why if criminals are ‘bang to rights’, if they have any sense they plead guilty.

A couple of us have said how it could have happened but you seem to be determined not to believe OP and think it’s a ‘FairyTale’. I have no reasons to believe or disbelieve so I’ll leave you to your sleuthing.

Non-appearance in the media isn’t evidence of something not happening.

But you still don't seem to believe....

What makes you say that?

I haven't posted anything to the contrary since a magistrate kindly posted a detailed response?

This was potentially fraud so far as the tenants were concerned, though. Plus criminal damage in getting access. He presumably represented to the tenants that he owned the house and took their deposit and rent on that basis.

As we saw after the riots, if people plead guilty cases get dealt with very quickly.