Last summer Bishop Auckland’s neighbourhood policing team received several anonymous pleas from Coundon residents asking for help with prolific offenders Leighton Dent and Ryan Brownless who were bringing misery to the community.
The team started digging and when a nasty assault came in, suspected Dent was behind it. The victim had been hit over the head with a metal pole but, despite their injuries, was unsupportive of a prosecution.
This meant the team had to pursue an evidence-led prosecution – these are used when a victim either withdraws their support or refuses to support an investigation from the outset. It sees police and prosecutors build robust cases in which they do not need to rely on the victim’s evidence.
After a lengthy investigation, the 18-year-old was charged and put before the court on January 22 where he pleaded guilty to assault causing grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to two years in prison.
Dent joins his mate Brownless who had previously been released early in January 2024 after being sent to prison in 2020 for an aggravated burglary.
The 22-year-old was found to have breached his licence conditions and was recalled to prison last July to serve the remainder of his sentence and will now remain behind bars until June 2026.
A spokesperson said: “The team hopes these results will bring some comfort to the community and enquiries are ongoing into other incidents with officers continuing to work with residents to ensure Coundon is a safe place to live and work.
“Crime and anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated and those who engage in this behaviour will be pursued.”
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
