Central Courts News

Judge Jonathon Teare imposed a 14-month jail suspended for two years for assaults that left a Nottinghamshire model scarred for life when her face went through a glass panel.

Lasha Horton, 23, needed over 30 stitches after the incident.

The judge described the assaults as "an entirely reckless act" that had left a young woman scarred for life.

He told Genavese Justin that the only reason she had not been sent to prison immediately was because that would have meant depriving her two-year-old daughter of her mother.

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• Nottingham
• Nottinghamshire

Magistrates in Leicestershire are more than twice as likely to send someone to prison compared to courts in other parts of the country.

New research from the Howard League for Penal Reform found that criminals in England and Wales face a postcode lottery when they're sentenced.

Magistrates' courts in Leicestershire handed down more than 18,000 sentences during 2011, of which 626 were custodial.

• UK
• Courts

Magistrates in Leicestershire are more than twice as likely to send someone to prison compared with courts in other parts of the country.

Research by the Howard League for Penal Reform shows that people who have been convicted of a crime in England and Wales face a postcode lottery when they are sentenced.

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• Leicestershire
• Courts

Luke Walker the 24-year-old man on trial for the death of his girlfriend on the Greek island of Crete is now back in the UK on bail. This morning he appeared on Daybreak where he said "I have innocence on my side so I know I will be cleared".

He said the last two years had been hell for him and his family.

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• Courts
• Luke Walker

All I want to do is clear my name.

It's been a nightmare; horrible. Work has been difficult, I can't get jobs.

But my family and friends have been amazing and really supported me. I can't thank them enough.

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• Courts
• Luke Walker

The family of a woman who prosecutors claim was killed in Greece by a man from the West Midlands say they are 'back to square one' after the murder trial was dramatically adjourned.

Luke Walker, 24, from Brierley Hill denies murdering 20 year-old Chelsea Hyndman on the holiday island of Crete in 2010.

The family of Miss Hyndman say they are frustrated by the delay to the trial and the decision to grant Mr. Walker bail. The 24 year-old has returned to Britain.

• UK
• Courts
• Luke Walker

The court has adjourned in the trial of Luke Walker- the man accused of murdering his girlfriend in Greece.

The court sat for less than an hour before adjourning because key prosecution witnesses had not been summoned.

Many of the witnesses in the case had flown in from Britain.

Walker's solicitor, George Pyromallis, asked that the defendant, who's spent the last two-and-a-half years in Crete, be allowed to return to England on bail.

The Walker family were emotional, some in tears, as the court granted bail to the UK.

Speaking after the hearing, Luke said it was the "best outcome so far".

Luke, who's from Brierley Hill near Dudley, has always denied killing 20-year-old Chelsea Hyndman.

He will return to Brierley Hill with his family and may work in the family's electrical business.

• UK
• Courts
• Luke Walker

A man from the West Midlands has gone on trial accused of murdering his girlfriend on the holiday island of Crete.

Luke Walker, 24, of Brierley Hill near Dudley, has always denied killing 20-year-old Chelsea Hyndman, who died in May 2010 after going to hospital with abdominal pains.

Mr Walker's brother Ryan and father Patrick are also in court today for the start of the trial.

After the four jurors were sworn in, Walker spoke through an interpreter to confirm his identity.

He gave his occupation as "electrician" and told the three judges he lived in Stalis, a coastal resort in Crete.

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• Courts
• Luke Walker