Here are just some of the criminals who were locked up in Cambridgeshire in January, including a drug dealer, burglars, ram-raiders and a couple who kept a woman in appalling slavery.
Drug dealer hid cocaine
Ision Kurtzmalaj - Police stopped him in Sawston in November 2022, and found 25 packages of cocaine hidden inside a roll-on deodorant and £190 stashed in the sun visor.
After a search of his address in Great North Road, Eaton Socon, St Neots, they found £405 in cash and 34 more bags of cocaine.
On January 26, Kurtzmalah, of no fixed abode, appeared at At Peterborough Crown was sentenced to three years and two months in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
He will be deported to Albania once he has completed his sentence.
READ MORE: Drug dealer operating across Cambridgeshire jailed | The Hunts Post
Doorbell footage led to arrest
Kevin Eastwood - 45, of no fixed abode, walked into a home in Beaufort Drive, Buckden, in the early hours of November 7 2021 and stole a bottle of rum, a bottle of gin and two pairs of headphones.
Neighbours provided doorbell footage to police and Eastwood was identified and found with some of the stolen items.
Eastwood was sentenced to 587 days in prison at Huntingdon Law Courts on January 18 after pleading guilty to burglary and attempted burglary.
READ MORE: Buckden: Burglar jailed after being identified on doorbell footage | The Hunts Post
Man grabbed partner around the neck
Andrew Bennett - of High Street, Soham, assaulted and grabbed his ex-partner around the neck after an argument.
He went out drinking with the woman at a beer festival and various other locations on August 13, 2021.
There was an argument later at his home and 43-year-old Bennett punched the woman in the jaw, smashed her head repeatedly on the floor and put his hands around her neck.
He also threatened her son who tried to intervene.
Bennett, who denied the offences, appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on January 26.
He was handed two years and six months in prison and a 10-year restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim.
READ MORE: Soham: Domestic abuser grabbed ex-partner by the neck | Ely Standard
Shop theft and breach of order
Leroy Meads - 32, of Cornfield Lane, Littleport, was sentenced to eight months in prison on January 6 at Cambridge Magistrate's Court after pleading guilty to three counts of shop theft and breaching his Criminal Behaviour Order.
The court heard that on December 31 and January 3, he stole £120 food and drink from the Co-Op in Main Street, Littleport.
On January 3, he also stole goods worth £56 from the Co-Op in Wisbech Road, Littleport.
READ MORE: Prolific Littleport thief jailed again for stealing £120 of goods | Ely Standard
Man harassed woman and made threats
Darren Barker - was jailed for two years and seven months in prison after he harassed a woman and threatened to disclose a sexual photograph of her.
Barker, of Gull Road, Guyhirn, began harassing his victim on June 9 last year and continued until June 23.
On several occasions, Barker turned up at the woman’s house and made threat and sent emails.
He admitted the offences during police interview and was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on January 31.
He was also handed a 10-year restraining order, preventing him from contacting the victim.
READ MORE: Guyhirn: Man who led month-long harassment of woman jailed | Cambs Times
Burglars targeted elderly people
Thomas Hutchinson and Teresa Gaskin - a pair of serial burglars who stole vans and targeted elderly people in their own homes were jailed.
Hutchinson, 51, and Teresa Gaskin, 45, went on a stealing spree in August and September of last year.
On January 17 at Huntingdon Law Courts, Hutchinson and Gaskin, of Station Road, March, were jailed for seven years and seven months and six years and four months respectively.
Hutchinson, admitted seven counts of burglary, four of theft of a motor vehicle and two of fraud, while Gaskin had admitted nine counts of burglary, four of theft of a motor vehicle and two of fraud.
READ MORE: Jail for pair who went on a stealing spree in March and Peterborough | Cambs Times
Ramraids
Four men involved in ramraids and other thefts across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire were handed sentences totalling more than 20 years.
Tony Smith, 23, John Mitchell, 20, Alan Smith, 47, and Samuel Mitchell, 19, all pleaded guilty to their part in the various offences which took place in January and February 2022.
Working together, the four caused havoc, targeting both businesses and individuals. Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of loss and damage was caused by the group who committed ATM and cigarette ramraids as well stealing vehicles and equipment to commit the offences.
They targeted a service station and supermarkets including Ramsey and St Neots Tesco stores and the Co-op store in Yaxley.
READ MORE: Men who carried out ram-raids in Huntingdonshire are jailed | The Hunts Post
Pair kept woman in appalling slavery
Julia Rafaelova and Milan Nemeth
A couple have been jailed after keeping a family member in appalling slavery for more than four years – even forcing her to give up a new-born child.
The victim was subjected to violence and intimidation by relatives who stole thousands of pounds from her in wages.
The main offender, her 51-year-old aunt Julia Rafaelova, had persuaded the victim to travel to the UK from Slovakia in October 2013 having fallen pregnant during forced prostitution controlled by Rafaelova.
She stayed in an overcrowded property in Saxon Road, Peterborough, and slept on a mattress on the kitchen floor.
She was forced to clean the house, cook meals for the family and even shoplift.
If she failed to do so she was beaten by Julia or her aunt’s partner Milan Nemeth, 49.
The pair appeared at Peterborough Crown Court and were convicted of multiple charges, including slavery and child abduction after being found guilty following a trial.
On January 12 at the same court, Rafaelova was jailed for 10 years and Nemeth was for two years.
READ MORE: Peterborough: Couple jailed for modern slavery in city | Peterborough Matters
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here