In a busy June for the county’s courts, here are five Hertfordshire criminals who have been convicted this month, including a paedophile jailed for 15 years and a former footballer convicted of rape.
1. Mukim Ahmed, Jibran Azam and Nadeem Younas
Mukim Ahmed, Jibran Azam and Nadeem Younas were all jailed for operating the ‘Mick and Ranger’ line which supplied crack cocaine and heroin in Stevenage and the surrounding areas.
All three men pleaded guilty to their offences at St Albans Crown Court on Friday, June 23.
Mukim Ahmed, aged 41 and of no fixed address, was sentenced to six years and three months for conspiracy to supply class A drugs, and possession of a bladed article.
Jibran Azam, aged 32 and of Sish Close in Stevenage, was sentenced to five years and seven months for conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Nadeem Younas, aged 45 and of no fixed address, was sentenced to two years and ten months for conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
READ MORE: Three men jailed for running Stevenage drug network
2. Jack Clark
Jack Clark, of Blackdown Close, Stevenage, was jailed for two years and three months after seriously injuring six people in a crash in Hitchin on December 3, 2021.
The 19-year-old was driving a silver Ford Fiesta with six other people in the vehicle when he crashed on Park Street in Hitchin.
Despite only having the vehicle for 17 days and passing his test less than a month prior, Clark drove "erratically", swerving in and out of lanes and driving at speed when he lost control and mounted a kerb, causing his vehicle to spin and collide with a house.
One of the passengers was placed in an induced coma after suffering life-changing injuries including organ damage, bleeds to the brain and a collapsed lung.
Clark pleaded guilty to four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving after appearing at St Albans Crown Court on June 1.
READ MORE: Stevenage teenager jailed after injuring six in Hitchin crash
3. Anthony Dear
St Albans paedophile Anthony Dear was sentenced to 15 years behind bars after being found guilty of historic sexual offences.
The 23 rape and sexual assault offences were against one female victim, who was repeatedly assaulted by Dear over a four-year period when she was aged between 11 and 15.
The 80-year-old was previously jailed for six-and-a-half years in January 2022 after sexual offences against another victim, having been found guilty of five counts of sexual activity with a child.
The latest sentence will run consecutively with his previous jail time.
READ MORE: St Albans paedophile jailed for 15 years for historic offences
4. Kieran Hamilton
Former Barton Rovers footballer Kieran Hamilton was sentenced to five years in jail after being convicted of rape.
At Luton Crown Court on Wednesday, 21 June, Hamilton, 21, of Chesford Road in Luton, was sentenced to five years in prison for rape, one year for causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and six months for engaging in sexual activity with a child. These will run concurrently.
The day after his conviction in March, Hamilton scored for Barton Rovers in their match against Walthamstow FC, with club chairman Darren Whiley later telling the BBC they had known "nothing about the case".
In December 2018, he added his 14-year-old victim on Snapchat before convincing her to send him explicit pictures. He was aged 17 at the time.
Hamilton then used these images as leverage over the victim, forcing her to meet up with him in Luton twice, in January and February.
During both meetings, Hamilton forced his victim to engage in sexual activity with him in public places, including raping her on one occasion.
The victim told police that she felt she had to do what Hamilton wanted so that he would not share the photos of her.
READ MORE: Former Barton footballer jailed for five years for rape
5. Kulbir Singh Moroak
Kulbir Singh Moroak became the first person to be found guilty of forced marriage in Bedfordshire, when he was convicted at Luton Crown Court this month.
The 28-year-old, of Roman Road in Luton, is due to be sentenced on July 21, having also been found guilty of coercive and controlling behaviour, three counts of common assault and two counts of intentional strangulation.
Moroak forced his victim into marriage so he could get a UK passport and visa to stay in the country, as well as subjecting her to physical and verbal abuse for months.
A concerned friend contacted Bedfordshire Police to report the abuse in November, and the situation escalated after a second incident, when Moroak assaulted her then forced her to speed away from police in a bid to prevent his arrest.
READ MORE: First ever forced marriage conviction in Bedfordshire
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