Faces of a child killer, ex-Police Special, teenage thief, bungling robber and drug dealers from Northampton, Kettering, Corby and Rushden all behind bars

A dozen offenders whose crimes were reported by us in May 2023

By Kevin Nicholls

Published 1st Jun 2023, 13:23 BST

Updated 1st Jun 2023, 13:23 BST

These are the faces of 11 men and and one woman jailed at Northampton Crown Court whose stories this newspaper told during May 2023.

They include a 19-year-old mum sentenced to five years for manslaughter and child cruelty after her five-week-old son died, drug dealers who flooded local streets with cocaine and amphetamines from Liverpool, and a former police special constable who used chat apps to send explicit photos to someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy — but turned out to be an undercover detective…

Faces of a dozen offenders from stories in this newspaper publishing during May 2023.

1. Jailed in May 2023

Faces of a dozen offenders from stories in this newspaper publishing during May 2023. Photo: Northamptonshire Police, Thames Valley Police

The 19-year-old mum, of Moor Road, Rushden, was sentenced to five years after pleading guilty to manslaughter and child cruelty. Luton Crown Court was told her five-week-old son, Archie, died of acute paracetamol toxicity in June 2020.
Detective Chief Inspector, Will Crowther of the Major Crime Unit at Thames Valley Police, described it as “an absolutely tragic case.”

2. ELLIE JACOBS

The 19-year-old mum, of Moor Road, Rushden, was sentenced to five years after pleading guilty to manslaughter and child cruelty. Luton Crown Court was told her five-week-old son, Archie, died of acute paracetamol toxicity in June 2020. Detective Chief Inspector, Will Crowther of the Major Crime Unit at Thames Valley Police, described it as “an absolutely tragic case.” Photo: Thames Valley Police

The 45-year-old former Northamptonshire Police special constable has been jailed for two years, six months for child sex offences after using chat apps including Grindr and Snapchat to send photos to what he believed was a 14-year-old boy — but was in fact an undercover detective.
He was found guilty at a trial in March and jailed last month, handed a five-year sexual harm prevention order and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

3. STEVEN TIFT

The 45-year-old former Northamptonshire Police special constable has been jailed for two years, six months for child sex offences after using chat apps including Grindr and Snapchat to send photos to what he believed was a 14-year-old boy — but was in fact an undercover detective. He was found guilty at a trial in March and jailed last month, handed a five-year sexual harm prevention order and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register. Photo: Northamptonshire Police

Serial thief Lake is back in jail just months after being freed. The 19-year-old, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to stealing car keys during a break-in and taking the vehicle on a joy ride that ended causing hundreds of pounds of damage.
Her Honour Judge Rebecca Crane sentenced Lake to two years, five months and told him: “You have spent much of your childhood in case and you now have problems with substance misuse. When you leave prison, you will have little support. It is a tragic picture.”

4. JUSTIN LAKE

Serial thief Lake is back in jail just months after being freed. The 19-year-old, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to stealing car keys during a break-in and taking the vehicle on a joy ride that ended causing hundreds of pounds of damage. Her Honour Judge Rebecca Crane sentenced Lake to two years, five months and told him: “You have spent much of your childhood in case and you now have problems with substance misuse. When you leave prison, you will have little support. It is a tragic picture.” Photo: Northamptonshire Police