February was a tough month for these defendants, who now face a considerable time behind bars.

From conspiracy to commit acts of sexual nature on a child to a person being sent back to jail for causing grievous bodily harm with intent, Wiltshire’s courts have been busy locking people up.

Below are some of the most important and noteworthy cases our reporters have covered in last month.

David Nye: Attempting to arrange or commission a child sex offence - 3 years

WARNING: Story contains distressing elements

Swindon Advertiser:

A “lonely” father-of-two was snared by undercover cops when he thought he was telling the mother of a nine-year-old girl that he wanted to sexually abuse her daughter.

David Nye sent graphic messages to a woman he met on the website True Nudists, and had arranged to meet her and her daughter.

But it turned out the woman was a police officer and he was arrested in Chippenham.

Full story here.

Benjamin Spencer: Grievous bodily harm with intent - 2 years

Swindon Advertiser:

A WELDER at Swindon’s Amazon factory hit a colleague over the head with a metal pole, seriously injuring him, after a workplace argument about where to place a generator.

Benjamin Spencer was working on the £200 million development at Symmetry Park early last year when an argument developed between him and a scaffolder.

In a confrontation, Spencer picked up a metal pole, hitting him over the back of the head and splitting his hard hat - causing the victim to need 12 staples.

Full story here

Jamie Bowers: Causing grievous bodily harm with intent - 6 years and 4 months

Swindon Advertiser:

A THUG who launched a brutal, unprovoked attack on a nightclub goer was out on licence after a jail sentence for a similar attack just a few years ago.

Jamie Bowers was jailed again in February after admitting causing grievous bodily harm with intent after he attacked the innocent man with his belt buckle as he left the Edge nightclub in July 2019.

Full story here.

Richard Fagbola: Drug dealing - 8 months

A CARE leaver found his past cannabis addiction too “difficult to resist” during the Covid pandemic, a court has heard.

Richard Fagbola was part of a drug dealing operation in Swindon between August and December last year, Swindon Crown Court was told on Thursday (February 24).

Full story here

Ayo Awoyera : Being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and possession with intent to supply Class A drugs - 6 years and 4 months

Swindon Advertiser:

A ‘serial drug dealer’ exploited a vulnerable Swindon drug user, taking over his home to use as a production factory, and planned to cuckoo more addicts across the town before police officers swooped in.

Ayo Awoyera, a veteran in the Hackney drugs scene, moved his operation to the Wiltshire town soon after his release from prison in June last year.

Full story here

Claudio Stroud: Actual bodily harm, assault by beating and controlling and coercive behaviour - 2 years and 4 months

Swindon Advertiser:

A “SELFISH bully” who controlled his girlfriend, making her life a “misery” and repeatedly assaulting her, has been jailed.

Claudio Ocean Marc Stroud strangled, hit, and even bit his then-girlfriend, and controlled what she wore, who she could be friends with and her bank accounts.

On one occasion the victim had to send a code word to a friend for her to call the police after he attacked her.

Full story here.

Lewis Butterfield: Grievous bodily harm with intent - 7 years and 2 months

Swindon Advertiser:

A prisoner on licence who repeatedly hit another over the head with a tyre iron, leaving him with a brain injury and in a coma, has been jailed.

Lewis Butterfield, who had been released months earlier, attacked the man during a chance meeting having previously fallen out with him.

Full story here.

Gavin Eyles: Stalking - 2 years and 8 months

Swindon Advertiser:

A film and TV actor with a foot fetish who ordered his girlfriend to wear socks at all times - even in the bath - during their 'kinky' 18-month relationship has received a 32 month jail term for his controlling behaviour towards her.

But the sentence imposed at Gloucester Crown Court yesterday (Feb 8) means Gavin Eyles, 37, will very soon be free, because he had already served his time while in custody on remand.

Full story here

Joshua Steele: Drug dealing - 1 year and 9 months

Swindon Advertiser:

A DEALER who hid the SIM card for his drugs line in his children’s toy box has been jailed.

Joshua Richard Steele tried to flee when police arrived to arrest him at his family home in Pinehurst, and Class A drugs and scales were also found at his parents’ house.

In all, between £5,500 and £6,500 of Class A drugs were recovered, as well as a Juke motorcycle that had been stolen.

Full story here.

Daniel Stacey: 12 offences including theft, aggravated taking without consent and multiple driving offences - 6 months

A Bradford-on-Avon man who drove a stolen car at 100mph to flee police before then attempting to ram them has been jailed for six months.

Daniel Stacey, aged 33, of Widbrook View, was also disqualified from driving for three years when he appeared at Salisbury Crown Court.

The court heard how Stacey put lives at risk by trying to escape officers in a blue light pursuit, including driving an Audi A6 at speed along footpaths and the wrong way around a roundabout.

Full story here