Man arrested, charged and jailed all within 24 hours as part of a crackdown on crime in Gateshead

A man has been arrested, charged and jailed all within 24 hours as part of a crackdown on serious violence and organised crime in Gateshead.

On Tuesday (June 18), Richard Burnham was arrested following an incident where he swung a plank of wood at another man on Montrose Crescent in Low Fell earlier this month.

A man was left with minor injuries after Burnham launched the attack, punching his victim to the head and body, following a dispute.

The 25-year-old was also interviewed for driving without a licence after he was captured on CCTV leaving the scene behind the wheel of a vehicle.

The following day, on Wednesday (June 19), Burnham, of Charlton Walk, appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and a public order offence. He was sentenced to 18 weeks’ imprisonment. 

Burnham’s conviction forms part of a specialist operation which is being run by Gateshead’s Serious Organised and Acquisitive Crime Team focusing on serious and organised crime in the area.

As part of the proactive activity, two further men have also been arrested for offences relating to motor vehicles.

A 21-year-old man has since been charged with taking a vehicle without consent, while a 31-year-old has been charged with four counts of driving without a licence, theft of a motor vehicle and six counts of making off without paying for petrol.

Both men and are due to appear in court later this month.

Detective Sergeant Ian Ritchie, of Northumbria Police’s Serious Organised and Acquisitive Crime Team, said: “This is a great example of police acting on intelligence to disrupt serious and organised crime taking place in the community.

“Crimes such as vehicle theft and violence can have a serious and long-lasting effect on victims.

“As a Force, we simply will not tolerate this type of behaviour and hope it sends a strong message to those involved that we take matters such as this very seriously.

“The team was relentless in its efforts to disrupt these criminal operations – and I hope it goes a long way to reassure locals that we are listening to their concerns.

“We will continue to build on this good work and would also encourage people to come forward with any information that they think could help us in our investigations.”

Anyone with concerns about suspected criminality in their community is encouraged to contact police by sending a private message on social media, visiting the live chat on their website or by completing a crime update form.