Some of the biggest cases from Suffolk to be brought to court in 2023, with people from Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill and more

It has been a busy year for the courts, with sentences handed out to hundreds of people across the county.

A wide variety of cases were brought before judges in 2023 – ranging from high-profile murder cases, to shoplifting, drug-dealing and more.

And as the year draws to a close and we prepare for the New Year, SuffolkNews will take a look back at some of 2023’s biggest cases.

These are some of the people with Suffolk links who faced justice between January and December.

Man makes history – for the wrong reason

In February, a man from London made history as being the first person in Suffolk to be handed a Slavery Trafficking Protection Order after being convicted of forcing vulnerable teenagers to transport drugs.

At Ipswich Crown Court on February 9, Peter Casey, 24, was jailed for five years and three months after pleading guilty to arranging or facilitating the travel of an individual for exploitation.

The court also issued a restraining order and a Slavery Trafficking Prevention Order (STPO) for 12 years.

Car park attacker jailed for 20 years

In March, a high-profile case from Bury St Edmunds reached its end.

Alexander Cornell, 29 of Britannia Road, Ipswich, was sentenced to 20 years behind bars with an extended licence period of five years on March 9.

The court heard that at around 2.30pm on July 4 last year, in Parkway multi-storey car park, Cornell stabbed Blazej Piortowski three times, one of them causing a serious injury to the back of his neck.

He was later arrested and a blood-stained zombie knife was found in his bag, with a further collection of weapons discovered in his bedroom.

Father and son jailed for murder

In April a father and son from Bury St Edmunds were jailed together for a murder they committed.

David King, 56, and son Edward, 20, were sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on April 24 – after having been found guilty the year before.

A jury unanimously found the pair guilty of murdering 47-year-old, Neil Charles, in June 20, 2021.

David King, a former lecturer and company director, was sentenced to 21 years. Edward King was sentenced to 19 years.

Boy left teenage girl for dead

Also in April, a 17-year-old boy who stabbed a girl and left her for dead in a village was handed a life sentence.

Alex Tye, of Low Road in Friston, pleaded guilty to attempted murder following the stabbing in Benhall, near Saxmundham, on October 2, 2022.

The attack left the victim with lifelong injuries.

She had been left for several hours before being found by a dog walker who called 999.

Tye will spend at least 12 and a half years behind bars.

Man strangled wife and daughter to death

Another high-profile case this year was that of a man who strangled his wife and daughter to death.

Peter Nash, 47, was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in jail at Ipswich Crown Court on May 17 after he was found guilty of killing his wife Jillu Nash, 44, and their 12-year-old daughter, Louise at their Great Waldingfield, near Sudbury, home in September last year.

Nash attempted to take his own life after the incident.

He represented himself during the trial and told the court he believed he was acting on 'logic' at the time of the killings.

Head-on crash went viral online

In June, a motorist had a miraculous escape after his car was run over and destroyed by an out-of-control tractor driven by a drug-taking teenager.

Dramatic video footage, which went viral online, captured the moment Tyler Sowerby’s huge Case iH vehicle veered across the two-lane road outside RAF Mildenhall and into the path of a Honda driven by a man who had little time to react, on September 24 last year.

Sowerby admitted careless driving and driving while unfit through drugs and had previously admitted a separate drug-driving offence.

This was committed at Lazonby on February 10 as he was stopped by police while driving a Vauxhall Corsa.

He was given an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

Sowerby also had to complete rehabilitation by working with the probation service for up to 10 days and complete 60 hours’ unpaid work.

He was also banned from driving for three years.

Man jailed for jealousy-fuelled murder

In November a man from Leiston was jailed after he stabbed his neighbour and two others.

Oskars Kantors, 29, of Old School Close, Leiston, was convicted of murder following a trial at Ipswich Crown Court on November 19.

He stabbed 41-year-old Agris Leigavnieks - who lived on the same road - on October 17 last year.

The court heard that Kantors suspected Leigavnieks of having an affair with his girlfriend, and had assaulted two others in a rage prior to the stabbing.

He was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 21 years and nine months.

Teenager stabbed 16-year-old

Arguably one of the biggest cases of the year was the stabbing of Harley Barfield in Haverhill.

A 17-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, was sentenced on December 19 at Ipswich Crown Court, after being found guilty of his murder in November.

He will be detained for 17 years, minus the 345 days already spent in custody, and will spend the rest of his life on licence.

He had denied murder but admitted manslaughter and possession of a bladed item in a public place.