By Advertiser Reporter A WROUGHTON man has been accused of historic sexual abuse. Denis Avenell, 68, is said to have carried out the assaults in the 1980s and 1990s. Appearing before Swindon Crown Court on Friday afternoon, Avenell, of Thorney Park, near Wroughton, entered no pleas to 14 counts of indecent assault. His barrister, Mark Kelly QC, asked the judge to adjourn for psychiatric reports. He said his client disputed the allegations against him. Judge Jason Taylor QC adjourned the case to a hearing on July 9 and granted Avenell bail. A trial is expected to take place on November 15. The trial is likely to last around seven days.
By Advertiser Reporter A JURY will decide in July whether a Swindon man downloaded indecent images of children. Noor Ahmadi, 32, is accused of possession of the child sex abuse material between March 2018 and December 2019. But his lawyer, Nazar Muhammad, told Swindon Crown Court on Friday that his client was denying the charges and was not involved in downloading the images. Appearing before the court, Ahmadi, of Malvern Road, Gorse Hill, pleaded not guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, including in categories A, B and C. Judge Jason Taylor QC granted him unconditional bail for the trial, which will be held from July 27. The trial is expected to last around two days.
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Fullers Avenue, Cricklade Picture: GOOGLE A WARRANT was issued for the arrest of a Cricklade brawler after he was a no-show at court. Shane Allen, 31, had been due to be sentenced for threatening behaviour and possession of a baseball bat. It was said that he threatened unlawful violence against five people in Cricklade on August 10, 2019, and was in possession of the baseball bat in Fullers Avenue on the same date. Last month, Allen, of Cherry Tree Road, Cricklade, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of threatening behaviour. He also admitted possession of the offensive weapon. Allen’s barrister, David Lee, told Swindon Crown Court on Friday morning that the defendant was told by his solicitors to be at court by 9.15am. He had not answered repeated calls from the lawyer that morning.
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Swindon Magistrates Court A MAN has been remanded in custody over allegations he attacked another in Haydon Wick on Tuesday. Lewis Butterfield, 28, is said to have struck his victim, who is in his 20s, repeatedly to the head. The alleged assault saw part of Thames Avenue cordoned off by police earlier in the week.
Swindon magistrates’ this morning heard the victim had suffered a brain injury and was taken to hospital. It is understood he remains at the John Radcliffe Hospital. Appearing before Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning, Butterfield, of White Eagle Road, entered no plea to a charge of wounding with intent. The charge is indictable-only, meaning that pleas can only be taken at the crown court.
JAILED: Murderer who beat woman to death in 1983 is jailed for slashing paramedic A CONVICTED murderer slashed a paramedic in the head after it was suggested he’d need to go to hospital. Alcoholic Gerald Lee, 56, who was given a life sentence in 1983 after he beat a woman to death with a brick, was said to have drunk up to a litre of vodka before the assault. Prosecutor Alec Small told Swindon Crown Court on Wednesday afternoon that Lee’s social worker had called the ambulance service on February 25, 2021, over concerns about his health. Although shocked to see the paramedics, Lee let them into his Pinehurst home. They became concerned that he was showing signs of hypothermia and also had high blood pressure, telling him he would need to go to hospital.