Knife-wielding Burwell cheese and burger thief jailed
A thief who threatened shop staff with a kitchen knife and told them he would "cut their insides out" if they tried to stop him, has been jailed.Shane Sparks, 47, of Myrtle Drive in Burwell, Cambridgeshire, was spotted in the village's Co-op store on 28 January trying to put packets of cheese and burgers down his trousers.When confronted, he pulled out the knife and lunged towards staff.Sparks was later arrested by police and, having admitted robbery and possessing a knife in a public place, was jailed for two years and seven months at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday.
PC Ryan Parker, from Cambridgeshire Police, said: "Sparks went to the Co-op that day armed with a knife, knowing he was going to steal, and then use the knife to intimidate and scare anyone who stood in his way."This happened in a busy store in broad daylight and will have a lasting impact on the victims involved."We hope this sentence shows that knife crime and violent, threatening behaviour is not tolerated in Cambridgeshire."
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AS CHLOE Beecham waits patiently for her mother to tie her shoelaces and brush her hair, she cannot help but think of her old life. She had a promising career, her own home, and a busy social circle and it was the man at the centre of her old life who took all of this away. 8 8 Chloe, 30, suffered a catastrophic stroke after her former partner, Harry Boulton, punched her in the head when she accused him of cheating. Boulton, 29, attacked Chloe in a rage, punching her so hard that the carotid artery in her neck was dissected and she suffered a life changing brain injury. Chloe was rushed to hospital and her panic-stricken family was warned she might not survive. Unsuspecting hospital staff allowed Boulton to visit her bedside, not realising he was the cause of her injuries. Whilst Chloe fought for her life, Boulton texted her to say: 'I'm struggling.' Incredibly, Boulton was jailed for only three years, leaving her family devastated. 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He is eligible for early release soon; there is no end in sight to my injuries. How can this be right or fair?' Chloe and Boulton met on Tinder in 2018 and at first their relationship went well. She says: 'He bought me clothes and shoes and we went out a lot. 'I really fell for him. Harry wanted to move things along quickly and talked of buying a house together. I wanted him to slow down.' But a couple of months in, his behaviour changed. Chloe says: 'He picked fault at me all the time. 'I worked shifts as a manager and I loved my job, but Harry complained about my hours and said he was lonely, and so I changed them. 'Then he said none of his family and friends liked me, and he really knocked my confidence. He said he wanted to keep seeing me as long as we kept it secret. I was hurt but I really liked him. 'I didn't see that he was just being cruel, chipping away at my self-esteem so he could treat me badly.' The couple continued seeing each other on and off, but Chloe was not allowed to socialise with Harry's friends or go to his home. She says: 'He kept saying he loved me, and he was nearly ready to commit and move in together but in reality, I believe he was cheating on me all the way through. 'I started to suspect he was seeing other girls but when I confronted him, he was violent. He pushed me up against a wall one night. Another time he dragged me by my foot from the bottom of the stairs. 'Whilst I was sitting next to him, I saw him messaging another girl on Snapchat and he split my lip open when I asked about her. 'I didn't know what to do. I felt very isolated and confused. I couldn't tell anyone about the violence because nobody even knew we were in a relationship. 'Even my own family didn't know I was still seeing him. 'Harry kept me hanging on all the time, like I was supposed to be grateful for the attention he gave me. 'I'd never have seen myself as a victim of domestic abuse and it just didn't register; when you are in the middle of it, you can't see it.' In December 2022, the couple argued after Boulton went to Edinburgh to celebrate his birthday. She says: 'He told me he needed to go away on his own for some peace but then I found photos and messages which showed he was with a girl. 'We were in bed in my flat and I was very calm. 'I picked up his phone and asked him about the girl. I was worried he was going to lose his temper, and I locked myself in the bathroom. But he promised he'd stay reasonable and so I came out. 'There were messages from other girls on his phone too. I wanted the truth from him; I'd realised he was never going to change, and we needed to separate.' But in the living room, Boulton erupted with rage and punched Chloe several times to the back of her head, neck and face. She says: 'I was screaming at him to stop, that he was hurting me. 'I immediately felt the blood rushing in my neck and my eye swelled up immediately. My head was throbbing. I felt so ill; I went back to bed and asked Harry to sleep on the couch.' During the night, Boulton left the flat, and, despite Chloe not responding, he made no effort to check on her or to call for help. She says: 'I didn't sleep I was in so much pain. 'The following morning, I felt horrendous, but I was on autopilot. I covered my black eye with make-up and went to work, but my right arm was weak and felt funny. I had a massive headache.' Her colleagues became alarmed when she began dropping things and dragging her right foot, and they took her to hospital. Chloe was transferred to Salford Royal Infirmary, a specialist stroke unit where doctors established her stroke was due to an almost severed carotid artery following trauma. Her family travelled from Lincolnshire to be at her bedside. Boulton, meanwhile, visited Chloe in hospital, telling staff he was devastated by her collapse. He also texted Chloe, who was by now unconscious, telling her: 'I'm struggling' and 'Do you still love me? Are you still mad at me?' Chloe suffered a massive seizure overnight, and her family was warned she might die. Doctors discovered the stroke was trauma-induced and Boulton admitted to Lesley only that he had pushed Chloe. He was arrested and Chloe was placed under police guard. It was later established he had punched Chloe. Lesley says: 'Chloe was in and out of consciousness, we didn't know if she was going to survive. 'We didn't want her to know the police were involved because she was too ill.' On Christmas Eve, she was transferred to a hospital in Lincolnshire near her family home, and one month on, she was able to say to her mother: 'Harry, phone, punch, stroke.' Lesley says: 'It was so emotional; she'd been waiting all this time to tell us he had attacked her.' Chloe faced a long and gruelling recovery. She could not walk or talk or look after herself in any way and her right side was badly affected by the stroke. She was also diagnosed with epilepsy and began suffering seizures. Even though she has made great progress, she has been diagnosed with aphasia, and she has ongoing health problems including a weakness down her right side. She cannot use her right hand, needs a splint to help her walk, and needs Botox injections every three months to prevent spasticity. She has had to learn everything from scratch; walking, talking, counting, telling the time, learning her colours. She has ongoing physio, speech and occupational therapy. It takes great effort and concentration for her simply to complete a sentence. I would like to have children one day, I'd like to travel, I'd like to further my career. None of that will happen Chloe Beecham Lesley says: 'My daughter was fit, healthy and independent, with her whole life ahead of her and he took all of that away. 'I was helping her learn her colours one day in hospital when we got an email from Harry via the police, asking for his aftershave back from Chloe's flat. It was just unbelievable. How could anyone be so callous?' Boulton, an accountant, appeared before Manchester Crown Court in April and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of wounding without intent. He was jailed for three years. Chloe says: 'I was so disappointed by the sentence. My whole life has been shattered. I miss my job, my car, my home and my friends. 'I would like to have children one day, I'd like to travel, I'd like to further my career. None of that will happen. 'My focus now is on raising awareness of strokes in young people but most importantly of the devastating impact of domestic abuse. "Please don't stay with someone until they hit you so hard that they nearly kill you. 'I've had wonderful support from the police and rehab staff and me and my family are extremely grateful to them all. Help is out there. Please don't stay silent – it could cost your life.' 8 8
