Killer driver, murderer & road rage attacker - biggest cases heard recently at Sheffield Crown Court

A gang member involved in the manufacture of firearms and four cannabis factory robbers responsible for shooting two innocent men are also amongst those jailed in recent weeks

By Sarah Marshall

Crime and court reporter

Published 17th May 2026, 05:00 GMT

All of the 12 defendants pictured here have been jailed during Sheffield Crown Court hearings held during April and May 2026.

During those hearings, Sheffield judges have passed down jail terms, ranging from two-and-a-half years to 32 years in length.

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Murderer Callum Strachan was found guilty of killing Alan Sutton in a Barnsley street stabbing at the conclusion of a Sheffield Crown Court trial.

Other defendants on this list, however, admitted their guilt and received a reduction off the total length of their prison sentence, commensurate with the stage of proceedings when their pleas were entered.

You can read our full court reports on the cases covered in this list by following the below links:

The 12 defendants pictured here have all been jailed during Sheffield Crown Court hearings held in April and May 2026. Top row, left to right: Dean Tolan; Callum Strachan; Emma Jelly and Michael Tyrrell. Middle row: Samuel Jebson, Oliver Jebson, Paul Oates and Callum Rogers. Bottom row, left to right: Joe Concannon; Oliver Hughes; Suqlain Hussain and Graham McIlhagga

1. 12 defendants recently jailed at Sheffield Crown Court

The 12 defendants pictured here have all been jailed during Sheffield Crown Court hearings held in April and May 2026. Top row, left to right: Dean Tolan; Callum Strachan; Emma Jelly and Michael Tyrrell. Middle row: Samuel Jebson, Oliver Jebson, Paul Oates and Callum Rogers. Bottom row, left to right: Joe Concannon; Oliver Hughes; Suqlain Hussain and Graham McIlhagga | SYP/Adobe

An “arrogant” speeding driver almost certainly would have avoided causing a crash that killed a beloved young woman had he been wearing glasses and travelling at the speed limit.
That was the conclusion of The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, as he jailed Dean Tolan on April 17, 2026 for causing the death of 29-year-old Ellie Smart by dangerous driving.
Dressed in a blue suit and white short, Tolan sobbed from the dock shortly before was sent to begin a nine-year prison sentence.
“You killed that young woman. Extinguished her life, the future she had ahead of her. You’ve wrecked the life of her family, you’ve wrecked your own life and I’ve no doubt at all, your family will be badly affected too.
“And for what? All because you were rushing to fill the car to go to work. And you were driving at twice the speed limit. That warrants nine years.”
In addition to speeding at 58 miles per hour when he hit Ms Smart as she attempted to cross Donetsk Way near Crystal Peaks, Tolan also was not wearing his glasses in spite of licence conditions stipulating he must wear corrective lenses for driving.
He was also using his phone moments beforehand, the court heard.

2. Dean Tolan: Jailed for nine years in April 2026 for causing death by dangerous driving

An “arrogant” speeding driver almost certainly would have avoided causing a crash that killed a beloved young woman had he been wearing glasses and travelling at the speed limit. That was the conclusion of The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, as he jailed Dean Tolan on April 17, 2026 for causing the death of 29-year-old Ellie Smart by dangerous driving. Dressed in a blue suit and white short, Tolan sobbed from the dock shortly before was sent to begin a nine-year prison sentence. “You killed that young woman. Extinguished her life, the future she had ahead of her. You’ve wrecked the life of her family, you’ve wrecked your own life and I’ve no doubt at all, your family will be badly affected too. “And for what? All because you were rushing to fill the car to go to work. And you were driving at twice the speed limit. That warrants nine years.” In addition to speeding at 58 miles per hour when he hit Ms Smart as she attempted to cross Donetsk Way near Crystal Peaks, Tolan also was not wearing his glasses in spite of licence conditions stipulating he must wear corrective lenses for driving. He was also using his phone moments beforehand, the court heard. | SYP

A Barnsley man, who fled the scene and pretended to not be involved in a fatal stabbing, has been handed a life sentence for the murder of Alan Sutton.
Callum Strachan fatally stabbed Alan, a father of two, in the afternoon of Sunday 1 September 2024 on Burton Road in the Monk Bretton area of Barnsley. CCTV footage showed a verbal altercation which took place between a group of men, as well as Alan, a few minutes before the fatal stabbing.
The group can been seen shouting at each other in the back garden of a property, with Alan watching, before moving to the front of the property towards the road once the altercation had finished.
Strachan was then seen on a passing car's dashcam footage running at the group while holding a knife, before he stabbed Alan. Alan sadly died at the scene from a single stab wound to his chest.
Strachan who was clearly in denial over what he had just done, fled the scene running to a nearby driveway. CCTV caught him sitting on a wall as a marked police vehicle travelled towards the scene, attempting to hide the fact that he had just left the area.
When officers arrested Strachan on suspicion of GBH initially, he claimed it was others who came to attack him and denied any involvement. He was later arrested for murder when Alan was sadly pronounced dead.
Despite the clear footage showing Strachan's horrible actions, he pleaded not guilty to murder, threatening a person with a blade and two counts of possession of a blade, but was found guilty by a jury on 16 February.
Strachan was also on trial and found guilty for a separate incident in Grimsby, where he stabbed a man in June 2024. The victim thankfully survived his injuries.
Strachan, then aged 23, of Burton Road, Barnsley, appeared back at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, May 1, 2026, and was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 24 years to be served.

3. Callum Strachan: Jailed for life to serve a minimum of 24 years for the murder of Alan Sutton

A Barnsley man, who fled the scene and pretended to not be involved in a fatal stabbing, has been handed a life sentence for the murder of Alan Sutton. Callum Strachan fatally stabbed Alan, a father of two, in the afternoon of Sunday 1 September 2024 on Burton Road in the Monk Bretton area of Barnsley. CCTV footage showed a verbal altercation which took place between a group of men, as well as Alan, a few minutes before the fatal stabbing. The group can been seen shouting at each other in the back garden of a property, with Alan watching, before moving to the front of the property towards the road once the altercation had finished. Strachan was then seen on a passing car's dashcam footage running at the group while holding a knife, before he stabbed Alan. Alan sadly died at the scene from a single stab wound to his chest. Strachan who was clearly in denial over what he had just done, fled the scene running to a nearby driveway. CCTV caught him sitting on a wall as a marked police vehicle travelled towards the scene, attempting to hide the fact that he had just left the area. When officers arrested Strachan on suspicion of GBH initially, he claimed it was others who came to attack him and denied any involvement. He was later arrested for murder when Alan was sadly pronounced dead. Despite the clear footage showing Strachan's horrible actions, he pleaded not guilty to murder, threatening a person with a blade and two counts of possession of a blade, but was found guilty by a jury on 16 February. Strachan was also on trial and found guilty for a separate incident in Grimsby, where he stabbed a man in June 2024. The victim thankfully survived his injuries. Strachan, then aged 23, of Burton Road, Barnsley, appeared back at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, May 1, 2026, and was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 24 years to be served. | SYP

A tearful woman begged her parents to look after her dog as she was sent to prison over her involvement with a Sheffield gun gang operation.
Emma Jelly issued her plea as she cried in the dock of Sheffield Crown Court after discovering her fate.
The 38-year-old was charged with conspiracy to manufacture a firearm after a lengthy police investigation that has already seen 12 others jailed for a combined total of 150 years. She denied the charges but was found guilty after a trial. Judge Charles Thomas broke down the details of the case, explaining that jurors had deemed Jelly responsible for storing weapons in her flat. She was arrested in the summer of 2023, when police raided her home and found slides and magazines for 47 blank firing weapons. The court was told that at the time she was in an abusive relationship with a man who coerced her into getting involved with the criminal operation.
Judge Thomas said Jelly’s was ‘undoubtedly a lesser role’ and explained that she suffers with a number of health issues. Jelly’s offences could have attracted a sentence of up to 13 years, but the judge ruled she poses “no risk to the public. There is frankly, in my judgement, no risk of further offending by you,” he added as he jailed her for two and a half years.
“That in my judgement is the most merciful sentence I can arrive at while still fulfilling my public duty,” Judge Thomas said, as Jelly began to sob.

4. Emma Jelly: Jailed for two-and-a-half years in April 2026

A tearful woman begged her parents to look after her dog as she was sent to prison over her involvement with a Sheffield gun gang operation. Emma Jelly issued her plea as she cried in the dock of Sheffield Crown Court after discovering her fate. The 38-year-old was charged with conspiracy to manufacture a firearm after a lengthy police investigation that has already seen 12 others jailed for a combined total of 150 years. She denied the charges but was found guilty after a trial. Judge Charles Thomas broke down the details of the case, explaining that jurors had deemed Jelly responsible for storing weapons in her flat. She was arrested in the summer of 2023, when police raided her home and found slides and magazines for 47 blank firing weapons. The court was told that at the time she was in an abusive relationship with a man who coerced her into getting involved with the criminal operation. Judge Thomas said Jelly’s was ‘undoubtedly a lesser role’ and explained that she suffers with a number of health issues. Jelly’s offences could have attracted a sentence of up to 13 years, but the judge ruled she poses “no risk to the public. There is frankly, in my judgement, no risk of further offending by you,” he added as he jailed her for two and a half years. “That in my judgement is the most merciful sentence I can arrive at while still fulfilling my public duty,” Judge Thomas said, as Jelly began to sob. | SYP

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