5 Herts criminals who have been convicted in November

1. Tuche Coskun

A drug dealer who stabbed a Welwyn Garden City father to death has been found guilty of murder.

Tuche Coskun, 22, of Central Avenue, Enfield, was found guilty of killing 42-year-old Gavin Hubbard at an address in Linkfield just before 3am on May 19, 2024, with a jury at St Albans Crown Court returning a unanimous verdict on November 13.

Ahead of the trial, Coskun had pleaded guilty to two counts of being in possession with intent to supply class A drugs, namely cocaine and heroin.

Gavin Hubbard. (Image: Herts Police)

Detective Inspector Justine Jenkins from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: "This was a challenging investigation, and I am grateful to the jury for reaching their verdict on this case.

"We have a zero tolerance to knife crime in Hertfordshire and we will use the full force of the law with such criminals."

Coskun will be sentenced on January 16, 2025 at St Albans Crown Court.

2. Makhan Singh Mauji

A paedophile who abused his position as Sikh ceremonial reader has admitted to historic sexual assaults which happened in Hitchin in the 1980s.

Makhan Singh Mauji, 71, of North Priors Court in Northampton, pleaded guilty to the following 13 offences on November 14, just four days into a trial at Cambridge Crown Court.

• One count of attempted rape of a child under 16
• Two counts of gross indecency of a child under 14
• Eight counts of indecent assault against a child under 14
• Two counts of indecent assault against a child under 16

The incidents occurred in Hitchin between July 1983 and August 1987 at a number of places in the town, including at a Gurdwara.

Mauji was a Granthi - ceremonial reader of the Guru Granth Sahib - and took advantage of his role to invade the lives of his victims.

Mauji has been bailed until Friday, December 20, when he will be sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court.

3. Josh Mallaburn and Liam Cronin

Two Hemel Hempstead people smugglers who tried to bring a family-of-five from Afghanistan into the country hidden in a rubbish-filled van have been jailed.

Josh Mallaburn (left) and Liam Cronin. (Image: PA Images/PA Wire)

Josh Mallaburn, 33, and Liam Cronin, 34, were each sentenced to three years and three months’ imprisonment on November 8, , following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court in October.

The youngest child was "extremely unwell and drifting in and out of consciousness" when the family were discovered by Border Force officers in Coquelles, in France, on August 27, 2018.

Sentencing them, Recorder Nicola Makanjuola said their offences threatened UK borders and that sentences for this crime were "heavy" and intended to deter others.

The family were discovered by Border Force officers in Coquelles, in France. (Image: PA Images/PA Wire)

4. Ben Turner

An abuser who threatened to kill his victim and inflicted "physical, emotional and psychological" harm has been jailed.

Ben Turner, 38, of Willow Corner, Bayford, pleaded guilty to threatening to kill, coercive and controlling behaviour, assault causing grievous bodily harm and strangulation.

He was sentenced to 39 months behind bars at Huntingdon Crown Court, and was also given a restraining order banning him from contacting the victim or going to an address in Stanstead Abbotts for eight years.

Police were called after Turner assaulted his victim and grabbed her round the neck, telling her he was going to kill her.

Ben Turner. (Image: Herts police)

She fought him off and jumped from a first-floor window to escape before running to a neighbour’s home to get help.

Officers investigated further and uncovered previous violent incidents, including attempts to strangle her, and pushing her into a mirror which caused a cut to her face.

He prevented her from getting medical attention for the injury, staying with her overnight to stop her going to hospital. She was too terrified of him to contact police.

5. Callum Schooling

A drug dealer from Letchworth who led police on a foot chase through Cambridge has been jailed.

Callum Schooling. (Image: Cambridgeshire Constabulary)

Callum Schooling, of Talbot Way, was sentenced to two years and eight months behind bars at Cambridge Crown Court on November 5, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and possession of a bladed article.

On June 30, 2023, officers on patrol in Cambridge spotted a group of suspected drug dealers and users near to a play park in Church Street, Chesterton.

As they approached, 22-year-old Schooling ran off and officers could see a large red knife in the waistband of his trousers.

He was arrested and found in possession of the knife, a mobile phone, more than £600 in cash and five pairs of new sunglasses.