Locked up: 15 of the Isle of Man’s worst criminals put behind bars in 2024

While the island is largely a safe place to live it is not without its crime.

Some criminals have been put away for a long time during the course of 2024 with heinous acts ranging from manslaughter to rape.

A number of high-level drug dealers involved in dealing cocaine and cannabis worth hundreds of thousands of pounds have also been handed lengthy sentences.

We take a look at some of the worst criminals who have been locked up in the past year.

Graham Skillicorn, James Doherty and Steven Cannon

(left-right) Graham Skillicorn, James Doherty and Steven Cannon have all been handed lengthy jail terms for a gang rape (Isle of Man Constabulary)

Doherty, 41, Cannon, 45, and Skillicorn, 65, were described as a ‘pack of animals’ by Deemster Graeme Cook during their sentencing in December.

The three were found guilty of rape by a jury at the end of a 10-day trial at the Court of General Gaol Delivery in October after refusing to own up to what they did.

The trial had heard how the three men took advantage of the vulnerable, young, heavily intoxicated female for their own sexual gratification.

The offences took place at Skillicorn’s flat on Cushag Road, Anagh Coar, in the early hours of June 25, 2022.

Doherty was jailed for 16 years, Cannon was jailed for 15 years and nine months while Skillicorn was imprisoned for 14 years six months.

Leroy McHarrie has been jailed for 20 years for drug dealing and money laundering (Isle of Man Constabulary)

The 25-year-old, of Nursery Avenue, Onchan, was the island link in the gang which was being run by James Spotswood while he was serving time in Walton Prison in Merseyside.

McHarrie, 25, was involved in at least three drug plots which brought hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of cocaine and cannabis into the island.

He was also involved in money laundering, employing ‘money mules’ to hold more than half a million pounds in cash in a number of bank accounts.

The criminal gang’s activities came to light when a BMW was stopped at the ferry terminal in Douglas on June 6, 2022.

Following a search of the vehicle, cannabis with an estimated street value of over £78,000 and cocaine with an estimated street value of between £100,000 and £142,000 were found.

In total, nine people were arrested across the two operations.

McHarrie was sentenced at the Court of General Gaol Delivery in October to a total of 17 years in prison for the drugs offences and a further four years nine months for the money laundering offences to run consecutively.

Donovan Kitching (Media IoM)

Donovan Kitching was representing himself during sentencing at the Court of General Gaol Delivery in October.

Deemster Graeme Cook jailed him for six and a half years for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He was jailed for a further six months for the breach of a previous suspended sentence, bringing the total to seven years.

The court previously heard how Kitching’s victim was lured by co-accused Michael Glover – who has already been jailed for 28 months for his part – to the Cinder Path in Douglas on the pretext of doing a drug deal on August 19 last year.

He was suddenly attacked by a masked man wielding some sort of implement. He sustained a 4cm deep cut to his left hand which required six stitches and also a 1.5cm wound to his head by his ear.

Michael Ball, Justin Fayle and David Alsop

David Alsop was jailed for 12 years (IoM Constabulary)

Jailing Ball, Fayle and Alsop, Deemster Graeme Cook told the Court of General Gaol Delivery that organised crime was becoming more and more prevalent in the Isle of Man.

‘The message needs to be sent out that those involved in organised crime will suffer the consequences,’ he said.

Drugs mule Ball, 42, was convicted following a three-day trial of smuggling to the island just under 2kg of heroin and 1.25kg cocaine, worth up to £750,000. He was jailed for a total of 19 years and six months.

Co-accused Justin Fayle, 40 – described in court as being the middle man – was jailed for 11 years and six months.

And David Alsop, 57, who was said to be the principal offender whose role had been to collect the drugs to sell on, was jailed for 12 years.

John Meadows has been jailed for five years eight months for the manslaughter of partner Jill Hughes on Douglas prom (Isle of Man Constabulary)

John Meadows was jailed in October for five years eight months after he admitted to the manslaughter of partner Jillian Hughes on Good Friday this year.

Meadows, 53, of Verney Crescent in Allerton, came to the Isle of Man from Liverpool on a weekend break with Jill, her daughter Megan, Megan’s partner James Matthews and their five-year-old daughter on Friday, March 29.

After checking in to the hotel and going out for a few drinks, a row broke out as they walked back along Douglas promenade. Outside the Majestic Chinese restaurant on Central Promenade, Meadows punched Mr Matthews.

As Jill stepped in, Meadows hit her in, what one witness described, as a ‘boxer’s punch, quick as lightning’.

Jill fell on her knees and ended up face down on the floor. She was taken to Noble’s Hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later.

Douglas man William Duggan was jailed for 11 years for sexually abusing two boys (Isle of Man Constabulary)

Duggan, 35, had denied five counts of gross indecency and nine of indecent assault against the two boys – now adults – and put them through a gruelling trial where he was found guilty in July.

He was jailed for 11 years but he has since lodged an appeal against his sentence which will be heard on January 20.

Duggan began abusing one boy in the year 2000 when the victim was seven and ended when he was 13. Duggan himself was ten years old when it began and 16 when it ended.

But the sexual predator turned his attention to another boy when he was 15-years-old and the abuse carried on until he was 23. The second victim was eight-years-old when the abuse began and was 16 when it ended.

Deemster Graeme Cook jailed Duggan for four years and six months in total for the offences relating to the first victim and six years six months for the offences relating to the second victim which will run consecutively to each other.

He received the longest sentence out of those convicted as part of the police’s Operation Nightjar targeting individuals in 2023 actively dealing cocaine during the night-time in Douglas.

The aim of Operation Nightjar was to seize the class A drugs before they hit the streets on the island.

Undercover officers were deployed to seek out and identify those dealing cocaine in the capital by taking on the role of drug users looking to purchase cocaine, and used telephone calls, text messages and social media apps, including Snapchat, to contact drug suppliers and their associates.

Rosemary Burgess and Peter Nulty

Peter Phillip Sean Nulty and Rosemary Burgess (Isle of Man Constabulary)

Rosemary Ellen Burgess, 22, was jailed for eight years while Peter Phillip Sean Nulty, 40, was jailed for nine.

The court heard, as part of an ongoing police operation, a parcel shipped to the island from the UK was seized in September last year addressed to a ‘Jessica Summers’ at Burgess’s home in Old Laxey Hill, Laxey.

When it was opened, it was found to contain a block of cocaine weighing 994.9 grams, valued by police at £99,940.

A search of the address found a holdall in the attic containing 1,578.9g of cannabis with a street value of £31,718. Police found £400 cash on Burgess.

Burgess admitted being concerned in the production of cocaine to the island and pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis with intent to supply, attempting to possess the class B drug with intent to supply it and money laundering.

Her role was a lesser one than Nulty, who was implicated by messages retrieved on Burgess’s mobile phone.

Nulty’s home, at Tynwald Street in Douglas, was searched and cash totalling £8,920 was found, as well as 0.4 grams of cocaine.

He pleaded guilty to being concerned in production of cocaine to the island, possessing cocaine, and possessing criminal property, namely £8,920 in cash.

Shaun Milligan and Frank Harrison

Shaun Milligan and Frank Harrison (Isle of Man Police)

In February, the Court of General Gaol Delivery heard the pair tried to evade arrest by driving at high speed through the back lanes of Douglas.

A total of 227.23g of heroin was seized. It had a street value of between £34,650 and £69,307.

Milligan, 47, of Manor Woods, Douglas, was a key individual in the organised crime gang and was jailed for a total of 11 years.

Harrison, 42, of Brisbane Street, Douglas, allowed his address to be used for the delivery of the drugs. He was jailed for seven years.