Wigan's week in court

A Wigan borough teenager has been accused of assault, blackmail, kidnap and false imprisonment.

The 16-year-old from Tyldesley, who cannot be identified, appeared before the town's magistrates to plead not guilty to charges of actual bodily harm, abduction and illegally detaining a named male on August 18 last year and also blackmail of a named woman on the same date.

Because of the seriousness of the charges, the bench sent the case to Bolton Crown Court where the boy will make his first appearance on February 29.

In the meantime he is on bail conditional that he does not approach the complainants.

A warrant has been issued for a man who twice burgled Wigan's Pets at Home store, stealing a £16 dog harness during one of the break-ins.

Darren Turner, 31, of Broom Road, Pemberton, had previously pleaded guilty to the burglaries on December 10 and 12 and also to causing more than £5,000 damage to shutters at the Club 3000 bingo hall on October 22.

But he then failed to turn up for his sentencing hearing at the same court and so an arrest warrant was issued.

A man accused of fraud and criminal damage has failed to turn up for his court hearing.

Paul Holland, 41, of Pinewood Crescent, Ince, had been charged with vandalising furniture belonging to Stephanie Holland on December 15 and smashing a mirror of hers on January 10 and then fraudulently using a bank card to withdraw £500 to which he wasn't entitled on January 15.

But after his court no-show, justices issued an arrest warrant to police.

A Wigan teenager has been accused of robbery, threats with a machete, two assaults and possessing a fake gun.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, appeared before borough justices to deny the assaults by beating of two named females, one in October and one in November last year.

But he admitted to possessing an imitation firearm in Bolton with intent to cause fear on January 7, threatening someone with a machete on the same date and robbing a named male of a Gucci Bag containing a Canada Goose hat and a phone charger of a value unknown on April 15, 2023.

A Wigan borough 31-year-old accused of strangling a woman has appeared before a judge.

Liam O'Brien, of Wigan Road, Leigh, is also charged with assaulting the woman by beating her on December 16.

He failed to attend Bolton Crown Court on the day allotted for his first appearance and so a warrant was issued for his arrest.

O’Brien has now made that appearance and been told that, should he plead not guilty to the offences, a trial will be provisionally scheduled for September 4, 2025.

Pleas have yet to be entered and this may happen at a pre-trial preparation hearing due to take place on February 27.

In the meantime O’Brien has been released on conditional bail.

A Wigan 37-year-old is facing domestic abuse charges.

Jamie Ascroft, of Levens Place, Ince, appeared before Manchester and Salford justices accused of controlling and coercive behaviour towards a named woman between February 1 last year and January 26 this year and also to inflicting actual bodily harm on November 15.

He was remanded in custody until he makes his first appearance before a Bolton Crown Court judge on March 1.

Ascroft has yet to enter any pleas.

A 33-year-old man has been remanded into custody after being charged with two assaults, criminal damage and making threats while armed with an offensive weapon.

It is alleged that Roy Bannister, of Worsley Street, Pemberton, caused Sarah Taylor actual bodily harm during an attack on January 29, having previously assaulted her at some point in November.

He is further charged with smashing Ms Taylor's mobile phone, causing £120 damage and threatened the complainant with a weapon, also in November.

He has pleaded not guilty to the first assault charge but has yet to enter pleas for the others.

The case was sent to Bolton Crown Court where Bannister is due to make his first appearance on March 4, before which time he will be kept behind bars.

Leona Byrne-Fletcher, 30, of Troutbeck Rise, Pemberton, is also charged with causing Ms Fletcher ABH on January 29 and to possessing diazepam, a class C drug, on the same occasion.

She has admitted the drug possession charge but not pleaded in regard to the assault.

She too is set to appear at Bolton on March 4 and is on conditional bail before then.

A Wigan man has admitted taking a kitchen knife to a convenience store.

Anthony Donnelly, 44, of Church Street, Golborne, appeared before borough justices to plead guilty to having taken the knife to a Morrisons Daily store in Lowton on February 5 last year.

He will be sentenced by a Bolton Crown Court judge on February 28.

A Wigan 21-year-old who confessed to making hundreds of indecent images of children has been given a community punishment.

Tom Webster, of Bolton Road, Ashton, had pleaded guilty on his first appearance before borough magistrates to three charges.

One was of creating 349 pictures that fell into the most serious category of abuse - A - another of making 701 category B images and 280 category C.

Having been sent by justices to Bolton Crown Court for sentencing, Webster was given a three-year community punishment which includes completing a sex offenders' programme and observing a two-month night-time curfew.

He has also been made the subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order and must sign on the sex offenders' register for the same amount of time.

Webster also has to pay £250 in court costs and an electronic device on which the indecent images was made has been forfeited.

A Wigan borough man facing serious arson charges has pleaded not guilty when making his first appearance before a judge.

David Miller, 48, of Bright Street, Leigh, is accused of assaulting Carl Hughes by beating him on December 23.

He is also charged with arson with intent to endanger life and arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered, after allegedly setting fire to several pieces of paper on the same day.

Having entered the pleas at Bolton Crown Court, Miller was remanded into custody until a case management hearing on April 26.

His trial has been scheduled to take place at the same court on June 24.

Justices have ruled that a Wigan home, which has been the focus of neighbour complaints, should not admit visitors for the next three months.

The borough’s magistrates’ court heard that 12 Crawford Close in Aspull was a magnet for anti-social behaviour.

And so the bench imposed a closure order under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 It means that only the occupier(s) and certain authorised persons, including emergency services, can enter the premises between now and late April.

Anyone breaching the order can themselves be prosecuted.

There are options for the order to be extended if local circumstances don’t improve.

A Wigan motorist has admitted to dangerous driving and other offences on the road.

Matthew Roe, 34, of Manchester Road, Ince, appeared before borough magistrates to plead guilty to dangerously driving a Ford Transit van on Bolton Road on January 5 and also to doing so without a licence or insurance.

A further charge of failing to stop for police was withdrawn.

The case was sent to Bolton Crown Court for sentencing on February 28.

A 34-year-old Wigan woman has admitted attacking three people including a police officer.

Keely Aldridge of Woodhouse Lane, Springfield, stood before borough justices to the assaults of Hannah Blore, David Baynham and PC Anthony Billingsley on January 5 this year. She was released on unconditional bail pending a further hearing on March 14.

A man has been accused of being armed with both a blade and a broken bottle.

John Hampson, 28, of Sydney Street, Orrell, appeared before Wigan magistrates charged with possessing the bottle on Anjou Boulevard on January 9 and then, when arrested and taken to the nearby Wigan Police station, was also armed with a kitchen knife.

The case was adjourned to March 7.

No pleas have yet been entered.

A 51-year-old Wigan motorist has admitted being involved in a hit-and-run crash.

Matthew Ostick, of Woodhouse Lane, Springfield, stood before borough justices to plead guilty to being at the wheel of a Citroen C3 on September 30 when it crashed into the back of a Renault Clio, damaging its bumper before driving off.

He admitted driving off without reporting it and also to not being insured at the time.

The case was adjourned for sentencing.

A young motorist stopped by police for bad driving was then also found to be in possession of illegal horse tranquilliser.

Greg Finch, 19, of Grey Close, Wigan, appeared before borough magistrates to plead guilty to carelessly driving a Volkswagen Golf on Bolton Road, Aspull, and to possessing ketamine.

The case was adjourned until sentencing.

A warrant has been issued for a Wigan man accused of a mugging.

David Ashworth, 30, of Lower Stephen Street, Gidlow, had been due to appear before Manchester magistrates charged with robbing Rebekah McLoughlin of a mobile phone in Bolton on March 27 last year.

But he failed to attend the hearing and so justices dispatched police to arrest him.

A 51-year-old motorist has been given a suspended prison sentence for driving while banned from the road.

Mark Saunders, of Barnes Street, Appley Bridge, appeared before Manchester and Salford justices to plead guilty to driving a Skoda Fabia on The Fields on September 20 last year while both uninsured and banned.

He was given an eight-week jail term which was suspended for a year and further banned from driving for 12 months.

A 38-year-old Wigan borough man has been cleared of child sex abuse.

Ben Carey, of Garrett Meadow, Tyldesley, stood trial before Manchester magistrates after being accused of sexually touching a 14-year-old girl without consent on January 9 last year in Walkden.

The bench returned a not guilty verdict and he was told he was a free man.

Two Wigan women are facing modern slavery and drug peddling charges.

Amy Fishwick, 39, of Warrington Lane, Scholes, appeared before Stockport magistrates charged with arranging or facilitating travel of two named males with a view to their exploitation between May 23 and July 21. 2021 and to being concerned with the supplying of cocaine and medical heroin (diamorphine) between January 27 and July 21 that year.

Also appearing in court was 52-year-old Alison Martin, of Prestt Grove, Worsley Mesnes, who faces the same drug charges and a Modern Slavery Act charge relating to one of the males named.

Both were released on unconditional bail until they appear before a judge at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on March 9.

Neither has entered any pleas.

A 50-year-old Wigan man has denied launching a racially aggravated attack.

Shaun Cunliffe, of Beverley Road, Marsh Green, appeared before borough justices to plead not guilty to assaulting Domink Zacpal on May 29, 2021 and that there was a racial element to the incident.

The case was adjourned until August 8 for a trial, before which the defendant is on unconditional bail.

A man has admitted he attempted to take away a child from its lawful carer.

Peter Dowd, 38, of Orchard Street, Wigan, appeared before borough justices to plead guilty to a single charge under the Criminal Attempts Act of attempting to remove the named boy from the person having lawful control of him on August 10, 2022.

He will be sentenced on March 23 at the same court.

He has been released on conditional bail until then.

A 31-year-old Wigan motorist caught at the wheel of a car when banned from driving has been given a suspended prison sentence.

David Houghton, of Crompton Street, was seen driving an Audi A3 on November 23, 2022, borough justices heard.

Pleading guilty to breaching the disqualification, he was given a further 12-month ban plus an eight-week custodial sentence which was suspended for 12 months.

Houghton must also pay £236 to the courts and victim services.

A man has been remanded into custody after facing seven domestic abuse charges.

Ryan McNally, of Freshfield Road, Goose Green, is charged with using controlling or coercive behaviour against a named woman between November 1, 2020 and February 1, 2023 and within that time twice inflicting actual bodily harm on her, once intentionally strangling her and twice making threatening phone calls to her.

He has yet to enter pleas to any of these charges but he has denied one of assault by beating.

McNally was remanded into custody until he appears before a Bolton Crown Court judge on March 10.

A 20-year-old Wigan driver has been given a 20-week prison sentence for a series of motoring offences.

Filip Czornyj, of Coniston Avenue, Ince, had originally denied a number of charges against him but changed his pleas to guilty after one of dangerous driving and driving without a licence were dropped.

He admitted to carelessly driving a Citroen Berlingo, driving while banned, failing to stop for a police officer and having no vehicle insurance when the offences were committed on Belle Green Lane, Ince, on December 6 2022.

He was told he was getting a custodial sentence because of past offences, the fact that damage was caused by his bad driving and the fact he is already behind bars for other matters.

His disqualification will continue until he has passed his driving test.

There is also £250 in compensation to pay.