Wigan's week in court

A Wigan 34-year-old has been accused of subjecting a woman to domestic abuse for six years.

D'andru Smith, of Cedar Avenue, Lowton, appeared before Manchester and Salford magistrates charged with controlling and coercive behaviour against a named woman between January 2016 and February 2023.

During that time he is also accused of intentionally strangling her and assaulting her, causing actual bodily harm in November 2021.

No pleas have yet been entered and the bench sent the case to be heard at Bolton Crown Court where Smith will make his first appearance on March 22 before which he has been released on unconditional bail.

A Wigan man who attacked three people has been sent to prison.

Martin Armstrong had admitted to assaulting Liam Peterson by beating but initially denied the same charges against two women: Jodie Carey and Savannah Drew.

But at a later appearance before Manchester justices, the 35-year-old of Ellis Street, Whelley, changed those pleas to guilty.

He was given a total of 16 weeks behind bars and ordered to pay a total of £250 in compensation to his victims.

A Wigan 39-year-old who breached a restraining order by harassing his ex has been sent to prison.

Callum Maxwell, of Ashfield Park Drive, Standish, appeared before Wigan magistrates to plead guilty to going to a flat in Golborne on January 26 which was expressly prohibited by the order against him.

The bench told him he was getting an eight-week spell in custody because the offence had been committed during the period of a suspended sentence and because of his previous disregard for court orders.

He must also pay £85 in costs.

A banned Wigan motorist who was caught drink-driving has been spared an immediate jail term.

Craig Roberts, 46, of no fixed address, appeared before Wigan justices to plead guilty to driving a Renault Clio while banned, having no insurance at the time and giving a reading of 80 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath when the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

He was given an eight-week prison sentence which was suspended for a year.

Roberts will also be supervised for 12 months during which he must receive alcohol abuse and mental health treatments, and he has been further disqualified from driving for 22 months.

He must also pay £139 to victim services and the court in costs.

The trial of a 58-year-old Wigan woman who denies harassing and abusing four people - one of them twice - has been delayed yet again.

Margaret Armstrong, of Conway Drive, Aspull, has previously appeared in the dock before borough justices to enter not guilty to charges of using threatening or insulting behaviour against Rita Seddon, Christopher McVeigh and Sharon Green on January 27, 2022, harassing Nicola Newlove the following day and then Ms Seddon again on February 3.

She had been due to stand trial at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court in January last year but it has been postponed several times since and has now been scheduled for May 2.

Armstrong is on unconditional bail until then.

A Leigh schoolboy has denied his part in an armed carjacking.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Manchester and Salford magistrates to plead not guilty to possessing a knife and robbing two named males of a vehicle, mobile phone and bank card in Bolton on November 29 last year.

The teenager is also accused of affray on December 4 - a charge to which he has yet to plead - and also to possessing cannabis, which he admits.

He was remanded into youth detention pending a further appearance at the same court on February 29.

A Wigan 22-year-old has been jailed for six months after finally admitting that he breached a restraining order by harassing a woman.

Joshua Bromilow, of Warrington Road, Ince, had initially denied contacting a named person whom he was not permitted to see by the courts on January 22.

But on his latest appearance before borough justices he changed his plea to guilty.

The bench imposed a 26-week sentence, saying that the offence warranted a custodial term, not least because of Bromilow's previous flagrant regard for court orders and also because the offence was committed while he was serving a custodial sentence.

He must also pay £154 to victim services.

A Wigan teenager who was just 16 when he was involved in the robbery of a motorbike and van, the latter of which was then dangerously driven, has finally been punished.

The now 19-year-old, who cannot be named, had denied the aggravated taking of a Honda CBR bike and a Peugeot Partner van on October 26, 2021 but was found guilty by magistrates after a trial last October.

The hearing was told that the bike suffered damage before it was recovered and that the van was driven in a dangerous manner on both the Woodcock Drive estate in Platt Bridge, Warrington Road, Ince and on Millgate in Wigan.

Returning to Wigan's law courts for sentence, the teenager was ordered to complete 50 hours of unpaid work and 15 days' rehabilitation activities.

He is banned from driving for 12 months and has to pay £500 in court costs, £95 to victim services and £250 in compensation.

A transgender Wigan woman accused of exposing herself on the same date in three separate years has walked free after the case against her collapsed.

David Flynn, who identifies as Denise, 37, of Hilary Avenue, Atherton, had faced charges of exposing her genitals on September 22 in 2020, 2022 and 2023.

But at a fresh hearing, all three were withdrawn.

A banned Wigan driver caught at the wheel has received a community punishment.

Lloyd Mullock, 37, of Belle Green Lane, Ince, appeared before borough justices to admit to flouting a motoring disqualification by driving a Nissan Qashqai on Wallgate last December 20.

He also pleaded guilty to driving while uninsured on the same occasion.

The bench further banned him from driving for 12 months and ordered that he carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation activities.

Mullock also has to pay £85 towards court costs.

A fraudulent Wigan 35-year-old woman will be sentenced in April after admitting she fiddled benefits.

Borough justices heard that Cerrie Walsh, of Gordon Close, Worsley Hall, claimed income support to which she wasn't entitled because she was in paid employment at the same time from March 2019 to July 2020.

She also pleaded guilty to failing to inform Wigan Council of a change of circumstances and thereby causing financial loss to the authority.

Walsh was remanded on unconditional bail until she returns to Wigan's law courts for sentencing on April 4.

A pensioner has appeared before a crown court judge accused of historical sex offences, including rape, against a schoolgirl and the neglect of another one in Wigan.

Kenneth Wood, 71, of Silverdale Drive, Preston, is charged with raping the then under-16 - who cannot be named for legal reasons - on the night of August 15 and 16, 1992, indecently assaulting her four times between December 31, 1990 and August 1993, and assaulting, ill treating or neglecting her, causing unnecessary suffering between April 1977 and 1993.

A seventh charge accuses him of maltreating or neglecting a second child between December 31, 1990 and July 2, 1994.

He has yet to enter pleas but a provisional trial date of November 3, 2025 has been set, with a pre-trial preparation hearing scheduled for April 17 this year.

He is on bail until then.

The trial of a Wigan man who denies stealing hundreds of pounds of charity cash has been delayed for months more.

Stephen Wilkinson, 57, of Crabtree Road, Worsley Hall, had been due to be tried at Bolton Crown Court in December 2022 after being charged with the theft of £742 from Macmillan Cancer Support on October 8, 2021.

But the trial was delayed until August 2023, then moved to this month (February) and now the trial date has been vacated yet again after it was rescheduled for September 19.

He remains on bail until then.

A Wigan man who admitted trying to engage in sexual communication with a child will be sentenced next month.

Andrew Hunter, 31, of Park Road, had been accused of having tried to contact a boy under 16 between February 23 and March 6 last year.

On his first appearance at Bolton Crown Court in January he pleaded guilty and had been due to be sentenced in February but that hearing has now been rescheduled for March 19.

He is on unconditional bail pending that date.

A trial date has been set for a Wigan man accused of carrying a knife in a public place.

Nathan Fairhurst, 23, of Thomas Street, Hindley Green, has pleaded not guilty to having a Stanley knife on Harrow Road, Marsh Green, on November 5, 2022.

He is also charged with being in possession of class B drug cannabis on the same day.

A trial will be held at Bolton Magistrates' Court on May 10.

He was remanded on unconditional bail until then.

A Wigan man has been banned from contacting a woman after he stalked her for weeks and assaulted her twice.

Stuart Otter, 52, of Lower Longshoot, Scholes, pleaded guilty to causing serious distress by stalking the woman between January 2 and February 5, when he sent a number of messages and made several phone calls.

He also admitted two charges of assaulting her by beating, following incidents which took place on November 15 and December 31.

Manchester city magistrates imposed an 18-month community order, which includes a programme running for 29 days and 15 days of rehabilitation activities.

A restraining order was imposed to prohibit Otter contacting the woman and going to a named street in Wigan until August 21, 2025.

He must also pay prosecution costs of £85 and an £80 fine.

A man has been charged with causing serious injury by driving dangerously after an incident near Wigan town centre.

A woman was badly hurt after a collision with a car on Wallgate at around 4am on September 25, 2022.

David Bennett, 44, of Hampson Close, Leigh, has now appeared in court in relation to the incident.

Wigan magistrates sent the case to Bolton Crown Court for a hearing on March 27.

Bennett was remanded on unconditional bail.

Two Wigan pensioners have appeared in court in connection with historical child sex offences.

David Aspinall, 66, of Bluebell Avenue, Beech Hill, faces three charges of indecent assault and three of gross indecency towards a girl under the age of 14 between November 1987 and November 1997; two counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency towards the same girl between November 1989 and November 1991; and gross indecency and indecent assault between November 1992 and November 1993.

Richard Wikinson, 72, of Gidlow Lane, Beech Hill, has been charged with engaging in sexual activity in the presence of that child between November 1992 and November 1993.

Aspinall is also accused of gross indecency and indecent assault towards another girl under 14 between March 1988 and April 1989.

Aspinall will go before Wigan magistrates on February 28, while Wilkinson will appear before Bolton Crown Court on March 27.

A thief who stole items worth £1,050 from a Wigan supermarket has been jailed.

Liam Harris, 32, of Greenhey, Orrell, pleaded guilty to taking a variety of goods from Sainsbury's, in Marus Bridge, on three separate occasions between January 12 and 16.

Wigan magistrates sent him to prison for 12 weeks and ordered him to pay £525 compensation.

Mark Seddon, 41, of the same address, faces the same charge and has pleaded not guilty.

He will stand trial at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court on October 10 and was remanded on conditional bail until then.

A Wigan man is accused of making an indecent image of a child and publishing an “obscene” article.

Luke Wilson, 32, of Widdrington Road, Swinley, is alleged to have made one category B indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child between March 3 and May 16, 2022.

He is also charged with publishing an article which contravened the Obscene Publications Act 1959, between the same dates.

Wigan magistrates sent the case to Bolton Crown Court, where Wilson is due to appear on March 27.

He was remanded on unconditional bail.

A Wigan man has pleaded guilty to stalking a woman, including sending messages saying he was at her workplace and threats of violence.

Andrew Gallagher, 36, of Wigan Lower Road, Standish Lower Ground, targeted the woman between February 16 and 20.

He has also admitted carrying out criminal damage to a door belonging to the woman.

Charges of witness intimidation and sending communication threatening death or serious harm were withdrawn.

Wigan magistrates adjourned the case so a pre-sentence report could be prepared.

Gallagher will be sentenced on April 12 and was remanded on conditional bail.

A 26-year-old has been given a conditional discharge after pleading guilty to assaulting a woman.

Skylar Walton, of Robson Place, Abram, assaulted Sarah Bowden by beating her on December 12.

Wigan justices handed down a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered her to pay a £26 surcharge.

A man has been charged with producing class B drug cannabis.

A plea hearing for Daniel Thorpe, 52, of Meadow Walk, Tyldesley, will be held at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court on May 3.