Wigan's week in court

A community punishment has been handed down to a Wigan 34-year-old who attacked his then partner.

Gareth Price, of no fixed address, stood before borough justices to plead guilty to assaulting Danika Elson causing her actual bodily harm on September 4 last year. He was ordered to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activities and 80 days of unpaid work.

Price must also pay £85 in court costs and a £114 victim services surcharge but the bench decided he should not stump up compensation because the victim did not make a statement and their relationship has since ended and justices didn't want there to be any further connection between the parties.

A provisional trial date has been scheduled for a 37-year-old Wigan man facing domestic abuse charges.

Jamie Ascroft, of Levens Place, Ince, appeared before a Bolton Crown Court judge accused of controlling and coercive behaviour towards a named woman between February 1 last year and January 26 this year and also to assaulting her by inflicting actual bodily harm on November 15.

He has yet to enter pleas but should he deny the charges a trial will take place on July 24.

A pre-trial preparation hearing has also been fixed for March 22.

A teenager is due to stand trial later spring after denying charges of kidnap, false imprisonment, assault and blackmail.

The 16-year-old from Tyldesley, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before a Bolton Crown Court judge having already pleaded not guilty before magistrates 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.

A March 22 case management hearing comes next with the boy's trial date set for April 8.

A Wigan borough man who attacked a woman and stole her phone and bank cards has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Joseph Groves, 28, of Shadwell Grove, Leigh, pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman by beating her and stealing from her on February 18.

Manchester magistrates sentenced him to 10 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

A trial date has been set for a Wigan man accused of stalking.

Liam Makin, 25, of Bramble Grove, Worsley Hall, is charged with stalking a woman, causing her to think that violence would be used on at least two occasions.

He pleaded not guilty and a trial was scheduled for Manchester City Magistrates' Court on October 31.

He was remanded on conditional bail until then.

A Wigan man has been jailed for assaulting a woman.

Kieran Fox, 31, of Lowton Road, Golborne, will spend six weeks behind bars for assaulting a woman by beating her on November 16.

A restraining order was also imposed and he must pay a £154 surcharge.

A charge for assaulting a man on the same day was dismissed when no evidence was offered.

A man accused of strangling a woman and threatening a man with a knife will have his case heard in the crown court.

Robert Hoofe, 38, of Chisworth Close, Leigh, is charged with intentionally strangling a woman on March 2 and threatening a man with a weapon in a private place in such a way that there was an immediate risk of serious physical harm to him.

Wigan justices sent the case to Bolton Crown Court, where the next hearing will take place on April 5.

He was remanded on conditional bail until then.

A Wigan man has appeared in court charged with causing unnecessary suffering to four dogs.

Thomas Stokes, 24, of Bank Street, Platt Bridge, is alleged to have failed to provide safe and suitable living conditions, food and water for a poodle-type dog and three puppies on September 14, 2022.

Wigan magistrates sent the case to Bolton Crown Court for a trial on January 24.

He was remanded on unconditional bail.

A man who admitted stealing copper piping worth £1,000 will find out his punishment next month.

William Phillip, 49, of Coronation Avenue, Atherton, pleaded guilty to entering a house as a trespasser on October 13 and taking the copper piping.

He will be sentenced at Bolton Crown Court on April 3 and was remanded on conditional bail.

A community punishment has been handed down to a Wigan 33-year-old who twice breached a non-molestation order.

Borough magistrates heard that Christopher Boyle, of no fixed address, had contact with a named female between December 7 and January 12 and again on January 11 in contravention of an order issued by Wigan Family Court last September.

He also admitted to a bail breach last month.

The bench ordered him to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activities and pay a fine, court costs and a victim services surcharge totalling £174.

A restraining order was also imposed prohibiting further contact with the female.

A Wigan 32-year-old has admitted attacking the same woman twice just days apart.

Carly Jackson, of Chapel Street, Pemberton, stood before borough justices to plead guilty to assaulting Suzanne Thomas causing her actual bodily harm on February 25 and then assaulting her by beating on February 27.

The case was adjourned pending the preparation of pre-sentence reports.

Jackson was released on conditional bail until she learns her fate at the same court on April 11.

A motorist who was almost three times over the alcohol limit can get his ban reduced from 25 months to 25 weeks if he completes a course.

Craig Cooper, 47, of Willow Crescent, Leigh, appeared before Wigan justices to admit giving a reading of 103 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath when police stopped his Ford Transit in Broom Avenue, Leigh, on Christmas Eve.

The legal limit is 35.

As well as the road ban, he must complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £199 to victim services and the court.

A Wigan 25-year-old has admitted to being in possession of a knife and cocaine when stopped by police last Christmas Eve.

Lewis Dunn, of Orchard Street, Wigan, stood before borough magistrates to plead guilty to having a bladed weapon and a quantity of cocaine on December 24.

He was released on unconditional bail until he is sentenced on April 10.

Modern slavery and drug dealing charges have been brought against a Wigan 43-year-old.

Anthony Heyes, of Crompton Street, appeared before Manchester justices to deny a charge of facilitating the travel of a named male between May and July 2021 for the purposes of exploitation.

He has also pleaded not guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine between April 2019 and July 2021.

Heyes was released on conditional bail until he makes a first appearance before a Minshull Street Crown Court judge in Manchester on November 11.

A 43-year-old Wigan man has appeared before magistrates accused of fraud, criminal damage and assaulting two emergency workers.

Paul Holland, of Standishgate, is charged with false representation by withdrawing £500 on January 15 using a bank card which didn't belong to him.

He is further charged with attacking two emergency workers and smashing a mirror on January 10 and also to breaking furniture on December 15.

He has denied the two counts of criminal damage but not yet entered pleas to the other charges.

Holland was released on conditional bail pending a trial at the same court on January 28 next year.

A warrant has been issued for a Wigan man accused of driving while disqualified.

Graham Liptrot, 39, of Mains Avenue, Bamfurlong, was due to appear before borough magistrates charged with being at the wheel of a Renault Scenic in Woodcock Drive, Platt Bridge, while serving a road ban and doing so while uninsured.

But when he failed to turn up, the bench issued an arrest warrant.

A trial date has been set for a 33-year-old Wigan man who denies 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.

Making his first appearance before a Bolton Crown Court judge, Bannister pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.

Leona Byrne-Fletcher, 30, of Troutbeck Rise, Pemberton, also appeared to deny causing Ms Fletcher ABH on January 29.

A trial date for both of them was set for July 29 this year.

A Wigan woman who admitted to perverting the course of justice has avoided an immediate spell in jail.

Lauren McKay, 30, of Whiteside Avenue, Golborne, had pleaded guilty to a single charge of deliberately making a false statement that was used in criminal proceedings on a previous appearance at Bolton Crown Court. Returning for sentence, she was given a 12-month custodial sentence which was suspended for two years.

She must also complete 12-month mental health and alcohol treatment programmes plus 20 days of rehabilitation activities while paying £187 to victim services.

A corrupt GMP constable living in Wigan may end up in prison after he was convicted of conspiring to improperly exercise police powers.

A jury at Liverpool Crown Court found Akeel Kadir guilty following more than 18 hours of deliberations along with co-conspirator

Junaid Patel. Judge Neil Flewitt, KC, adjourned sentence to enable pre-sentence reports to be prepared and renewed their bail until April 19.

But he warned them, “You should not take either of those things as any indication of what the likely sentence will be. “All options including immediate imprisonment remain open to me and you should both prepare yourselves for that possibility.”

54-year-old Kadir was alleged to have received thousands of pounds for information from international businessman Soyab Dhalech, much of which he spent on online gambling.

But Dhalech, 53, of Princess Road, Lostock, Bolton, denied the conspiracy charge and was acquitted by the jury and discharged from the dock.

He had told the court that the payments had been for a local football team and a charity marathon sponsorship, a wedding gift and a £3,000 loan when Kadir was off work after his wife was diagnosed with cancer.

During the trial, which began in January, it was alleged by the prosecution that Kadir, of Kilburn Road, Orrell, had been paid £8,000 to help companies run by Dhalech and Patel between April 13, 2015 and November 13, 2019.

Nicholas Johnson, KC, prosecuting, told the jury that the case arose from an investigation by the GMP AntiCorruption Unit into PC Kadir.

He said he abused his position within the force to access secure systems and obtain confidential police information, which he then shared to the benefit of friends, who were not part of the force.

Patel, 36, of Edstone Close, Bolton, and Dhalech, were connected to a motor insurance claims company called Apex Claims (UK) Ltd based in Apex House in Bolton and had been directors of other companies operating out of Apex House.

Much of the information PC Kadir provided was not for a proper policing purpose but to help out the business interests of his friends, claimed Mr Johnson.

Kadir also denied three offences involving “knowingly or recklessly” obtaining or disclosing personal data on August 22, 2018, March 2, 2019 and 26 March, 2019 without consent of the data controller.

He was cleared of two of them but found guilty of the other one.

He joined GMP in April 2005 and was stationed in Bolton until 2019 when he moved to Wigan.

A judge has remanded a Wigan 37-year-old into custody after he appeared in court to plead not guilty to burglary.

Shaun Bilsborough, of St Mary’s Road, Aspull, denied the charge against him and a trial date of July 30 this year was set.

A case management hearing will also be held on April 29 and before then at least the defendant will be kept behind bars.

A Wigan man has appeared before magistrates charged with wielding offensive weapons in Bolton town centre.

John Webster, 36, of Jeffrey Street, Ince is charged with possessing offensive weapons in a public place, namely two hammers; possessing a knife blade and/or sharp pointed article in a public place, namely a meat cleaver; possessing a controlled drug, namely cannabis; and obstructing and/or resisting a constable in execution of his/her duty.

He appeared at Wigan Magistrates’ Court to plead not guilty to the obstruction charge and admit the cannabis possession.

No pleas have been entered for the other offences.

Webster was released on unconditional bail until his trial scheduled to take place on December 3 at the same court .

The charges relate to the arrest of a man on Bradshawgate, Bolton, on the night of Friday March 8.

Insp Jon Ezard of GMP’s Operation Venture said “Our deployments in key hotspot areas means we were able to continue to support the Bolton district and its officers during their night-time economy patrols.

"I would like to remind the public they can continue to report any incidents to GMP by calling 101 or dialling 999 in an emergency.”