Week in court: here are the latest criminal cases before the courts involving people from Wigan borough

Joshua Brookfield-Murphy, now 21, of Derwent Road, Hindley, appeared before a Bolton Crown Court judge in 2024 to plead not guilty to a single charge of maliciously wounding Joseph Bleakley with intent in Wigan on September 10 2023.

The allegation was of the most serious form of assault after attempted murder.

He was told that due to court backlogs that he would have to wait until September this year before the matter went to trial.

And, after four days of hearing evidence and deliberation, a jury has now found the defendant not guilty and he was told he was free to go.

A Wigan 30-year-old has been accused of making vile films of child sexual abuse.

Damien Oleszczuk, of Downing Close, Platt Bridge, appeared before borough justices charged with making 63 images that fall into the most serious legal category: A.

It is further alleged that he created 27 category B films, 32 category C and also possessed a banned image of a child.

He was granted conditional bail until a further appearance at the same court on October 21 when he is expected to enter pleas.

An Atherton 35-year-old who terrorised a woman during their relationship has been jailed for more than two years.

Anthony Howarth, of Bag Lane, had previously appeared before Manchester and Salford justices to plead guilty to a charge of controlling and coercive behaviour towards a named female.

The court heard that Howarth put the victim in fear of her safety, called her degrading names and made violent threats.

He had already been remanded into custody before sentencing, and now at Bolton Crown Court to learn his fate he was given a 28-month custodial term.

A Wigan man already accused of drugs offences has now been charged with more, including smuggling.

Duane Chambers, 50, of Hartley Avenue, had already been charged with attempting to possess class A drug cocaine with intent to supply it on November 27, 2024, and possessing criminal property, namely cash, the following day.

And he was also accused of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and possessing criminal property, namely luxury watches, jewellery and bags, on May 28 this year.

But now he has reappeared before Manchester magistrates charged with smuggling 1kg of cannabis through Stansted Airport between May 17 and August 20 this year.

Chambers is further charged with possessing cannabis on September 16.

He was remanded into custody until appearing at Manchester Crown Court on October 22.

A Wigan teenager accused of rape will stand trial next year after pleading not guilty.

Harvey Walsh, 19, of North Street, Ashton, faces a single charge of raping a woman on July 13.

A trial has been scheduled for November 1, 2027 at Liverpool Crown Court.

A Wigan teenager who made films of child abuse has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

Thomas Williams, 19, of Downall Green Road, Ashton, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to creating 80 films of youngsters being abused which fell into the most serious category A, 24 category B films and three category C images, all between April 17, 2021 and October 15, 2024.

He also admitted distributing a category A video on April 5, 2024.

A judge at Liverpool Crown Court has now imposed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and told him to do 20 days of rehabilitation activities.

A Wigan motorcyclist who was caught driving dangerously while banned from the roads has narrowly avoided immediate jail time.

Kieran Brown, 23, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at magistrates' court to driving a Yamaha off-road bike dangerously on Chorley Road, Bolton, on December 11, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance and failing to stop for the police.

Sent to Bolton Crown Court for sentencing, he was given a 24-week custodial term but it was suspended for two years.

A 12-month supervision order was imposed during which he must undergo six months of drug treatment and complete both 100 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activities.

Brown was further banned from driving for 18 months.

A trial date in 2029 has been set for Wigan pensioner accused of child sexual assaults dating back to the 1960s and lasting 36 years.

Harold Minton, 72, of Bag Lane in Atherton, had previously appeared at Bolton Crown Court to deny indecently assaulting two females who were both minors when the alleged abuse began in 1968 and 1970, although it has been claimed that it continued through to 1983 with one complainant and 2004 with the other.

On his return to court he was told that due to case backlogs his trial would only be taking place on April 9 2029, with a pre-trial review on February 22 that year.

He is on bail until then.

A Wigan 56-year-old has finally admitted to be being a serial flasher.

Gary Simpson, of Balmoral Road in Ashton, had initially appeared before a Bolton Crown Court judge to plead not guilty to nine charges of indecent exposure in Wigan between July and November last year and that these constituted an act of stalking, causing fear of serious harm.

A trial had been due to take place, but he then changed to guilty his pleas to five of the indecent exposure charges which was acceptable to the prosecution and so the trial was vacated.

Sentencing is now due to take place on November 5.

A trial axed after a Wigan man finally pleaded guilty to a very serious assault.

Steven Seddon, 32, of St David's Crescent, Aspull, had previously appeared before a Bolton Crown Court judge to deny intentionally causing a named male grievous bodily harm on December 17 2022.

He also denied an alternative, lesser, charge of causing the same man GBH without intent as well as assaulting another male by beating on the same occasion.

But before the trial could begin he changed his pleas to guilty both for the intentional grievous bodily harm and assault by beating charges.

Sentence will be handed down on October 19.

A Leigh 30-year-old has admitted riding a motorbike dangerously while banned and as he tried to give police the slip.

Dale Williams, of Brunswick Street, stood before Wigan magistrates to plead guilty to riding a white Husqvarna dangerously along various streets in Leigh, failing to stop for officers and riding without a licence or insurance.

Williams further admitted to driving when disqualified from the road.

A further interim ban was imposed until he returns to the same court for sentencing on October 26.

A trial has been axed after aWigan man accused of burglary, theft and fraud changed his pleas to guilty.

Aston McCullough, 34, of Loch Street, Orrell, had previously denied stealing a BYD body warmer, Berghaus jacket and bank card from a car on March 22, trying to break into a house on Billinge Road and using the stolen card fraudulently in a shop three days later.

He had also denied an attempted burglary at Little Foxes Day Nursery, on Billinge Road, Pemberton, on the same day as the theft.

But on the eve of his trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court he admitted to all the offences except the nursery break to which the prosecution offered no evidence.

McCullough was further remanded into custody pending sentence on November 9.

A Wigan borough 51-year-old has denied viciously attacking a woman.

Darren Scott, of Mather Street, Atherton, stood before a Liverpool Crown Court judge to plead not guilty to intending to cause a named female grievous bodily harm on August 15 at Atherton.

He further denied intentionally strangling her twice on the same day. A trial date of February 8 next year was scheduled and Scott was remanded into custody until then.

A thief has admitted stealing a bicycle and trainers, interfering with a car and assaulting a PCSO.

Daniel Wilde, 34, of Oxford Street, Leigh, pleaded guilty to the theft of a pedal cycle worth £700 on May 27, interfering with a Nissan Juke and the theft of trainers from a motor vehicle on June 13, and assaulting a PCSO on July 28.

He was remanded on unconditional bail and will be sentenced at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court on January 12.

A man who stole a £1,800 power tool from the new Civic development in Wigan town centre has been sent to prison.

Barry McGuire, 54, of Butler Street, Wigan, appeared before Manchester justices to plead guilty to snatching the Sandvik Rammer hydraulic breaker and a wheelbarrow from the Millgate development at 9pm on May 27 last year. He also admitted to stealing £100 worth of confectionery from Tesco on February 14 and possessing cannabis on September 20.

He was jailed for a total of 30 weeks.

A Wigan man has walked free from court after accusations of dangerous driving and racist abuse were withdrawn.

Christopher McCormick, 51, of Buchanan Road, Worsley Hall, appeared at the borough's law courts charged with dangerously driving a Nissan Qashqai in Wigan on November 4 2023 and to the racially or religiously aggravated harassment of a named male on the same day.

But at the latest hearing the prosecution offered no evidence and magistrates told the defendant he was free to go.

The owner of a shops in Leigh town centre has been hit with a huge court bill after admitting to selling dodgy tobacco products.

Hiddayat Ahmad, 37, of Bradshawgate, Leigh, pleaded guilty to a string of charges concerning the sale of tobacco without the proper packaging and health warnings from Bry's Mini-Market on Bradshawgate on July 16 2024 and then again on September 6 2025 when he had changed the shop's name to BJ Mini-Market.

Ahmad was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 10 days of rehabilitation activities. But there have also been financial penalties.

Fines for both the defendant and his shops, plus court costs and a victim services surcharge come to a whopping £12,874.

A young Wigan man who engaged in sexual conversations with minors and got them to perform lewd acts or send intimate pictures has been jailed for four and a half years.

Luke Aspey, 22, latterly of HMP Altcourse in Liverpool, previously appeared before Bolton magistrates to plead guilty to 10 charges which included inciting people under 16 into sexual activity, attempting sexual conversations and making and distributing indecent images of children.

All the offences were committed in January this year. Appearing at Bolton Crown Court for sentencing he was given a 54-month custodial sentence followed by a 24-month extended licence.

Aspey was also made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must sign on the sex offenders' register for life.