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

Peter Rosbotham, 62, of Linney Square, Scholes, had previously been declared unfit to plead when his case came before a judge at Bolton Crown Court, but the the evidence against him was considered and a "finding of the facts" was made.

The court was told that Rosbotham set fire to his flat on March 21 last year being reckless as to whether it could kill or injury someone else.

Returning to court for sentencing he was given a two-year supervision order under Section 5 of the Mental Health Act.

Two Wigan men have pleaded not guilty to inflicting serious injuries in a savage attack.

Jake Kearsley, 25, of Kellaton Close, Ince, and Reece Sharples, 26, of Collett Close, Scholes, appeared before a Bolton Crown Court judge to plead not guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent on a man in Wigan on February 1, 2025.

Sharples also denied driving a Kia Rio dangerously on Highfield Grange Avenue, Winstanley, on the same day.

Both were granted conditional bail until a pre-trial review hearing at the same court on July 5 next year.

A Leigh pensioner has denied sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl on multiple occasions more than 20 years ago.

Maurice Smith, 75, of Patterdale Road, appeared before a Bolton Crown Court judge to plead not guilty to five counts of assault by penetration, one of sexual touching and one of inciting a minor into sexual activity.

All the offences are alleged to have been committed in 2004 and 2005.

The case was adjourned until December 14.

Two people have denied being the owners of a dog which was out of control in Wigan and injured a man.

The German shepherd dog named Tyson is alleged to have been out of control on Warrington Road, Abram, on February 27, 2025.

Rosie Rushton, 26, of Liverpool Road, Hindley, and Kalvin Armstrong, 34, of Parr Stocks Road, St Helens, appeared before Wigan justices to plead not guilty to the single charge.

They were granted unconditional bail until a further hearing at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court on March 30.

A Wigan 38-year-old who attacked a woman and threatened to damage her property has been jailed.

Lee Hales 38, of Egerton Road, Lowton, had previously seen a Bolton Crown Court judge allow charges that he denied of committing arson with intent to endanger life at a named female's home, threatening to kill her and intentionally throttling her to lie on file.

But he pleaded guilty to assaulting her by beating and a threat to cause criminal damage and an October trial was scrapped.

He has now been sentenced to 13 months in prison.

A Wigan man whose trial was axed when he finally pleaded guilty to affray has received a community sentence.

Philip Savage, 53, of Dean Crescent, Kitt Green, had been due to go before a jury at Manchester Crown Court after denying not only affray but also keeping a woman prisoner and threatening her with a Samurai sword on March 4 this year in Manchester plus a charge of assault by beating.

But after he changed his plea to the first charge, it was agreed that the prosecution would not proceed with the others and the trial was vacated.

Returning to court for sentence, he was made the subject to an 18-month community order which includes completing a Building Better Choices programme.

A Wigan man who carried out a very serious assault has avoided an immediate custodial sentence.

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.

Returning to court to learn his fate, Seddon was given a 14-month custodial term but it was suspended for 18 months.

He must complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay his victim £500 in compensation.

A Wigan borough shopkeeper has been caught stocking hundreds of packs of phoney cigarettes again.

Diyar Mohammedi, 33, of Shop and Go on Railway Road in Leigh was hit with fines and costs of more than £2,500 three years ago after pleading guilty to a series of charges relating to the sale of all kinds of different famous tobacco brands, including Lambert and Butler, Amber Leaf, Sovereign, Dunhill and Marlboro, whose packaging did not include the required trademarks and health warnings.

Now both he and his business have been up before Wigan magistrates again to plead guilty to more offences of a similar nature, including stocking hundreds of different cigarette brands with fake packaging on, 196 without the required health warnings plus the sale of e-cigarettes which either contained more than the allowable amount of nicotine in them, didn't have batch numbers on them or, again, did not carry health warnings.

The case was adjourned to December 18 for the preparation of pre-sentence reports.

A Wigan borough 33-year-old has been remanded into custody after being accused of serious stalking, sending menacing messages and numerous restraining order breaches.

Anthony O'Donnell, of Rugby Road, Leigh, appeared before local justices to face a charge of stalking causing fear by sending friend requests to a woman via a third party.

He is further accused of seven harassing breaches of a restraining order preventing contact with the same female by calling or messaging her. And it is alleged that he sent messages to a named male threatening on one occasion to "chop him up" and another to "cut his throat."

All the offences are alleged to have taken place between September 7 and October 16.

O'Donnell has not yet entered any pleas and he will remain behind bars until making his first appearance before a Liverpool Crown Court judge on November 16.

A schoolboy from Wigan has admitted to mugging another youngster of his hat.

The Ince 15-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, appeared before the borough's youth court to plead guilty to robbing a named male of a Gas Gas baseball cap worth £25 on October 15.

He will learn his fate on January 17, before which pre-sentence reports are prepared.

A Wigan 42-year-old who followed and messaged a woman for more than two months has been spared immediate jail time.

Harry Ormisher, of Boyswell House in Scholes, appeared before Manchester magistrates to admit to stalking a named female between June and August this year, causing her serious alarm or distress.

He also admitted to assaulting the woman and another named female by beating on July 18.

Ormisher was given a 30-week custodial sentence suspended for 18 months.

He must also attend a six-month alcohol programme and a restraining order prevents any contact with his stalking victim for at least the next three years.

Police are hunting a Wigan borough 45-year-old accused of throttling another woman.

Samantha Hall, of Fletcher Avenue, Atherton, had been due to appear before local justices charged with the intentional strangulation of a named female and causing her actual bodily harm on May 24.

But when she failed to attend, the bench issued an arrest warrant.

Child rape and sexual assault charges have been brought against a Wigan 52-year-old.

Thomas Roe, of Belmont Avenue, Bickershaw, appeared before Manchester justices charged with two counts of raping a girl aged between eight and 11 between 2017 and 2018.

He also faces two charges of sexual assault by penetration and seven of sexually touching a girl aged between eight and 11 between 2013 and 2017.

Roe has not yet entered any pleas and he was granted unconditional bail until he makes a first appearance at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on November 24.

A Wigan man has admitted to racist violence and abuse charges.

John Husselbury, 54, of Boyswell House, Scholes, had initially denied causing a man grievous bodily harm and threatening both him and another man in circumstances that were racially aggravated in May 2023.

But before his trial could begin at Bolton Crown Court he changed his pleas to guilty.

However, he continued to deny a fourth count of racially aggravated criminal damage and the judge said this would be allowed to lie on file.

Husselbury was released on conditional bail until he returns to the court to learn his fate on December 4.

Charges of making vile films of child sexual abuse have been brought against a Wigan 30-year-old.

Damian Oleszczuk, of Downing Close, Platt Bridge, stood before borough magistrates accused of creating 63 images which fall into the most serious category of paedophilia: A.

He also faces accusations of making 27 category B films and 27 category C images as well as possessing a banned image of a child.

He was granted bail, conditional that he has no contact with anyone under the age of 18 unless it is inadvertent in the course of daily life, until another appearance at the same court on February 12.

Oleszczuk has yet to answer the charges.

Sentence awaits a terrible Wigan motorist who has been caught dangerously driving twice this year.

Tayla Johnson, 30, of Kennedy Close, Standish, appeared before borough justices to plead guilty to driving a Seat Ibiza dangerously along Wigan Road, Standish, on July 28, and a Seat Leon along Bag Lane Atherton on October 20.

On both occasions he admitted to doing so without insurance or a licence and, on the first occasion, he also failed to stop for police.

He was remanded into custody until sentencing is carried out at the same court on November 11.

A Wigan man accused has admitted smuggling drugs into and out of prison.

Duane Chambers, 50, of Hartley Avenue, appeared at Manchester Crown Court to plead guilty to attempting to possessing both cocaine and cannabis and cocaine with intent to supply them and five counts of trying to smuggle these substances in and out of a prison.

He and two co-accuseds – Nazar Al-Bakili from Dukinfield, who admitted similar charges only one fewer prison smuggling offence, and homeless Jake Anderson, who admits smuggling an item into prison – will be sentenced at the same court on November 12.

A Wigan 21-year-old has denied repeatedly choking a woman.

Harry Kenny, of Poolstock Lane, Poolstock, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court to plead not guilty to throttling a named female between September 2022 and January 2023 and again between May and September this year.

A trial date of March 22 next year was scheduled.