Wigan's week in court

Daniel Aspey, 37, of Woodhouse Lane, Beech Hill, had initially denied charges of drink-driving and failing to report an accident.

But at his latest appearance at the borough's magistrates' court he changed his pleas to guilty.

He admitted being at the wheel of Ford Transit which collided with and damaged a Nissan Qashqai on Greenwood Avenue, Worsley Hall, on May 31 last year and that he didn't leave contact details or go to the police station to explain what had happened.

He then gave a reading of 106 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath when the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

The bench adjourned the hearing to give time for the preparation of pre-sentence reports and told Aspey to return to learn his fate on January 31.

Before then he is on unconditional bail.

A 39-year-old Wigan woman who assaulted seven people, damaged a car and threw paint on the pavement has been jailed.

Georgina Green, of Winstanley Road, Bamfurlong appeared before justices to plead guilty to the common assaults of a police officer and two neighbours plus two counts of criminal damage on August 2 on Winstanley Road.

She also changed her plea to admit threatening to damage the neighbours' property exactly a month after the first incidents.

And she also confessed to violence in another Wigan incident on October 17 during which a woman, man and two police officers were victims of assault by beating.

She was given a 34-week custodial sentence, the bench telling Green she had caused "serious distress to neighbours including a young 16-year-old."

The charge said that weapons had been used and that she had spat on the police officer.

Her punishment also involves her paying £100 compensation to the car owner and £50 to the officer while a restraining order prevents any contact with the neighbour she attacked.

A Wigan 37-year-old has been accused of domestically abusing a woman and then stalking her three years later.

Kieron Rodgers, of Brookhouse Street, Wigan, appeared before the borough's magistrates charged with controlling and coercive behaviour towards a named woman on December 1, 2021 which included not allowing her to see family and friends and arguing when out.

Then between July 1 and November 6 this year it is alleged he stalked her causing serious alarm or distress, with behaviour including continuously calling her and turning up at her dentist and supermarket when she was there.

The case was sent to Bolton Crown Court where a judge will first see Rodgers on December 13.

Before then the defendant has been released on conditional bail. He has yet to enter any pleas.

Police are hunting a homeless Wigan woman who admitted to being a public nuisance but then failed to turn up to court for sentence.

Carol Fahy, of no fixed address, had previously appeared before borough magistrates to plead guilty to entering a home on Linney Square, Scholes, when it was the subject of a court closure order on October 28 and between March and August this year, intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance by using drugs at Leigh bus station.

The charge said she left drug paraphernalia and caused issues with customers and staff.

After Fahy failed to return to learn her fate, justices issued an arrest warrant.

A Wigan borough 60-year-old has denied assaulting a woman earlier this month.

Mark Hilton, of Peregrine Drive in Leigh, stood before local justices to enter a not guilty plea to a charge that he caused a named female actual bodily harm on November 2.

A trial date at the same court was set for February 4 next year and in the meantime Hilton is on bail, although it is conditional that he has no contact with the complainant.

A Wigan man who trashed a woman's house and attacked her - then breaking in again three days later to smash up more of her possessions has been jailed.

Ryan Bascombe, 32, of Bolton House Road, Bickershaw, had previously appeared before borough justices to plead guilty to two counts of criminal damage at another home on the same street on both October 13 and 16 during which "multiple items" were broken including a television and mobile phone.

He also confessed to assaulting the female occupant by beating on the first occasion and breaking into the address on the second.

Bascombe also pleaded guilty to stealing a craft knife and a bank card from a car in Wigan on September 1 and then fraudulently using the latter to buy £38 worth of goods.

Attending Bolton Crown Court, he was sentenced to 10 months behind bars and must also pay a victim services surcharge.

Three young Wigan men are awaiting sentence after admitting to violent disorder.

Oliver Porter, 19, of Wrightington Street, Swinley, James Wood, 20, of Keswick Place, Ince, and Kian Aaron, 20, of Windermere Road, Ince, all appeared at Bolton Crown Court to plead guilty to the charge and will be sentenced on January 15.

A Wigan woman has been accused of impersonating a nurse at the town's hospital.

Ingrid Taylor, 42, of City Road, Kitt Green, appeared before borough magistrates to plead not guilty to fraud by false representation by turning up at Wigan Infirmary on February 22 this year dressed in full nurses uniform with fake identification badges and other paraphernalia, intending to make a gain, namely self-gratification.

She also denies a separate charge of possessing articles - namely nurses uniforms and identification documents - for the purposes of committing fraud.

Taylor is being prosecuted under the 2006 Fraud Act and after entering her not guilty pleas, she was granted unconditional bail by the bench but must next appear before a Bolton Crown Court judge on December 18.

A Wigan 29-year-old has denied threatening arson and possessing a taser.

Robert Taylor, of Adamson Street, Ashton, stood before borough magistrates to plead not guilty to issuing a threat to Colin Davies on March 5 that he would burn his house down and on March 20 to being armed with an electrical incapacitation device.

He did, however, admit to having cannabis on that second occasion.

Taylor was sent for trial at Manchester and Salford City Magistrates' Court on July 22 next year and before then he is on unconditional bail.

Accusations of multiple assaults, harassment and witness intimidation have been brought against a Wigan borough man.

Scott Boon, 27, of Richmond Drive, Leigh, appeared before borough justices charged with four counts of assaulting a named woman by beating her and one of common assault between February and September this year.

He is accused of harassing her without causing fear of violence between August 22 and September 19 and to intimidating her as a witness on September 11.

Boon faces further charges of assault by beating and common assault of a named male on February 19.

He has pleaded not guilty to some of the charges, including harassment, but not entered pleas yet to the others.

The bench granted him conditional bail until he appears at Bolton Crown Court for the first time on December 18.

Police are hunting for a Wigan borough 53-year-old carjacking suspect who failed to turn up for a court hearing.

Peter Hall, of Alderley Lane, Leigh, was due to appear before local justices charged with the aggravated taking of a Range Rover Vogue near his home in September and driving it without insurance.

But after his no-show, the bench issued an arrest warrant.

A Wigan borough man who trousered more than £9,000 for work he didn't complete has admitted to fraud.

Kieran Scholes, 25, of West Avenue, Leigh, appeared before local justices to plead guilty to fraud by false representation in that between June 1 and July 31 last year he falsely entered into an agreement with a Mr Saunders to carry out groundwork for £9,101.43.

He was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activities while paying his victim £6,234.46 in compensation.

Three Wigan teenagers have been accused of carjacking when of school age.

A 17-year-old and 16-year-old have appeared before borough magistrates to plead guilty to burgling a house on Bakewell Drive and then illegally driving off in a Toyota Yaris on the night of June 30 and July 1.

The hearing was told that the vehicle then crashed, causing damage to itself and street furniture before it was recovered.

The 16-year-old was given a nine-month youth referral order and had nine points put on any future licence.

The 17-year-old was sent to Preston Magistrates' Court to be sentenced on November 26.

A 15-year-old boy is also charged with aggravated vehicle-taking but has yet to enter a plea and he was granted unconditional bail until he returns to the Wigan court on January 9.

Two schoolboys who mugged other boys for valuables in Wigan have been locked up.

A youngster from Skelmersdale, who cannot be named, appeared before borough magistrates charged with robbing three males on October 31 last year, stealing iPhones, iPods, trainers and cash and more valuables from another male on November 1 the same year.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis on October 28, 2023, having a zombie knife at Wigan bus station on November 2, 2023 and a bail breach.

A 16-year-old pleaded guilty to involvement in three of the robberies and also to possessing a knuckleduster.

The bench imposed a two-year detention and training order on the younger boy and an 18-month order on the older one.

Both must pay £100 in compensation to each of their victims.

A Wigan man who used foul and racist language to a telephonist has been given a community punishment.

Michael Guiney, 45, of Lower Longshoot, Schools, appeared before borough magistrates to admit to using obscene language when talking to a call handler on July 27.

He must complete 100 hours of unpaid work and eight days of rehabilitation activities as part of a 12-month community punishment.

There is also £199 to pay out in costs and a victim services surcharge.

A homeless Wigan woman who admitted to being a public nuisance but then failed to turn up to court for sentence has now done so to learn her fate.

Carol Fahy, of no fixed address, had previously appeared before borough magistrates to plead guilty to entering a home on Linney Square, Scholes, on October 28 when it was the subject of a court closure order and between March and August this year, intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance by using drugs at Leigh bus station.

The latter charge said she left drug paraphernalia and caused issues with customers and staff.

A warrant for her arrest was withdrawn after she finally appeared at court.

Fahy was ordered to complete nine months of drug rehab and 25 days of rehabilitation activities.

A Wigan van driver has been hit in the pocket for having a dangerously insecure load.

On April 29 Jason Farrington, 53, of Kent Avenue, Platt Bridge, was caught on Manchester Road, Ince, in a Ford Transit carrying loose stones and soil, a wheelie bin and wooden sheets which were not contained or fastened down in any way and so posed a safety threat to the public, Manchester justices heard.

Farrington was also not wearing a seatbelt.

As well as having his licence endorsed with three points, he must pay a fine, court costs and a victim services surcharge totalling £1,014.

A Wigan man has been remanded into custody after denying a charge of blackmail.

Cieran Harrison, 38, of Marsh Green, Marsh Green, appeared before a Bolton Crown Court judge to plead not guilty to a single charge of blackmailing a named man by making an unwarranted demand for £400 from him with menaces on October 9.

A trial date of April 9 next year was fixed, although Harrison will have a case management hearing before them on March 12.

In the meantime though he will spend Christmas behind bars.

A 2027 trial date has been set for a Wigan 25-year-old after he denied charges of rape, sexual assault and violence.

Ryan Bretherton, of Warrington Road, Goose Green, stood before a Bolton Crown Court judge to plead not guilty to four charges - the rape of a woman on April 15 last year; the sexual assault of a woman a fortnight later, the intentional strangulation of a named woman between October 31 and November 21, 2022 and the assault by beating of the same woman on April 29, 2023.

He was granted conditional bail until his trial, which is now due to take place in more than two years' time - on January 19, 2027.

A 30-year-old from Wigan has been accused of throttling a woman and sending an obscene or menacing message.

Thomas Rostron, of Alders Green Road, Hindley Green, stood before borough magistrates to face a charge of intentionally strangling a named woman on September 3 this year.

He has not entered a plea for that charge but has denied one of assaulting the same woman by beating on that day and to sending offensive or indecent or menacing message via electronic communications on November 3.

Rostron was granted conditional bail until appearing for the first time at Bolton Crown Court on December 23.

A woman was attacked by the same Wigan borough 45-year-old three times in the space of weeks, a court heard.

Stephen Pemberton, of Tamer Grove in Leigh, appeared at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court to face three charges of causing a female actual bodily harm on September 17, October 8 and November 15.

He has yet to enter any pleas and the bench ordered that the case be sent to Bolton Crown Court.

Pemberton will make his first appearance there on December 23, before which he has been granted conditional bail.