Wigan's court round-up

A borough man who admitted to having a collection of child and animal “porn” has been spared an immediate jail term.

Mark Cunliffe, 33, of Brierfield Avenue, Atherton, had appeared before Wigan justices to plead guilty to possessing indecent images of children, 167 of which fall into the gravest legal category (A), plus a further 26 category B images and 46 which were considered category C.

He was further charged with possessing an image of a person performing intercourse with a horse, dog and other animals.

Ordered by the bench to attend Bolton Crown Court for sentencing, a judge gave him an eight-month custodial term but suspended it for two years.

He must complete 35 days of rehabilitation, pay a victim services surcharge and he must sign on the Sex Offenders’ Register and be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

A 54-year-old man who admitted malicious wounding has not been sent directly to jail. Barry Linnell, of Bankside, Parbold, appeared before Wigan justices to plead guilty to the assault of David Sloane at Bolton Motor Park on August 31 last year.

Returning to the same court for sentencing, he was given a six-month prison sentence but it was suspended for two years.

Linnell must also complete 25 days of rehabilitation activities and 100 hours of unpaid work.

Linnell must also find £513 to pay in compensation, costs and a victim services surcharge.

A woman has been given a 12-month conditional discharge for attacking a man. Dionne Baker, 36, of Withington Lane, Aspull, stood before Wigan magistrates to admit assaulting Gerald Sheridan by beating on September 9.

Baker must also pay compensation, costs and a victim services surcharge totalling £157.

A woman who failed to give a breath test to police who suspected her of drink-driving has had her licence taken away for 18 months. Lisa Meadows, 36, of Corvus Close, Ince, stood before Wigan magistrates to admit not giving a breath specimen to officers in Wigan on April 3.

As well as the road ban, she must also complete 15 days of rehabilitation activities and 80 hours of unpaid work while stumping up £295 to the courts and victim services.

The amount was larger than usual because she had initially denied the charge, thus taking up more time than if she had immediately admitted to the offence.

A Wigan man has been found not guilty of stalking and attacking a woman.

Benjamin Dickenson, 28, of Edinburgh Drive, Hindley Green, had stood before borough justices to deny conduct amounting to the harassment of Ashleigh Dalley between February 1 and April 30, and on that latter date assaulting her by beating.

Following a trial, the bench cleared him of both charges and told him he was free to go.

Magistrates have imposed a closure order on a Wigan home that had become the focal point for anti-social behaviour.

The order was made against 46-year-old Caroline Farrington and it means that no-one other than the occupants can enter 30 Kendrick Place in Scholes for three months.

The application from Wigan Council was granted following the serving of a notice to Farrington on September 10.

A serial offender was caught breaching a driving ban 150 miles from home.

Wigan magistrates heard that 31-year-old Bernard Ward of Withington Lane, Aspull, was caught at the wheel of a Toyota Corolla in Northampton, despite being the subject of a court disqualification.

He admitted to the offence and one of not being insured at the same time but a further charge that he had been driving the vehicle on false registration plates was dismissed when the prosecution didn’t offer any evidence.

However, Ward also admitted to breaching the terms of sentences imposed by two other courts. One was for repeatedly violating a curfew imposed by Liverpool justices for stealing fuel from a company in Haydock and another was for failing to attend community order appointments, imposed by Nottingham magistrates, after he stole a caravan and wrecked someone’s car.

The bench imposed a fresh six-month driving ban, ordered that he complete 20 days of rehabilitation activites and imposed a 7pm to 7am electronically-tagged curfew until January 30. There is also £295 to pay in fines, costs and to victim services.

A man has finally admitted to attacking two Wigan police officers. Mark Phoenix, 28, of Chapel Street, Leigh, had previously appeared before justices to plead not guilty to assaulting PCs West and Bretherton on April 28 but pleaded guilty to having a craft knife the day before at Wigan police headquarters in Robin Park Road.

A trial was set for this month, but before it could begin he changed his police assault pleas to guilty.

He will be sentenced on October 20, before which he is on bail conditional that he obeys a night-time curfew and stays at his home address.

A serial shoplifter has been jailed for 28 weeks after another thieving spree.

Wigan justices heard that Christopher Whittle, 36, of Prestt Grove, Worsley Mesnes, was barred from Robin Retail Park but that didn’t stop him from stealing a £40 handbag from TK Maxx there on June 5 nor £489 worth of Olay skin products from Superdrug on July 26.

He admitted to these crimes along with the breaches of the exclusion order, plus further thefts of clothing from Asda on July 26 and cleaning products from Tesco Express on September 13. As well as his jail term, Whittle must also pay £128 to victim services.

A man who assaulted a police officer and broke a restraining order has been spared an immediate jail term.

Ian Riley, 34, of Linney Square, Scholes, stood before Wigan justices to admit attacking PC Farrelly and entering Barclay’s Bank in breach of a court ruling.

The court heard Riley was barred from Barclay’s in Wigan and when he arrived there he assaulted the constable who had been called.

Returning to the court for sentencing, Riley was given 12 weeks custody but it was suspended for 12 months.

The hearing was told that the attack had caused significant mental health issues for his victim.

He must also pay £128 towards victim services.

A Wigan teenager has denied dangerous driving and other motoring offences.

Billy Sharratt, 19, of Laburnum Avenue, Ince, is accused of driving a Mercedes Vito van dangerously on Ince Green Lane on June 7 and that he did so while uninsured and banned from the road.

He denies all three charges and the case was sent to be heard at Bolton Crown Court where he will make his first appearance on October 20, before which he has been remanded in custody.

A woman has a £199 court bill after admitting to disorderly behaviour while drunk. Chantelle Hurst, 31, of Rivington Drive, Bickershaw, appeared before Wigan justices to admit the offences committed on August 20 in Wallgate.

The bill comprises a fine, victim services surcharge and court costs.

The case of a Wigan Department for Work and Pensions admin officer accused of benefit fraud and possessing the proceeds of crime running into many thousands of pounds has been sent to crown court.

Hayley Powell, 43, of Holly Road, Golborne, faces seven counts of dishonestly abusing her position as a case manager to fleece a massive £14,296 between October 2018 and October 2019 and also to having criminal property amounting to £25,188.

At a fresh hearing the bench directed that the matter be sent before a judge and Powell will make her first appearance at Bolton Crown Court on October 20. She has yet to enter pleas.

A co-accused, 45-year-old Jonathan Duffy, of Monica Terrace, Ashton, faces six counts of doing nothing to rectify the fact that he had wrongly been given credit totalling £2,500 and possessing criminal property amounting to a further £1,823.

He pleaded guilty to the charges and was sent to Bolton Crown Court on the same date for sentencing.

A man who sent an offensive or menacing message to family members has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Martin Jermarks, 48, of Leigh Road, Hindley Green, had initially denied the offence but changed his plea before it went to trial and has been given a nine-week jail term suspended for 12 months.

Wigan magistrates pointed out that he had sent the message only shortly after a restraining order had elapsed and so they imposed a new order preventing contact with his victims until September 2024.

He must also observe an eight-week electronically tagged curfew while paying £213 to the courts and victim services.

A young man who attacked a police officer and damaged his body cam has been fined.

James Price, 23, of Bickershaw Lane, Bickershaw, appeared before Wigan magistrates to plead guilty to assaulting PC Woods on August 24 and causing the criminal damage to police property.

Costs, a victim services surcharge, fine and compensation came to £469.

A motorist who took cannabis before driving has been disqualified from the road for 18 months.

Darren Stock, 34, of Inward Drive, Shevington, stood before Wigan magistrates to admit being under the influence of the class B drug when stopped in a BMW by police on Almond Brook Road, Standish, on March 26.

A fine, victim services surcharge and court costs mean he also has £239 to pay.

A motorist who was caught at the wheel when more than three times over the legal alcohol limit has been banned from the road for 28 months.

Jeffrey Tollitt, 48, of William Street, Hindley, gave a reading of 116 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath when police stopped a BMW on Hall Lane on August 29. Pleading guilty to the single charge of drink-driving, Tollitt was told he can reduce his ban time to 28 weeks if he completes a state-sanctioned course for drink-drivers.

The bench also imposed a 16-week electronically-tagged curfew and he must pay £180 to the court and victim services.

A Wigan vehicle owner has been banned from the road and fined for failing to tell the authorities who was at the wheel of his car when it was involved in an offence.

Rhys Lavin’s guilt was proved by borough magistrates who heard that his Ford Ranger had been involved in a criminal incident on November 23 2018 and that subsequently he had not given police details who was driving it at the time.

The 30-year-old of Hindley Road, Hindley Green, was disqualified from driving for 12 months and when court costs and a victim services surcharge were added to his penalty, he has £590 to pay.

A man who attacked two police officers has been given a community punishment. Kieron Hodkinson, 38, of Severn Drive, Norley, stood before Wigan justices to admit assaulting PCs McQueen and Bird while the emergency workers were on duty on July 30.

He must complete 10 days of rehabilitation activities and pay a fine, court costs and victim services surcharge totalling £280.

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