Wigan's Week In Court

A young man has been accused of being at the wheel of a car while under the influence of both cannabis and a horse tranquilliser. Mathew Johnson, 22, of Kings Road, Golborne, appeared before Wigan and Leigh magistrates charged with having higher than permissible levels of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and ketamine in his blood when stopped in an Audi A3 in Golborne on August 30 last year. The defendant has yet to enter pleas and, due to the pandemic restrictions, he was released on bail until the case is looked at again on September 9.

Two men have been accused of committing a race hate assault and robbery. Anthony Greenall, 37, of Kimberley Street, and David Meehan, 37, of Springfield Road, both in Springfield, appeared before borough magistrates charged with setting upon Eric Addo in what was described as a racially-aggravated attack, robbing the same of a set of keys and a dash cam and also causing damage to his vehicle’s wing mirror. All the offences are alleged to have taken place on June 14 last year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the case was adjourned until September 9.

A woman has been charged with driving while on her mobile and under the influence of cannabis. Laura Woolley, 35, of Kendrick Place, Scholes, is alleged to have breached laws on phoning while at the wheel as she travelled along the M61 at Bolton on January 22. The drug offence relates to the same period. Woolley has yet to plead and the matter was postponed by Wigan justices until September 9 due to the Covid-19 restrictions currently on courts.

The case of a 51-year-old Wigan man accused of sexually assaulting a schoolgirl aged 13 has been further delayed. John Slater, of Leigh Street in Scholes, faces two counts of unlawful penetration which are alleged to have taken place in May 2018. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions borough magistrates adjourned the case until September 9.

A Wigan man has been accused of driving dangerously in Wigan. Martin Lockwood, 40, of Bolton Road, Ashton, is charged with the offence relating to an incident on Bolton Road and Lily Lane on August 17 last year. Borough magistrates adjourned the case until at least September 9 due to the Covid-19 restrictions.

A Wigan man has admitted to threatening to murder a woman then repeatedly contacting her after a court had banned him from doing so.

Daniel Kelly, 29, of Atherton Road, Hindley, appeared before Wigan justices to change his plea to guilty to a charge of threatening to kill Lauren Roberts.

He had further denied four times ignoring a Manchester magistrates order not to contact Ms Roberts and also aiming threatening and abusive language at a PC Ball. But at the latest hearing he changed those pleas to guilty too. Kelly maintained he had not threatened to kill Alan Roberts and this was accepted by the prosection when Kelly admitted to a lesser charge of threatening. Wigan and Leigh magistrates remanded him in custody until he is sentenced by a Bolton Crown Court judge on Monday July 6.

A man has been accused of a vicious assault. Justin Whittle, 25, of Ruskin Avenue, Worsley Mesnes, is charged with causing John Kneller grievous bodily harm during an incident in Wigan on November 17 last year. He has yet to plead and Wigan magistrates adjourned the hearing to September 9.

A man was left with multiple fractures including a broken back after an alleged hit and run smash, Wigan magistrates heard.

Stephen Andrews, 41, is accused of dangerously driving a VW Golf on Preston Road, Standish, last December which resulted in a crash which badly injured Inam Ulhaq.

The hearing was told that the casualty suffered a broken back, fractured right knee and a major injury to his hip in the collision.

Andrews, of Pepper Lane, Standish, is further charged with failing to stop after an accident.

He has yet to plead and the bench adjourned the case until September 9 due to the Covid-19 restrictions.

The defendant was released on bail.

The case of a man accused of child sex offences has been delayed until the autumn.

Philip Patten, 55, of Fairhurst Avenue, Standish, faces four charges: one of sending a sexual message to someone they knew not to be 16 or over, and three of trying to get a girl of 12 to look at images of sexual activity. A

ll the offences are alleged to have happened in February last year.

No pleas have yet been entered and Wigan and Leigh magistrates adjourned the hearing until September 9 due to the coronavirus restrictions.