Wigan's week in court

A man has denied breaching a Wigan closure order. James Gerrard, 46, of Silverdale Avenue, Ince, appeared before borough magistrates to plead not guilty to illegally visiting 26 Linney Square, Scholes, on January 10 when it was the subject of a bar on any non-residents due to previous anti-social behaviour there. He was bailed until September 27 when a trial will take place.

A Wigan man who terrorised his ex for months has been jailed as justices branded his controlling behaviour as “monstrous”. Wigan magistrates heard that Bradley Hock threatened Rebecca Campbell and her family with violence, rang her frequently “excessively vilifying her and when she did not immediately respond he threatened suicide on numerous occasions which she found distressing.” The court was told this course of conducted, to which the 28-year-old of Sycamore Avenue, Hindley Green, admitted, took place between April and August last year. He was imprisoned for six months and is the subject of a two-year restraining order which prevents him from having any contact with his victim. The chairman of the bench told Hock, “Your behaviour towards your partner and her family has been monstrous. You have broken the will of a young woman by your appalling behaviour and threats to harm her and her family. Your behaviour was persistent and extremely controlling, deliberately and deeply unpleasant and confrontational. It is evident that you have caused very significant distress and psychological harm to Ms Campbell. You say that you want a loving relationship but your behaviour does not lend much truth to that statement. This offence was domestic violence, was committed while on a community order and alcohol was involved. There will also be the safety net of a restraining order which, hopefully, will serve to control your behaviour in future.” Hock was also ordered to pay £128 to victim services.

A man has admitted attacking two police officers after trying to kick in a front door. Keiron Wood, 33, of Livingstone Street, Ashton, appeared before Wigan justices to admit smashing a £100 glass panel on Charlene Draper’s door in May and to assaulting PCs Bunn and Billingsley by beating on May 1, having initially denied the second two charges. He was remanded on conditional bail until sentencing on June 23.

A man who admitted possessing wraps of medical heroin and riding a moped without insurance but denied being armed with a kitchen knife on the same occasion has now changed that plea to guilty too. Adrian Whitty, 33, of Atherton Road, Hindley Green, had stood in the dock before Wigan and Leigh magistrates to deny having a blade in Linney Square, Scholes, on February 28 this year. The bench sent him for trial at Bolton Crown Court but on appearing there he pleaded guilty to having the weapon and the case was adjourned for sentencing on July 1. He has already been given a two-year conditional discharge for the drug offence and a fine for the moped offence by the magistrates. With court costs and a victim services surcharge his bill came to £239.

A vile thief has admitted stealing a cancer charity collection box. Peter McLean, 37, of Milton Close, Atherton, appeared before Wigan magistrates to plead guilty to the theft of a Marie Curie tin placed on the counter of a local Spar shop on May 24. He was jailed for a fortnight, the chairman of the magistrates saying “even you admit that this was a despicable act,” and adding that the crime was aggravated by the fact that McLean was on bail at the time of the offence. He was also ordered to pay £30 in compensation.

A 21-year-old who drove a car without insurance or a licence while under the influence of cannabis has been banned from the road for a year. Ciaron Collins, of Old Hall Mill Lane, Atherton, stood before Wigan justices to admit to the motoring offences in a Honda Civic in Wigan on November 3. As well as the 12-month disqualification, Collins must pay fines, costs and a victim services surcharge totalling £359.

A convicted sex offender is awaiting sentence after admitting he failed to notify the authorities of a house move and that there was a child at the new address. Jordan Gould-Martin, 26, of Windsor Road, Leigh, appeared before Wigan magistrates to admit to the sexual harm prevention order breaches. He will be sentenced at Bolton Crown Court on June 30.

A man who waited almost a year to stand trial for causing actual bodily harm has suddenly confessed to the crime. Andrew Cunliffe, of Brindley Street in Pemberton, had denied assaulting Alfred Bullough on or around May 29 last year. The 40-year-old was also charged with sending an indecent or grossly offensive Facebook message to David Bullough on the same day. A trial was due to take place this month at Bolton Crown Court but Cunliffe entered guilty pleas and so the case was adjourned for sentencing on July 9.

A Wigan man has been accused of a catalogue of child sex crimes, including rapes, dating back more than a quarter of a century. Norman Williams appeared before borough magistrates to face a total of 20 historical offences dating from 1995 to 2002. They comprise 13 counts of indecent assault, four of rape, two of attempted rape and one of physical assault of three boys under the age of 16. Because of the seriousness of the allegations, the bench immediately sent the case to be heard by a Bolton Crown Court judge. The 58-year-old of Leigh Road, Atherton, was released on unconditional bail until his first appearance there on July 5. He has yet to enter a plea.

A man who admitted to a series of driving offences has been jailed for six months. Anthony Seddon, 57, of Collett Close, Scholes, had originally denied seven offences including driving first a VW Touareg and then, more than a year later, Ford Transit Pickup while disqualified from the road. But at a later appearance before Wigan justices he changed his pleas, including those to driving both vehicles without insurance, having taken cocaine before driving the Touareg and driving the Pickup carelessly. Seddon also admitted to not having a licence at the time of the Touareg offence in Astley on January 28, 2020. Returning to the magistrates’ court for sentencing, he was also hit with a four-year road disqualification as well as the 26 weeks in custody. Seddon was also ordered to pay £128 to victim services.

A convicted sex offender has been given a suspended jail sentence for attacking a police officer and damaging his cell. Christopher Whalley, 34, of Dorset Avenue, Tyldesley, appeared before Wigan justices to admit breaching a sexual harm prevention order by failing to notify the authorities of an address change in January 2020, to attacking Sgt Ashton at Wigan and causing £47 of damage to a police cell both on November 18 last year. He was given a total of 38 weeks behind bars but the sentence was suspended for 18 months. He also has to pay £546 in compensation, court costs and a victim surcharge.

A hit-and-run motorist who crashed into a garden gate and then refused to be breathalysed by police has been sent to prison. Wigan magistrates heard that Janis Dulbinskis, 36, of Lilac Avenue, Beech Hill, lost control of the BMW on Hector Grove, Marsh Green, and smashed into the fencing before driving off. He pleaded guilty to careless driving, failing to stop after an accident and failing to provide a specimen when the police caught up with him. He was jailed for eight weeks and disqualified from driving for 30 months although this can be reduced to 30 weeks if he takes a state-sanctioned test for drink-drivers. Dulbinskis must also pay a £128 surcharge to victim services.

A Wigan man has denied encouraging the rape of a girl aged under 13. That crime is alleged to have happened on October 26 last year. Paul Holmes, 52, of Woodcock Drive, Platt Bridge, has also pleaded not guilty to eight days later trying to arrange for someone to have sex with a girl of 13 when he made his appearance before a Bolton Crown Court judge who set a trial date of May 24 next year.

A fraudster has admitted going on a mini-spending spree with a woman’s stolen bank card. Andrew Gaskell, 38, of Drummond Square, Worsley Hall, appeared before Wigan justices to plead guilty to five counts of false representation on March 31 by going into shops and making purchases with a card he knew had been taken from Nicola Greenall. The court heard that the purchases totalled more than £80. He was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and pay £180 to victim services and the court.

One teen has admitted his part in a four-figure Wigan burglary while a co-accused faces a trial in 11 months’ time. Callum Holgate, 19, of Falkirk Grove, Norley, appeared before a Bolton judge to change a previous not guilty plea regarding the theft of £4,750 worth of goods from a home in Falkirk Grove in October 2019 to guilty. But 19-year-old Jordan Brown, of Saddleback Road, Norley, denies the same crime and will be tried on May 25 next year. Holgate will be punished at the end of the trial.

A Wigan man armed with a knife has admitted threatening violence. Dale McLaughlin, 32, of Crawford Avenue, Aspull, appeared before Wigan justices to plead guilty to threatening Rehman Allam and to having a blade at Douglas House, Scholes, on June 7. He will be sentenced by a Bolton Crown Court judge on July 7 before which he is remanded in

custody.

A motorist has been banned from the roads for two years after being caught at the wheel while more than two and half times over the legal drink-drive limit. Paul Moore, 39, of Ashland Avenue, Ashton, stood before Wigan justices to admit to having 91 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath when police stopped his Citroen Picasso on Tatton Drive on February 19 last year. He was told that he could reduce the disqualification to 24 weeks if he completes a state-sanctioned course for drink-drivers. A fine plus payments to victim services and the courts mean he also has £535 to fork out.

A man has been accused of a vicious attack. Lee Brown, 32, of no fixed address, appeared before Wigan and Leigh magistrates charged with intending to cause Callum Bradshaw grievous bodily harm on June 4 - the most serious form of assault after attempted murder. Because of the seriousness of the case, the bench immediately sent it to crown court, releasing Brown on conditional bail until his first appearance before a Bolton judge on July 12.

A teenaged inmate of Wigan’s jail has been accused of possessing contraband and weapons. Colin Hayes appeared before borough magistrates charged with having two mobile telephones and a dongle plus three hacksaw blades and a needle on November 9 last year. The 19-year-old was sent to Bolton Crown Court where he will make a first appearance on July 14, having not yet entered a plea.

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