Wigan's week in court

A round-up of people brought before local magistrates ...
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A Wigan woman who admitted to making an indecent image of a child has narrowly avoided an immediate jail term. Pauline Bradley, 21, of Kilburn Road, Orrell, appeared before borough justices to face a single charge of creating the child abuse image on May 22 last year. The bench told her she had shown an “unhealthty sexual interest in children who need protecting from you.” The picture was judged to fall into the second more serious category (B). Bradley was given a 26-week prison sentence but it was suspended for 24 months. She must also complete 50 days of rehabilitation activities and undergo an electronically-tagged curfew confining her to home from 7pm to 7am over the next 16 weeks. She was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for seven years and must sign on the sex offenders’ register for the same amount of time. A payment of £213 has to be made to the court and victim services.

A man breached a Robin Retail Park banning order three times to steal make-up and baby clothes, Wigan magistrates heard. Christopher Whittle, already an inmate of HMP Forest Bank, had seven days added onto his custodial sentence for the September thefts from Boots and Matalan plus the three breaches. He must also pay £128 to victim services.

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A thief who vandalised a car and stole power tools will learn his fate from a judge. Craig Wilde, 30, of Victor Close, Marsh Green, was also found in possession of amphetamine on the same day he caused £800 of damage to the vehicle and took the tools from Tim Boffey (December 11). Admitting to all three charges before Wigan justices, he will be sentenced at Bolton Crown Court on January 10, before which Wilde is remanded in custody.

Wigan and Leigh courtWigan and Leigh court
Wigan and Leigh court

Two Wigan men who flouted Covid rules when lockdown was at its strictest by taking a trip to the Lake District are facing hefty court bills. Chad Dermott, 31, of Darlington Street East, Ince, and Wayne Dermott, 57, of Appleton Grove, Goose Green, appeared before borough magistrates to admit travelling to Coniston on January 5 this year when Greater Manchester was under Tier 4 restrictions preventing such leisure excursions. They were fined and must also pay court costs and a surcharge to victim services, the total coming to £848 each.

A man who admitted going armed with a blade in Wigan town centre has been jailed for 34 weeks. Lee Causey, 51, of Victoria Street, Newtown had already stood before Wigan justices to admit having a craft knife on Wallgate. Having been sent to Bolton Crown Court to learn his fate, he was given the custodial sentence and the weapon was forfeited.

A Wigan man who admitted to peddling drugs has been sent to prison with the promise that the law is coming after his ill-gotten gains next. Stewart Melling, 32, of Whitledge Green, Ashton, admitted to possession of cannabis with intent to supply them on August 2, 2020 in Wigan. A Bolton Crown Court gave him a 12-month prison term and a date for a Proceeds of Crime hearing was set for April 15.

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A man who carried out a vicious attack has been spared an immediate jail term. Daniel Wilde, 22, of Gadfield Court, Atherton, had initially appeared before a Bolton judge to deny intending to cause Christopher Downham grievous bodily harm in August 2018. But when the time came for a trial he admitted to the lesser charge of GBH without intent which was accepted by the prosecution. Now he has been sentenced to 46 weeks in prison although the sentence has been suspended for 18 months. He must also complete 160 hours of unpaid work.

A 20-week prison sentence has been imposed on a man who was caught armed with a knife in public. Wigan magistrates said they were jailing Sean Chaplin because he had previously committed similar offences and also failed to comply with the terms of post-sentence supervision for another offence. The 39-year-old of Upper St Stephen Street, Wigan, pleaded guilty to having the weapon on Worsley Mesnes Drive on December 10 as well as the supervision breach. He must also pay £128 to victim services.

A Wigan man who tried to incite sexual activity from a 13-year-old girl who turned out to be a police decoy has been spared an immediate jail sentence. Anthony Tully, 35, of Leigh Road, Hindley Green, stood before a Bolton Crown Court judge to admit attempting to get the “girl” to engage in a sexual act and also send semi-naked or naked pictures of herself to him. He also pleaded guilty to having sexual communications with a person he knew to be under the age of 16. He was given a two-year prison sentence which was suspended for two years and put on an alcohol treatment programme for 12 months. He must also complete 30 days of rehabilitation activities, complete a Horizon sex offenders’ programme and be under an electronically-tagged curfew at his home for six months between the hours of 8pm and 6am. Tully will also be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and must sign on the sex offenders’ register for the same amount of time.

A Wigan man will face a judge over accusations that he dangerously drove a stolen car, was handling a stolen caravan and peddling class A drugs. Martin Bradshaw, 33, of Ashbourne Avenue, Aspull, stood before borough justices charged with badly driving a Mercedes CLA 45 AMG on Greenough Street, Scholes, Higher Lane and the environs of Haigh Woodland Park on May 6 2020, that the vehicle was stolen and that he also had in his possession the next day a stolen Swift Moselle static caravan. Bradshaw is further charged with possessing cocaine with intent to supply it. The case was sent to Bolton Crown Court where he will make his first appearance on January 26, before which he is on unconditional bail. Katie Rudd, 32, also of Ashbourne Avenue, faces the same charge regarding the caravan. Neither defendant has entered a plea.

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A 12-month restraining order has been imposed on a man who admitted racially-aggravated harassment. Mark Rogers, 59, of Columbus Street, Ashton, appeared before Wigan justices to admit that he filmed Florence Middleton with his phone and used racial language towards her between August and November. Rogers, as well as having no contact with Ms Middleton, must also pay £300 to the court, victim services and a fine.

A woman who admitted to being drunk and disorderly has been given a six-month conditional discharge. Christine Riley, 45, of Inward Drive, Shevington, appeared before borough justices to admit to the offence on Stadium Way, Wigan, on December 2. She was also ordered to pay £47 to the courts and victim services.

The law has caught up with a man accused of causing £1,000 damage to soap dispensers. A warrant for the arrest of Dean Bootle had been issued by Wigan magistrates when the 32-year-old of Wesley Street failed to appear at a hearing at which he was charged with criminal damage to Transport for Greater Manchester property on November 18. Now brought before the bench, Bootle pleaded guilty to the single charge and was ordered to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activities. He must observe a 7pm to 6am electronically tagged curfew for six weeks which confines him to his home and he must pay £200 in compensation.

A woman has denied peddling hard drugs. Natalie Devlin, 36, of Orchard Street, Wigan, appeared before borough justices charged with possession of crack cocaine and diamorphine (medical heroin) with intent to supply them on Jnuary 10. Pleading not guilty to both charges, she was told the case was being sent to Bolton Crown Court and she will make her first appearance before a judge on January 26.

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A woman who was four times the drink-drive limit has been given a suspended prison sentence and a long road ban. Louise Melling, 39, of Sandway, Wigan, appeared before Wigan magistrates to admit giving a reading of 141 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath when the legal limit is 35 microgrammes. The hearing was told that she was stopped by police at the wheel of an Audi A1 on Lynton Avenue, Springfield, on December 5 and gave the shock reading. The bench imposed a custodial sentence of eight weeks but suspended it for 12 months. Melling must also complete 12 days of rehabilitation activities and is barred from the road for 32 weeks. She can get the disqualification reduced to 32 weeks if she completes a state-sanctioned course for drink-drivers.

A Wigan hotel resident has been accused of rape. Ablolom Okbazge, 26, of the Britannia Hotel, Almond Brook Road, Standish, appeared before borough justices charged with the serious sexual assault of a woman on December 18 in Wigan town centre. Because of the seriousness of the allegation, the case was immediately sent to be heard by a Bolton Crown Court judge and Okbazge, who has yet to enter a plea, was remanded in custody until that first appearance on January 24.

A man and woman have been accused of stealing clothes from a store. Garry Allen, 26, and Susan McKenzie-Morgan, both of Woodhouse Lane, Springfield, stood before Wigan justices to admit to taking £230 of items from Next on November 30. Allen also admitted to harassing or threatening Byron Austin and Raymond Brown on October 9. Both were bailed until sentencing on January 20 on condition that they steer clear of Robin Retail Park.

A man has admitted to an attack at Wigan North Western railway station. Gerrard Moran, 39, of Springfield Street, Wigan, pleaded guilty to Benjamin Murphy’s assault by beating on July 9 when he appeared before borough justices. Sentence was adjourned until January 7.

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A motorist caught at the wheel while uninsured and banned from the road will carry out 50 hours of unpaid work. Paul Robinson, 37, of Ennerdale Road, Hindley, stood before borough magistrates to plead guilty to the two offences committed in a Ford Transit while driving in Platt Bridge on November 12. He must also pay £180 to the court and victim services.

A young motorist has been banned from driving for a year after testing positive for cannabis at the wheel. Kian Williams, 21, of Acreswood Avenue, Hindley, appeared before Wigan justices to admit having smoked the drug before driving a Chevrolet Matiz on Wigan Road, Leigh, on October 29 2019. A fine, court costs and victim services surcharge mean he also has a total of £344 to pay the court.