Wigan's week in court

A man has been cleared of attacking a woman and breaking her television after his accuser failed to testify against him.

Daniel Myall, 41, of Winstanley Road, Bamfurlong, had appeared before Wigan magistrates to deny the assault by beating of Dionne Baker and criminal damage on December 23.

As the complainant did not appear at the hearing, the bench dismissed both charges and told Mr Myall he was free to go.

A trial date has been set for a man who denies fly-tipping.

George Roberts, 30 of Bryn Gates, Bamfurlong, stood before Wigan justices to plead not guilty to two charges under the 1990 Environmental Protection Act.

The first is that he dumped a handsaw, take-away packaging, cans and bottles, a piece of carpet, a handheld vacuum cleaner, leaves, the inside of an iPhone box and other miscellaneous pieces of plastic and waste at the rear of Carr Common Road, Hindley Green, on September 29 2020.

The second is that he failed to provide requested documentation to the waste regulation authority - namely Wigan Council - by a deadline of October 27 that year.

The case was adjourned for a May 17 trial at the same court.

A Wigan mum has been penalised by the courts for not preventing her daughter's truancy.

Kirsty Watson, 41, of East Street, Ashton, was proved guilty in her absence from a Wigan magistrates' hearing which was told she had failed to prevent the youngster from attending classes at Cansfield High School between September 6 and October 31 2021.

She was ordered to pay a fine, court costs and a victim services surcharge totalling £354.

A young Wigan man who dumped three bin bagfuls of waste in another township has been fined.

Ryan Whittle, 23, of Woodhouse Lane, Springfield, stood before Wigan justices to admit to leaving the rubbish in an alleyway behind Henry Street in Tyldesley, on August 6 2019.

The penalty, court costs and victim surcharge that he has to pay come to £274.

A Wigan man will be tried in November over accusations of an attack and possessing an offensive weapon.

Karl Lunn, 32, of Lincroft Road, Hindley Green, stood before a Bolton Crown Court judge to deny assaulting Sheldon Bartlett and having a tyre iron. A trial date of November 28 was set.

A man who tried to burgle a Wigan restaurant has been given a community sentence. Andrew Baratinsky, 38, of Kimberley Place, Ashton-in-Makerfield stood before Wigan justices to plead guilty to entering Hel’s Kitchen in the town’s Gerard Centre as a trespasser with intent to steal on December 3.

Returning to learn his fate, he was given a 12-month community punishment which includes drug rehab and completing 32 days of rehabilitation activities. A fine, compensation, victim services surcharge and court costs mean Baratinksy also has £300 to pay.

A man who harassed and attacked a woman is awaiting his fate. Joshua Evans, 29, of Warrington Road, Ince, stood before Wigan justices to plead guilty to assaulting Lorraine Williams on August 4 2020 - a charge he had previously denied - as well as admitting to five days of harassment around the same time which included bombarding her with unwanted text messages and sending her a video of himself sitting outside her home. He was released on conditional bail pending sentence on April 20.

A young Wigan man has denied repeatedly breaking a court order preventing him from approaching someone and also to motoring offences.

Joshua Cooke, 24, of Beech Hill Avenue, Beech Hill, stood before borough justices to plead not guilty to breaching a non-molestation order by going to an address in Ridyard Street, Worsley Hall, three times in four days during early February and also to driving while disqualified and without due care and attention on December 11 last year on Wigan Road, Standish. Cooke was remanded on unconditional bail until his trial at the same court on May 24.

A 37-year-old man who was drunk and disorderly in Wigan town centre has been given a six-month conditional discharge. Borough magistrates heard that 37-year-old Neil Masters, of Arcade Street, Wigan, was detained by officers due to his disruptive, drunken behaviour in Wallgate on January 29. He must also pay a £22 victim services surcharge.

A judge will sentence a 50-year-old Wigan man who has admitted to assault. Darren Bithell, 50, of Pryce Avenue, Wigan, stood before borough justices to plead guilty to causing Paul McGreavy actual bodily harm on May 9 last year. He was committed to Bolton Crown Court for sentence on April 20 before which he is on conditional bail.

A 29-year-old man has denied drug peddling charges. Martin Crossland, 29, of Orchard Street, Wigan, appeared before borough magistrates to plead not guilty to possessing class A substances MDMA and cocaine with intent to supply them on July 27 2020. The case was sent to be heard by a Bolton Crown Court judge on April 27 and Crossland is on unconditional bail before then.

A woman has admitted to having an offensive weapon in a shop. Victoria Ashworth, 42, of Carnet Close, Wigan, stood before Wigan justices to plead guilty to having a knife in the Wigan Vodafone store on February 15 and to obstructing a PC Oldbury in her duties on the same occasion. She will learn her fate on April 13 before which she has been bailed while pre-sentence reports are prepared.

A thief who made off with part of Wigan Run Festival’s public address system hours before it started has been sent to prison.

Scott Yates appeared before borough magistrates to plead guilty to stealing the valuable EV loud speaker from Market Street at 5.30am on Sunday March 20 as final preparations were made for the charity races through the town’s streets.

The 34-year-old from Scholes was given an eight-week custodial sentence for theft. The court heard the speaker was safely recovered the day after it was stolen.

A Wigan teen has been accused of trying to steal a pedal bike from Wigan's North Western railway station. The Golborne 17-year-old, who cannot be named, stood before justices at Wigan Youth Court facing the single allegation of attempted theft on July 13 last year. The case was adjourned to April 7. The boy has yet to enter a plea.

A schoolboy has admitted to attacking a woman. The 14-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stood before justices at Wigan Youth Court to confess to the assault by beating on February 13.

The bench imposed a 12-month restraining order preventing the boy's further contact with the victim, he was referred to the youth offending panel for six months and must pay £107 to the courts and victim services.

A woman is facing a charge of harassment. Lisa Fisher, 40, of Eastwell, Beech Hill, has yet to plead to the charge that she intended to cause Glynn Rostron harassment, alarm or distress by using threatening, insulting or abusive words or behaviour on January 29 2021. Fisher was released on conditional bail pending a further hearing at Wigan Magistrates' Court on June 14.

A 56-year-old Wigan woman has denied charges of assault and theft. Susan McCarthy-Morgan, 56, of Woodhouse Lane, Beech Hill, appeared before Wigan justices to plead not guilty to attacking Louise Horrobin and stealing £160 worth foodstuffs from Farm Foods, both on January 10. The hearing was adjourned and McCarthy-Morgan released on unconditional bail until her trial on June 20.

Death threat and assault charges have been denied by a Wigan man. William Barnes, 65, of Scot Lane, Newtown, appeared before borough justices to plead not guilty to causing Pamela Barnes actual bodily harm and threatening to kill her on February 25. He was released on conditional bail until the next hearing.

A man has finally admitted to twice breaching a restraining order by going to a Wigan home. Borough justices heard that Andrew Edie, 31, of Orchard Street, Wigan, broke an order issued by Manchester and Salford justices in August 2020 by attending an address in Heysham Road, Wigan, on both October 27 and November 1 last year.

Edie had initially denied both charges, but on returning to court he changed his pleas and was made the subject of a community order. It has a drug rehabilitation requirement, he must complete 32 days of rehabilitation activities and be electronically tagged to ensure he goes nowhere near Heysham Road in the next six months, as ordered by a restraining order which also prevents any contact with Alistair Edie. The defendant must also pay £180 to victim services and in court costs.

A trial date has been set for a Wigan man accused of handling a stolen car. Stuart Martin, 46, of Victoria Road, Platt Bridge, had previously appeared before Wigan justices facing charges that on February 5 he was found on Prestt Grove, Worsley Mesnes at the wheel of a £2,500 Peugeot 308 which had been stolen from Kenneth Baker and that he had neither insurance nor a licence to be driving it.

He admitted to the document offences also to driving an Audi A4 on Constantia Road, on November 19 without a licence or insurance. On his first appearance before a Bolton Crown Court judge on the handling matter, he was bailed until his trial on November 3. He will be sentenced for the other offences at the conclusion of the trial.

A 35-year-old Wigan man who denied peddling cocaine has now confessed to the crime.Christopher Jones, of Princess Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, entered a not guilty plea to the single plea of possessing the class A substance with the intent to supply it on January 15 last year when he appeared before Wigan and Leigh magistrates. But on standing before a Bolton Crown Court judge for the first time he changed his plea and was bailed until his sentencing hearing on May 6.

A 41-year-old Wigan man has avoided an immediate jail term after pleading guilty to charges concerning the possession of indecent images of children and animals.

Christopher Dickinson, of Cheltenham Avenue, Ince, stood before a Bolton Crown Court judge accused of having 188 pictures which fall into the most serious category of abuse: A.

There were further charges of possessing 123 category B images, 105 category C, and one prohibited picture of a child, plus 22 “extreme porn” images of intercourse between humans and animals.

He was given a 10-month prison sentence which was suspended for 18 months, he must complete 40 days of rehabilitation activities and 100 hours of unpaid work, he has to sign on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years and forfeits his mobile phone and tablet.

A man has denied launching a serious assault and attacking a police officer. Adam Bradburn, 29, of Christopher Street, Ince, stood before a Bolton Crown Court judge accused of causing George Jones grievous bodily harm and assaulting PC Farrelly by beating on February 20.He entered two not guilty pleas and was released on bail until his trial on January 11 next year.

A 62-year-old Wigan man is awaiting his fate after confessing to historical child sex offences including rape.

Richard Moore had been due to stand trial at Chester Crown Court after denying a total of eight charges alleged to have happened between 1988 and 1992. But before the hearing started, he pleaded guilty to three of them – including the most serious – and the remainder were allowed to lie on file.

Moore, of Park Crescent, Wigan, admitted to the rape of a girl under 16 and two counts of indecently assaulting a girl under 14.

There were two complainants – one of whom was the victim of the rape and one of the assaults.

The other charges, which Moore had denied, were four further counts of indecent assault of an under-14 and one of gross indecency with an under-16. A judge remanded him in custody until he returns to court for his sentencing hearing on Friday April 22.

A Wigan man has denied a "revenge porn" charge against him.

Zack Hurley, 32, of Kipling Avenue, Worsley Mesnes, stood before Wigan justices to plead not guilty to disclosing a private sexual photograph or film without the subject's consent in order to cause her distress.

He admitted to stalking the same named person between November and March and also to illegally cultivating 33 cannabis plants on March 8. Hurley was released on conditional bail until an appearance before Manchester magistrates on April 14.

Assaulting a woman has landed a Wigan man with a big bill and a restraining order. Damon Sidwell, 44, of Standishgate, Wigan, stood before Wigan justices to admit to causing Louise Gregson actual bodily harm on September 24 last year. The restraining order lasts for 12 months and when a fine, compensation, court cost and victim services surcharge are added together, Sidwell has £895 to pay.

A trial date has been set for a Wigan man who denies racially-aggravated harassment. Keiran Wood, 33, of Livingstone Street, Ashton, appeared before borough magistrates to deny the charges which relate to two victims and is alleged to have happened on September 7. The trial will happen at the same court on June 14 and Wood is on conditional bail until then.

A motorist caught at the wheel of a livestock carrier while under the influence of drugs is awaiting his fate. Michael Gibbons, 46, of Bulteel Street, Pemberton, stood before Wigan justices to admit to a series of motoring offences. The hearing was told that he tested positive for cocaine when police stopped him outside his home on August 28 last year. And he then pleaded guilty to driving a Renault Megane without a licence or MOT certificate – again on Bulteel Street – on December 19 and that he failed to stop for a police officer. The case was adjourned until April 25 for the preparation of pre-sentence reports before which an interim driving ban was imposed.