Wigan's week in court

A drug addict who assaulted a security guard has been given a community punishment. Wigan justices heard that 33-year-old Craig Dean, of Sunderland Place, Wigan, attacked John-Paul Ruttledge on April 23 last year.

Pleading guilty to the single charge of assault by beating of a emergency worker, Dean was put on a nine-month drug rehabilitation programme and ordered to complete 25 days of rehabilitation activities.

He must also pay a fine, compensation, costs and a victim services surcharge totalling £460.

A Wigan woman has been accused of launching a vicious Christmas Eve attack. Chantelle Foster, 32, of Rivington Drive, Bickershaw is charged with intending to cause Mark Seddon grievous bodily harm - the most serious form of assault after attempted murder - on December 24 last year.

She has yet to enter a plea on the assault charge but has pleaded guilty to a bail breach committed on April 24.

Wigan justices released her on conditional bail until she appears before a Bolton Crown Court judge on October 5.

A sex offender has been fined for failing to notify the authorities with his personal details days after being released from custody.

Samuel Grundy, 26, of Brambling Way, Lowton, stood before Wigan magistrates to plead guilty to the breach of the Sexual Offences Act by not observing notification requirements on March 10.

His fine, court costs and victim services surcharge came to £525.

A 21-year-old has admitted launching a savage attack. James Piper, currently of HMP Preston, appeared before borough magistrates to plead guilty to unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on Lee Dainty in Wigan on August 23 last year.

He was committed to Bolton Crown Court where he will be sentenced on May 25.

A dog owner admits she failed to stop her pet from savaging someone. Julie Knight, 55, of Barn Lane, Golborne, stood before Wigan justices to admit being in charge of a grey Weimeraner which injured a named male while out of control in Legh Street, Golborne on April 15.

Sentencing was adjourned until May 19 for the preparation of reports.

A 55-year-old Wigan man has denied being a drug peddler. Andrew Bullough, of Withington Lane, New Springs, stood before borough justices to plead not guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to supply it and possession of criminal proceeds: namely £10,757 in cash on July 15 2019.

Bullough also denies refusing to give a password key to police trying to access a mobile phone on January 18 last year in contravention of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act of 2000.

He was released on unconditional bail pending a first appearance before a Bolton Crown Court judge on June 1.

Two men have been accused of trying to break into a Wigan shop.

Callum Hugill, 23, of Cheltenham Avenue, Ince, and 29-year-old Steven Hayes, of Linney Square, Scholes, appeared before borough magistrates charged with entering as trespassers Ainscough's news and convenience store with intent to steal on April 18.

They were bailed unconditionally until a further appearance before the court on May 19.

A Wigan teenager has been charged with hurling racist threats.

Michael Bate, 19, of Warrington Road, Abram, appeared before borough justices accused of using threatening, insulting or abusive words or behaviour against Nagina Iqbar on May 24 last year in Leigh and that what he said was racially aggravated.

The case was adjourned until July 25.

The theft of £200 worth of oil filters has landed a Wigan man a 12-month conditional discharge.

Thomas McSpirit, 27, of Marus Avenue, Marus Bridge, stood before borough justices to plead guilty to stealing the items from Lewis Barrett on March 19.

As well as the discharge, his punishment includes paying costs and a victim surcharge totalling £107.

An uninsured motorist who drove through Wigan while under the influence of cocaine and cannabis has been banned from the road for 12 months.

Daniel Howarth, 34, of Banner Street, Ince, appeared before magistrates to admit to the drug-driving and insurance offences committed while at the wheel of a Vauxhall Corsa on Windleshaw Street on December 4.

Fines, costs and a victim surcharge mean he also has to pay £359 as well as serve the disqualification.

A young woman has denied not looking after two dogs properly.

Scarlett Orlik, 22, of Bolton House Road, Bickershaw, stood before justices to plead not guilty to a charge that did "not take reasonable steps to ensure that the needs of an animal for which she was responsible, namely two dogs, were met to the extent required by good practice in that she failed to provide a suitable environment, failed to provide a suitable diet and failed to allow the dogs to exhibit their normal behaviour patterns."

The case was adjourned until the trial on August 2.

A van man has admitted to driving dangerously while on his mobile.

Mark Martin, 41, of Car Street, Platt Bridge, appeared before Wigan justices to plead guilty to driving dangerously a Ford Transit on Powell Street, driving while using a hand-held phone and failing to give police a breath or blood sample.

All the offences took place on March 25. He was sent to Bolton Crown Court where a judge will sentence him on May 25.

A woman accused of burglary has finally admitted to the crime.

Kerry Taylor, 45, of Linney Square, Scholes, had been due to stand trial at Bolton Crown Court charged with stealing a vacuum cleaner and large vanity case worth £800 from a home in Lincoln Drive, Aspull on December 12 2020.

But at her latest appearance she changed her plea to guilty and is now due to be sentence at the same court on May 16.

A Leigh man has avoided an immediate jail sentence after admitting to intimidating a juror and possessing an offensive weapon, namely a hammer.

Jordan Felton, 28, of Dorothy Grove, appeared before a Bolton judge to plead guilty to the two charges.

He was given a total of 12 months in prison but the term was suspended for 18 months.

He is the subject of a three-year restraining order, must pay £65 in compensation, complete 15 days of rehabilitation activities and forfeit the hammer.

A co-accused - 27-year-old Cameron Johnston, of George Street, Ashton, who has admitted to a number of offences including two physical assaults, one sexual assault, issuing threats and weapon possession will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court on June 29.

A Wigan hotel resident has denied a charge of assault.

Amjad Aljarad, 26, of the Britannia Hotel in Standish, appeared before borough justices accused of attacking Abdul al Suweidi on April 22.

After entering a not guilty plea, Aljarad was granted conditional bail until his trial at the same court on July 11.

A man who punched and spat on two people has been jailed for 10 weeks.

Martin Wilding, 34, of Greenside Close, Standish, stood before Wigan magistrates to admit to the assault by beating of public servants Leon Ashcroft and Aiden Dickinson on April 21.

The hearing was told that the attacks were aggravated by the fact that they were committed while Wilding was on licence from prison and that he was the subject of a conditional discharge for theft at the time.

He was ordered to pay £100 compensation to his victims.

A young Wigan man is facing a four-figure bill for fly-tipping offences.

Daniel Cadman, 23, of Inward Drive, Shevington, stood before borough justices to admit to dumping household items, children's toys, buckets, chairs and a blanket on land at Close Lane, Hindley, on June 25 2020 without there being a waste management licence in force.

He then failed to provide documents requested by the waste regulation authority, namely Wigan Council, by the due date of August 29 that year.

Cadman was fined and also ordered to pay court costs and a victim services surcharge totalling £1,145.

One of Wigan’s most prolific criminals was back thieving within days of his latest spell behind bars, justices heard.

Last October Arthur McLean, of no fixed address, appeared before Wigan and Leigh justices to admit stealing wine and cider from B&M Bargains in Standishgate on September 21 and shaving products from the Grand Arcade’s Boots store on September 29.

This breached of a criminal behaviour order and also admitted to failing to adhere to supervision requirements following a previous spell behind bars.

As a result he was sent to prison for a year. Time served, he came out of jail only to be arrested for stealing six boxes of fragrance from TK Maxx on April 27, the court heard.

The now 51-year-old has been given a 12-month conditional discharge and he must also pay £107 in court costs and a victim services surcharge.

A man is beginning a 10-week spell in prison after admitting to an attack and two counts of harassment.

Dominic Chinemchute, 29, of Springfield Street, Wigan, stood before borough magistrates to plead guilty to the assault by beating of Nikki Kerslake on December 14, and also to threatening or harassing both James Holt and Johnny Alias on February 10.

As well as the custodial sentence, Chinemchute was ordered to pay a total of £228 in compensation, victim surcharges and costs.

An arrest warrant has been issued by magistrates after a Wigan man accused of drug-driving and having fake plates on his vehicle failed to show.

Paul Pennington, 37, of McAuley Place, Goose Green, had been due to appear before justices to face a charge of driving a Ford Transit van in Queen Street on October 22 while under the influence of cocaine, without insurance cover and fraudulently using a registration mark.

But after failing to appear, the bench issued a warrant for his arrest.

A man who vandalised a car has been ordered to pay compensation to its owner.

Steven Burke, 33, of Ingram Street, Platt Bridge, stood before Wigan justices to admit causing criminal damage to a Vauxhall Astra belonging to Paul Harrison on April 24 last year.

With costs, a victim services surcharge and fine added to the compensation, the defendant has £359 to pay.

A 29-year-old Wigan man accused of an attack and harassment is on the run from the law.

Jason Kelly, 29, of Inward Drive, Shevington, had been due to appear before borough magistrates charged with the assault by beating of Joshua Crooks and threatening Michael Brewster on October 11 last year.

But he failed to show and so the bench issued an arrest warrant.

A motorist has been banned from the road for three years after police caught him at the wheel while he was high on cocaine and cannabis.

Lee Lyon, 39, of Wigan Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, appeared before Wigan justices to plead guilty to giving blood samples which showed levels of the class A and B drugs above the legal limit after he was stopped in an Audi on Woodlands Road, Ince, last December 11.

As well as the driving disqualification, Lyon was ordered to pay a fine, victim services surcharge and costs totalling £580.

A young driver has received a further road ban plus community punishments after he was found at the wheel while disqualified.

Jack Lally, 23, of Brocstedes Avenue, Ashton, stood before borough justices to plead guilty to driving while banned and uninsured when in a Land Rover Discovery near his home on March 20.

His sentence includes being under an electronically-tagged curfew from 8pm to 6am for the next six months, completing 15 days of rehabilitation activities, paying £180 towards victim services and costs while having another 12 months added to his road ban.

A Wigan 22-year-old who tested positive for cocaine when at the wheel of a car has been banned from the road for 12 months.

Callum Wood, of Bombay Road, Marsh Green, stood before Wigan magistrates to admit to drug-driving along with charges of driving without insurance or a licence, when police stopped a Vauxhall Corsa on Chapel Lane, Wigan, last November 5.

He must pay a fine and victim services surcharge which come to £154.

A 26-month road ban has been imposed on a Wigan motorist who was caught at the wheel when more than three times the drink-drive limit.

John Banks, 56, of Sefton Road, Ashton, failed a breath test when police stopped a Mini Cooper on Edge Green Lane, on March 22, borough justices heard.

He gave a reading of 112 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

The bench told Banks that he can reduce the disqualification to 26 weeks if he completes a state-sanctioned course for drink-drivers.

But he must also complete 80 hours of unpaid work and pay a victim services surcharge and costs totalling £180.

A Wigan woman has denied attacking three people.

Katie Allen, 24, of Hawthorn Rise, Whelley, stood before Wigan justices to plead not guilty to the assaults by beating of Benjamin Allen, Bethany Alder and Karen O'Connor in Leigh on November 29.

However she has admitted to smashing a £50 vase belonging to Mr Allen on the same occasion.

The bench adjourned the case until a trial at the same court on July 22, before which she has been released on conditional bail.

A Wigan pensioner accused of molesting a woman has died before his case could properly go before the court.

A warrant had been issued by borough magistrates last month after 75-year-old Thomas Aspey, of Kitt Green Road, Kitt Green, failed to appear for a hearing.

Soon after news of the warrant was published by Wigan Today, a reader got in touch to say she thought that the man who had not turned up for court was the same Thomas Aspey whose family she knew and whose funeral had recently taken place.

Wigan Today immediately contacted the courts with the information, but only this week, following confirmation to justices by Greater Manchester Police, has the warrant be cancelled and the case terminated.

The offence of sexual touching without consent was alleged to have taken place on May 20 last year.