Wigan's week in court

A Wigan carer who stole more than £22,000 from three vulnerable people has been jailed. A judge at Bolton Crown Court has sentenced Michael Peet, 43, of Eccleston Street, Swinley, to 12 months in prison after hearing about his vile crimes. The 43-year-old fleeced three vulnerable people he was

supposedly looking after out of £22,338 by bank card fraud. From one man he stole a total of £7,860, from another he took £5,918 and from a woman he

syphoned off a total of £8,560. The court heard the crimes took place between May 25 and August 31 last year. Peet pleaded guilty to making numerous fraudulent withdrawals using debit cards belonging to his victims when he appeared before Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court last month. As well as sending him to prison, the crown court judge ordered him to pay a surcharge of £156 to help fund services for victims.

A carer who stole £28,500 from a vulnerable woman she was looking after has been given a suspended prison sentence. Carrie Chadwick, 41, of Alder

Avenue, Pemberton, admitted taking money from Elizabeth Lancaster during an earlier court hearing. A judge at Bolton Crown Court has now handed own a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, along with 50 rehabilitation activity days and 240 hours of unpaid work. Chadwick had previously been charged with neglecting the vulnerable woman and stealing from a man, but those charges were dropped.

A Wigan woman has denied committing two public order offences and will stand trial later this year. Amy Derbyshire, 38, of Marlborough Avenue, Ince, is

charged with using threatening or abusive words or behaviour, intending to cause alarm or distress, on April 20. She is also accused of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress on the same day. Mark Kelly, 60, of Chatsworth Avenue, Ince, also faces this charge and has pleaded not guilty. They will both stand trial at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court on November 21 and were remanded on conditional bail.

A Wigan man has appeared in court after a wooden desk was dumped in Warrington. Paul Hart, 42, of Munro Avenue, Orrell, is accused of knowingly causing controlled waste to be deposited from the car onto land next to Kingfisher Close, Warrington, without an environmental permit. He was remanded on unconditional bail and will appear at Warrington Magistrates' Court on September 28.

The case of a driver accused of a host of motoring offences will be heard in court next month. David Bennett, 42, of Hampson Court, Leigh, has already pleaded not guilty to driving without due care and attention, without a licence and without insurance on Scholes on August 26, 2021. He also denied failing to stop at the scene of an accident and failing to report the accident within 24 hours. Wigan magistrates remanded him on unconditional bail and a case management hearing will take place on September 8.

A teenager has been ordered to carry out unpaid work after pleading guilty to dangerous driving. Martin Ward, 18, of Belmont Avenue, Bickershaw, drove the blue Peugeot dangerously in Walkden and Farnworth on August 12, 2021. Wigan magistrates sentenced him to a 12-month community order with 250 hours of unpaid work and banned him from driving for 12 months. He must also pay a £95 victim surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.

A Wigan man has pleaded not guilty to drink-driving. Vincent Aldenzee, 37, of Lower Longshoot, Scholes, is charged with driving on Ridyard Street on June 10 with 40mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath – over the legal limit of 35mcg. Wigan magistrates remanded him on unconditional bail until a trial on

November 29.

A Wigan man caught driving at seven miles per hour over the speed limit has been ordered to pay £100. Rolandas Jakimavicius, 48, of Foxtail Meadow, Scholes, pleaded guilty to driving at 47mph on a 40mph road in Leicester on October 25. Wigan justices ordered him to pay a £66 fine and £34 victim surcharge, while his driving licence was endorsed with three points.

A Wigan man has been charged with stealing two robots from a supermarket. Glen Mather, 39, of Priory Road, Ashton, is alleged to have taken the robots, worth £70, from Aldi on February 16. He will appear before Wigan magistrates on August 26.

A man found with a knife in a public place has been left with a hefty bill. Ryan Baybutt, 22, of Belvedere Place, Worsley Mesnes, pleaded guilty to carrying a flip knife on Farr Close on May 9. Wigan justices impose a 12-month community order with 30 rehabilitation activity days. Baybutt was ordered to pay a £100 fine, £95 victim surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.

A Wigan man who had denied stalking a woman and threatening to share a private photograph of her has changed his pleas to guilty. Ian Dickinson, 57, of Livingstone Street, Ashton, has now admitted stalking the woman and causing her distress by phoning, sending text messages and turning up at her house between May 6 and 13. He also caused £100 worth of damage to her kitchen floor on May 8 and threatened to share a private sexual photograph

without her consent on May 7. Dickinson had pleaded not guilty to all charges and arrangements were being made for a trial, but he has now pleaded guilty. Wigan justices decided to remand him on bail until September 6 so a pre-sentence report can be prepared. Dickinson must not contact the

woman or anyone in her family and must not go to a named road in Ashton.

A Wigan woman has admitted using or threatening to use violence at a supermarket. Claire Forbes, 41, of Millers Lane, Platt Bridge, had previously pleaded guilty to stealing items worth £59.80 from Iceland in Platt Bridge on October 30. She had denied using or threatening to use violence on the same day, but has now changed her plea to guilty. Forbes also admitted failing to attend Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court while she was on bail. Justices remanded her on unconditional bail until sentencing on September 5.

A man who assaulted a woman and damaged her belongings has now been jailed, after Wigan magistrates decide to revoke the community order he was initially given. Justices imposed the order in May last year after Joshua Birchall, 27, was convicted of assaulting Emma Halliday by beating her and causing £250 worth of damage to several of her items on May 7, 2021. But Birchall, who has no fixed address but previously lived in Atherton, has now admitted breaching the community order by failing to attend planned appointments and not providing evidence for his absence. Magistrates decided to revoke the order and sent him to prison for 16 weeks for the assault, with four weeks for the criminal damage to run concurrently. They said they were serious offences committed in a domestic setting while Birchall was under the influence of drugs, and he had failed to comply with the order.

A man who admitted assaulting two people has been ordered to pay them £1,500 in compensation. Dale Hamer, 29, of Quayside, Leigh, pleaded guilty to assaulting Lee Peake and Jennifer Peake by beating them on July 17 last year. Wigan magistrates imposed a 12-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation activities. Hamer must pay £1,000 compensation to Ms Peake and £500 to Mr Peake.

A motorist who got behind the wheel while he was almost double the drink-drive limit has received an 18-month ban. Derrick Mhlaba, 43, of Car Bank

Street, Atherton, pleaded guilty to driving a BMW on June 23 while he had 67mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit for driving is 35mcg. He also admitted driving without insurance on the same day. Wigan justices handed down an 18-month disqualification and ordered him to pay a £120 fine,

£85 prosecution costs and £48 victim surcharge.

A Wigan man has admitted going into a shed, intending to steal from it. Dean Bootle, 33, of Wesley Street, Pemberton, pleaded guilty to trespassing in the outbuilding on Preston Road on July 9. Wigan magistrates imposed a 12-month community order with 15 days of rehabilitation activities. He must also pay a £40 fine and £200 compensation.

A man has pleaded guilty to stalking. Kevin James, 58, of Church Drive, Orrell, admitted placing a tracker on Marie Gerval's car to monitor her movements

between November 3 and 20. Wigan justices adjourned the hearing until September 15 so a pre-sentence report could be prepared. James was remanded on bail with a condition not to contact Ms Gerval directly or indirectly.

A Wigan man has been banned from the roads for two years after being caught behind the wheel while three-times over the drink-drive limit. Warren McKenzie, 64, of Pilgrims Way, Standish, pleaded guilty to driving a white Peugeot on Leyland Mill Lane on May 27 with 109mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit for driving is 35mcg. He also admitted driving without insurance. Wigan magistrates sentenced him to a 12-month community order, with treatment for alcohol dependency and 20 days of rehabilitation activities, and disqualified him from driving for 24 months. McKenzie must also pay a fine of £344, victim surcharge of £114 and £85 prosecution costs.

A crown court judge will hear the case of a Wigan man accused of having both class A and class B drugs with intent to supply them. Ben Smith, 27, of Scholes, Scholes, has been charged with possession of cocaine and cannabis, with intent to supply them to someone else, on August 17, 2020. Wigan magistrates sent the case to Bolton Crown Court, where Smith will appear on September 21. He was remanded on unconditional bail until then.

A Wigan shoplifter who went into a supermarket with a weapon will be sentenced next month. Wayne McMahon, 38, of Kitt Green Road, Marsh Green, previously pleaded guilty to stealing Easter eggs from Aldi, on Scot Lane, and a £40 bike lock from Halfords, on Warrington Road, both on April 5. He had denied carrying a large screw into Aldi and two counts of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour, but was found guilty. McMahon has also now been charged with breaching bail conditions by failing to attend Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court on July 18. He will be sentenced on September 15 and was remanded on conditional bail until then.

A man has appeared in court accused of possessing two class A drugs with intent to supply them. Warren Grady, 46, of Avon Road, Worsley Hall, is alleged to have had crack cocaine and diamorphine on July 7, 2021. Wigan magistrates sent the case to Bolton Crown Court and he was remanded on unconditional bail until a hearing there on September 21.

A woman has been charged with possessing cocaine and cannabis, with intent to supply them. Samantha Cunliffe, 25, of Linney Square, Scholes, is accused of having the class A and B drugs on August 17, 2020. She will appear at Bolton Crown Court on September 21. She was remanded on unconditional bail.

A man will appear in court later this month accused of assault. David Cobley, 33, of Manchester Road, Ince, is charged with assaulting John Barns by beating him on June 23. He will appear at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court on August 31.

A Wigan motorist who failed to provide a breath sample to the police has been banned from the roads for three years. Robert Chambers, 44, of Mossfields, Wrightington, pleaded guilty to not giving the specimen for analysis on May 29. Wigan magistrates imposed a 12-month community order, with requirements to stay abstinent for 120 days and to attend 20 days of rehabilitation activities. Chambers was disqualified from driving for 36 months and must pay a £100 fine, £95 victim surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.

A woman has admitted assaulting a police officer by beating him. Michelle Hedley, 37, of Anchor Field, Leigh, attacked PC Latham on May 22. Wigan justices adjourned the hearing so a pre-sentence report could be prepared. Hedley will be sentenced on September 7 and was remanded on unconditional bail until then.

A man has been fined £200 for failing to comply with supervision requirements after being released from prison. Jason Ward, 54, of Belmont Avenue, Bickershaw, admitted not staying in contact with a responsible officer.

A Wigan man has been banned from calling the emergency services and received a suspended prison sentence after admitting making malicious communications. Jason Chadwick, 54, of Millgate, in Wigan town centre, pleaded guilty to persistently using a public electronic communications network to cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another. The offence happened between August 7, 2021 and March 23, 2022. Due to the "serious disruption" caused to the emergency services, Wigan magistrates decided to sentence Chadwick to six weeks in prison, but suspended it for 18 months. He must comply with a period of supervision, which includes an alcohol treatment programme and 27 days of rehabilitation activities.