Wigan's week in court

A man who admitted assaulting two emergency workers has been found guilty of a racially aggravated attack on a man on the same day.

Raymond Rigby, 34, of Inglewhite, Skelmersdale, had denied assaulting PC Georgina Newcombe and PCSO Karl Melling by beating them on June 6.

Preparations were being made for a trial, but he has now changed his pleas to guilty.

Rigby had also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Mehdi Zaki by beating him in a racially aggravated offence on the same day, but has been found guilty.

A charge of assaulting Mr Zaki by beating him - which Rigby had also denied - was withdrawn and no evidence was offered.

Wigan magistrates decided to adjourn the case so a pre-sentence report could be prepared.

Rigby will return to court on September 9 for sentencing.

He was remanded on bail until then, with conditions which include not contacting Mr Zaki, an overnight curfew and to not go into Wigan except for in certain circumstances.

A Wigan teenager accused of carrying out a mugging will have to wait nearly a year to stand trial.

Paul Lafrenz, 19, of Norfolk Close, Hindley, faces a single charge of robbing Harold Winstanley of £170 on March 29.

He appeared at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court last month and the case was sent to Bolton Crown Court due to the seriousness of the alleged offence.

Lafrenz has now appeared before a judge there and a trial date was set for July 5, 2023.

A trial date has been set for a man accused of taking a meat cleaver to a school as parents were collecting their children.

Anthony Hughes, 46, of Darlington Street, Tyldesley, was charged with affray and possession of a bladed article after an incident at St George’s Central Primary School in Tyldesley last month.

He has now appeared at Bolton Crown Court, where the next hearing was scheduled for September 29 and a trial was listed to begin on January 2.

A man who denied assaulting a woman by beating her has changed his plea to guilty.

Conner Bradley, 23, of Selwyn Street, Leigh, attacked Tyler Mayoh Greenacre on July 25, 2021.

Wigan justices adjourned the case until September 9 so a pre-sentence report could be prepared.

Bradley was remanded on bail with conditions which include not contacting the victim.

A man who denies carrying out an assault will stand trial later this year.

Martin Hegarty, 64, of Beacon Heights, Up Holland, has been charged with assaulting a man by beating him on December 21.

A trial will be held at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court on November 15.

He was remanded on unconditional bail until then.

A trial date has been set for a man accused of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour.

Francis Porter, 38, of Heather Grove, Worsley Hall, pleaded not guilty to the allegation, which is said to have happened on April 2 in Wigan.

A trial will be held at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court on December 13 and he was remanded on unconditional bail until then.

A man has been left with a hefty bill after stealing a television.

Daniel Simm, 31, whose address was given as homelessness and poverty charity The Brick, had denied taking the £400 television belonging to William Higham, but has now changed his plea to guilty.

Wigan justices imposed a two-year conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £400 compensation, £200 prosecution costs and £22 to fund services for victims.

A Wigan man charged with using controlling and coercive behaviour over a four-year period will stand trial later this year.

Joshua Jones, 24, of Heber Street, Ince, is alleged to have used verbal and physical abuse towards his partner between September 2017 and August 2021, including controlling items of clothing and her movements.

He pleaded not guilty to the offence earlier this year and a trial date has now been set for December 14 at Bolton Magistrates' Court.

Jones was remanded on unconditional bail until then.

A Wigan man who admitted assaulting a security guard has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Peter Howarth, 28, of Wesley Street, Pemberton, attacked John Hayworth on April 15.

A judge at Bolton Crown Court has now imposed a 36-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Howarth must also complete 150 hours of unpaid work, 20 days of rehabilitation activities and nine months of alcohol treatment.

He had already been cleared of assaulting nurse Paul Bullough, when no evidence was offered by the prosecution.

A Wigan man has admitted stealing bottles of whisky worth more than £300 and driving dangerously on the same day.

Derek McGlagan, 48, of Sycamore Avenue, Golborne, pleaded guilty to stealing the bottles, worth £313.40, and driving dangerously on the M6 southbound in Tebay, Cumbria, on February 14.

He also admitted failing to provide a specimen of urine when requested by police on the same day.

Wigan magistrates decided to send the case to Bolton Crown Court, where McGlagan will be sentenced on September 21.

He was remanded on unconditional bail and an interim driving ban was imposed.

A man who used threatening or abusive words or behaviour towards staff at Wigan Infirmary has been jailed.

Sidney Speakman, 24, of no fixed address, has pleaded guilty to committing a series of offences at the hospital on February 1.

He used threatening or abusive words or behaviour towards Laura Morris, Chloe Rimmer and Louise Traynor, and committed the same offence towards Ali Elnogomi, but it was racially aggravated.

He also used threatening words or behaviour towards Rhys Marcelsanca and Joseph Harrison, making them believe violence would be used, and was in possession of class A drug cocaine and class B drug cannabis.

Speakman was jailed for a total of 20 weeks, with magistrates citing the offences being against public sector workers in a hospital among the reasons they were so serious.

He was also ordered to pay compensation totalling £250.

A young woman denies travelling in a car she knew had been taken without the owner's consent.

Kasi Holden-Boyle, 20, of Falconwood Close, Springfield, is alleged to have been in the Volkswagen Golf on June 27.

She was remanded on unconditional bail until a trial at Bolton Magistrates' Court on November 16.

A man who failed to provide a sample to police to see if he had taken class A drugs has been fined £120.

Dylan Ashcroft, 20, of Thelwall Close, Leigh, must also pay £85 prosecution costs and £48 to fund services for victims.

A man who denies making and possessing indecent images of children will stand trial later this year.

Daniel Healey, 32, of Crossfield Road, Skelmersdale, is charged with having 52 prohibited images of children, as well as making 10 category B images of children and 11 category C images between August 17, 2018 and August 14, 2019.

He is also accused of having an extreme pornographic image involving a horse.

Healey has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and will stand trial at Stockport Magistrates' Court on December 12.

He was remanded on unconditional bail until then.

A motorist who admitted driving without insurance has been fined £215.

Richard Jevsejevs, 30, of Lancaster Road, Marsh Green, must also pay an £86 victim surcharge and £84 costs.

His driving licence was endorsed with six points.

Two people have pleaded guilty to carrying out assaults at a Wigan bar. Catherine Cannon, 30, of Prestt Grove, Worsley Mesnes, caused actual bodily harm to Nicola Phillips at Harry's Bar on October 22.

Lee Dutch, 29, of the same address, committed the same offence against Christopher Nye.

Wigan magistrates adjourned the hearing until September 20 so pre-sentence reports could be prepared.

They were both remanded on unconditional bail.

A man will be sentenced next month after admitting assaulting a woman and trying to damage a car window.

Michael Medley, 34, of York Avenue, Tyldesley, also pleaded guilty to having kitchen knives in a public place.

He will appear at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court on September 27.

He was remanded on bail with conditions which include not contacting the car's owner.

A trial date has been set for a man who denies dumping a handsaw, takeaway packaging, carpet. leaves and other items.

George Roberts, 30, of Bryn Gates Lane, Bamfurlong, is charged with leaving waste on a track to the rear of Carr Common Road, Hindley Green, on September 29, 2020, despite there being no waste management licence in place.

He is also accused of failing to comply with a notice served by Wigan Council the following month.

Wigan magistrates have now scheduled a trial for December 8.

The sentencing of a man who assaulted a police officer has been delayed until next month.

A pre-sentence report will be prepared for Nathan Sale, 27, of Hope Carr Lane, Leigh, before he appears at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court again on September 12.

He has already pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer on June 8 and using threatening or abusive words or behaviour to her and two other officers.

He was remanded on bail.

A Wigan man denies assaulting a man and damaging two car windows will stand trial later this year.

Glen Singleton, 26, of Sandy Lane, Hindley, is accused of carrying out the offences in Bolton on April 19.

He is further charged with damaging the window of a caravan at a holiday park in Penrith on July 9, 2021.

Wigan justices scheduled a trial for December 5 at Bolton Magistrates' Court and decided to remand Singleton on conditional bail.

A motorist who failed to provide a breath sample to the police for analysis has been banned from the roads for 20 months.

Mihai Vasile, 33, of Railway Road, Leigh, had denied committing the offence on September 21 last year, but was found guilty after a trial.

He has now been disqualified from driving for 20 months and given a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work and 32 days of rehabilitation activities.

He was ordered to pay prosecution costs of £650 and a victim surcharge of £95.

A court case involving a man who assaulted two people and obstructed a police officer has been dropped after it was confirmed he had died.

Neil Baggaley, 40, of Jasmine Avenue, Worsley Hall, had pleaded guilty to assaulting a man and woman by beating them on July 7, along with obstructing PC Potts in the execution of her duty.

He was due to be sentenced at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court, but the offences were withdrawn following his death.

A shoplifter who stole alcohol worth £150 from a Wigan shop - despite being subject to a community order for other offences - has been given a suspended prison sentence. Kerry Monks, 34, of Reedsmere Close, Newtown, pleaded guilty to taking the drinks from the Co-op store in Winstanley on August 21.

A community order had already been imposed by Wigan magistrates in June, after she committed nine other thefts.

These included stealing items worth hundreds of pounds from Gee Tee's, Boots and Asda.

Monks was also subject to a 12-month conditional discharge handed down in August for three further thefts from shops.

Justices sentenced her to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, due to the seriousness of the offences and the fact they were committed while she was under the community order and conditional discharge.

She must do 100 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months, attend 32 days of rehabilitation activities and pay a fine of £128.

A Wigan Athletic fan accused of having a blue flare at a match has seen the case dismissed.

Cameron Hendy, 28, of North Down Road, Plymouth, had been charged with having the flare on April 2, during Latics' match against Bolton Wanderers.

He had pleaded not guilty and has now been cleared after a trial at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court.

His costs, including an amount for legal costs, will be paid from central funds.

Two men who assaulted a total of five people - including three police officers will be sentenced by a crown court judge.

Jordan Collier, 28, of Fell Street, Leigh, and Callum Hugill, 23, of Chapel Street, Leigh, pleaded guilty to a host of offences that took place on January 17.

They assaulted Alam Kabir and Rohan Kenny at Asda in Leigh, stole a bottle of alcohol worth £30 from the supermarket, and stole a crate of beer worth £16 from Lidl in Wigan. On the same day,

Collier assaulted PCs Clarke and Olson-Hill and Hugill assaulted Special Constable Lavery.

They have also been charged with entering a property on Lord Street, Leigh, with intent to steal, for which they will stand trial.

Collier and Hugill will appear at Bolton Crown Court on September 26 and were remanded on unconditional bail until then.

An allegation that Hugill stole tools and machinery worth between £4,000 and £5,000 from Tower's Building, on Wallgate, Wigan, was dismissed when no evidence was offered to the court.

A man has denied following a woman, sending her text messages and turning up at her workplace.

Mark Vernal, 41, of Dumbarton Green, Beech Hill, is charged with causing the woman to fear that violence would be used against her, due to his behaviour between December 6, 2020 and April 18, 2021.

He has pleaded not guilty and a trial will be held at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court on December 6.

Vernal was remanded on unconditional bail.