Wigan's week in court

Two Wigan men are awaiting their fates after admitting to dog cruelty in relation to separate cases of ear-cropping.

Both Jamie Evans, 30, of Keble Street, Ince, and Joshua Kwiatkowski, 24, of Rose Avenue, Beech Hill had initially denied the charges against them but, before trials could take place they changed their pleas.

Borough magistrates heard that Evans and Kwiatkowski allowed unknown persons to carry out the illegal practice of ear-cropping on their bull-type dogs, named Riga and Ace respectively, and subsequently failed to seek veterinary care for their injuries.

Kwiatkowski's offences were committed on December 20 2020 and Evans's on January 17 2021.

They are both being prosecuted under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act.

The bench adjourned the cases until May 9 to give time for presentence reports to be drawn up and they were both released on unconditional bail.

A man accused of breaching Covid restrictions by attending a Wigan gathering when the pandemic was at its height has walked free from court after the case against him collapsed.

Jack Blythman, 27, of Hall Lane, Wigan, had denied attending an outdoor gathering of two or more people in Montrose Avenue, Norley, on January 17 2021, when the area was under Tier Four restrictions as decreed by the 2020 Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations.

But at the latest hearing at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court, the prosecution offered no evidence and the defendant was told he was free to go.

A woman has been fined for shoplifting in Wigan.

Julie Rowson, 56, of Ascot Drive, Knowsley in Merseyside, appeared before borough justices to admit stealing an unknown quantity of cosmetics from Boots in Wigan on September 15 2021.

When court costs and a victim services surcharge were added to her penalty, Rowson has £244 to pay.

A Wigan teenager has been convicted of hurling threats and being armed with a machete.

Callum Cox, 18, of Belle Green Lane, Ince, had denied threatening unlawful violence and having the sheathed blade in a Premier Express Store in Leigh on May 4 last year. But after a trial at the borough's magistrates' court he was found guilty of both counts.

He was remanded in custody pending sentence.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a Wigan shopkeeper accused of selling dozens of packets of counterfeit cigarettes from his town centre store.

Delshad Ali, 50, of Raby Street, Moss Side, is charged with planning to sell 45 packets of fake Richmond cigarettes, 42 packs of Lambert and Butler Original, six packs of Amber Leaf loose tobacco, two packs of Benson and Hedges Gold and 10 packs of Mayfair cigarettes at Euro Shop (Wigan) Ltd, on Wallgate.

He is also accused of having 10 packets of fake Richmond cigarettes and selling various counterfeit brands of cigarettes that did not comply with regulations, as they had health warnings in another language and packaging in an incorrect colour.

The offences are alleged to have happened in August and September 2021.

The business itself also faces the same charges.

After Ali failed to turn up for a court hearing, Wigan and Leigh magistrates issued an arrest warrant and adjourned the case until May 12.

A total of 11 parents of Wigan pupils have been fined over the youngsters' persistent truancy.

And those mums and dads who themselves failed to attend court are the ones facing the biggest bills.

Of the 10 pupils who had regularly bunked off class during the autumn term of 2022, seven attend Dean Trust Wigan in Orrell, the bench heard.

Those who turned up and admitted to the offence were penalised far less than the no shows who were proved guilty in their absence.

Dave Holden and Vicki Sheridan of Greenwood Avenue, Worsley Hall, were both fined, ordered to pay costs and a victim services surcharge over their son's truancy.

Because they didn't turn up at court they must shell out £816.

Zoe Barnes, of Selkirk Grove, Norley, must pay £408 for her daughter's absences after being proved guilty in her absence.

It was an identical fate for Vanessa Barnes, of Norley Hall Avenue, and so too Michael Walsh of Poplar Avenue, Worsley Hall, for their daughter and son's absenteeism respectively coupled with their own failure to attend the court.

But the mums of two other Dean Trust Wigan pupils who did appear when requested and pleaded guilty - Emma Greenhalgh, of Sinclair Place, Worsley Hall and Rachel Taberner, of Scot Lane, Newtown - were treated more leniently for their daughters' truancy, facing bills of £184 and £60 respectively.

But it wasn't only parents of Dean Trust Wigan pupils who were prosecuted that day. Laura Brogan, of Balharry Avenue, St Helens, faced the £408 bill after skipping court just as her son did lessons at Ashton's St Edmund Arrowsmith High School.

And Victoria Heaton, of Kingsley Avenue, Worsley Mesnes, and Neil Naughton, of Lady Lane in Goose Green, both pleaded guilty and so were hit in the pocket to the tune of £256 and £60 respectively for their children's absences from Hawkley Hall High School.

Five members of a Wigan gun gang who brought terror to the North West’s streets have been caged for almost half a century.

Detectives say the thugs, whose criminality at one point led to the serious injury of a taxi driver in a car smash, had links to an organised crime group which had been involved in a number of disputes with other criminals.

The first incident occurred on Sunday December 8 2019 when Aaron Gray and Dominic Hughes took part in a drive-by shooting drove at premises on Eccles New Road, Salford.

When fleeing the scene, the pair caused a road smash in which a local cabbie suffered serious injuries which left him unable to work for months, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The group were caught on CCTV running from the chaos they’d caused and disposing of their clothes, balaclavas, and the loaded firearm in a nearby bin.

On Monday April 27 2020, Greater Manchester Police executed a warrant at an address in Radcliffe connected to Ian Wharmby.

Here, officers recovered a firearm, wrapped in a sock, hidden behind a fridge.

Examinations confirmed this was the firearm used to fire a bullet at a house on Coniston Avenue, Whitefield.

During the search of his home, officers were able to recover mobile devices that helped link the firearm to each of the men associated with the conspiracy, including messages from Craig Walker where he arranged to obtain the firearm for Jacob Smith who had decided to take matters into his own hands after an alleged attack on a family friend.

These texts detailed the entire transaction and more.

Within 30 minutes of the transaction, Wharmby was tasked with dropping the firearm off in Swinton.

In an attempt to evade detection during the peak of COVID lockdown, he used his work van to transport the firearm as he thought that would be less suspicious.

In addition to the firearms offences, each of the individuals were heavily involved with the supply of cocaine, heroin and cannabis.

Dominic Hughes, 29, of Glover Court, Leigh, was found guilty of two counts of possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear and aggravated vehicle-taking.

He pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis.

He was jailed for 18 years.

Aaron Gray, 26, of no fixed address, was found guilty of two counts of possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life and aggravated vehicle-taking.

He admitted to possession of cocaine with intent supply and was jailed for 14 years.

Craig Walker, 40, of Warrington Road, Wigan, and 21-year-old Jacob Smith, of no fixed address were both found guilty of firearm and ammunition possession and ammunition with intent to endanger life.

They were jailed for six years apiece.

And Ian Wharmby, 29, of no fixed address, was found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear.

He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine, heroin, and cannabis.

He was sent down for three years and six months.

Det Insp Rick Castley of GMP Serious Organised Crime Group said: “This is another example of a successful operation that has taken out offenders involved in serious and organised crime.

"This group have been terrorising the community who have been stuck in the middle of their petty disputes, and it has resulted in innocent members of the public being seriously harmed just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I know that at the time of us conducting this operation there may have been concern in the local community, but I hope the action we took back then, and todays convictions, shows GMP’s commitment to ensuring dangerous individuals are taken out of society and put behind bars for a long time.

“We understand our fight against organised crime is far from over but let this be a warning that we will vigorously pursue offenders involved in this type of crime in order to make our communities safer.”

Anyone with information relating to serious and organised crime, is asked to report it via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or Greater Manchester Police by calling 101.

A Wigan man found with banned and indecent images of children has been spared an immediate jail term.

Steven Hayes, 47, of Diane Road, Ashton, had been due to stand trial at Bolton Crown Court on a single charge of having six prohibited pictures of youngsters on March 3 2020.

But before the hearing could take place, he changed his plea to guilty.

At the latest hearing he was given an eight-month custodial sentence but it was suspended for 18 months.

He must also complete 40 days of rehabilitation activities, 150 hours of unpaid work and a 12-month alcohol treatment programme.

Hayes will also be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and must sign on the sex offenders' register for the next decade too.

A Wigan 28-year-old will next month face a judge over allegations of sexual and physical assault and controlling and coercive behaviour.

Luke Coleman, of Manor Street, Wigan, is charged with causing a woman actual bodily harm on January 31 2022, sexually assaulting a woman between March 1 and 31 2022 and continuously engaging in controlling behaviour involving physical and verbal abuse between April 1 2020 and April 22 2022.

He is further charged with failing to comply with bail conditions on March 23 this year.

Because of the seriousness of the accusations Wigan and Leigh magistrates have sent the case to be heard at Bolton Crown Court where he is due to appear on May 30.

Before then he is on bail, its conditions including an electronically-tagged curfew.

A 31-year-old man who subjected his then partner to multiple acts of violence during a three-day ordeal has been caged.

Last year Nathaniel Corkish, of Lindale, Skelmersdale hit his victim with a hammer, kidnapped her and strangled her numerous times.

A Preston Crown Court judge has now sentenced him to eight years in prison with two years extended licence.

On Friday November 11 Corkish throttled his partner and dragged her up the stairs by the neck.

He then struck her several times about the head and face with a hammer “to stop her from making too much noise.”

Following the attack he strangled her again until she lost consciousness.

Meanwhile he removed carpet from the stairs and stripped the bed to hide the blood.

He then burned the carpet in the garden.

The court heard that after remaining in bed until November 13 the woman asked him to call an ambulance but he refused.

When she tried to leave the house to seek help from a neighbour, he was waiting outside for her and told her he would take her to the hospital in his car.

She agreed to go with him along with their child believing she would be taken for medical treatment.

Instead he drove for 12 hours and when she asked him to let her out of the car, he strangled her again.

The victim was reported missing in the early hours of November 14 and, shortly before midday on Monday the November 14, Merseyside Police spotted the car in Wallasey in Wirral.

They followed and pulled it over.

Officers found the woman in the rear of the car with significant facial injuries.

The rear windows of the car had T-shirts pulled over them to prevent anyone seeing in.

Their child was in the passenger seat, unharmed.

The woman sustained facial, skull and brain injuries, she was in an induced coma for four days and was only deemed well enough to speak with the police on November 29 in hospital, 15 days later.

In her Victim Impact Statement, she explained to the judge how the ordeal has affected her physical and mental health.

She has lost some vision in her right eye, has impaired taste and smell and has facial scarring from the surgery.

She struggles to sleep and has flashbacks.

She cannot pick up anything heavy, including her child.

She has had issues with her balance and difficulties in washing herself and is unable to leave her home alone.

Corkish pleaded guilty in December last year to causing grievous bodily harm, kidnap and non-fatal strangulation and was jailed.

Emanuele Bellanca, senior crown prosecutor for CPS North West said: “Nathaniel Corkish is an extremely dangerous man who carried out a campaign of violence against his partner over three days in the presence of his own child.

“After attacking her, he lured her into his car on the pretence he would take her to the hospital, refusing to let her out of the car and strangling her if she dared to ask to be let out.

"During the 12- hour journey she feared for her life believing he was searching for a burial site for her body.

“I would like to recognise the action taken by the Merseyside Police ensuring the safety of this woman when they stopped the car.

"I would also like to commend her bravery in supporting the case against the man who inflicted the most appalling physical, emotional and mental injuries upon her.”