Wigan's week in court

A community punishment has been handed down to a Wigan 59-year-old who menaced two people and committed theft.

Peter Rosbotham, of Linney Square, Scholes, appeared before Manchester magistrates to admit to using threatening and/or abusive behaviour against Amanda Greenwood and Luke Burrows on September 24 last year and, on the same day, to stealing £25 worth of food items from a Wigan Iceland store.

The bench ordered that he complete 35 days of rehabilitation activities, undergo a non-residential drug treatment programme and pay a £120 fine and £85 in court costs.

A house which has been the focal point for neighbour complaints has been hit with a court closure order.

An application was made by the police to Wigan magistrates regarding Raymond Clutton's home at 43 Riding Close, Hindley, following a number of anti-social behaviour incidents there.

The order was granted meaning that only the occupants and certain authorised visitors, including the emergency services, can enter the property over the next three months.

Anyone unauthorised entering the home could be prosecuted under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act.

A Wigan woman is awaiting her fate after admitting to perverting the course of justice.

On her first appearance before a Bolton Crown Court judge, Lauren McKay, 30, of Whiteside Avenue, Golborne, entered a guilty plea to the single charge of deliberately making a false statement that was used in criminal proceedings.

She was bailed pending sentencing at the same court on February 14.

Police have successfully applied to the courts to detain £15,000 allegedly seized from a Wigan man they suspect of being a drug dealer.

Representations were made to Wigan magistrates that the money – said to have been taken during the stop and search of a 23-year-old in Templeton Road, Platt Bridge – could be ill-gotten gains.

The hearing was told that the man, whom the Wigan Observer is not naming because no charges have at this time been brought against him since his arrest, was frisked by officers in the street at 4am on December 14 and both the large quantity of cash and a controlled drug were found on his person.

The application was made under the Proceeds of Crime Act which is more commonly evoked to seize the assets of convicted criminals.

But in this instance it was used when a suspect was on bail while investigations into possible criminal activity continue.

The bench gave the police permission to detain the money for a further six months because the applicant had “reasonable grounds for suspecting that it was recoverable property which had been obtained through unlawful conduct and was intended for unlawful conduct.”

A motorist has been charged with getting behind the wheel at three times the drink-drive limit and assaulting two police officers.

Eduard Nicorico, 31, of Scholes, Scholes, has pleaded guilty to driving a Skoda Fabia on Hall Lane on October 8 with 107 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

The prescribed limit is 35mg.

He is also charged with assaulting two emergency workers by beating them on the same date and will stand trial on June 3 at Manchester City Magistrates' Court.

An interim driving ban has been imposed and he was remanded on unconditional bail.

A Wigan teenager has pleaded not guilty to robbery and carrying a machete.

The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, is alleged to have taken a vehicle, a mobile phone and a bank card from two people in a robbery in Bolton on November 28.

He is also charged with carrying a weapon - the machete - on the same day.

A trial will be held at Manchester City Magistrates' Court on February 29.

A thief has admitted stealing four legs of lamb worth £130 from a supermarket.

Carl Reardon, 56, of Greenhey, Orrell, took the meat from Aldi on December 29.

Wigan magistrates imposed a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £130 in compensation.

A Wigan man must carry out unpaid work after assaulting a woman and threatening to kill her.

Cameron Hutchinson, 25, of Windermere Road, Ince, pleaded guilty to committing the offences on May 19.

Wigan justices handed down a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activities.

Hutchinson must pay £100 compensation, £85 prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £114.

A restraining order was imposed for 12 months which forbids him to contact the woman.

A trans Wigan borough woman has been charged with exposing herself on the same date in three separate years.

David Flynn, who identifies as Denise, 37, of Hilary Avenue, Atherton, is accused of exposing her genitals on September 22 in 2020, 2022 and 2023.

A plea hearing was scheduled for February 2 at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court.

A man and a woman who tried to steal from a Wigan pub have appeared in court.

Scott Yates, 36, and Leanne Quereshi, 33, both of Linney Square, Scholes, admitted attempting to steal from the Whitesmith Arms on September 21 and October 8.

They also pleaded guilty to an attempted burglary at the Whitesmith Arms and stealing an amplifier worth £60, plug-in lights worth £60 and cleaning materials belonging to Federico Calore, all on September 23.

Wigan magistrates sentenced Yates to a 12-month community order with a drug rehabilitation requirement, a 21-day programme and 20 days of rehabilitation activities.

He must also pay £85 prosecution costs and £100 compensation.

Quereshi received a 12-month community order with 15 days of rehabilitation activities and 60 hours of unpaid work.

She must pay £100 compensation and a £114 surcharge.

A Wigan man is behind bars after stalking a woman and twice breaching a restraining order.

Kyle Hesketh, 33, of Belmont Avenue, Bickershaw, pleaded guilty to stalking the woman and causing her to fear violence between October 1 and 29.

Wigan justices heard she thought violence would be used towards her at least twice, he phoned her around 100 times on October 28 and turned up at her home on October 29.

He also admitted breaching a restraining order when he contacted her on October 28 and 29.

Wigan magistrates sent him to prison for 36 weeks.

A Wigan borough man was due to appear in court later accused of threatening a man with a metal bar.

David Mountford, 33, of Fell Street, Leigh, is charged with threatening Harold Caldwell with the weapon on March 3.

He was due to appear at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court this week.

A woman has been sent to prison for assaulting a man, causing actual bodily harm.

Stephanie Kelly, 45, of Borsdane Avenue, Hindley, pleaded guilty to the attack on Thomas Simm on December 5.

Wigan magistrates jailed her for 26 weeks.

A man who stole £70 worth of chocolate from a shop and assaulted a man has been jailed.

Callum Barlow, 20, who was living at the Mercure Hotel in Wigan, pleaded guilty to committing the offences on December 13.

He was jailed for 12 weeks and told to pay £150 compensation.

A Wigan teenager who admitted making indecent images of children and breaching a sexual harm prevention order has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Kyle Turner, 18, of Bridgewater Street, Hindley, had previously pleaded guilty to five charges when appearing before magistrates.

He breached the order by deleting the internet browsing history on a mobile phone between January 11 and February 23, 2022, and by installing VPN software on a phone on January 30, 2022.

Turner also made indecent images of children between the same dates – 152 of the most serious (category A) images, 273 category B images and 97 category C images.

In the dock at Bolton Crown Court, Turner was given a 12-month jail term but it was suspended for 18 months.

The old sexual harm prevention order against him was scrapped and a new, five-year one was imposed.

A man who punched his partner so hard that she suffered a broken arm has been spared an immediate spell behind bars.

Peter Atherton, 59, of Redwood Avenue, Beech Hill, had appeared before borough justices to admit to causing the woman grievous bodily harm on October 28, 2022.

The hearing was told that there had been troubles in the relationship but that day Atherton had suddenly attacked her for "no reason."

He had thrown a punch and she had held her arm up to protect herself, the limb taking the impact.

The court heard she felt pains in her arm and went to hospital where an X-ray confirmed that it was fractured.

Atherton was given a six-month custodial sentence but it was suspended for 12 months.

There were also community elements to his punishment including the requirement to complete 80 days of rehabilitation activities and 120 hours of unpaid work.

A 50-year-old man has been accused of domestic abuse and attacking two police officers in Wigan.

James Williams, of Chaseley Gardens, Skelmorlie, Paisley, appeared before Manchester justices charged with controlling and coercive behaviour against a woman between October 1 last year and January 9, threatening a woman with a kitchen knife on January 7, causing criminal damage to a passport and wall on January 8 and assaulting police officers on January 10 and 11.

All the offences are alleged to have taken place in Wigan.

He was remanded on conditional bail pending a first appearance before a Bolton Crown Court judge on February 16.

He has yet to enter any pleas.

A Wigan man will appear before a judge charged with dealing crack cocaine and medical heroin.

Christopher Smalley, 53, of Closebrook Road, Pemberton, stood before Manchester justices to be accused of possessing the two class A drugs on March 24 last year with intent to supply them.

He was sent to Bolton Crown Court where he will first appear on February 16.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a 37-year-old woman from Wigan who admitted repeatedly thieving from two shops.

Sonia Wood, of Sherwood Crescent, Worsley Hall, had previously appeared before borough justices to plead guilty to six theft charges.

She took cosmetic and tooth products worth £118 from Boots on July 2, cosmetics and fragrance testers costing £168 from the same store on July 10, cosmetic cream and razors worth £115 on September 15 and £200 more cosmetics on September 18.

The court heard she also took children's toys, electrical items and cosmetics worth £455 from B&M Bargains on October 30 and yet more cosmetics valued at £110 from the same store on November 6.

But she failed to return to court for sentencing and so a warrant for her arrest was issued.

A 30-year-old Wigan woman has been jailed after admitting she attacked three police officers.

Jasmine O'Neil, of Holly Road, Aspull, appeared before Manchester magistrates to plead guilty to the assault by beating of emergency workers PCs Naylor and Zahedi and Sgt Evans on January 14.

She was given a five-week custodial sentence and ordered to pay compensation totalling £200 to her victims.

The bench told her she was going to prison because the offences had been committed while she was serving a suspended sentence.

A Wigan man has denied making threatening phone calls to two family members.

John Geraghty, 52, of Whelley, appeared before Manchester justices to plead not guilty to making the malicious communications on Boxing Day 2023 also to harassing one of the women between January 7 and 8.

The case was adjourned until a trial at the same court on March 7, before which Geraghty was remanded in custody.

A Wigan motorist suspected of driving under the influence has been given a suspended prison sentence and banned from the road for five years after refusing to provide a blood sample for testing.

Borough justices said they were taking such a tough line with Georgina Green because of the level of her impairment and manner of her driving when stopped by a police patrol plus previous convictions.

The hearing was told that the 38-year-old from Winstanley Road, Bamfurlong, was pulled over by officers on May 27 last year and thought to have been taking drink or drugs, but she refused to give a blood sample.

As well as being given a 16-week custodial sentence suspended for 18 months plus a 60-month disqualification from driving, she must also pay £304 in court costs and a victim services surcharge.

Green had initially denied the offence but then changed her plea to guilty.

A 36-year-old has denied fleeing the scene of a road smash and being three times over the drink drive limit.

Daniel Aspey, 36, of Woodhouse Lane, Springfield, appeared before Manchester justices to plead not guilty to failing to stop after an accident while driving a Ford Transit which damaged a Nissan Qashqai in Greenwood Avenue on May 31 last year and then giving a reading of 106 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath when the limit 35 microgrammes.

He was released on unconditional bail until a trial is held at Bolton Magistrates' Court on September 26.

A Wigan woman who attacked a member of her family twice within three days has been sent to prison.

Susan Buckley, 39, of no fixed address, appeared before Manchester justices to change a previous not guilty plea to assaulting the female victim by beating on December 15 and 18 to guilty.

She also admitted possessing "medical heroin" - diamorphine.

She was given a six-week custodial sentence and the drugs were forfeited for destruction.