A sex fiend who laughed at the teenager he assaulted as she recounted her horrific ordeal in court and a gang who set up a 'drugs factory' - and sparked a mass evacuation in Stretford - all among the people jailed in Greater Manchester this month. Our reporters were in court as scores of criminals were sent to prison during April, including a cocaine addled bodybuilder who killed a dad with the force 'of a heavyweight boxer' in an unprovoked nightclub attack.
Meanwhile, a repeat-offender paedophile who used his Xbox to find indecent images of young children - and a serial domestic abuser who falsely imprisoned and beat a pregnant woman - were also locked up.
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Remorseless sex pest 'laughed' at teenager as she bravely recounted being sexually assaulted by him in Piccadilly Gardens
A remorseless sex pest who 'laughed' at a teenage girl as she bravely recounted how she'd been sexually assaulted by him in Piccadilly Gardens has been locked up. Delovan Najeeb, aka Najeed, assaulted the 16-year-old girl while she was out with friends last summer.
After following her through the busy city centre square, 38-year-old Najeeb approached her and sexually assaulted her. The brave victim was forced to give evidence twice as Najeeb went to trial and then appealed the guilty verdict.
The teenager laid bare the harrowing impact of having to be questioned twice about her ordeal. Manchester Crown Court heard that he a previous conviction for an offence with 'almost identical circumstances'.
A judge tore into Najeeb for launching an appeal with 'no merit', and branded him a 'blight on the city centre'. During the decade he has been in the UK, Judge Alan Conrad QC said Najeeb had contributed 'nothing constructive or of any use'. Najeeb, who both the judge and victim said had 'no remorse,' was jailed for three years and banned from Piccadilly Gardens for life.
Vile thug beat, abused and terrorised the mother of his children
A man who terrorised the mother of his three children into taking him back after she tried to end their toxic relationship has been jailed. Ryan Rochester, 27, breached a restraining order when he moved back in with Shannon Grace, with whom he should have had no contact.
Miss Grace, 24, only ''acquiesced'' to the arrangement after she was fearful of his drug-fuelled rages, a court was told. But she called in police when bricklayer Rochester vanished on an all-night bender only turn up the next morning at their children's school and keep watch on Miss Grace as she dropped off the youngsters for lessons.
At Bolton Crown Court, Rochester, from the Scholes area of Wigan, admitted four charges of breaching a restraining order and was jailed for 14 months. The court heard the pair had been in a relationship for six years but split in 2020 over Rochester's abuse of cocaine and cannabis.
Miss Grace moved into a women's refuge after Rochester broke into her home and threatened to kill her over the split - but she later agreed to give their relationship another go. In April last year she obtained a two year restraining order against him after he attacked her outside their home during a row.
Rochester, who had domestic issues with two other former partners, had previous convictions for threatening behaviour towards Miss Grace and using violence to gain entry to her home and in 2020 was given a suspended sentence. The following year he was given 16 weeks jail for battery upon Miss Grace. He had a total of 21 offences on his record.
Sentencing Judge Tom Gilbart told Rochester: ''She acquiesced to living with you but she was scared of confronting you about it could not argue with you about it. You knew full well that contact with her was not allowed. It is quite mystifying that a father can behave like this towards the mother of his children.''
The grenade drugs gang who sparked mass evacuation of Stretford jailed
A drugs gang sparked a mass evacuation of Stretford after grenades, firearms and drugs were found in a block of flats. Nathan Morgan, 37, Brian Day, 50, Gareth Curtis, 45, and Sarah Tervet, 43, were jailed after a number of police swoops on the flats on Milton Close.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Morgan managed the group and was trusted by those higher within the organised crime gang to store the weapons and produce and supply the class A and B drugs. Whilst he lived at one of the flats, he also had keys to other flats, one of which was used as a ‘drugs factory’, while two others housed guns and grenades in outside cupboards.
However, following a series of armed seizures in January last year, the conspiracy crumbled as officers recovered four grenades, three firearms and ammunition, as well as heroin and cocaine worth between £50,000 and £100,000. On Monday (April 25) the group were jailed for a combined total of over 42 years.
Morgan, of Milton Close, was jailed for 21 years and three months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess an explosive substance, conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, conspiracy to possess ammunition, conspiracy to supply class A drugs, produce of cannabis and possession with intent to supply class B drugs.
Curtis, of Milton Close, was jailed for 10 years and four months after admitting conspiracy to possess an explosive substance, conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon and conspiracy to possess ammunition.
Day, of Milton Close, was jailed for six years and eight months after admitting conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon and conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Tervet, of Milton Close, was jailed for four years and eight months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon and conspiracy to possess ammunition.
A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing in respect of Morgan and Day has been set for August 26.
Salford crime family robbed notorious Liverpool gang of £1 million worth of cocaine in audacious heist
A Salford crime family robbed a notorious Liverpool gang of £1 million worth of cocaine in an audacious heist. The Cox gang struck in a meticulously planned armed raid at the Liverpool outfit's stash house, with one posing as a delivery driver.
Jason Cox, head of the organised crime gang, plotted with another underworld figure to secretly use tracking devices to discover its location. Cox brothers Jason, 35, and Craig, 33, joined forces with Liverpool criminal Richard Caswell, nicknamed 'Will' because of an apparent resemblance to pop star Will Young, to prepare the plot.
Hired hand Ben Monks-Gorton, 30, posed as a delivery driver, carrying an empty box and knocking on the front door prior to a brutal attack. Jason Cox, Craig Cox and Caswell, 40, then burst into the house in Liverpool, wearing balaclavas and armed with machetes and other weapons.
Two men present were brutally attacked and dragged around the property, with the house being left covered in blood. The identity of members of the Liverpool outfit they targeted cannot be revealed due to legal reasons.
Minutes later the Salford gang left carrying several bags, containing about 30 kilos of cocaine said to be worth about £1 million. The Cox brothers and Caswell are due to be sentenced next month after admitting their part in the robbery plot.
Monks Gorton was jailed for six years and nine months for his part in the robbery conspiracy. Michael Nevin, 35, a courier who described himself as a 'gangster transporter' for the 'tight knit' Cox gang, was sentenced to almost 10 years in prison.
Drunk mum DRAGGED policewoman along the road with her car as she tried to avoid arrest
A drunken mum dragged a policewoman along the road with her car as she tried to dodge being arrested - in a case with chilling echoes of PC Andrew Harper's killing. Drink driver Chantelle Owen, from Rochdale, pulled PC Amy Greenwood along the street for 130 feet as she tried to stop the 36-year-old speeding away in her car. Minshull Street Crown Court heard that the officer lost her footing and was dragged along the road by her knees - before she managed to haul herself up on her feet and grab the steering wheel.
Single mum-of-three Owen eventually stopped, but refused to get out of the BMW 120D M Sport and had to be forcibly removed. The incident occurred on December 20 last year after PC Greenwood was called to an address in Bury following reports Owen was having an argument with her boyfriend.
Tests showed Owen had 68 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, almost twice the legal limit of 35mg. She was bailed to attend court, but was arrested again at 7am on January 22 this year when police were called to a McDonalds drive thru in Bury, where she was fighting with her boyfriend.
Officers discovered she had driven the car to the burger bar with tests showing she had 53mg of alcohol in her system. She was bailed again after claiming she had been assaulted by her partner, but was pulled over for a third time at 4.25am on March 2 when a police patrol spotted her speeding.
It emerged she had drunk a bottle of vodka with tests showing she had 87mg of alcohol in her breath - more than twice the drink drive limit. A quantity of cocaine was found in the central console of the BMW. Owen, of Molesworth Street, admitted three charges of drink driving, dangerous driving, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and a separate charge of failing to surrender to police.
The court heard she admitted drinking heavily in the run to all the incidents but denied knowledge of the cocaine. She had been in custody at Styal women's prison since her third arrest.
Sending Owen to prison for eight months, the judge rejected pleas to impose a suspended sentence. Owen was also banned from driving for three years and will have to sit an extended re-test. She will serve four months before being freed on licence.
Terrifying moment shotgun-wielding thug opens fire on rivals just yards from playing children
A shotgun-wielding thug who opened fire on a rival group just yards from playing children has been jailed. Mobile phone footage captured Liam Whitbread firing a homemade shotgun in the middle of Redbank playing fields in Radcliffe.
A judge described the 24-year-old as 'dangerous' as he sentenced him to six years behind bars on Friday (April 1). Minshull Street Crown Court heard how Whitbread carried the makeshift firearm - known as a 'slamgun' - onto the field under a towel on a sunny Bank Holiday afternoon on May 30, 2020. Footage released by police shows the shocking moment he then fired the gun towards a rival group as families sunbathed and children played nearby on the field.
No one was injured, but police say it caused "distress and panic" for many of those present. After receiving several calls from members of the public, detectives launched an investigation to find the gunman. Whitbread, of Grosvenor Street, Radcliffe, has now been jailed for six years after a jury convicted him of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
'Predatory' truck driver molested girls as young as six years old
A paedophile branded 'predatory' by a judge has been jailed for three years. Britnee Aitken, 47, was arrested and charged after two girls came forward to claim they were molested 10 years ago.
One of the victims, then aged six, said Aitken, from Rochdale, had targeted the youngsters under the guise of offering to play board games with them. Aitken denied three charges of sexual assault and one of indecent exposure, but was convicted by a jury after a trial at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court, and was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life.
The court heard the offences against the girls occurred between July and September 2012, when they visited Aitken's home to play games. Aitken identified as male at the time. Aitken, who was charged in 2020, had no previous convictions, the court heard, but had accepted a caution in 2012 for having indecent pictures on a phone - an illicit 'upskirt' video of a girl aged seven.
Aitken was also ordered to abide by the terms of a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order. It prevents him from 'loitering' near schools or children's play areas.
Drug dealer caught with terrifying arsenal of weapons under his PILLOW and after dropping cannabis bag
A drug dealer was stopped and found with an array of drugs - but officers found an even more disturbing collection of weapons at his house. Ewen Campbell, 42, was pulled over and searched on Booth Street, in the city centre, in March this year, with officers reporting a strong smell of cannabis coming from inside the car.
Police found a plastic pot containing a number of bags of white powder and a sum of cash in his pocket. He was seen to have a ‘bulge’ in his trousers, which upon further inspection was found to be another bag of cannabis, Manchester Crown Court heard.
However, it was the terrifying collection of weapons recovered following a search of his bedroom in Rusholme which caused the most concern. “There were 9mm firing rounds, a black handed kitchen knife under the pillow, an axe also under the pillow and a machete at the side of his bed,” prosecutor Antony Longworth said.
There was a knife which incorporated a knuckle duster underneath his bed too. This is prohibited from being in possession in a private place.” Campbell was jailed for 32 months, of which he will serve half in prison before serving the rest on licence, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis, possession with intent to supply cocaine, possession of an offensive weapon in a private place and possession of criminal property.
'Slash his face up!' - Joiner stabs young dad in head and neck during 'frenzied attack' in pub beer garden
A dad-of-one has been left scarred for life following a frenzied knife attack in a pub beer garden. Arron Kenny, 25, was repeatedly stabbed in the neck and head with a Stanley knife after being caught up in a brawl outside the Newall Green pub in Wythenshawe.
The assistant shop manager suffered shocking injuries including a gaping wound to the back of his neck. Witnesses claimed the attacker, self-employed joiner Louis Edwards, 28, had been waving the knife about in the minutes before the stabbing - telling friends: “If you want to make a point cut his f****** face off. Slash his face up!''
The fight followed a ''minor disagreement'' between Mr Kenny's brother and a friend of Edwards at the pub in Greenbrow Road. The victim was left with five stab wounds. Edwards - a father-of-one of Blackcarr Road, Wythenshawe - was arrested three days later but made no comment in interview. He was picked out as the attacker in an identity parade.
At Manchester Crown Court, Edwards, who had no previous convictions, was jailed for six years and ten months after admitting wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
One-man crimewave who's clocked up 186 offences
A career criminal once branded the 'scourge' of Manchester has been jailed after beating up and robbing a tourist just hours after he arrived in the city. Drug addict Michael Conway-Williams, 43, has been convicted of 186 crimes during his 20 years of offending and has been in out and out of jail so much a judge once called him ''the poster boy for the revolving door prisoner".
He has now been locked up again after breaking the nose of his victim from London, as he walked back to his hotel after a night out with friends. He was targeted for his Reiss crossbody bag with wallet, iPhone X1, £175 in cash and other personal items worth a total of £1,400.
As well as being left bloodied and bruised, he has been left so terrified following the attack he is scared to go out and has refused to set foot in Manchester again. Conway-Williams, from Crumpsall, north Manchester, was arrested later but then burgled a tea shop just a fortnight after being given a ten-week suspended jail sentence for stealing clothing from a car.
At Manchester Crown Court Conway-Williams, of no fixed address, was jailed for another three-and-a-half years after he admitted robbery and burglary. Police will now apply for a Criminal Behaviour Order which is expected to ban him from his regular haunts and restrict his movements following his release.
Award-winning army veteran helped gangsters flood streets with cocaine
An army veteran who won medals for his service was among three men locked up for their part in a huge cocaine dealing operation foiled by cops who hacked into their Encrochat messages. The men were involved in discussions over the buying, selling and movement of at least 13 kilos of the drug, valued at between £30,000 and £33,000-a-kilo, during a seven-week period during the first Covid lockdown.
They also discussed criminal cash assets of over £1.1million police said. The operation was 'orchestrated' jointly by Jake Meade, 33, and Dale Reid, 31, who had previously served prison terms for dealing. However, a court heard their 'trusted courier and storeman' was Liam McGrath, 34, who served in the military for nine years, rising to the rank of Corporal.
He earned the Queen's Jubilee Medal and the Iraq Medal during his near-decade of service. However post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) triggered by his dad's suicide and his experiences in the field saw him turn to drug use and he became involved in a bid to pay off his debts, a judge was told.
Meade, from north Manchester, and Reid, from Middleton, were jailed for almost 14 and a half years with McGrath, from Oldham, being handed a seven-year sentence at Manchester Crown Court on Monday (4 April).
Dealer caught after taking cops on dangerous chase from Tesco car park - months later, he was at it again
A drug dealer was caught driving the wrong way round a roundabout - months later he was caught driving dangerously AGAIN. Zach Trott, 26, was spotted in a silver Mercedes, which police already had suspicions was being used for drug dealing.
They followed the car into the Tesco car park in Salford on March 28 last year, activated their blues and twos and radioed for backup in an attempt to stop him. However, he managed to drive through some bollards and temporarily escape.
Trott, of Salford, drove round two roundabouts in the wrong direction and into oncoming traffic, he got up to speeds of 70 miles-per-hour in a 30 mile-per-hour zone and went through a series of red lights, Manchester Crown Court heard.
The high speed pursuit ended on Bolton Road when Trott drove onto the wrong side of the road before getting out of the car and running away. There was a short chase before he was apprehended. He was caught with a rucksack which contained 300 grams of cannabis split up into smaller deals, estimated to be worth around £3,400. He was also found with £500 in cash and a burner phone, prosecutor Juliet Berry said.
Trott, of Ellesmere Street, was jailed for two years and four months after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply class B drugs, possession of criminal property and dangerous driving. He was also banned from driving for five years and 14 months.
Pregnant woman brutally beaten after she was 'imprisoned' in house for MONTHS with violent thug
A serial domestic abuser has been jailed after kicking his heavily pregnant girlfriend to the stomach before dragging her around the house by her hair. Months later Ashley Geraghty, 35, attacked her again, pinning her down onto the bed and strangling her.
The pair had been in a relationship for some time before breaking up after Geraghty was unfaithful, but they continued seeing each other on and off. However, when the woman became pregnant in June 2017, Geraghty’s behaviour started to change.
He began drinking more and using drugs but was put on an electronic tag to live and sleep at her address in Irlam following a conviction of domestic violence against a previous partner. A judge said it meant she was effectively 'imprisoned' with him and, although she was aware of the conviction, Geraghty had told her it was after a fight with a man, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Due to the tag being in place, he was unable to leave the house between certain times, which ‘exacerbated’ things, prosecutor Victoria Lewis said. In December 2017, things came to a head when she confronted him about his drinking. She was eight months pregnant at the time.
“This led to an argument and she asked him to leave. He refused to do so because of his bail condition and she said she’d call the police. He then shouted: “If you ring the police, I will kill you.” Ms Lewis said.
“She was afraid he could do so. At that stage, he pushed her to the floor and kicked her four times to the stomach. She told him to stop as she was eight months pregnant and she felt it could hurt the baby.
“He then grabbed her by the hair and dragged her ten metres from the front room, through to the bathroom and the kitchen, then he punched her and caused a black eye.”
Geraghty, of Wordsworth Avenue, Leigh, was jailed for four years and three months and banned from contacting the woman in any way for 10 years under the terms of a restraining order.
Controlling husband shaved wife's head "for a joke" and threw her cat out a window in 'catalogue of cruelty'
An abusive husband who subjected his wife to a 'catalogue of cruelty' has been jailed for more than two years. David Andrew Rees, 52, pleaded guilty to coercive and controlling behaviour in an intimate or family relationship and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He was sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court. His reign of terror began from the day they were married 18 years ago when he accused his wife of infidelity after he saw her hugging her cousin to comfort him.
Rees shaved part of his wife's head down to her scalp 'for a joke' and in one incident threw one of her beloved cats out of the window. Brian Berlyne, prosecuting, said Rees, of Cheadle, would accuse her of going to hotels with other men when in fact she was working a night shift.
The court was told that Rees was a 'heavy drinker', used amphetamines and would play loud music. His wife would not complain for fear of making him angry, said Mr Berlyne.
One occasion, he held her by the neck over the bannister of the stairs saying: "I don't want to kill you, I only want to put you in a wheelchair so you will abide by my rules." In December 2021, Rees used clippers to cut a section of her hair to her scalp, leaving a bald patch, and laughed saying it was 'a joke'.
Defending, Helen Longworth said Rees 'had a desire to change'. She said: "He is being assisted by the probation service and he apologises for the harm he has done to his wife."
Judge Angela Nield jailed Rees for two years and three months and granted an indefinite restraining order preventing him from contacting his wife directly or indirectly other than through legal teams handling their ongoing divorce proceedings. Rees will serve half his sentence behind bars and the rest on licence and will be subject to 'stringent constraints' as to where he is allowed to live on release, said the judge.
Rochdale burglar targeted small businesses in string of raids
A serial burglar from Rochdale targeted the town’s businesses in order to steal money. Now, Mohammed Rameez, of Ann Street, Rochdale, has been jailed for 28 months.
The 29-year-old carried out six burglaries from December 21, 2021, and January 22, 2022. Rameez broke into four takeaways and stole money, and then raided an opticians and a cleaning supplies store on Oldham Road.
He was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on April 11. GMP announced last year it would attend every reported burglary under Operation Castle as part of the Government's Beating Crime Plan.
Gym boss became gangster after losing his job in lockdown
A gym boss who lost his job in lockdown descended into crime and took on a 'leading role' in organised drugs gang. Nabeel Issawi worked as a gym manager, but the coronavirus restrictions meant that they were shut for months at the height of the pandemic.
He was left 'stranded' with no ability to earn and was 'foolishly' tempted into serious crime, Manchester Crown Court heard. A law enforcement hack of the secretive and highly encrypted EncroChat network revealed that Issawi, 33, then became involved in dealing huge amounts of drugs.
Issawi was linked to the supply of more than 60 kilos of cocaine, between April and June in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. Prosecutors said that Issawi used the EncroChat handle 'Famous one is back', and was in contact with another user called 'Greymoon'.
Issawi had previously been jailed for more than six years in 2014 for conspiracy to supply class A drugs. He was involved with the gym at Kirkham prison in Lancashire and after being released he started work as a gym instructor, the court heard.
Issawi, of Poplar Avenue, Warton, Preston, was jailed for 13 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
19-year-old jailed for ultra-right online hate and vile child porn images
A 19-year-old man who posted extreme right-wing and racist material online and who made indecent photographs or 'pseudo-photographs' of a child has been jailed for two years.
Thomas Leech, of Derby Drive, Preston, pleaded guilty to seven charges, including three counts of publishing a statement intending members of the public to be directly or indirectly encouraged or otherwise induced to commit, prepare, or instigate acts of terrorism contrary to the Terrorism Act 2006.
He also pleaded guilty to four other offences not covered by terrorism legislation. These were: Publishing or distributing written material which was threatening, abusive or insulting intending thereby to stir up racial hatred, or having regard to all the circumstances racial hatred was likely to be stirred up; publishing or distributing written material which was threatening, intending thereby to stir up religious hatred; making 211 indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child and making four indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child.
He was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Friday (8 April), where he was also given a 12 month extended licence period to be applied on completion of his prison sentence, plus 10 years on the sex offenders register, a 10 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a 10-year notification requirement under Part Four of the Terrorism Act 2008.
Rapist held woman hostage for seven weeks and tortured her with needles
A controlling rapist held a woman hostage for nearly two months, subjecting her to terrifying and cruel attacks. Neil Cauchi, 33, has been jailed for 19 years after for his appalling crimes, including rape and sexual assault.
Cauchi tied her to a bed at a house in Salford after an argument, before slapping, punching and hitting her legs with a 'heavy object'. Cauchi, also jabbed her legs with hypodermic needles which he used to administer steroids, knowing she had a phobia of them.
In the near two month period she was falsely imprisoned, Cauchi raped and sexually assaulted her. She was no longer tied up but was left too terrified to leave the property in Eccles, after Cauchi issued chilling threats.
Cruel woman blew cannabis smoke up dog's nose - after her prisoner boyfriend asked her to
An owner made her pet cough and groan after blowing cannabis smoke up his nose at the request of her prisoner boyfriend. Claire Anderson, from , was banned from keeping animals for a decade by magistrates.
Prosecuting, Nicole Bridgman told that Anderson had been speaking to her partner James Millington, who had called her landline number from prison at 11pm on November 26, 2020. Anderson was smoking a cannabis joint at the time of the phone call, which was recorded.
The court heard that Anderson's dog, called Benji, could be heard in the background of the call. Ms Bridgman said that after noticing Benji, Millington told Anderson: "Put your hand around his nose, put the joint in your mouth and blow."
After confirming to Millington that she had followed his instructions, the dog could be heard 'making quite a loud groan' in the recording of the call, Ms Bridgman said. She added: "Mr Millington asked 'did it go up his nose'. The defendant laughed and said 'I think so'. She offered to do it again."
Anderson, of Hazelwood Road, was handed a four-week prison sentence to run concurrently from her existing jail term. She was also ordered to pay £300 in costs plus £128 as a victim surcharge, and was disqualified from owning or keeping an animal for 10 years.
Rapist, 80, jailed for 28 years after police probe into historic sexual abuse
A man has been jailed for 28 years after a police investigation into historic sexual abuse. Eric Hindley, 80, of Moorlands Crescent in Mossley, Tameside, was convicted by a jury after a trial.
He was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault and four counts of rape, Greater Manchester Police confirmed in a statement on April 19. The offences occurred over more than two decades and involved six different victims.
Speaking after a sentencing hearing in which Hindley was locked up, police praised victims' 'immense bravery' in coming forward to report him. After the hearing, police said Hindley was 'finally facing the consequences of his horrific actions'.
Amphetamine-addicted predator, 39, raped three drugged men - they were left "frozen... powerless"
An amphetamine-addicted predator who raped three vulnerable men has been jailed for 23 years. 'Dangerous' Nico Baxter, 39, befriended the men, who all had issues with drugs or alcohol, before abusing them.
He attacked them when were in a drug-induced state. The first man, who Baxter attacked in December 2019, was said to have struggled with drug addiction for a while and was mourning a loved one following their death.
After 'encountering' Baxter with a woman in the street in Manchester, they went back to his house where he contacted his drug dealer to get crack cocaine, which they took together. Eventually the man went to bed, but woke up with Baxter on top of him.
"He could feel a pain, his boxer shorts were pulled off, he couldn’t move and he was powerless to resist and froze lying there whilst he was being raped," prosecutor Amanda Johnson said. Baxter left the room before later returning and raping the man again.
The following two incidents happened in April 2020 and a year later in April 2021. During the incident in 2020, Baxter approached his victim a syringe and squirted the contents into his mouth, before the man woke up to Baxter raping him.
The court heard Baxter has 37 previous convictions for 84 offences, none of which were sexual in nature. He was found guilty of seven offences of rape by a jury following a trial in February.
Baxter, of east Sussex, was jailed for 23 years with an extended licence period of two years; and ordered to sign the sex offender register indefinitely. He will serve two thirds of his custodial sentence before being considered for release.
The convicted paedophile who used an Xbox to search for child abuse images
A convicted paedophile is back behind bars after he was caught engaging in online chats about child abuse weeks after his release from jail. Brett Harriss, 28, had been locked up for 27 months after he ignored a court order and used an Xbox to trawl the internet for child abuse images.
After serving a year of his sentence, the former McDonald's worker moved into a hostel. But just three months later, he was found in the illegal possession of a phone and tablet whilst he used to secretly communicate with other paedophiles. It emerged he had used the devices to download more squalid material over a period of six weeks and to communicate on forums with what he called 'like minded individuals' via the encrypted social media app Telegram.
At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Harriss, from Bredbury, Stockport, who appeared via video link from Berwyn jail in Wrexham, North Wales, was sent back to jail for another 30 months after he admitted five charges of breaching the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and making an indecent image of a child.
Harriss will also be made subject to a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will sign the Sex Offender Register for an indefinite period. He can only use an electronic device to access the internet if it has 'risk management software' installed and managed by police.
A prolific thief who repeatedly raided Asda shelves for booze sent police on dangerous chase
A brazen shoplifter who repeatedly targeted an Asda supermarket has been jailed. Michael Gormley, 31, was spotted time and time again by a security guard at the Harpurhey store entering through the main door, taking hundreds of pounds-worth of alcohol, and walking out via the fire escape.
The guard reported the thefts to GMP officers, and offered CCTV footage of some of the incidents, but despite this, Gormley, of Harpurhey, was bailed, which allowed him to commit further offences. It wasn’t until months later, following a 12-minute high speed chase which resulted in officers being forced to crash into the Citroen Picasso he was driving to stop him, that he was eventually caught.
Now Judge Anthony Cross QC has raised major concerns about the handling of the investigation, stating that ‘no real police work was done’ to arrest Gormley. Jailing him for two years and four months, he demanded that a report was done into what happened and how it could be avoided in the future.
Gormley, of Holtby Street, was also banned from driving for six years.
Two members of gangster family who caused nothing but misery locked up
An Oldham based organised crime family flooded the north of England with almost 100 kilos of cocaine and heroin worth millions of pounds. Faizal Hussain Jnr has been locked up for 16 years for his role in the huge drugs ring, which saw class A drugs peddled in their home town as well as cities including Leeds, Birmingham and Liverpool.
His father Faizal Hussain Snr was also alleged as being involved in the plot. A court heard that he has 'fled from justice'. Hussain Jnr, 31, was another of the drug dealers exposed by the hack of the highly secretive EncroChat network, described as being like WhatsApp for criminals. The gang were linked to more than 96 kilos of heroin and cocaine.
In EncroChat messages poured over by the police, 20 kilos of cocaine was identified which was said to be worth more than £1 million. A further 10 kilos of heroin was identified, said to be worth up to £340,000, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Hussain, of Cranbrook Street, Oldham, was involved in logistics and management within the gang and organised wholesale drug deals. He was also directly involved in the collecting and delivering of drugs.
Rezwan Javed, 45, also known as Raja Res, acted as a courier for the gang and was jailed for eight years. Javed, of Meadow Close, Burnley, did not have an EncroChat phone but was found to be involved in transporting more than nine kilos of cocaine and about three kilos of heroin. Hussain Jnr and Javed pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Mum left scarred for life after her son stabbed her and ex is now behind bars herself
A mum-of-four who was left scarred for life by her own son after he launched a vicious knife attack on her ex-boyfriend has herself been jailed following a spate of burglaries. Anne-Marie Thornton, 43, was arrested after she repeatedly tried to break into her neighbours' homes by testing the door handles of various properties.
Last year, Thornton and her now ex-boyfriend were stabbed by her son Tyrell, 21, in a frenzied knife attack. Tyrell knifed the 34-year old man 13 times about in the back, chest, arm and thigh after finding him in his mother's bedroom and accusing him of being violent towards her.
He then accidentally slashed his mother across the face as she tried to stop him before running off. His male victim was rushed to hospital in a critical condition and had to undergo emergency surgery for a collapsed lung as Tyrell was jailed for five years last December.
Now, Thornton finds herself behind bars for a string of separate crimes. She was charged following an investigation into a spate of ''sneak-in'' thefts in Chadderton, Oldham. At Minshull Street Crown Court on Wednesday, April 20, Thornton of Chadderton, near Oldham, wept as she was jailed for 15 months after she admitted six charges including two charges of burglary and four of attempted burglary.
Paedophile molested girl - then threatened to share explicit pictures of her to force her into more vile sex acts
A man who blackmailed a girl after he groomed her into sending him naked selfies during an abuse ordeal has been jailed. Retired tool maker Barry Doyle, 71, warned the vulnerable child he would share the pictures with others unless she submitted to further sexual demands.
Doyle, from Stretford, had become obsessed with the girl and would take her out on trips in his car without her parents knowing. Greater Manchester Police arrested Doyle after discovering he had given her six mobile phones and on occasions used them to film himself molesting her.
It emerged he had a previous conviction from 1981 for indecent assault after he gave another girl money to strip before he attacked her. At Minshull Street Crown Court, Doyle admitted 14 charges including sexual assault; inciting a child to engage in sexual activity; child abduction; and making and possessing indecent images.
Doyle was jailed for seven and a half years. He will be on licence until 2032 under the terms of an extended sentence after the judge branded him a 'dangerous offender'. Doyle was also made subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register. He was banned from contacting the girl under the terms of a restraining order.
Pervert tried to persuade '13-year-old girl' to make a sick phone call...he claimed it was 'role play'
A pervert asked what he believed was a 13-year-old girl to ring him for a sick phone call, but didn't realise he was actually speaking to an undercover cop. Paul Barrett has been jailed for two years after failing to convince a jury that he thought that the account he was speaking to was an adult 'role playing'.
Barrett, who was 40-years-old at the time of the offence, used an online chat room to speak with a profile called 'Sasha' between January and February 2019, Bolton Crown Court heard. Despite the account telling Barrett that she was 13-years-old and in school, he turned the conversation sexual.
In the first conversation, Barrett asked if she liked getting kissed and also asked if she wanted to perform sexual acts on him. The following day he asked the account questions about her school uniform and detailed sexual acts that he wanted to perform on her.
Sickeningly, Barrett then sent a message with his phone number and asked if he could speak with the girl directly so he could 'hear her orgasm'. The undercover police officer operating the account rang the number twice but Barrett did not answer.
Barrett, of Nearcroft Road, Wythenshawe, pleaded not guilty to a string of crimes under the Sexual Offences Act. But following a trial, a jury found him guilty of sexual communication and three counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
Now 43 years old, Barrett, who had no previous convictions, was jailed two years. Barrett will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the next 10 years and will have to sign the Sex Offender Register for the same length of time.
Illegal immigrant smuggled into the UK due to be deported after police swoop on Manchester home
An illegal immigrant smuggled into the UK in a lorry is due to be deported after being caught in a cannabis farm. Police swooped at a house in north Manchester after receiving a tip off about suspicious activity.
Inside the house they found 28-year-old Mariglen Avdo, an Albanian who was trafficked into the country after paying smugglers, as well as 140 cannabis plants. Avdo was brought to the house 'against his will' and ordered to maintain and water the plants.
He is now due to be deported after receiving a 13 month prison sentence. Police executed a search warrant at the property on Middleton Road in Crumpsall after receiving intelligence, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Officers discovered cannabis plants in three rooms of the house, as well as lighting equipment. In the living room there were 73 plants, 35 plants were seized from one bedroom and a further 32 plants from another bedroom.
Under UK law, foreign criminals face automatic deportation if they are receive jail sentences of more than a year. Avdo, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to producing a class B drug.
Cocaine addled bodybuilder killed loving dad in an unprovoked nightclub attack
A cocaine and steroid addled bodybuilder who called himself the 'hardest c*** in the North West' killed a loving dad in an unprovoked attack in a nightclub. Robert Owen Greenhalgh punched 36-year-old Robert Smethurst as the dad-of-two celebrated his birthday with his cousin Aaron Bates in Bolton town centre.
Mr Smethurst, a company director for a firm in the aviation industry, had accidentally stood on Greenhalgh's foot earlier in the evening, but he had apologised and there were no further problems while they were both in Luxe Lounge on Bradshawgate. Without warning, at about 1.30am Greenhalgh, 31, a joiner who ran his own firm, hit Mr Bates and then punched Mr Smethurst with the force of a 'heavyweight boxer', Manchester Crown Court heard.
Mr Bates was able to break his fall but the blow to Mr Smethurst caused immediate brain trauma even before he fell to the ground. After brutally attacking the pair, Greenhalgh puffed out his chest and shouted 'Who else wants some?"
He has now been declared 'dangerous' and jailed for more than 11 years after admitting manslaughter following the attack on September 2 last year.
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