These are the latest Liverpool ECHO headlines this morning.
Contending with months of 'chaos' on Liverpool's Avanti and TransPennine services
The media gathered at Liverpool Lime Street on Saturday to hear Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham speak about ongoing problems on the North of England's railways.
There was only one problem - the train the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester mayors were taking to Liverpool was cancelled. Mr Burnham took to Twitter, posting a photo of himself and Mr Rotheram at Newton-le-Willows station with the departure board showing the details of their cancelled train behind them.
The irony of the situation was not lost on anyone. Once the two mayors arrived in Liverpool, they called for an end to "chaos and poor performance" on the railways in the North of England. They also said that two of the region's largest train operators - TransPennine Express (TPE) and Avanti West Coast - should be stripped of their franchises if they don't improve.
READ MORE: Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram call for an end to train "chaos"
The "chaos and poor performance" has affected many passengers in Merseyside and the wider region over recent months. In September, TPE announced it was making temporary changes to its timetable - reducing services on its Anglo-Scottish route from 40 services a day to 31.
Among the services removed were trains from Liverpool Lime Street to Preston and Glasgow Central to Lime Street. The amended timetable, which the operator said was a result of "higher-than-normal sickness levels and a number of other issues including a training backlog as a direct result of Covid", will be in place until December 10.
Read more here.
Man who threw tin of dog food at girlfriend rants 'this is all lies' in court
A man who strangled and threw a tin of dog food at his girlfriend ranted in court as he was locked up over the abuse.
Louis Costes claimed "this is all lies" in a furious outburst from the dock as a statement was read out on his victim's behalf, highlighting the impact his actions had on her. The judge was not impressed by his behaviour, however, and sent him to prison.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the 25-year-old and Jessica Jones were in a relationship between September 2020 and January this year. But Holly Menary, prosecuting, said that "things started to go downhill" after about two months.
READ MORE: Pervert posed as doctor to sexually assault sleeping hospital patient in her 80s
The couple "began to argue over trivial matters" and Costes would go through her phone, tell her she could not have male friends and make her delete pictures from her social media accounts. During one row, the dad took his top off as he "gets very hot when arguing" - when he did so his "body was red and he was sweating".
In December 2020, he ran at her during an argument. But Ms Jones ducked out of the way and Costes - of Selwyn Street in Walton - smashed into a wall, breaking his phone. Read the full story here.
Murderer, ex-LFC player and teacher among 19 criminals jailed this week
A murderer who stabbed her boyfriend to death, a former Liverpool FC footballer and a teacher were among the Merseyside criminals jailed this week.
Also locked up was a pervert who posed a doctor to sexually assault an elderly A&E patient at the Royal Liverpool Hospital. Meanwhile, Liverpool Crown Court heard that a robber who raided a pharmacy was hit over the head with a plank of wood by a have-a-go hero delivery driver.
Here are the faces of 19 criminals who were imprisoned in our region in the past week.
