A pervert who travelled 150 miles to meet up with what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl was one of the criminals locked up in Greater Manchester this week.
Prison terms were also handed to a prolific thief who admitted to 15 counts of shoplifting.
A thug who took part in a 'grotesque' 12-hour campaign of torture against a drug dealer who they kidnapped, assaulted and sexually humiliated was also jailed in our region.
Jail sentences are handed out to the worst offenders each week and Manchester Evening News reporters are in court to cover the most serious cases.
Here are some of the criminals dealt with in Greater Manchester over the last seven days.
Pervert was carrying artificial cream when he was arrested at tram stop en route to meet 'girl'
A vile pervert travelled 150 miles to meet up with what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. Instead, Andrew Masters was confronted in Manchester by a 'paedophile hunter' group who had been controlling a decoy Facebook account.
In a series of sick chats, Masters told the 'girl' to perform sexual acts on herself and asked questions about her underwear, despite being told that she was aged 13 "at the very start" of their communication. The 63-year-old sent 44 photographs to the account, including explicit images, and asked if he was "big enough", prosecution barrister Lisa Boocok told Minshull Street Crown Court.
He travelled to Manchester where he was met by the paedophile hunting group at a tram stop on July 26 and was arrested. Masters also had a can of 'artificial cream' on him, that he had previously discussed using on the girl in a sexual manner.
Masters, of Mortimer Common, Reading, pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in a sexual act, facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, attempted sexual communication with a child, and causing a child to watch a sexual act.
Defending, Mark Fireman admitted that Masters had "taken matters a great deal too far" and said that he had suffered with "considerable self delusion". Judge Mark Savill slammed Masters' chats with the account as "foul" and "filthy" as he jailed him for three years and nine months.
Masters will have to sign the sex offenders register for life and will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
'Brazen' shoplifter seen filling his bag before walking out of Boots jailed for six months
A prolific thief who admitted 15 counts of shoplifting has been jailed for six months. Ashley Morrison, 32, of Delamere Road in Levenshulme, was arrested by police on Friday, September 16, for a series of thefts from shops.
He was brought before Manchester Magistrates Court on Monday, September 19, where he pleaded guilty to nearly two dozen charges against him, and was sentenced to six months imprisonment. A copy of the indictment sheet seen by the Manchester Evening News states that Morrison faced FIFTEEN counts of shoplifting, one count of theft from person, one count of refusing to provide a sample, two counts of using threatening, abusive, or insulting words, one count of common assault, one count of trespassing on railway board property, two counts of possession of heroin, and one count of failing to surrender to custody.
Although the indictment sheet does not detail which shops were targeted by Morrison, or how much was taken from each store, Greater Manchester Police confirmed that one of the shoplifting counts related to an incident in the Castle Street Boots branch in Edgeley at around 1.10pm on April 11, where Morrison was filmed "brazenly" filling up a holdall bag with items from the shelves before walking out.
Morrison was sentenced to two months imprisonment for 14 of the 15 shoplifting charges, and many of the other charges he faced, with a three month sentence handed down for one of the incidents. All sentences were ordered to run concurrently, except from the sentence for theft from a person, where a three month sentence of imprisonment was ordered to run consecutively, bringing his total sentence up to six months.
'Jealous' thug throttled and repeatedly punched girlfriend in terrifying attack in her own home
A drink-fuelled thug left his girlfriend bloodied and bruised and fearing for her life as she 'gasped' for air while he throttled her. Nathan Burgess, 26, has been locked up for the brutal attack on his partner in her own home following a boozy night out.
Burgess became 'jealous' during a row between the pair and after they returned to her house in Swinton he launched an appalling assault. He repeatedly punched the mum then began strangling her as she 'feared for her life', Manchester Crown Court heard.
Burgess had been in court weeks earlier for attacking the victim during a separate incident. He appeared before magistrates but his partner did not ask for restraining order, and the relationship, which began in July last year, continued.
Prosecutors told how the victim had been out with friends on July 21, and Burgess met up with her later that night before they returned to her home. Something was said which caused Burgess to become 'jealous', the court heard.
A row developed with both swearing at each other and Burgess becoming 'aggressive'. During the attack the woman suffered 'significant' bruising to her arms and neck. Burgess, who the judge said was 'no stranger to the courts', was said to be 'genuinely remorseful' for his actions.
Burgess was sentenced to two years and eight months in jail. Before sending him down, Judge Goddard told him: "The relationship very clearly had its ups and downs on both sides. Your problem very clearly is alcohol." Burgess, of Peatfield Avenue, Swinton, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm and intentional strangulation.
'Grotesque' torturer kidnapped dad and poured boiling water on genitals in 12-hour ordeal
A thug has been jailed for taking part in a 'grotesque' 12-hour campaign of torture against a drug dealer who they kidnapped, assaulted and sexually humiliated. After being snatched from the street, the victim was tied up, beaten repeatedly, had boiling water poured onto his genitals and had what he was told was rat poison forced down his throat as they demanded a six-figure cash sum.
On Tuesday (September 20) the thug who inflicted the majority of the violence on the victim, 29-year-old Anthony Richardson, was jailed for his role in what the judge said was 'grotesque' torture. The attack began when the victim, a married father, was snatched from a street near his home in Blackley at 7.30pm on November 12, 2019.
He was bundled into a car and taken to a nearby house of a drug addict mother where he was tortured for the next 12 hours by a gang of at least eight men. Alexandra Sutton, prosecuting, told Manchester Crown Court on Tuesday: "At this house he was imprisoned and assaulted over a number of hours.
"Demands were made that unless he handed over a six-figure quantity of cash, he would be gravely injured if not killed." When the victim told them he didn't have the money, his captors unleashed 'extreme and sometimes cruel and degrading violence', said the prosecutor.
The gang produced a needle and threatened to inject him with heroin. Later, they pulled down his trousers and Richardson sexually humiliated the man. After he had been held captive for 12 hours, the man managed to bite through his bindings, forced open the wardrobe and ran out of the house, pursued by one of his captors who chased him with a hammer as he begged for help from passers-by.
Richardson had convictions from his youth for assault, robbery and possessing a knife but since 2014 his only court appearance were for motoring offences. Andrew Alty, defending, pointed to a report by the probation service which noted his client was 'genuinely sorry' for what he had done and that he wanted to address his offending behaviour while behind bars.
Judge Elizabeth Nicholls told Richardson his victim had suffered 'violent and humiliating treatment', most of it inflicted by the defendant and a second member of the gang, Richard Simanis, and that it had had a 'profound effect' on him.
Last month Campbell, 26, of Derville Road in Harpurhey, was jailed for 15 years for his part in the torture. He pleaded guilty to kidnap and was found guilty of false imprisonment following a trial. He was on bail for serious drugs offences at the time of the kidnapping.
Another member of the gang, John Robertson, 23, of Waterson Avenue in Moston, was jailed for 18 months. He pleaded guilty to assisting an offender. Richard Simanis, 29, of Lord Street in Stockport, is to be sentenced at a later date. He has pleaded guilty to kidnap and false imprisonment.
Kai East, 22, of Turves Road in Cheadle Hulme, was due to be sentenced for assisting an offender but he did not appear in court on Tuesday.
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