An 'evil' man who abused his partner days before she died of a drug overdose was one of the criminals jailed in Greater Manchester this week.
A man who stole two watches from a pawnbrokers worth more than £20,000 has also been put behind bars. A man who brandished a machete in park full of children was also hauled before court this week but avoided jail.
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 people hauled before the Greater Manchester courts in the past seven days.
'Evil' man abused his partner days before she died
An 'evil' man who inflicted horrific abuse on his partner in the days before she died of a drug overdose has been jailed. Charissa Brown-Wellington, 36, was found unresponsive at a house she was living at in Gorse Bank, Bury, with Bobby Hardman earlier this year.
She died the same day - February 2. A pathologist report revealed she died as a result of a drug overdose. The pathologist noted Ms Brown sustained a number of injuries - including bruising to her face, head, stomach, arms and legs.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard Hardman, from Bury, had been abusing Ms Brown and refused to let her leave the house in the 24 hours before she was found. On Thursday (August 18) Hardman, 33, was jailed for four years, with an extended licence period of two years, after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm; and false imprisonment.
Prosecuting, Vanessa Thompson said Ms Brown was released from prison on licence in 2021 and initially moved in with her mum. Her family said she was healthy and had made the most of her time in custody.
After the probation service found her a property in Oldham, Ms Brown met Hardman on Facebook, the court heard. A relationship quickly developed and he moved in.
This put her in breach of her licence conditions. Family members noted a change in Ms Brown's behaviour once Hardman moved in, the court heard. On January 25, probation service officials discovered she was living with Hardman. She was told she had to leave.
They briefly moved in with Ms Brown's mum. During that time, the court heard she told her mum Hardman was 'horrible' to her after she told him she was mixed race. "On January 31, she told her mum that he had battered her. She said they had moved but she didn’t know where and said he had 'popped her nose then popped it back in'," Ms Thompson said.
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"She said he had been dragging her round the streets by her hair, that the defendant had snapped up her phone and she was scared. She said she didn't want her family to know where she was because she was concerned about their safety."
There were repeated calls from her family to Ms Brown and Hardman, during which they could hear him being abusive to her in the background. On February 2, Ms Brown's mum received a call from Hardman saying she wasn't breathing.
She was taken to hospital, where she tragically died. The court heard her mum was horrified to see her daughter's face 'bruised and battered' when she went to identify her body. Hardman was initially arrested on suspicion of murder.
He told police in a prepared statement Ms Brown had been abusive towards him; that she 'would often fall over and bruise easily' and that she had taken diazepam, 'meth' and prescription drugs. A pathologist later concluded that her injuries did not cause or contribute to her death.
Hardman, of Rutland Drive, was jailed for four years with an extended licence period of two years. He must serve two thirds of his sentence in prison before being considered for release by the parole board.
Man jailed for stealing two watches worth £21,000 from pawnbrokers
A 29-year-old man from Rochdale has been jailed for stealing two expensive watches from pawnbrokers, after asking to try on the luxury items before running away with them. Johari Nazir Carter, also known as Graham Bagasan, stole a Cartier watch from a pawnbrokers on Yorkshire Street, Rochdale, on June 15 2021.
He asked members of staff to let him view the expensive item, before grabbing it and running away. The man, of Clock Tower Court, Rochdale, committed a similar theft in London.
There, he stole a Rolex from a pawnbrokers on Kingsland High Street, London, with the same trick, asking to see the luxury watch before sprinting away with it. Both watches are estimated to have a combined value of around £21,000.
The man appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court on July 20, this year, where he was sentenced to ten months imprisonment, with a further 18 months added to his sentence after appearing at Wood Green Crown Court in London on August 1.
Man brandished machete in park full of children and then threw bricks at group of bikers... but avoids jail
An Oldham man who brandished a machete as children played in a park and threw bricks towards a group of bikers has avoided jail. Zackary Mercer-Barlow was also using a ‘rubber axe’ to chop at trees during the ‘psychotic episode'.
The 28-year-old was initially spotted by three bikers as he walked towards Asda in Huddersfield Road on May 15, prosecution barrister Helena Williams told Minshull Street Crown Court. Mercer-Barlow was holding a hoodie in his right hand and pulled out a ‘18-inch blade machete', which he waved at the group.
As he left, he was seen by the group of bikers ‘throwing his hands in the air’. One of the bikers thought that he was ‘goading’ them but could not hear what was being said due to wearing a helmet and a headset.
Mercer-Barlow then swung a rubber axe at trees on a footpath, Ms Williams told the court. He then ran at the bikers and they drove away to Top Street.
As one of the men warned residents about Mercer-Barlow’s behaviour, he felt something hit him on the shoulder, which had cut through his clothing and caused a minor injury. As they fled along Redgrave Street, Mercer-Barlow threw bricks at the group but missed, instead damaging two parked cars.
Mercer-Barlow, of Mere Close, Greenfield, was arrested at around 4.50pm but had got rid of his weapons by the time police arrived. He pleaded guilty to affray and two counts of possessing a bladed article.
Defending, Steve Sullivan told the court that Mercer-Barlow had been out drinking and taking cocaine prior to the incident but has been sober since July 9. He described the incident as a “psychotic episode” and said that he has sought help for his mental health issues.
Mercer-Barlow was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years. He will have to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 40 rehabilitation activity requirement under the conditions of his sentence.
Explaining the decision to suspend the sentence, Recorder Hodgkinson said: “I am persuaded, just, because of the work you have done upon yourself that I am able to suspend that sentence.” He continued: “You have come incredibly close to being sent to prison today. I will remember you and I will reserve this case to me so if there are breaches, I will remember what I told you, how close you came and arguably how lucky you’ve been today.
“I am encouraged by the support of your family, I am encouraged by the fact you are working and I am encouraged by the things you have done since the incident. Keep it up, get the help that you need.”
Lorry driver, 35, killed mum-of-four trapped in broken down car on the M60
A lorry driver has avoided jail after colliding with and killing a mum-of-four who was trapped in her car which had broken down on the motorway. John Bowers, 35, was driving a skip lorry on the M60 anticlockwise carriageway when he failed to spot a Kia Ceed was stationary with its hazard lights flashing on the hatch marked area separating lane one of the motorway from the slip road at junction 20.
Shirley-Ann Dumbuya, aged 38, was unable to move her car and was essentially ‘trapped’ inside, and had been advised by insurance company Green Flag that they could not go out to assist unless she was on the hard shoulder. After a few minutes, Bowers, of Preston, collided with the Kia.
Emergency services arrived a short time later and Mrs Dumbuya was cut from her vehicle, but despite the efforts of medical staff, she was sadly declared dead at the scene. After eventually pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving, Bowers was on Monday (August 15) handed a suspended sentence at Manchester Crown Court.
Prosecuting, Mark Kellet, said that on January 21 2021, Mrs Dumbuya left home at around 8.35am in her Kia Ceed, which was said to be in ‘good working order’. At 8.42am, her husband Peniel Dumbuya received a call from his wife in which she told him the car had stopped on the motorway.
He told her to put her emergency lights on and get out of the car if she could whilst he called Green Flag. They told him they could not attend to assist ‘unless the vehicle was on the hard shoulder or off the motorway’.
Mr Dumbuya tried to call his wife but couldn’t get an answer, so decided to drive her route in the hope of finding and helping her.
“As he approached junction 20, he could see a silver car on a grass verge and emergency vehicles,” Mr Kellet said. “His wife had been in a fatal incident.” The prosecutor said 19 cars travelling in lane one had noticed the Kia and passed it safely.
Bowers was said to be travelling at 55mph and had an unobstructed view of the Kia for about 150 to 175 metres. A joint expert report included the comment that his ‘error’ was that he did not appreciate that the Kia Ceed was stationary.
The prosecutor said the fact that the car was stationary was ‘clearly evident’ to the other 19 drivers who had manoeuvred around it. He was not using his phone at the time, nor was he under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and he was driving at 15 miles under the speed limit.
Bowers was said to have previous convictions for driving with excess alcohol, driving without due care and attention and failing to stop. In 2016, he was seen by a police officer driving out of a petrol station without wearing a seatbelt.
They motioned for him to stop but he failed to do so and a pursuit ensued where he went through a red light and reached speeds of 70mph on a 30mph road. He was arrested after he failed to negotiate a roundabout and drove through the centre and collided with the vegetation. He was later found to be over the legal drink drive limit.
Mitigating, Richard Dawson said: “Plainly this is a tragic case with catastrophic consequences. Our sympathies and condolences are offered to the family and close friends. They have all been seriously affected by the consequences of this defendant's actions. I accept he now shows some remorse.”
Mr Dawson added that Bowers had worked as a professional driver and otherwise had a good driving record. Bowers, of Sefton Road, was handed a six month jail sentence which was suspended for 12 months, he was banned from driving for three years and his licence was endorsed.
Judge Cross has also called for an enquiry by the Assistant Chief Constable in Greater Manchester to look into what should happen if the situation arises again. “Green Flag should take it upon themselves to ring 999 to help the person who was obviously panicking, wondering whether to stay or get out of the vehicle, and worrying about the other cars on the motorway. This was an accident waiting to happen,” he said.
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