Wigan's week in court

Two Wigan homes on the same estate which have been the focal point for anti-social behaviour have had their closure orders extended by the courts.

The addresses at 51 Broom Road, - whose resident is identified as Julie Saunders - and 11 Closebrook Road whose occupant is Roslyn Smalley - had already been hit with restrictions, preventing anyone but the occupants and other authorised parties from entering, due to their being a focal point for "nuisance or disorder."

Now applications to maintain those restrictions for another three months at the two Worsley Hall streets, which are close to each other, have been granted.

Anyone in breach of these orders can end up being prosecuted in court.

Several people have appeared in the dock to be fined for such breaches in recent years.

Closure orders were introduced in the 2014 Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act.

A Wigan man has admitted to being involved in the supply of drugs.

Officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit charged Cain Turner, 31, of Sarah Street, Hindley Green, with conspiracy to supply class A drugs earlier this month.

Making his first appearance before a Carlisle Crown Court judge, he pleaded guilty to the charge. Reece Barnes, 30, of Elim Grove, Windermere, is charged with the same offence but has entered a not guilty plea.

A trial date of January 24 2024 has been set and so Turner will only be sentenced at its conclusion.

Meanwhile both men have been remanded into custody.

A Wigan motorist has been hit in the pocket for refusing to reveal who was driving her car when it was involved in a motoring offence.

Carolyn Hughes, 54, of Chantry Walk, Bryn, failed to disclose the identity of who was at the wheel of her Nissan Qashqai on April 26 last year, Manchester and Salford magistrates heard.

The bench handed down a fine and also ordered her to pay a victim services surcharge and court costs totalling £673.

Her driver's licence was also endorsed with six points.

A Wigan rail passenger has been penalised for using threatening and abusive language against a woman on a train.

James Taylor was on a service between Southport and Stalybridge on August 12 last year when he launched a verbal attack on Bethany Parkinson which, borough magistrates heard, was strong enough for her to fear violence.

Pleading guilty to the Public Order Act offence, the 46-yearold of Collett Close, Scholes, was ordered to pay a fine, court costs and a victim services surcharge totalling £197.

A Wigan woman has been accused of neglecting a pet rabbit and dog.

Sarah Murgatroyd, 45, of Broom Road, Worsley Hall, stood before Manchester and Salford justices charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, namely a black Netherland dwarf rabbit called Noah by failing to investigate and address the cause of its poor bodily condition and ill health between April 13 and 27 last year.

She is further charged that on that latter date she did not provide any or adequate parasitic control leading to alopecia and flea infestation in a dog called Teddy.

She is being prosecuted under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act and has yet to enter pleas.

Murgatroyd was released on unconditional bail pending a further appearance at Wigan's courts on April 20.

A Wigan man has been fined for breaching a domestic violence protection order.

Kieron Malone, 47, of The Crescent, Ince, appeared before borough magistrates to admit that he had been found at the corner of Kendal Street and Gidlow Lane and confessed to visiting an address on Kendal Street on February 4 when that contravened the order issued by Manchester and Salford justices just three days earlier.

He was ordered to pay a £200 penalty.

The trial of a woman who denies wielding a machete and attacking a man has been delayed until the summer.

Christiana James, 44, of Winstanley Road, Billinge, has previously appeared before Wigan and Leigh justices to deny charges of having the bladed weapon in a public place and assaulting Ian Chew by beating on December 2 2021 on Imperial Drive, Leigh.

Her trial had been fixed for February but it has now been rescheduled for August 1.

James is on bail until then although a condition of her release is that she does not have contact with Mr Chew and two named relatives of his, nor to enter Imperial Drive.

A trial date has been fixed for a 39-year-old Wigan woman who denies harassment and abuse charges.

Amy Darbyshire, of Marlborough Avenue, Ince, appeared before borough justices to plead not guilty to harassing Margaret Darbyshire and using threatening or abusive words or behaviour on April 20 last year.

Also charged with harassment is 61-year-old Mark Kelly, of Chatsworth Avenue, Ince.

He too denies the charge.

Both were released on bail until their trial on September 28, a condition of which is not to have any contact with each other or Margaret Darbyshire.

A teenager has appeared in court charged with twice raping a woman in Wigan town centre. Samuel Jakubowski was arrested following an alleged attack on a female in the early hours of Saturday March 12.

The 19-year-old of Elm Tree Road in Lowton appeared at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court to confirm his personal details and hear the charges laid against him.

Because of the seriousness of the case, the bench immediately sent it to be heard before a judge and Jakobowski will make his first appearance at Bolton Crown Court on April 19.

Before then he is on bail but will be electronically tagged, obliged to sleep at his home address and stay within its precincts between the hours of 7pm and 7am.

He has yet to enter any pleas.

A Wigan man was among 26 people jailed for more than 130 years after a major investigation targeting drug dealers.

Police took down a supply operation in Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde between October 2020 and June 2021, after targeting dealers taking large quantities of class A drugs into the area, which were then distributed at street level.

Among the men who have now been sentenced was Christopher Sharrock, 30, of Lancaster Road, Marsh Green, who was jailed for 10 years.

One part of the investigation – named Operation Warrior – saw members of a Wyre-based gang convicted for distributing cocaine.

Another part focused on a cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin supply ring controlled by Daniel Myerscough, who was responsible for arranging and buying bulk quantities of drugs.

One of those who helped him was James Black, who was in prison for drug trafficking offences.

He had access to four phone numbers and was in contact with deal phone lines selling drugs.

Det Insp Kathryn Riley said “This was a complex investigation which targeted the activity of offenders bringing large quantities of class A drugs into the Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde areas. We targeted people operating at different levels within organised crime groups.

“The operation led to a large number of people being convicted and the length of the custodial sentences handed out by the courts confirms how seriously the supply of drugs is taken.

“Drugs can do serious harm to communities and this operation sends out the message that we won’t tolerate drug dealing.”

Also jailed at Preston Crown Court were Michael Welsh, 56, of Ash Road, Thornton, eight years and eight months; Gary Johnson, 63, of Rede Avenue, Fleetwood, five years and five months; Christopher Dixon, 31, of Swallow Close, Thornton, two years and five months; Kristoffer Pilkington, 41, Blackpool Road, Poulton, two years and nine months; Daniel Myerscough, 34, of Stoneway Road, Thornton, 10 years; James Black, 37, of Kildare Avenue, Thornton, 13 years; Alan Laughlin, 54, of Lune Grove, Blackpool, seven years and six months; Kyle Sullivan, 36, of Springfield Grove, Liverpool, nine years; Debra Curran, 56, of Airdrie Place, Blackpool, five years and five months; Anthony Hayes, 35, of Lennox Court, Blackpool, four years and six months; Anthony Judge, 53, of the Promenade, Blackpool, two years and two months; Liam Kelly, 52, of Kairnryan Close, Bispham, four years and six months; Craig Wright, 39, of no fixed address, nine years; Jake Belcher, 23, of Salthouse Avenue, Blackpool, three years and six months; Tony Butcher, 34, of Airdrie Place, Blackpool, four years and five months; Kyle McCabe, 27, of Coleridge Road, Blackpool, three years and six months; Saul Harvey, 24, of Nolan Street, Manchester, two years and two months; Jack Houghton, 23, of School Road, Blackpool, three years; Jae Prince, 33, of Westmorland Road, Blackpool, two years and eight months; William Welsh, 25, of Warley Road, Blackpool, four years and four months; Andrew Sweet, 47, of Falmouth Road, Blackpool, six years; Ryan Taylor, 22, of Acorn Mews, Blackpool, four years and six months; John Kirkwood, 39, of George Street, Blackpool, five years and five months; Daniel Holt, 24, of First Avenue, Blackpool, two years; and Darren Thomas, 32, of Dinmore Avenue, Blackpool, three years.

The trial of a policeman from Wigan who denies corruption charges has been delayed until next year.

Akeel Kadir is accused of conspiring to supply confidential information for payment.

A constable with Greater Manchester Police based in Bolton, Kadir is charged along with three other men all from Bolton.

Kadir also faces three offences involving “knowingly or recklessly” obtaining personal data on August 22, 2018, March 2, 2019 and March 26, 2019 without consent contrary to the Data Protection Act 2018.

The 53-year-old, of Kilburn Road, Orrell, is charged with the conspiracy offence along with Junaid Patel, 33, of Edstone Close; Mohamed Soorma, 48, of Bankfield Street and Soyab Dhalech, 51, of Princess Road, Lostock.

The conspiracy offence alleges that between April 13, 2015 and November 13, 2019 at Bolton, Kadir conspired together with Patel, Soorma and Dhalech that as constable he would exercise his powers and privileges improperly.

This allegedly involved that he would access confidential information held on GMP systems, provide confidential information to those outside the force; carry out tasks in his capacity of a police officer upon the direction of, or under the influence of, others outside of the force.

And that he would also introduce a client to Apex Claims Management, whom he had met during the course of policing duties, and whose introduction took place during the course of his duties.

Kadir and Soorma both pleaded not guilty to the conspiracy when they appeared before a Liverpool Crown Court judge on in February last year and Kadir also denied the other three charges he faces.

They have been remanded on bail to await their trial, which is expected to last three to four weeks.

It was due to start in January this year, was then adjourned to mid-March and has now been put back to January 22 2024.

Greater Manchester Police have said that Kadir has been subject to restricted duties since his arrest on November 12, 2019.

A Wigan civil servant has been accused of repeatedly awarding herself benefits to which she wasn't entitled.

Susan Barlow, 47, of Warrington Road, Ince, appeared before borough magistrates to face nine charges of illegally processing universal credit claims for herself while an employee of the Department for Work and Pensions in Wigan.

She is being prosecuted under the 2006 Fraud Act, the charges accusing her of "dishonestly abusing her position" when she should have been working in the interests of the DWP, not against them.

The crimes are alleged to have taken place at regular intervals between May and July 2021.

The case was adjourned until April 19, before which Barlow is on unconditional bail.

A number of Wigan drivers have been convicted of breaking speed limits by substantial amounts.

Adam Corless, 28, of Meadow Brook, Pemberton, reached 102mph on a 70mph westbound stretch of the M62 between junctions 11 and 10 in a BMW 520D last May 24, Manchester and Salford magistrates were told.

He will be sentenced on March 31.

The same court heard that 48-year-old Cristian Iordan, of Poolstock Lane, Worsley Mesnes, drove his BMW at 99mph on the same section of motorway on May 1 2022. His case was adjourned to Tameside Magistrates' Court on April 11 where a Romanian interpreter will be required.

Meanwhile a 37-year-old Wigan man has been fined and had six points put on his licence after driving at almost twice the legal speed limit on a local road.

Adam Alstead, of Bolton Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, was clocked doing 58mph on the 30mph Hall Lane in Hindley in a Lexus on May 13 2022, Manchester and Salford justices heard.

With costs and victim services surcharge added to his penalty, Alstead has a total of £816 to pay.

A Wigan man's failure to prove he had paid a £5.50 rail fare has now cost him 90 times that amount in court.

Wigan justices heard that on August 5, 2022 38-year-old Lee Eves of Kendal Road, Ince, 2022 the defendant made a rail journey from Swinton to Ince.

During the journey he was asked by the ticket inspector to produce a valid ticket but he couldn't and neither could he pay for the journey there and then.

The hearing was told he was issued with an Unpaid Fares Notice so that he may pay the outstanding fare within 21 days.

Full instructions of where to send payment or to dispute liability are clearly printed on the notice.

Eves failed to make the payment within the prescribed time period, so a reminder letter was sent and then a final reminder when no money was forthcoming.

Again he neglected to respond. As a result he was fined £220 and was also ordered to pay £150 court costs and £88 to victim services