Wigan's week in court

The case against a Wigan 20-year-old accused of being involved in a hit and run collision involving an electric bike has collapsed.

Joel Pilling, of Latimer Close, Orrell, was one of two men charged with failing to stop and failing to report an accident on Orrell Road, Orrell, last October 1 in which Margaret Scaldwell was injured.

But at the latest hearing at Manchester City Magistrates' Court, those charges against Pilling were discontinued.

Both are further accused of riding the Talaria Sting electric vehicle when uninsured, without a licence and when not wearing a helmet and these charges against Pilling still stand.

A Wigan borough man has been jailed for more than a decade for stabbing a man before going on to attack a woman, leaving her with facial injuries and fractured ribs.

Declan Smith, 26, of Derwent Street, Tyldesley, was sentenced to 12 years in prison at Bolton Crown Court after earlier pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and grievous bodily harm.

In February 2021, Smith was drinking and socialising with three other people at a house in Wigan.

Several hours later, he began arguing with one of the men there.

During the disturbance, Smith punched the man repeatedly, before picking up a knife from the counter and stabbing him in his side.

When officers arrived to investigate, he told officers his attack was in self-defence, but he was later arrested and charged.

Nearly two years later in January 2023, while Smith was awaiting a court appearance for the attack, officers attended an address in Atherton, where a woman said she had been assaulted.

The woman had significant facial injuries, and explained that Smith had turned up to her home unannounced after she had returned from a night out.

After pushing his way in, Smith attacked his victim over the following hours, leaving her with extensive swelling, bruising and three broken ribs.

When she was finally able to leave, she received medical treatment and informed police of the incident.

Officers subsequently arrested Smith and the victim bravely recounted her ordeal to police.

Det Con Lyndsey Smith, from Greater Manchester Police’s Wigan district, said: “Declan Smith committed two incredibly disgusting crimes and I am happy that he now has the four walls of a prison cell to think about his actions.

“Both of the attacks were incredibly violent, but the fact he repeatedly assaulted a woman over several hours, leaving her with multiple injuries, is particularly disturbing.

"I would like to thank that woman’s bravery in talking to us – her courage in helping us put Smith behind bars was truly amazing.

“We will never tolerate such violence in our communities – anyone who engages in such behaviour can expect to have a visit from us.”

A trial has been scrapped after a local man finally admitted to coercive and controlling behaviour.

James Williams, 51, of Chaseley Gardens, Skelmersdale, was to have appeared before a Bolton Crown Court jury in October next year, having previously denied the charge which related to a woman he abused between October 1 last year and January 9 this year.

But he has now changed his plea.

Williams had already admitted to two assaults and criminal damage.

A further charge of threatening her with a knife, which he also denied, will be allowed to lie on file.

Sentencing now takes place on May 23.

A Wigan 27-year-old has denied attacking and threatening to kill a woman.

Jonathan Kay, of Helvellyn Road, Billinge, made his first appearance before a Bolton Crown Court judge to plead not guilty to assaulting Elaine Kay by beating and making a death threat against her on March 2.

A trial date has been set for September 11 this year before which Kay is on conditional bail.

A pensioner has denied a series of historical sex offence accusations, including rape, against a schoolgirl and the neglect of another one in Wigan.

Kenneth Wood, 71, of Silverdale Drive, Preston, is charged with raping the then under-16 – who cannot be named for legal reasons – on the night of August 15 and 16, 1992.

He is also charged with indecently assaulting her four times between December 31, 1990 and August 1993, and assaulting, ill treating or neglecting her, causing unnecessary suffering, between April 1977 and 1993.

A seventh charge accuses him of maltreating or neglecting a second child between December 31, 1990 and July 2, 1994.

He has now entered not guilty pleas to all charges.

A provisional trial date of November 2025 had previously been set but now proceedings are scheduled to go ahead sooner than that on December 9, 2024, with a pre-trial review taking place on May 23.

Two men who had admitted to a series of serious crimes including kidnap now want to change their pleas, a court has heard.

Darren Williams, 46, of Robson Place, Abram, and 38-year-old Dean Braham, of Brewery Lane, Leigh, had previously appeared in court to plead guilty to the abduction, false imprisonment and assault of Dominique Peet, plus burglary and possession of an assault rifle.

But at their latest hearing at Bolton Crown Court, the judge was informed that the pair now had new legal representation and that an application to vacate their guilty pleas was being made.

This will take place on June 27 with a mention due to take place on June 7.

A Wigan 33-year-old has been accused of stalking a woman by bombarding her with scores of texts, emails and phone calls.

William Ireton, of Bolton Road, Aspull, appeared before borough justices to face of charge of stalking involving serious alarm or distress between February 19 and April 10 this year.

The charge accuses him of sending 100 texts, 40 emails and making multiple calls during that period, causing such serious alarm that it had an adverse effect on her day-to-day activities.

He is further accused of threatening to break the handle of her front door on February 19.

The case was adjourned pending a trial at the same court on January 27 next year before which time Ireton has been released on conditional bail.

A Scots motorist has admitted to flouting a road ban and drink driving in Wigan.

John Shaw, 33, of Barton Terrace, Bathgate, in Edinburgh, appeared before borough magistrates to plead guilty to driving a Mercedes pick-up truck along Ash Lane, Aspull, on March 16 when disqualified and also when he was almost twice the legal limit.

He gave a breath test reading of 68 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The limit is 35.

Shaw also admitted to causing £265 of criminal damage to a vehicle belonging to Tsun Lam in Wigan on February 29.

He will be sentenced on June 7.

A 51-year-old Leigh man is awaiting sentence after admitting to a "flashing" offence.

Marian Torono, of Shadwell Grove, appeared before Wigan justices to plead guilty to exposing himself on April 6 and also to a bail breach nine days later.

As a result of the latter offence he was remanded in custody pending sentence on May 7.

A Wigan 20-year-old has been accused of domestically abusing a woman for two years.

Morgan Oliver, of Pembroke Road, Kitt Green, stood before borough justices charged with engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour towards a named female between March 1, 2022 and April 14 this year.

He is next due to appear in court on January 20 next year before which he has been released on bail, conditions including having no contact with the complainant.

A man who is accused of stalking and repeatedly breaching a restraining order has been remanded in custody until he next appears in court.

John Roe, 47, of Heywood Avenue, Golborne, stood before Manchester justices to face three charges - one that he caused a named woman serious distress by stalking between February 22 and April 9, flouted a restraining order by leaving multiple messages on her phone on April 8, entered Belmont Road in Hindley on February 24 when he was prohibited from doing so, and also attending another address between February 22 and 25 when knowing the the female who was subject to the order was there.

He was remanded in custody until a first appearance before a Bolton Crown Court judge on May 22.

A Wigan 55-year-old has been accused of attacking two people on a train.

Paul Carberry, of Stirrups Farm Road, Lowton, appeared before Manchester magistrates charged with the assault by beating of a man and woman on a train between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria on December 16.

He admitted to attacking the man but denied assaulting the woman.

The case was adjourned until a trial will be held at Bolton Magistrates' Court on January 15.

The trial of a man accused of killing a Wigan mum in her home has been delayed.

Caroline Gore, 44, was found dead at her flat in Douglas House, Scholes, at 8pm on Monday, October 30.

Her body was discovered by police officers after they received reports of concern for her welfare.

An investigation was launched and David Liptrot, 56, of Shelley Avenue, Coppull, was charged with her murder.

He pleaded not guilty to two counts relating to Ms Gore’s death – murder and manslaughter – in a hearing at Manchester Crown Court in January and a trial date was fixed for April 22.

But that has now been rescheduled to July 1.

Liptrot remains remanded in custody.

Ms Gore was last seen on Sunday, October 29, when she was drinking at the Dog and Partridge pub, on Wallgate, Wigan, before walking home alone. In a statement, her family described her as “a dearly loved mum, daughter and sister”.

A Wigan thug has been sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a man with a champagne bottle during a brawl.

Dean Hughes, 46, and formerly of Church Avenue in Bickershaw, will serve a minimum of 16 years behind bars following his unanimous conviction by a Manchester Crown Court jury last week for murdering Shane Maloney in an attack four and a half years ago.

The 31-year-old was the victim of a ruthless onslaught following an argument and a scuffle, where other friends were present.

At some point during the fracas, a Magnum-sized champagne bottle was used to inflict what was later determined by forensic experts to be the fatal blow to the head.

Shane also suffered other blows to his body during the violent incident on Wigan Road in Leigh back on a Friday night in November 2019.

Hughes in the immediate aftermath was recorded on police body worn video saying “don’t underestimate a short a***” and “I’m trained and I’m teached how to kill” along with “payback’s a b****” while he was under the influence of drink and drugs.

When officers arrived, along with other first-aid responders, Shane was found unconscious outside in the garden, having been dragged and left there by Hughes who was arrested at the scene on suspicion of intending to cause his victim grievous bodily harm.

He was later charged with this crime – also known as Section 18 wounding and in May 2020 he appeared in court to plead guilty to that attack and was initially sentenced to eight years in prison.

Tragically, Shane never fully recovered from his injuries and had a severe brain injury which prevented independent living.

In March 2021, a year on from the conviction, he sadly passed away.

A detailed examination uncovered shortly after that the cause of death was directly linked to that of the assault, meaning additional charges were later brought for the more serious offence of murder.

Hughes was already behind bars when convicted so he will be incarcerated for even longer.

A serving police officer living in Wigan has been jailed after being convicted of corruption charges for passing on confidential information for his own benefit.

PC Akeel Kadir was found guilty following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court in March 2024 after an investigation by GMP’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) and jailed for 15 months.

The court was told Kadir, 54, of Kilburn Road, Orrell, abused his position within the force to “access secure systems and obtain confidential information in relation to police investigations and intelligence.”

Investigations showed that Kadir accessed police systems to pass on confidential information to Junaid Patel, who ran Apex Claims Management (UK) Ltd in Bolton, a company which managed motor insurance claims.

Beyond this, Kadir further abused his authority by sharing confidential images of suspects of crime and personal details of those under investigation for sexual offences.

Kadir’s offending took place between 2013 and 2019. He initially shared information about crash victims – the company would then approach insurance companies offering hire cars and storage services.

Evidence from Kadir’s bank statements showed that Kadir was a frequent gambler but he claimed he passed any monies received from his co-accused to charity or that they were loans.

These claims were proved to be false.

Kadir, who is based in GMP’s Bolton district, was found guilty of one count of knowingly or recklessly obtaining or disclosing personal data without the consent of the data controller and one count of conspiracy to commit police corruption.

Patel, 36, now living in Dubai but previously of Edstone Close, Bolton, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit police corruption.

Kadir was sentenced to 15 months in prison and must serve a one-year community order on release.

Patel was given a nine-month suspended sentence and 120 hours of unpaid community work.

Two other men were cleared of being involved in the scheme.