A serial pervert who performed a vile sex act in front of a girl at a bus stop was one of the criminals jailed in Greater Manchester this week.
A 'drunk' swaggering 'idiot' who robbed two men armed with a baseball bat simply because he 'couldn't be a***d not having money' has also been put behind bars. A man who nearly sliced off a taxi driver's nose after knifepoint robbery in 'sadistic' act of violence was also handed jail terms.
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 locked up in Greater Manchester in the past seven days.
Pervert who performed vile act in front of girl at bus stop told her 'oh, f*** off' when she challenged him
A pervert who performed a vile sex act in front of a schoolgirl at a bus stop told her 'oh, f*** off' when she challenged him. Motie Mughal, 44, approached the child while she was waiting for the bus and asked her about service times - before exposing himself.
The 44-year-old spoke to the girl, who was under 16, as she stood alone on Wood Lane in Partington, Trafford. The teenager saw Mughal performing a sex act. She challenged him, before he told her 'oh, f*** off', and walked away.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard that later, a woman walking her dog noticed Mughal standing on a nearby with his trousers down, exposing himself. He's now been jailed.
Mughal was said to have two previous convictions for five offences, including for outraging public decency; and exposure. The court heard he had previously exposed himself in similar circumstances in front of four separate victims.
Mitigating, James Preece said his client suffers from mental health issues and admitted using cannabis to ‘self medicate’. “ “He displays genuine remorse and victim empathy. He feels very embarrassed and sorry for what he has done.”
Mughal, of New William Close, Partington, was jailed for 24 months and ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for 10 years. He earlier pleaded guilty to engaging in a sexual act in the presence of a child; and exposure.
'Violent' thug left victim in coma after brutal stabbing with ice pick
An 'aggressive and violent' thug left another man in a coma after brutally stabbing him 14 times with an ice pick. Paul Farrington, from Wythenshawe, launched the frenzied attack on his victim on July 22 last year.
The victim - aged in his 40s - came across Farrington on Rippleton Road, before approaching and repeatedly stabbing him, police said. Passers-by rushed to help as Farrington fled the scene. The victim was rushed to hospital and put in a medically-induced coma.
He needed life-saving heart surgery and has been left with scars after the attack. Witnesses at the scene helped police identify Farrington as a suspect.
The 39-year-old was traced to a family address where he was hiding out by detectives in South Manchester. They arrested him and he was identified by a key witness.
Farrington was charged and remanded, and identified by the victim after he was woken from his coma. He pleaded guilty to section 18 assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Farrington, of Rippleton Road, was handed an extended sentence on Wednesday (August 24) at Manchester Crown Court. He will serve 12 years and nine months in jail, and 17 years on licence.
The 'drunk', swaggering 'idiot' who robbed two men armed with a baseball bat... because he 'couldn't be a***d not having money'
A 'drunk', swaggering 'idiot' armed with a baseball bat robbed two men - and attempted to rob a third - within the space of a few hours... because he 'couldn't be a***d not having money'. Masked Brandon Rennie, 20, approached his first victim, who was in his way to a 24-hour gym, in the early hours.
He demanded he hand over his 'stuff'. Rennie then held a metal bat to the man's chest. The man handed over his wallet and passport. Rennie, from Oldham, demanded his phone. When the man refused, he said: "Do you want this wrapped around your head?"
The victim handed over his mobile, before Rennie told him to 'scram'. In the space of an hour and a half, he approached two more people. He threatened the first and asked for a cigarette from the second.
Having pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery; one of attempted robbery; and two of possession of an offensive weapon, Rennie was jailed for five years and three months. A judge deemed him a 'dangerous offender'.
Rennie had a list of previous convictions - 23 convictions for 48 offences. These include arson, robbery, criminal damage, battery, burglary, theft, affray and failing to comply with court orders.
Mitigating, Damian Zelazowski said his client had a difficult background and had a 'lack of stability'. He said he admitted he was drunk at the time of the incidents. Rennie, of Edward Street, Oldham, was jailed for five years and three months, with an extended licence period of 18 months.
'Jealous' thug stabbed stranger in taxi row minutes after shouting at girlfriend over Snapchat video
A thug threatened a passerby with a knife after they challenged him over his behaviour towards his girlfriend - minutes later he stabbed another man following a row over a taxi. Jordan Darcy, 22, was on a night out on February 19 this year with his partner when they got into an argument.
Darcy, of Rochdale, believed she was laughing at a Snapchat video involving her former partner, Minshull Street Crown Court heard. During the row he shouted at her saying: “How dare you laugh at your ex-boyfriend, it’s so disrespectful, get the f*** away from me”.
A worker at the pub in Middleton asked the woman if she was OK whilst in the toilet, shortly before the couple left. “At this point the defendant started to push her down the street and she was pleading with him to stop,” prosecutor Alison Whalley told the court.
“During this, a passerby was going past when he said to ‘leave her alone’. The defendant replied: “I have got a knife, I’ll do you.” He believed this was a threat to stab him. The defendant then pulled out a knife, dropped it before picking it back up.”
They both began to walk off but later came into view on another street, and Darcy again threatened to ‘do them in’. Darcy’s partner ‘begged’ him not to do anything before they both walked away, after which he grabbed her by the neck and ‘lifted her off the ground’ and pushed her before telling her it was ‘all her fault’.
Afterwards he apologised and she asked to go home, but he instead suggested going to the Middleton Archer pub, and she agreed as there would be other people present. The couple stayed until closing and were waiting outside for a taxi when events escalated.
An argument then broke out between the defendant and the victim, who got into a taxi that Darcy claimed was 'his.' The taxi stopped and the victim got out and they started shouting at each other, before they heard someone say: “be careful, he’s got a knife”.
The victim, who had been out watching football with his partner and daughter, was stabbed multiple times receiving two puncture wounds to his chest, a five centimetre wound to his arm, as well as wounds to his elbow and lower abdomen. He was later given medical treatment in hospital.
Darcy was said to have no previous convictions. Stuart Duke, mitigating, said: "The defendant was clearly out of control, he had far too much to drink and lost control of his temper.” Mr Duke added that Darcy appears to be a ‘changed man’ since he was remanded into custody and has some insight into his offending.
Darcy, of Newton Crescent, Middleton, was jailed for 42 months (three-and-a-half years) after admitting to common assault, section 20 wounding and threatening a person with a knife.
Man nearly sliced off taxi driver's nose after knifepoint robbery in 'sadistic' act of violence
A man who nearly cut off a taxi driver’s nose in a “gratuitous and sadistic” act of violence has been jailed. Manchester Crown Court at Crown Square heard how Richard McCormack, 38, of Bell Lane, Bury, had gone out in the early hours of January 8 when he came across a man close to The Rock shopping centre, asking him for a cigarette paper before producing a four inch knife and demanding the whole stack.
Robert Elias, prosecuting, told the court that McCormack threatened the man, saying “get your white a**e out of here or I’ll stab you up and kill you”, whilst wearing a face mask. A taxi driver then pulled up outside the Halifax bank to let a woman grab cash out to pay the fare, and McCormack jumped into the back of the cab, bringing the knife to the driver’s throat and threatening to kill him unless he handed over his cash.
The frightened driver passed over his takings bag, and McCormack stabbed him in the back of the hand, leaving a 7cm gash around his thumb area which later needed stitches. The driver also pressed his emergency button, and the taxi office called his personal phone, prompting the driver to flee the cab shouting down the phone for help.
In a callous act of violence, McCormack chased the man down and stabbed him to the back of the head after he slipped on ice and fell, before picking him up and slashing at his face at least four times, almost completely severing the driver’s nose from his face in what Mr Elias described as a “gratuitous and sadistic piece of violence for his own satisfaction”.
After the senseless attack, McCormack picked up the victim’s phone and ran off, leaving the man and his passenger at the scene of the crime. In a chilling twist, the passenger later reported receiving a Facebook message from McCormack in the days after the attack, asking what she’d seen before telling her “I’m in the paper, the attacker" and saying he did nothing wrong.
McCormack has 23 previous convictions for 55 offences, including convictions for attempted robberies, rape, and affray, with three convictions for possessing a bladed article or weapon.
Milena Bennett, defending, urged the judge to consider an alternative sentence, instead asking for an extended licence period for her client, as he accepted full responsibility for his actions, which were part of an opportunistic wave of crime rather than a pre-planned operation.
He was willing to engage with further assessments to determine whether a brain injury sustained as a child at the hands of his abusive alcoholic father, which may have been made worse after McCormack lost consciousness due to a stab wound in his neck, may be a cause for his offending behaviour.
But Judge Smith passed down a life sentence to McCormack for wounding with intent, stating he must serve a minimum term of 15 years for the offence. He will not be eligible for release for ten of those 15 years, after which a parole board may meet to discuss whether he still poses a risk to the public or whether he can be considered for release.
Concurrent sentences of nine years and four months for the robbery of the taxi driver, five years and five months for the robbery of the cigarette papers, and 19 months for possession of the knife were also handed down in court.
Man jailed for laundering money after companies targete d in scams
A man police said was 'heavily involved' in a huge money laundering operation has been jailed. Naeem Khalid, 58, of Stott Street, Failsworth, Oldham, made a 'calculated effort to disguise large sums of money that legitimate businesses had been scammed out of', investigators added after he was sentenced.
Police said money he laundered was traced back to millions of pounds lost by businesses who fell prey to scams. An investigation by the City of London Police's Serious Organised Crime Team uncovered 20 victims - including a care home, two solicitors' firms and several manufacturers. Khalid - and 38-year-old Abiya Hussain - admitted to laundering £283,000 between them, the force said.
Former supermarket worker Hussain, of Grange Street, Failsworth, pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing criminal property in December last year and was sentenced to an 18-month community order and unpaid work. A court heard her crimes were committed under the orders of others, and that she received 'pocket money' for her involvement.
Khalid also pleaded guilty to five counts of money laundering at a court hearing last December but has now been jailed at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court for 46 months. The force said his sentencing hearing was held on August 10, but details have only just been revealed.
Both Khalid and Hussain will now be subject to confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act, police said.
Drug dealer jailed after he's arrested at home
A drug dealer who was caught in possession of class A and B drugs has been jailed as part of a county lines drug operation. Jack Stockwell, 22, was arrested on March 11 2022 at his home after officers suspected he was involved in supplying drugs.
Stockwell, of Raleigh Close, Oldham, has been convicted at Minshull Street Crown Court and sentenced to five years in prison for possession with intent to supply. Led by GMP detectives, the operation worked alongside partners including Oldham Council as part of a multi-agency response.
DC Kavita Young of GMP’s Oldham’s Complex Safeguarding Team said: “This investigation and subsequent conviction has shone a light on the recent work of our Unit and our commitment to securing the best possible outcomes.
“If you have any information regarding county lines and drug dealing, you can call GMP by dialling 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
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