Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Ellie Kemp

Dishonest, arrogant, cruel - people locked up in Greater Manchester in November

Two dangerous sexual predators who raped a woman after she was refused entry into a nightclub for being drunk were among the criminals caged in Greater Manchester this month.

A woman who fleeced a vulnerable lady with dementia of almost £3,000 was also handed prison terms. And a trio of drug dealers who joked about getting complaints from the parents of children they were using to supply were also put behind bars this November.

Prison sentences are handed out to the worst offenders each week and Manchester Evening News reporters are in court to cover the most serious cases.

Read more: Man brutally stamped on Congo the dog FIFTEEN times in worst beating ever seen

Here are the criminals locked up in Greater Manchester in the last 30 days...

Teenagers locked up for horrific rape of woman after she was refused entry to nightclub for being drunk

Tyquante Reid (GMP)

Two teenagers 'took it in turns' to rape an 18-year-old woman after she was refused entry to a nightclub because she was drunk, prosecutors who described them as 'dangerous sexual predators' said.

Tyquante Reid, now 18, and a 16-year old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons because of his age, 'showed disturbing predatory behaviour' when they 'targeted' the vulnerable teenager in Wigan, said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after both were locked up.

In a statement, the CPS said in the early hours of one night in April, the woman, who had become separated from her friends, was refused entry to the Popworld nightclub in Wigan town centre because she was drunk. Reid and the teenager then 'ushered' her into a taxi and took her to a flat, where they raped her.

Following a trial in October, Reid was found guilty of two counts of rape and the 16 year-old was found guilty of two counts of rape and one count of assault by penetration. Reid, who was 17 at the time and from Dallow Road in Luton, Bedfordshire, was detained for six years and eight months.

The 16-year-old, of no fixed address, was locked up for six years, six months. Both denied the offences they were charged with, but were convicted after a trial and sentenced at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court on Tuesday (November 29).

Woman's sickening cruelty on vulnerable victim who thought they were friends

Lisa Owen (GMP)

A 'long-standing' drug addict fleeced almost £3,000 from a vulnerable woman with vascular dementia she befriended and offered to help, a court heard. Lisa Owen, 38, is now starting a 40-month jail sentence.

Owen, of Langport Avenue, Beswick, Manchester, met the victim at a local NISA store in Ardwick in June last year and offered to help her walk home with her shopping, a sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court was told. Craig MacGregor, prosecuting, said from then on, Owen would visit her nearly every day, offering to take her bins out and do her shopping for her.

MacGregor said a worker at the support complex the victim lived at 'became concerned' when Owen went to the shop to buy cat food and chocolate for the victim with a £20 note, but 'did not return any change' to her. Another welfare co-ordinator then visited the victim's home and saw a bank statement which showed numerous withdrawals.

Owen was arrested and bailed with a condition not to go to the victim's home. But the court heard she returned a number of times and on August 18, stole £35 from the victim's coat inside her flat, pushing her to the ground as she left.

Owen pleaded guilty to seven counts of fraud, burglary and two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs. She was jailed for 40 months at a sentencing hearing on Monday (November 28).

'Fantastic father' is exposed as an international drug dealer who traded in guns

Sidaquet Sadiq (GMP)

A 'fantastic father' was exposed as an international drug dealer who traded in guns and helped funnel vast amounts of dirty money abroad. Sidaquet Sadiq, 38, was the latest criminal to be unmasked after the law enforcement hacking of a secretive phone network favoured by organised crime gangs.

Sadiq was known as 'Mayweather.TMT' within EncroChat and was involved in supplying at least 25 kilos of class A drugs, heroin and cocaine, within a six week period, Manchester Crown Court heard. Sadiq, from Salford, also laundered at least £1.6 million in criminal cash, helping dirty money to be sent to Europe or the Middle East, and discussed the sale of guns within the encrypted network.

He has now been jailed for 18-and-a-half years. Jailed at the same hearing was Junaid Ahmed, 26, a 'trusted' courier who had an adapted Skoda with a secret compartment to store drugs. He was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.

Sadiq, from Salford, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs, money laundering, conspiracy to sell or transfer firearms and conspiracy to sell or transfer ammunition. Ahmed, of Esmond Road, Cheetham Hill, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Dealers joked about getting complaints from mums of kids they employed to sell drugs

Stefan Ingram, Tony McGarry and Stephan Warde (GMP)

Drug dealers who used an encrypted system joked about getting complaints from the mothers of children they were using to supply cannabis on the streets. Tony McGarry, 36, Stefan Ingram, 33, and Stephen Warde, 38, were all arrested following the Europe-wide hack into the Encrochat system, a system used exclusively by members of organised crime groups to plan criminal activities, in June 2020.

In messages recovered on their ‘Encrophones’, McGarry, acting under the username ‘RemoteRing’, was involved in the organising, buying and selling of heroin and cocaine. Ingram, also known as ‘BloodScooter’ was his ‘right-hand man', and Warde, known as ‘StylishBar’, was the courier of cash and drugs.

They have now each been jailed after admitting offences of conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs. From January 1 2020 to December 3 2020, they were in contact with at least 11 other high-level suppliers of drugs and mixing agents, and also used a ‘token’ system to control payments as well as to identify postcode locations and passwords when drugs and money were exchanged, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Over a six week period of the recovered messages, the group sourced six kilos of cocaine, seven kilos of heroin and 24 kilos of cannabis. They were also involved in the purchase of various adulterants and the movement of at least £200,000 cash.

McGarry, of West Avenue, Moston, was jailed for 13 years and eight months; Ingram, of Greendale Drive, Radcliffe, was jailed for 11 years; and Warde, of Kingston Avenue, Oldham, was jailed for nine years.

Man who lived luxury lifestyle with his wife off their crimes caught bragging about his piles of cash

A husband and wife have been locked up for drug dealing after cops raided their marital home as part of a crackdown on turf wars between rival gangs in Rochdale. Rashid Hussain ran the 'Sniper' drugs line, flooding the borough with cocaine and heroin alongside his wife, Szenm Asghar,

Police said the couple enjoyed a 'luxurious lifestyle' from peddling drugs. Officers seized more than £20,000 in cash, designer clothes worth almost £18,000, and a number of Rolex watches from their marital home. The couple even paid £3,000 for two cats.

Hussain who was claiming benefits, was heard on voice notes recovered by police bragging about his income. They also discovered a video where Hussain can be seen with several huge bundles of cash telling an unknown man: "They'll call me money f***ing Rash won't they, like money Mayweather," referencing Floyd Mayweather, the boxer who was once the world's highest paid athlete.

The married couple sat in the dock next to each other at Manchester Crown Court to be sentenced. Hussain, 35, admitted possessing criminal property, and two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

Asghar, 37, pleaded guilty to participating in the activities of an organised crime group, two counts of possession of criminal property and two counts of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply. Hussain was jailed for seven-and-a-half years, and Asghar for three years and four months.

Thugs attacked stranger in horror street attack - and boasted about it

Ryan Partington (top) and Zack Kelly (bottom) attacked a lone man who was walking home from a night out (GMP/CPS)

A man was attacked and robbed minutes after being followed by two drunk thugs. The young man had been enjoying a night out on Canal Street, in the city centre, when he was verbally abused by Ryan Partington.

As he walked home alone, after being separated from friends, he became aware Partington, 29, was following him. Just minutes later, after crossing the road to avoid him, he was followed again by Partington and another man, Zack Kelly, 24.

They both launched an unprovoked attack on him and robbed him, before he ran away and called the police. In CCTV footage shared with the Manchester Evening News , both Kelly and Partington walk alongside the man before he is grabbed by Partington from behind, and punched by Kelly.

He is dragged to the ground as the men scuffle, with Kelly kneeing him, and they are seen to grab a bag and white jacket from him in the frightening attack. Afterwards, Partington recorded a series of videos on the victim’s iPhone, boasting of what they had done, before they went to a nearby shop and tried to buy energy drinks and cigarettes with his bank card.

Both Partington and Kelly admitted an offence of robbery. Partington, of no fixed abode, was jailed for 26 months; and Kelly, also of no fixed abode, was jailed for 24 months.

The loan sharks who threatened to take their victims 'to the moors' where they'll 'never be seen again'

Stephen Lee (left) and Gary Karucz (right) outside Minshull Street Crown Court (Manchester Evening News)

Two loan sharks acting in ‘abject greed’ exploited vulnerable people ‘trapped in poverty’ and left one with just £40 a month. Stephen Lee, 65, and Gary Karucz, 47, befriended two different men, who both suffered from mental health conditions and lived in supported accommodation.

Working together, Lee and Karucz offered to lend the men money but charged an interest rate of over 100pc. The court heard that Lee was acting as the driver and assisted Karucz in the collection of the monies.

Over a six month period, the men took between £4,000 and £5,000. Lee even threatened one of the victims with kidnap and assault. Both men were arrested at their address in Radcliffe, and Karucz replied to his caution: “Are you here because I have been loaning money to the homeless?”

Lee and Karucz, of Radcliffe, both pleaded guilty to offences of theft, fraud, illegal money lending, and Karucz also admitted separate offences of supplying cannabis.

Both were jailed on Thursday (November 24) at Minshull Street Crown Court. Karucz, of Exeter Road, was jailed for 31 months. Lee, also of Exeter Road, was jailed for 28 months.

Criminal brothers hauled to court after Audi trying to flee from police pulls into dead end

Daniel Dean (left) and Marcus Dean (right) (GMP)

A drugs line run by two brothers was uncovered after one was pulled over alongside his girlfriend - who had £350 and cocaine in her Tommy Hilfiger bag. Daniel Dean, 31, and Melissa Garcia, 27, were spotted in a white Audi, and were pulled over by police.

Prosecuting, Imran Khan said that on October 6, 2018, officers saw the white Audi travelling in Stockport. As they pulled up behind it at a junction it took off at speed and so officers followed. The Audi pulled onto Hardon Grove, which turned out to be a dead end.

Upon searching the car, officers found the cash, along with a number of wraps of ‘white powder’ in the designer bag. They also found five mobile phones, all with evidence of drug dealing.

After examining the phone, officers arrested Daniel’s brother, Marcus Dean, at his house in Reddish, and found cocaine and a drug debtor’s list. Text messages on the phones showed that Daniel Dean and Garcia, both of Hyde, were out selling drugs on behalf of Marcus, 30.

All eventually pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply class A drugs, and both brothers were jailed at Minshull Street Crown Court. Garcia was handed a suspended sentence.

Marcus Dean, of Woodhall Road, was jailed for four years; Daniel Dean, of Green Street, was jailed for three years and seven months; and Garcia, of Green Street, was handed two years imprisonment which was suspended for two years. She was also ordered to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirements and 250 hours of unpaid work.

Pregnant Manchester City executive jailed for stealing £100,000 from the club to pay for her wedding

Fiona Barclay leaving court after a previous hearing (Manchester Evening News)

A former Manchester City executive who stole more than £100,000 from the club to pay for her wedding has been jailed. Fiona Barclay, 33, worked as a business development manager for City in the football club's hospitality department, earning up to £30,000 a year.

But now Barclay, who is pregnant, is beginning an 18 month jail sentence after being caught swindling cash from the club. After being discovered, she told police she'd used her ill-gotten gains to pay for her wedding and buy 'gifts' for her husband and family.

Manchester Crown Court heard that Barclay was rumbled after accountants flagged a suspicious transaction, when a refund of £25,000 had been issued in March last year. She admitted depositing £15,000 of the sum into her own bank account, and paid it back to the club. But the club investigated further and discovered that Barclay had been siphoning off money since June 2019.

In total she had stolen more than £104,000. City remain £89,000 out of pocket, after Barclay paid back the £15,000. Barclay faced internal disciplinary proceedings at the club and was sacked in March last year.

She pleaded guilty to an offence of fraud by abuse of position. Barclay, of Drum Farm Lane, Falkirk, will serve half of her 18 month sentence in prison. She will now be the subject of an investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act, to discover whether any of her ill-gotten gains can be clawed back.

Vile paedophile found in hotel room with two missing girls

Colin Smith has been jailed for 12 years (GMP)

A 'calculated' sex offender was arrested by police at a hotel where he was putting up two missing girls. Colin Smith was detained by officers when he returned to the room in Bury after the teenagers 'made contact with someone they could trust', police said.

The girls had both been reported as missing at the time. The 59-year-old was subsequently charged with 11 offences against five victims including offences of meeting a child following sexual grooming, making and distributing indecent images of children and sexual activity with a child. He would ply his victims with alcohol and pose as a teenager on social media, officers said.

After his arrest on August 19, 2020, police seized Smith's devices and found extreme pornography, indecent images of children and evidence of more grooming victims. At Minshull Street Crown Court on Tuesday (November 15), Smith, of Everton Street, Darwen, was jailed for 12 years after admitting the 11 charges.

Victim left with horror injuries after trio walk up to him and batter him

Latif Sanyang (left) and Ryan Speed (right) (GMP)

A teenager who was punched '35 times' as he waited for an Uber home feared he'd be killed over a bag. The 18-year-old, who was stood with a friend, was battered and robbed of a £300 Burberry bag after being approached by three men on Portland Street near Piccadilly Gardens.

Latif Sanyang, Ryan Speed and an unknown third man walked over to them, Manchester Crown Court heard. Originally they appeared friendly, and talked about football. The unknown man put his hand around the victim's shoulder, offered him cocaine - which he refused - before commenting on the victim's bag.

The teenager was then wrestled into a headlock and Sanyang, 23, began pummelling him in the face, prosecutor David Lees said. As his friend tried to intervene, Speed, 27, threatened him by lifting up his tracksuit top to reveal a knife.

The victim gave up the bag and sought help from a nearby police officer. He suffered graphic injuries, including cuts to his face, swelling, loose teeth and a black eye. Sanyang, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to robbery and two counts of breaching a criminal behaviour order. Speed, of Crispin Road, Wythenshawe, pleaded guilty to robbery, theft and fraud.

Both will serve at least two-thirds of a six year jail term, before they can be considered for release by the Parole Board. They were also handed an extra three years on licence.

'Disgraceful' man is jailed for an 'arrogant and selfish' bit of driving in an Audi

Craig Sloane has been jailed (Facebook)

An Audi driver has been jailed after leading cops on two high-speed chases through the streets of Bolton. Craig Sloane drove at 90mph on a 30mph road during the first pursuit and went through four red lights on the second - which took place around 13 months later, while he was still on bail for the original offence.

A judge at Bolton Crown Court slammed the 32-year-old’s driving as ‘arrogant’ and ‘selfish’ as he sentenced him to 22 months imprisonment on Tuesday (November 15). During the first incident, on July 1 2021, Sloane accelerated to three times' the speed limit, was driving on the wrong side of the road and almost smashed into an articulated lorry, prosecution barrister Keith Jones told the court.

He carried on driving and only stopped when he crashed into a tree. He tried to run away but was arrested and told officers he was ‘sorry’, before making full admissions during his interview.

But he got behind the wheel of a car again on the afternoon of August 3 2022. On this occasion, as he was followed by police Sloane reached speeds of 80 mph and drove through four red traffic light, Mr Jones told the court.

Sloane, of Tonge Moor Road, Bolton, pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving, driving without insurance, driving while disqualified, and breach of a suspended sentence. Judge Tom Gilbart jailed Sloane for 22 months and banned him from driving for four years.

Dealer caught in his underwear as police raided his home

Lucas Dodd (Greater Manchester Police)

Drug dealer Lucas Dodd was caught in his underwear as police raided his home. Dodd had hastily hidden a large stash of cocaine and heroin behind a communal washing machine.

Police also found over £8,000 in cash, along with three burner phones with messages about drug dealing. Dodd, 23, from Little Hulton, said he wanted to pay back the money he had borrowed after he was released from his last prison sentence and said drug dealing was ‘an effective way of doing that’.

Jailing him for over four years for possession with intent to supply class A drugs and money laundering offences, Judge Hilary Manley told him: “You knew you could make money from being a drug dealer - I have no doubt you knew the risks and you took them.

And the judge warned Dodd: "Carry on like this after being released and you can expect much longer sentences."

'Animal savage' bit off woman's nose in horrifying fight

A judge described Claire Bold's crime as an act of 'animal savagery'. She bit the end of a woman's noise off after the pair had become embroiled in a fight.

Both had inflicted minor injuries on each other, but raging Bold, 38, believed that the woman had taken her credit card and followed her to a friend's house. The fight resumed and 38-year-old Bold clamped her teeth onto the woman's nose before biting on it.

She bit the end of the woman's nose off, before spitting it out on the floor. The victim was in 'excruciating' pain and was left bleeding profusely.

She has had operations including a skin graft, but has been left permanently disfigured. People stare at her in the street and she has been subjected to vile abuse, being called 'piggy', Manchester Crown Court heard.

Weeks after the appalling incident, Bold left another woman permanently disfigured, after hitting her to the face with a handheld mirror. Bold stormed out of court as the judge laid bare the facts of her shocking crimes.

She received a 10 year sentence, comprising of six years in jail and an extra four years on licence. She will serve two-thirds of her six year sentence in prison.

Fake 'Good Samaritan' kidnapped and sexually assaulted vulnerable teenage girl

A predator who pretended to be a Good Samaritan kidnapped and sexually assaulted a young woman. Michael Owen, 34, approached his intoxicated victim at about 5am outside a nightclub in Leigh.

He approached her and helped her to her feet, under the premise that he was looking out for her. In a statement Greater Manchester Police said: "He had then helped her into a taxi, telling the driver to drop them off at his home on Bridgewater Street.

"Once there, the girl reported she remembered waking up in Owen’s bed partially clothed and screaming to go home but was told by Owen that he was just looking after her."

The victim said she next remembered someone banging on Owen’s front door. The caller was her father, who had obtained the address from the taxi driver, who answered the phone the youngster dropped in his taxi, after her dad rang it.

The court heard how Owen called 999 to report someone banging on his front door, while at the same time the victim's father was ringing the police to report his daughter was being kept against her will.

When police attended a few minutes later and the circumstances were determined, Owen was immediately arrested and taken into custody for questioning. The youngster was taken to hospital for examination.

Jailing Owen for seven-and-a-half years behind bars, the Judge deemed him to be a dangerous offender and handed down an extended licence period of four years, with a lifetime restraining order against the victim.

'Very dangerous' thug left man with 'significant' facial injuries in 'prolonged' early hours attack

Ibiso Bobmanuel (GMP Bury)

A 'very dangerous' thug left a man with 'significant facial injuries' and stole his mobile phone. Ibiso Bobmanuel, of Caernarvon Close, Greenmount, approached the victim in the early hours of Tuesday, April 5.

The man had been walking through Bury town centre by himself and was on a break from work when he was attacked. Bobmanuel, who has previous convictions for violent robberies, then assaulted him in a 'prolonged attack', causing 'significant facial injuries', before stealing his phone.

Following a police investigation, the 37-year-old was sentenced by a judge to seven years and eight months in prison for robbery.

PC McGreavy of the Bury Neighbourhood Crime Team said: “Bobmanuel is a very dangerous individual who has previous convictions for violent robberies. This sentence handed out by the judge is a good deterrent for any criminal believing they can violently attack members of the community who should be able to feel safe when visiting Bury town centre”.

Woman mows down blind man and leaves him for dead while speeding on the way home from chippy

A woman who mowed down a blind man and left him for dead in the road as she raced home with a fish and chip supper has been jailed. Charlene Bellis, 40, ploughed into Christopher Hollywood as he crossed the road with his golden Labrador guide dog Caesar, while showing off to her teenage daughter.

Mr Hollywood, 34, was sent flying in the air by the force of the impact and suffered serious injuries. Caesar escaped unharmed and stayed at the roadside with his master.

Bellis, a mum-of-three, initially stopped at the scene and got out of her red Ford Fiesta ST to say 'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry,' but she then jumped back in the car and sped off as passers-by tended to the victim. She was arrested later.

Inquiries revealed Bellis, of Leigh, had a history of drug driving and she admitted to regularly smoking cannabis. There is no suggestion she was under the influence at the time of the accident.

Mr Hollywood, was taken to Salford Royal Hospital A&E where a spinal injury expert found that he had fractured part of his vertebrae and three ribs, and would need surgery. After successful surgery, he was out of the hospital within eight days but remained in a plaster cast for the next six weeks.

At Bolton Crown Court, Bellis, of Irvine Street, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was jailed for a year and banned from driving for three years. The disqualification will start when she is freed in six months.

Woman lured pal to house before her ex-boyfriend beat and robbed him at knifepoint

Sarah Marson (GMP)

A woman lured a pal to her house in the early hours before he was beaten and robbed by her knife-wielding ex-boyfriend. Sarah Marson, 30, invited the would-be victim to her home, speaking to him for around five to ten minutes in her bedroom.

Her ex Craig Parkinson and another man then came in. Marson left before the pair launched a brutal attack, swiping the man's phone and £180 in cash while threatening him with a blade.

Marson, from Dukinfield, Tameside has now admitted aiding and abetting robbery and was jailed for 22 months. Craig Parkinson, 35, was previously jailed for five years and three months for robbery and other separate matters.

Initially Marson failed to attend her case and a warrant was issued for her arrest. She was arrested for breaching her bail in October this year and has been in custody ever since, the court heard.

She was said to have 23 previous convictions for 34 offences including for offences of attempted robbery and breach of court orders. Defending, David Thomson said his client had a difficult start in her childhood and that she had fallen ‘under the spell’ of Parkinson.

Marson, of Newton Terrace, was jailed for 22 months.

Dramatic footage captures police chase through Salford streets before van driver tackled by officers

Christopher Porter (Greater Manchester Police)

Footage shows the dramatic moment police chased a disqualified and uninsured driver through the streets of Salford.

Officers chased van driver Christopher Porter, 33, for nearly 30 minutes after he failed to stop. Dramatic video released by the force shows the terrifying pursuit through city streets, before Porter was eventually arrested.

Porter, of Brindleheath Road, was jailed for two years at Manchester Crown Court on November 7 after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, possession of a knife, and failure to stop for police.

Police can be seen chasing and apprehending Porter after a lengthy chase through Salford streets. In the footage, Porter mounted the kerb on a residential street, and was captured swerving in and out of traffic and narrowly avoiding a head-on crash in an attempt to evade cops on September 10.

A police helicopter was scrambled, and the footage shows him trying to escape before officers tackle him. The pursuit was part of the Operation Naseby taskforce, tackling organised crime in the city.

Drug dealer found in hotel bed with cocaine, pills and wads of cash stashed in drawers

Joshua Wood (Greater Manchester Police)

A drug dealer was caught with cocaine, 150 pills and wads of cash in a Salford hotel room raid by anti-gang cops. Joshua Wood, 31, was found in bed by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers after a tip off he had been dealing drugs from his car and staying in a hotel in Worsley.

He was jailed for 42 months earlier this month at Manchester Crown Court after admitting eight drug offences and money laundering. Wood, of Marston Gardens, Ellesmere Port, initially claimed all the drugs were for personal use, but police analysis of the contents of his phone provided evidence that he was making money through the sale of drugs.

He was charged with possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis, possession with intent to supply class C drugs, possession of class A drugs including MDMA, possession of class C drugs, and money laundering.

He admitted all the offences in court. Wood was arrested as part of Operation Naseby, which has helped drive down shootings in the city of Salford by over 70 per cent since its launch in April 2020.

Vile rapist targeted lone woman on night out and carried out 'brutal' attack

Ablolom Okbazge was jailed for nine years (GMP)

A sex attacker befriended a woman before luring her to a secluded spot and raping her in a ‘brutal’ attack. Ablolom Okbazge, 27, met the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in Wigan town centre in December last year.

She had been on a night out with friends, she told a trial at Bolton Crown Court earlier this year. Having viewed CCTV footage from the early hours of December 18, a judge ruled that she was ‘heavily inebriated’ and was ‘clearly particularly vulnerable’.

Okbazge, who was staying at the Britannia Hotel in Standish at the time, had also met friends for a drink in the town centre earlier that night and was spotted on CCTV hanging around when he came across the lone woman.

Okbazge then took the woman to a staircase at the back of a bar and raped her for over an hour. The court heard that he stopped the woman from leaving as she tried to get away from him during the attack.

Okbazge denied the offence of rape, but was found guilty by a jury following a trial. In a heart-wrenching statement read to the court, the victim said she constantly breaks down when she thinks about what happened to her - and that she initially blamed herself for what happened.

Defending, Gerald Baxter said his client, who originates from Eritrea, had met the woman and befriended her because she was ‘so clearly heavily intoxicated’. “He is a young man who, as far as we know, has no previous criminal record,” he said.

Okbazge, of no fixed abode, was jailed for nine years, of which he will serve two thirds of his sentence in prison before he will be liable for deportation.

Machete-wielding teen and his pal got into a brawl at JD Sports store packed with Christmas shoppers

A man has been jailed after getting into a fight in a JD Sports store full of Christmas shoppers - alongside his machete-wielding pal. Mark Rigg was in the queue to pay at the Manchester Fort branch, in Cheetham Hill, with his friend Rhys Jackson, when they were approached by another group of men.

A fight broke out between the two groups and Jackson, then aged 18, of Aldbourne Close, Collyhurst, pulled out a machete from his trousers. Rigg, then aged 19, of no fixed address, was seen on CCTV 'grappling and throwing punches', prosecution barrister James Preece told Manchester Crown Court. He was then escorted out of the shop by security.

Both men pleaded guilty to affray. Defending Rigg, Thomas Worsfold told the court that Rigg is currently serving a prison sentence for a separate offence and while in custody he has started a construction course. He is also expecting a child and 'hopes to be a better role model' upon his release.

At a sentencing hearing on Thursday (November 10) Rigg, now 21, was jailed for 24 weeks. Jackson, now 20, was not present at court and will be sentenced at a later date.

'Deplorable' pervert, 56, thought he was talking to 13-year-old girls but got caught by vigilante groups

Christopher Kelly has been jailed (GMP)

A 56-year-old pervert who thought he was speaking to a number of 13-year-old girls was actually talking with fake profiles operated by 'online vigilante groups'.

Christopher Kelly, of Cranbook Street, Radcliffe, was arrested in September following reports from multiple groups that they had been communicating with him using fake profiles of different 13-year-old girls, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

Kelly, who was already subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) at the time of the offending, has been jailed for two years after admitting to using the internet to contact girls under the age of 18. He also pleaded guilty to breaching the SHPO.

Following Kelly's sentence, Detective Constable Adam Gosling of the Complex Safeguarding Team, Bury division, said: “Kelly’s actions are deplorable and completely unacceptable. The safety of our children is a top priority of GMP, and I hope this result sends a stark warning to offenders that these behaviours will not be tolerated."

Smirking teen and baby-faced pal preyed on vulnerable in 'cowardly' six-week rampage

Two teenagers preyed on the vulnerable as they carried out a 'cowardly' crime spree in Greater Manchester. Declan Flynn, who was smirking in his police mugshot, has been jailed along with baby-faced Ryan McCormack for their six-week spree in Tameside.

The 'dangerous' duo carried out robberies and assaults between December 10 last year and January 25 this year. McCormack, 19, of no fixed abode, and Flynn, 18, of Moorfield Avenue, Denton, were both jailed at Manchester Crown Court for four-and-a-half years and four years respectively.

Black-eyed McCormack was convicted of two robberies, possession of a bladed article and five assaults. Flynn was convicted of being involved in offering to supply a class A drug, possession of a controlled drug and two counts of robbery.

The crimes began on December 10, last year and only stopped on January 25, when they were both arrested. The investigation was led by Detective Sergeant Peter Goddard of Tameside, who said: “Declan Flynn and Ryan McCormack are cowardly and dangerous individuals, whose criminality preyed upon vulnerable people in the street, regardless of their surroundings or the time of day.

“The officers within the Neighbourhood Crime Team at Tameside worked tirelessly to secure the charge, remand and prosecution of these two defendants, and I hope today’s sentencing will act as a deterrent to anyone who is considering committing a crime and the consequences they are likely to face.”

Read today's top stories here

Read next:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.