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Manchester Evening News
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Amy Walker

"If it was up to me, I would throw away the key": The criminals locked up in May in Greater Manchester

A killer driver, a revenge-fuelled family and two murderers are amongst those who have been jailed in Greater Manchester this month.

Also locked up in May was a paedophile who sent money to the Philippines to live stream child sex abuse, a frightening predator on 'Monkey Dust' and a shameless thief.

The Manchester Evening News has dedicated court reporters on the press benches of the most notable cases.

READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community

Below is a selection of the most serious:


Weeping in the dock, he knew he'd destroyed a family's life

Mohammed Chowdhury (Greater Manchester Police)

An ‘immature’ man with a 'fascination' for 'high powered and fast cars' killed a woman after he ploughed his Mercedes into her as she crossed the road.

Manchester Crown Court heard that on the evening of October 25 2021, a blue Mercedes Benz G63 was seen driving at high speed by defendant Mohammed Chowdhury along Alan Turing Way in Manchester.

The court heard that one witness described hearing a ‘loud engine noise’ from the vehicle before it passed him at such a speed it caused his vehicle to shake. The witness estimated the speed was similar to that seen on the motorway.

A few minutes later, at around 9pm, the court was told an off-duty police officer also noticed Chowdhury’s manner of driving. The Mercedes overtook at ‘excessive speed’ along the 30mph road, harshly breaking before then accelerating again and overtaking cars on the wrong side.

Further along Alan Turing Way, at around 9.05pm, Ibizugbe Joy Ikponnmwen had finished her shift at work and was walking towards the bus stop to head home. The 38-year-old reached the crossing at the junction with Ashton Old Road and crossed halfway to the central reservation.

It was at this point, prosecutors say, that she thought it was safe to cross. She was then struck by the Mercedes at high speed, suffering catastrophic injuries before she died that evening.

The court heard that Chowdhury, aged 22, was reaching speeds of around 80mph along the 30mph stretch before the fatal crash, and was on a phone call whilst doing so.

Chowdhury, of Rosen Square, Chadderton, was sentenced to five years and six months imprisonment for which he must serve half in custody and a further half on licence, after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. He was disqualified from driving for six years and must take an extended driving test before being able to drive again.

'He hasn't got away with it like he thought he probably had...' remorseless paedophile's past comes back to haunt him

Manchester Crown Court (MEN Media)

A remorseless paedophile's past came back to haunt him as he began a prison term for 'grotesque' sexual abuse. Paul Betts was handed a five year sentence for crimes committed in the 1990s.

Betts, now 50, sexually abused two girls in Stockport when was in his mid 20s. He flattered and groomed the first victim before kissing her. His behaviour became more sexualised and he went on to repeatedly abuse her.

The 'naïve' girl thought she was in a 'relationship' with Betts, who was married, and that they had a 'future', the court heard. "She didn't recognise in that time that she was being taken advantage of in a grotesque way," Judge Sarah Johnston said.

Betts told the girl that his crimes must remain secret, and threatened her to ensure she kept quiet. "You knew full well that what you were doing was wrong," the judge told Betts.

The court heard that Betts' wife became suspicious and confronted him after noticing phone billing records. "You denied it then and you deny it now," the judge continued.

The abuse has had a profound impact on the victims' life, the court heard. In a statement read on her behalf during the sentencing hearing, she told how she was initially reluctant to come forward.

She said: "I'm glad I was brave enough to do it and he was found guilty. I tried to put what happened to the back of my mind, but it was always there.

"He hasn't got away with it like he thought he probably had." Betts sexually abused the second victim on two occasions in the 1990s.

Betts, previously of Hawkley Drive, Tadley, Hampshire, was found guilty of eight counts of indecent assault and one count of indecency with a child. He will serve half of his sentence in prison, and will have to sign the sex offender's register for life.

Jealous coward beat girlfriend and checked her naked body for ‘signs of other men’ in horrific campaign of abuse

A controlling and abusive thug beat his girlfriend and checked her naked body for 'signs of other men' in a horrific campaign of abuse.

Paul Thorburn, 38, was locked up after being found guilty of section 47 assault and controlling and coercive behaviour at a trial after his victim bravely reported him to the police.

After officers conducted initial enquiries, it was established that the victim had been involved in an abusive domestic relationship with Thorburn who, during the course of their year-long relationship, subjected her to physical, mental, and emotional abuse between November 2020 and November 2021.

Over the course of the relationship, Minshull Street Crown Court was told that he also took control of her social media, isolated her from socialising, degraded her and was regularly violent, even kicking her in public.

Prosecuting, Ben Lawrence told the court that the victim now 'spends most of her time indoors and not socialising' following the ordeal. In a victim impact statement, she said she has 'completely lost myself' and now struggles with anxiety and depression.

Sentencing him to four years in prison, Recorder Abigail Hudson said: "You and the victim were in a toxic relationship characterised by your jealousy and distrust of her.

"What you did during that relationship was appalling. You checked her naked body for signs of other men, grabbed her by the throat and called her misogynistic names. The violence became regular and you would kick her in public, not caring if others saw."

Drug-taking brothers raided apartment block and filled 'swag bags' with other people's parcels... but left empty-handed

Vance Bailey, left, and brother Leroy (GMP/M.E.N.)

Two drug-taking brothers raided an apartment block and filled 'swag bags' with other people's parcels. Vance and Leroy Bailey admitted burglary after gaining access to the Farrier Building near Manchester city centre.

They intended to sell items on to fund their habit. But they were left empty-handed after a security guard confronted them.

The siblings filled bags with deliveries that had been left in the foyer at the apartment block.

Vance was sentenced to 28 months. Leroy was sentenced to two years and 11 months.

Sentencing the pair, Judge Timothy Clayson said: "It was fortunate people were courageous enough to intervene. They were operating as a couple and decided to try their luck with this premises. They had, in old fashioned terms, swag bags with them - that indicates some degree of planning.

"Very sadly, you both have problems with drug addiction, resulting in long records of criminal offending."

Murderer stabbed by friends and family of man he killed minutes before

Brendan Carney, Jason Wilding and Adam Disa-Green (GMP)

A murderer was repeatedly stabbed with his own knife by the friends and family of the man he'd killed 90 minutes earlier. Tyrone Williamson was murdered by Anthony George in Bolton after the pair rowed in the street.

George, 42, had been in Mr Williamson's home but was thrown out after being accused of stealing his phone. Fuelled by vodka and cannabis, George said 'watch what’s going to happen to them' before knifing 25-year-old Mr Williamson three times with severe force.

Some of Mr Williamson's family and friends began searching the area for the killer after learning of his death, Manchester Crown Court heard. Adam Disa-Green, a friend of both George and Mr Williamson, saw George in the aftermath of the killing.

He remonstrated with George and when he later saw Mr Williamson's half brother Brendan Carney, and another of his friends, Jason Wilding, he told them where he'd met George. Shortly after the group found George and brutally attacked him. He was stabbed five times and suffered life threatening injuries which required surgery.

The knife used to inflict the injuries was the same weapon he'd used to murder Mr Williamson, the court heard. After being arrested, a 'very angry' Wilding told police: "I hope the motherf*****'s dead."

"These individuals were looking for Mr George with revenge on their mind," prosecutor Jaime Hamilton KC said. Mr Williamson died in the hours following the fatal attack, at about 6.30pm, on Saturday, December 11, 2021.

In December last year, George was found guilty of murder and ordered to serve at least 21 years in prison. Carney was found guilty of wounding him with intent after a separate trial. Disa-Green and Wilding pleaded guilty to the same offence.

Now all three men have been sentenced for their part in the revenge attack. George was stabbed by Carney, 27, and Disa-Green, 22, while Wilding, 29, punched, kicked and stamped on him. Wilding, who has 36 previous convictions, was declared dangerous and handed an extended sentence for public protection, comprising of a jail term of seven years and two months, and an extra four years on licence.

Disa-Green was sentenced to five years and 10 months, while Carney received eight years and eight months. All three will serve two-thirds of their sentence in jail. Wilding will have to satisfy the Parole Board that he is safe to be released.

All women warned about controlling thug after he carried out disgusting abuse

A controlling boyfriend 'humiliated' and 'degraded' his ex-partner by depriving her of food and treating her 'like an animal'. Thomas Barton, 43, forced his girlfriend to eat scraps of garlic bread off a hotel floor - and refused to let her order when they visited a Chinese restaurant in Manchester.

His former partner said she was made to feel like 'a dog' and was terrified Barton would use violence against her if she didn't go along with his bullying demands. Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard how he also attacked her after she challenged him about using her bank card without asking.

He was jailed for 34 weeks after a judge said she was 'worried' about the risk he presented to women he was in a relationship with. Prosecuting, Gwen Henshaw told the court the pair were in a relationship for around three years, but didn't live together.

Over the space of a month in July last year, Barton's behaviour was said to have become more controlling. "During that period in July they were going through a difficult period," Ms Henshaw said.

"On the first occasion, they had been staying in a hotel and they were planning to have a nice evening."

The court heard that during the course of the evening, Barton drank nearly a whole bottle of vodka, as well as lager and whiskey. They ordered a takeaway which consisted of a 12inch pizza, garlic bread and a kebab - with the plan to share the food.

But Barton refused to let her eat anything, apart from tiny scraps of garlic bread which he left on the floor, making the woman feel 'like a dog'.

Ms Henshaw added: "He was telling her to 'shut the f*** up' and said 'you are doing my f******g head in'. She was crying and he told her the noise she was making was too loud."

The court heard that in another incident, the couple had an argument after Barton used her bank card without her permission. The court heard he pushed her and caused her to fall to the floor.

Barton, of no fixed address, was jailed for 34 weeks - which he is thought to have now served in prison, after admitting controlling and coercive behaviour; and common assault. Barton was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order banning him from contacting or approaching his ex-girlfriend.

Dramatic moment car FLIPS while being chased by cops before driver flees scene

Michael Turner, 28, fled the scene following the crash (Greater Manchester Police)

This was the dramatic moment a police chase came to a sudden end before the driver fled the scene. Greater Manchester Police began a 'lengthy' investigation to track down Michael Turner after he made off from his car on a narrow country road near Bolton.

The footage, captured by GMP, shows the car driven by Turner being pursued along Slack Fold Lane, in Farnworth. Early in the footage, a red car appears to brake sharply and pull over to allow both Turner's vehicle and the police car behind to pass.

While approaching a bend and passing houses at the side of the road, the pursuit reaches speeds of 60mph. But as Turner tries to drive past a second car later in the video, the pursuit comes to a sudden end.

Turner's car appears to hit a hedge at the side of the road, before rolling over and landing on its wheels. GMP says Turner made off from the scene following the pursuit, on September 23, 2021, and was later identified as the man behind the wheel.

The 28-year-old, of Longworth Road, Horwich, was charged with dangerous driving and possession of class A and B drugs with intent to supply. He pleaded guilty to the offences at Bolton Magistrates Court before being sentenced at Bolton Crown Court jailed for four years and 10 months.

Predator handed sinister notes with phone number on to schoolgirls

(Merseyside Police)

A 'predatory' paedophile who handed sinister notes with his phone number on to schoolgirls on buses has been jailed.

Adetunji Akona-Dosunmo, 35, formerly of Salford, tried to lure young girls into sexual activity by handing out notes, which asked them to call him, whilst travelling in Manchester and Merseyside.

One of the girls he targeted was just 11-years-old. The judge who locked him up said he posed a 'significant risk' to children. He was arrested in April last year following a long investigation by Merseyside Police into the incidents in February and March.

Akona-Dosunmo, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual communication with a child, attempting to arrange a child sex offence and four counts of breaching an existing Sexual Harm Prevention Order at a hearing last month. At Manchester Crown Court, he was sentenced to two years and four months in prison. He was also issued with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

'If it was up to me, I would lock him up and throw away the key'

Michael Hopwood sexually abused two girls (gmp)

A man has been jailed for a minimum 14 years after a jury convicted him of raping and sexually assaulting two young girls. Michael Hopwood, 27, from Openshaw, sexually abused the girls, who were under the age of 12.

The married father had denied three counts of rape, two counts of attempted rape, four charges of sexual assault and one charge of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. But a jury convicted him and now he has been handed a long jail sentence with an extended licence period.

Peter Cadwallader, prosecuting, told Manchester Crown Court that one of his victims went into school 'upset' towards the end of last year and 'indicated' to friends that she had been raped.

The girl, too young to understand what rape was, reported what had happened to an adult and police were called, the court was told. She described to officers how Hopwood climbed on top of her and described one incident which the jury concluded amounted to an oral rape.

Police later interviewed the second girl. The girl told police graphic details of how Hopwood would molest her.

The girl said the abuse had started during the summer. She told officers she had not spoken to anybody about her ordeal and was scared to do so, said Mr Cadwallader.

When police arrested Hopwood, he denied all allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct, said the prosecutor. The court heard those caring for the two girls were glad he was facing a long jail term as Hopwood could no longer harm them.

Both girls, entitled to lifelong anonymity in press reports of their case as victims of sex crimes, have been 'profoundly' affected by the abuse, the court heard.

Hopwood was handed a 20-year prison sentence. He will be eligible for parole after 14 years. He was also handed an extended licence period of eight years, which means, even if he is released after 14 years, he will be on licence for a further 14 years.

Prolific burglar used lock snaps to break into people's homes while they slept

Lewis Dooley (GMP)

A man has been jailed after he carried out a string of burglaries and broke into people's homes as they slept.

Lewis Dooley, from Moston, was involved in five burglaries in Oldham and north Manchester last year, police said. The 22-year-old broke into victim's homes in the middle of the night while they were sleeping and used lock snaps to force open patio doors.

Five vehicles were stolen using keys from inside the houses, along with a number of high-value items. Dooley carried out the burglaries with a young accomplice, who cannot be named due to their age.

Dooley was arrested on October 24 last year following a police pursuit. He was in a car that failed to stop for officers in north Manchester.

He and four others were arrested on suspicion of taking without the owner's consent. In the vehicle, keys from a number of burglaries were found.

At Manchester Crown Court, Dooley, of Penn Street, was jailed for four-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to a number of burglaries. On May 9, a juvenile was sentenced to a 24-month youth referral order, a six-month electronic curfew and 91 days community service at Youth Court.

Paedophile sent £20k to women in Philippines to set up child abuse live streams

Bernard Grace (National Crime Agency)

A paedophile from Wythenshawe sent more than £20,000 to women in the Philippines to set up Skype live streams of child abuse. Bernard Grace, 72, was found with thousands of chat messages, in which he gave people 'instructions'.

Following his arrest, the brazen pervert was found 'liaising' with women online when his offender manager visited. Grace sent images of himself and payments totalling almost £21,000. He's now been jailed for eight years, having admitted his guilt.

Rosalind Scott-Bell, prosecuting the case at Manchester Crown Court, said National Crime Agency (NCA) cops searched Grace's house in October 2020. An Apple MacBook Air was examined.

It emerged 'unrelenting' Grace had offered to make payments to women to arrange the sexual abuse of children. In total, 23 chats were uncovered.

A number of indecent images of children were also found on Grace's computer. NCA officials were granted access to his bank account as they built a case against him.

Between 2015 and 2021, Grace sent more than £20,800.

When his offender manager visited in 2021 - following his arrest - he was sat using a computer and appeared to be 'liaising' with women in the Philippines.

Grace, of Stoneacre Road, Wythenshawe, was jailed for eight years. He pleaded guilty to charges of arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence; and making indecent photographs of a child.

He was made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, restricting his use of the internet. He will be on the Sex Offender Register for life.

'Bully' pinned down victim at his home before attacking him with hair clippers

Mark Spencer, 47, has been jailed (GMP)

A 'bully' who attacked a man in his home with hair clippers before stealing his mobile phone has been jailed. Greater Manchester Police says Mark Spencer would 'prey on the most vulnerable'.

The 47-year-old, of no fixed address, targeted his victim at a flat in Hulme. Manchester Crown Court heard how Spencer was inside the property in February this year before striking.

Spencer pinned the man down and attacked him with the hair clippers, injuring his head. He went on to steal the victim's phone.

Spencer pleaded guilty to robbery and section 47 assault at Manchester Crown Court on March 20. He was back in court yesterday (May 15), where he was sentenced to five years and two months in prison.

Workers face being made redundant after dishonest dad stole nearly quarter of a MILLION from under their noses

David Parker has been jailed (gmp)

A thieving pension fund administrator helped himself to almost £240,000 to pay off his debts, leaving the small company he worked for on the brink of collapse.

David Parker, 37, from Wythenshawe, secretly made 53 transactions under the noses of colleagues at a Manchester-based firm of financial advisors, moving cash into bank accounts he controlled during a four-year campaign of fraud.

The guilt-ridden dad told police about his crimes but cops did 'nothing' until an independent financial advisor spotted 'discrepancies' and his crimes began to unravel, a court heard. Now he has been jailed.

Parker betrayed the trust placed in him by Multiplex Pension Trustees Ltd, where he worked as a pension fund administrator earning £37,000-a-year.

Judge Smith said the defendant had 'pilfered' for a number of years and then attempted to 'cover your tracks', accepting Parker had stolen the money to pay debt rather than fund a lavish lifestyle.

Parker, of Firbank Road in Newall Green, Wythenshawe, appeared shocked when he was jailed for two years and four months. He admitted one charge of fraud and another of acquiring criminal property between August 2016 and July 2020.

Drugs boss 'Green Champ' involved in crime on 'vast' scale was handed Covid loan by government

Lee Walsh (GMP)

A drugs boss involved in crime on a 'vast' scale was able to secure a government Covid loan. Lee Walsh, 34, has now been jailed for 14 years for his involvement in peddling heroin, amphetamine, ketamine and cannabis.

In secret messages recovered by police, he told of having access to drugs factories in Scandinavia and Ireland, and of his plan to send cannabis to both locations. Within the encrypted Encrochat network, which was cracked by law enforcement, messages revealed that Walsh, from Tameside, was linked to at least four kilos of heroin, 700 kilos of amphetamine, 97 kilos of ketamine and 195 kilos of cannabis.

Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Walsh, who had previously been jailed in 2011 for being concerned in the supply of drugs, was able to secure £18,000 in Covid grants. In EncroChat messages using his handle 'Green Champ', Walsh told of having two businesses.

Prosecutor Julian Goode said the chats on the EncroChat network only gave an 'insight' into the conspiracies, which were 'well established' before the authorities were able to access the messages between March and June in 2020. Walsh was arrested in June 2020 under Operation Venetic, the UK police's response to the EncroChat hack.

Walsh, of Bakestones Avenue, Delph, pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply class A drug heroin, two counts of conspiring to produce class B drugs, amphetamine and ketamine, and three counts of conspiring to supply class B drugs, amphetamine, ketamine and cannabis. He will serve half of his 14 year sentence in prison.

Ex-girlfriend of drugs boss avoids jail by the 'skin of her teeth' for role in gang exploiting vulnerable teens

(GMP/Facebook)

Two men have been jailed for exploiting vulnerable 16-year-olds to deal crack cocaine and heroin more than 100 miles away. The ex-girlfriend of one of the dealers who ferried a boy to and from Greater Manchester avoided jail by the 'skin of her teeth'.

Jamie Upton set-up a drugs line in Hull in March 2020, transporting heroin and crack cocaine between there and Manchester, to make 'easy money', having originally come to Newton Heath from the Republic of Ireland. He had taken control of the county lines operation from a male known as 'David' and was taking direction from him, prosecutor Maria Brannan told the court.

In March 2020 Upton, 25, texted his then girlfriend, Georgia Burns, telling her he was going to Hull 'for a while' claiming he could make £3,000 a month. "I need to do anything at the moment," he said.

He went to a property in the Beverley Road area of Hull late in March to set-up operations, texting Burns, 22, that the 'gaff was hanging'. Days after this he travelled to the property with a 16-year-old by train where the teen was expected to live in the "unsanitary living conditions for the purpose of selling drugs," Ms Brannan told Bolton Crown Court.

Upton texted Burns about the teenagers working for him, saying: "They are my joeys, I f***ing pay them so they know where their bread's buttered." Burns replied: "If you’re paying them they can’t say no."

Upton, who was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison following the March 2021 raid, was sentenced to nine years and three months in total on May 18. He was sentenced to five years and three months for being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and four years for modern slavery offences. He pleaded guilty to the charges.

Kade Joyson, 28, who was put in charge of the Hull operation whilst Upton went to Northern Ireland, was sentenced to eight years and three months after pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

Burns, of Roman Road, Failsworth, was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years. She previously pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine. Judge Walsh said: "This is a difficult and troubling sentencing exercise. You got into a relationship with Upton when you were just 16 and continued the relationship during the period of time when operating the county lines drug supply.”

"All this will haunt me forever..." mother of 20-year-old man murdered in Moss Side speaks as his killers are jailed

Jacob Doughty and Deontay Crosfield have been handed life sentences for the murder of Javell Morgan (GMP)

The mother of a 20-year-old brutally murdered after violence erupted after Manchester's Caribbean Carnival said she will be forever haunted by her son's death. Javell Morgan was stabbed to death in Moss Side last summer, when two groups of young men from Huddersfield clashed in the street, one side armed with guns, the other with knives.

Javell was not armed but was chased down and repeatedly stabbed by Jacob Doughty, 22, and Deontay Crosfield. Manchester Crown Court heard that Doughty inflicted the fatal blow with a fearsome 'samurai sword'.

"This case involved a very serious disturbance in what should have been a joyful occasion in Moss Side," Judge Suzanne Goddard KC said. "No sentence that I can pass on you can possibly atone for the pain that you have caused," she told the defendants.

Both men were handed life sentences. Doughty must serve a minimum of 21 years, and Crosfield 20 years, before they can be considered for release.

"No f****** about": The words of a cocaine dealer came back to haunt him

Kurt Jervis (GMP)

A dad embroiled himself in 'very large scale' cocaine dealing after being seduced by the prospect of 'easy money'. Kurt Jervis described the murky world he descended into as 'proper serious and organised crime'.

He worked as a courier for Stockport based drugs boss Aaron Wright, who was at 'the top of the tree' of the crime gang. Wright, 37, was said to be involved with at least 60 kilos of cocaine, while Jervis was linked to 39 kilos of the class A drug.

The huge scale of their involvement in the criminal underworld was exposed when law enforcement gained access to the EncroChat network, the encrypted phone system previously thought to be impenetrable. In one message to Wright, using his EncroChat username 'One Sicario', Jervis, 37, who has a teenage son, said: "Proper serious and organised crime this bro. Kilos drops before 11am and 1000s passed before 1pm, no f****** about. All while ur sat scratching ur a**."

Another exchange of messages between Wright and an EncroChat user named 'Tyrion Lannister', said to be the leading light in the gang alongside Wright, revealed the scale of the dealing they were involved in. Lannister said: "F****** hell mate, we done 60 jobs in last six weeks."

Police estimate that if the messages were correct, the pair could have made a profit of about £84,000 over a six week period.

Wright was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison, while Jervis received nine years and four months

Wright, of Beacon Road, Stockport, and Jervis, of Deane Avenue, Stockport, pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply a class A drug and conspiring to conceal criminal property.

Dangerous predator on 'Monkey Dust' forced his way into woman's home and then tried to rape her

(GMP)

A predator who forced his way into a woman's home before trying to rape her was branded as being 'every woman's worst nightmare'. Darren Roche was jailed for life following the terrifying attack at a flat in Manchester city centre.

Roche, 37, fuelled by a cocktail of drugs including 'Monkey Dust', a version of the synthetic cannabinoid Spice, had been released from prison just weeks earlier after being previously being locked up for sexual assault.

Manchester Crown Court heard that two days before the attempted rape, Roche had grabbed hold of a woman on the street before she was able to get away. "In short, Mr Roche, you are every woman's worst nightmare," Judge Sarah Johnston told him, describing him as a 'dangerous' criminal who poses a 'continuing risk to the public'.

In a statement read at court, the victim described feeling 'close to death' during the attack. "If I had made a wrong move, I could've been killed," she said.

Judge Johnston imposed a life sentence, after ruling that Roche posed a 'continuing risk to the public, in particular women'. He will serve a minimum term of seven-and-a-half years in prison, before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board.

Roche, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to attempted rape, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence and failing to comply with notification requirements.

'The worst kind of predator' finally behind bars

Keith Williamson, 41, has been jailed for 27 years (GMP)

A man described as 'the worst kind of predator' has been locked up after a string of sick attacks against two young victims. Keith Williamson, from Tameside, was found guilty of 16 offences against the pair, beginning more than a decade ago.

Most of the 41-year-old's heinous crimes were carried out when the victims were young girls. Williamson was arrested in December 2018 and charged in 2020.

He was found guilty of six counts of sexual assault of a child under 13; four counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 by penetration; four counts of rape of a woman over 16; and two counts of rape of a girl under 16. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison at Minshull Street Crown Court.

Thug hit woman in face with spanner before telling her friend 'you're dying' in terrifying attack

A man who believed two women were selling heroin to his brother hit one in the face with a spanner before dragging the other downstairs. Christopher Lewis, from Rossendale near Bury, told one of his victims 'you're dying' before dropping her on the kitchen floor.

The 38-year-old had gone to the house in Burnley, Lancashire, along with another man in the early hours of last June 3. Preston Crown Court heard how Lewis shouted up at the window of the property, on Pine Street.

When the first woman answered the door, Lewis struck her in the face with a spanner. He then hit her with the weapon for a second time while she was on the floor, Lancs Live reports.

The court heard Lewis then went upstairs to confront the other woman. He dragged her out of a bedroom and down the stairs.

Lewis hit her to the rib cage, telling her 'you're dying', before dropping her on the kitchen floor. That victim managed to escape from the house and hid in bushes until Lewis left the house and she was able to return.

Lewis, of Highfield Park, Haslingden, pleaded guilty to GBH, ABH and possession of an offensive weapon on the basis he believed there was someone inside the house who was selling heroin to his brother. He went to remonstrate but the court heard things 'got out of hand'.

Judge Ian Unsworth KC sentenced him to five years and three months for GBH with 12 months for ABH and six months for possession of a weapon to run concurrently.

''I will kill you before I go back to prison': Thug's chilling warning before attacking pregnant girlfriend

Bradley Norton (GMP)

An abusive thug warned his pregnant ex-girlfriend: “I will kill you before I go back to prison” before attacking her.

Bradley Norton, 30, had previously hit his former partner to the back of the head as she fled from him during a row. As a result she fell down the stairs and hit her head.

Months later, after moving in together and falling pregnant, Norton, of Salford, was drinking and taking drugs when he attacked her again.

He hit her with her phone as she said she would call the police, before sitting astride her and pinning her down by her chin, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Norton, of Gerald Road, was jailed for 28 months and made the subject of a restraining order for five years. He previously pleaded guilty to two offences of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

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