From the petty gang feud that left a badly-burned gran wishing she could die - to the drink and drug fuelled driver who mowed down and killed a 17-year-old boy before driving off, July was another busy month in our region's courts.
We've also seen a plane yob who really didn't seem to be able to stop swearing when awaiting takeoff at Manchester Airport; a young woman jailed for swinging 12-inch bread knife at man in Piccadilly Gardens; the carer who treated a 91-year-old retired midwife 'like a piece of meat'; and a sex beast who 'robbed his young victims of their childhoods in the most cruel and despicable way'
An open, transparent criminal justice system is an important part of how our democracy works - so we make no apologies for devoting so much time to letting you know what happens in our courts.
These are just some of the court cases our reporters have covered in July.
Cruel carer caught on secret camera abusing frail OAP in his final days
A carer was jailed after being caught on a secret camera abusing an elderly resident in his final days at an OAP home.
Vangirai Michael Kufa, 40, was supposed to be helping to provide one-to-one round-the-clock care for his frail 67-year-old male patient.
But when the pensioner's family became aware of a series of worrying incidents, including their loved one apparently falling out of bed despite what was supposed to be intensive support, they decided to install a camera in his room.
The shocking footage showed how the OAP was being cruelly abused by Kufa, who was captured kicking him in the groin four times. He has now been jailed.
His victim died before he could see justice served.
Kula, of Bark Road in Litherland, Liverpool, was jailed for nine months by a judge at Chester Crown Court after he had earlier pleaded guilty to ill-treating a person without mental capacity.
The petty gang feud that left a badly-burned gran wishing she could die
An innocent grandmother said she wanted to die after she was left with horrific burns in a petrol bomb attack after she returned home from a bible class at her local church.
Devout Christian Mildred Sephton, 66, was sitting watching TV when a brick was thrown through her lounge window before a bottle of Lucozade containing fuel was set ablaze.
The flames set Mrs Sephton's clothes on fire and although she was rescued by her husband Melvin and a neighbour, who used a fire extinguisher, she suffered such terrible injuries her own grandchildren were not allowed to see her in hospital.
Police investigating the arson attack in Leigh, on October 16 last year, discovered Mrs Sephton was the innocent victim of bitter a feud between a gang and her granddaughter's ex.
It emerged the gang had carried out another petrol bomb attack two days earlier, 18 miles away in Huyton, Liverpool, on the house of the sister of the man they were feuding with.
At Manchester Crown Court, Jake Hignett, 22, of St Helens, was jailed for 16 years and a month in prison after pleading guilty to arson with intent to endanger life and reckless arson.
Andrew Bamford, 38, of Golbourne, pleaded guilty to arson with intent and was jailed for 10 years and nine months in prison.
Taxi driver Zana Ali, 35, of Leigh, who drove the firebombers, was jailed for nine years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.
Neil Stanton, 41, of St Helens, was jailed for eight years and two months after pleading guilty to arson and an unrelated offence of dangerous driving.
'My drunk, gambling-addict boyfriend beat me so badly I can't even do up my little boys' coats... this scar is a permanent reminder of what he did'
A man repeatedly stamped on his girlfriend - leaving her with a damaged spinal cord, a punctured lung and a cracked rib - during a vicious assault after she questioned him about coming home late and drunk from a night out.
Telecoms manager Sebastian Swamy, 40, kicked mother-of-two Abigail Blake to the ground in a boozed-fuelled rage.
He stamped on her back and chest shouting: ''I've had enough of you. You need to shut up.''
As Abigail lay seriously injured on the ground, Swamy took her mobile phone to stop her calling 999 and locked himself in a room at the couple's home.
Abigail, 42, from Knutsford, Cheshire, suffered a severed spinal cord and punctured lung and had to be rescued by neighbours.
She was unable to walk or clean herself for several months and has been suffering from severe tremors, which means she is unable to pick up her toddler son.
Abigail has had to give up her job as an operations manager at Manchester Airport. She has a scar across her neck after doctors were forced to make an incision to carry out surgery on her damaged vetebrae.
She bravely read out a statement detailing her injures as Swamy, who hails from a wealthy family living in Ascot, Berkshire, was jailed for three years and four months at Chester Crown Court.
The assault happened on July 27, 2017. The couple had been in a relationship for three years. Abigail already had a nine-year-old son from a previous relationship and she and Swamy had a child together.
Swamy was issued with a restraining order that will last for an indefinite period and prohibits him from contacting Abigail.
'I ain't getting touched by no man ever' - Woman jailed for swinging 12-inch bread knife at man in Piccadilly Gardens
A young woman who swung a knife at a man in the middle of a packed Piccadilly Gardens was jailed.
Dorcas Diomi, 18, was seen brandishing the 12-inch bread knife during a heated row with the male, which happened in the middle of the afternoon when the area was filled with shoppers and young families.
She later told police that she was carrying the knife because she feared for her own safety, having been assaulted by a different man the year before.
When interviewed she said: "I thought, this man is gonna f**k me up, but I ain't getting touched by no man ever."
Diomi, of Hazelbottom Road, Crumpsall, pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article in a public place at an earlier hearing, and was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment at Manchester Crown Court on Monday.
Prison officer jailed after threatening to chop off hands of children and forcing them to eat homemade chilli sauce
A former prison officer has been jailed after he threatened to chop off the hands of two children using a replica sword from the Hollywood vampire movie Blade.
The man used the fake 'Day Walker' sword from the Wesley Snipes film to menace the youngsters and say: ''Do you really want your hands cut off?''
The youngsters, a boy aged nine and a girl aged seven, were also made to eat chilli sauce by him and his partner if they failed to tidy up or ate too slowly.
The Manchester Evening News has decided to not name members of those involved in the case.
Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard how the man was replicating his strict Jamaican upbringing, while the woman, from near Rochdale, went along with it such was her commitment to their relationship.
Both pleaded guilty to cruelty to a child under 16. He received 15 months' custody and she was locked up for nine months.
Strangeways prisoner made a weapon out of a toothbrush and razor blades then used it to slash another inmate in the neck
A Strangeways prisoner launched a savage attack on another inmate with a weapon made from a toothbrush and razor blades, a court heard.
David Robson, 27, used the make-shift weapon to slash the neck of his victim as he stood outside his prison cell inside the high-security jail.
The court heard that Robson carried out the attack as he believed his inmate had been spreading rumours that he was in prison for sexually abusing children.
Robson was already serving an extended 12-year sentence after biting off the end of a man's nose during an attack in 2014 at the time of the recent attack.
He appeared via video link before Manchester Crown Court restrained to a wheelchair and flanked by security guards as he was jailed for three years after admitting a Section 20 wounding.
Robson was sentenced to an extended sentence of five years, with three years in custody and two years consisting of an extended licence period to run alongside his current sentence.
He will serve two thirds of this sentence before being considered for parole.
Woman left with 'dreadful injuries' after man flipped and attacked her with a coffee table in a row over £20
A woman had to wear sunglasses every time she went out after being attacked with a coffee table, a court heard.
Paul Buller, 43, has been jailed for 20 months for inflicting 'dreadful injuries' on the woman, following a row over £20.
She was left with two black eyes which lasted for weeks, a judge said.
Manchester Crown Court heard that the victim's friend had lent £20 to Buller the previous month.
Cocaine and booze-fuelled dad thought he was 'fit to drive' before he mowed down and killed teenage boy
A drink and drug fuelled driver mowed down and killed a 17-year-old boy before driving off, hitting a taxi and then going to sleep at his mother's house, a court heard.
Jamie Campbell, 28, has now been jailed for eight years after he admitted causing the death of Trent Warburton by dangerous driving, after he got behind the wheel of his Vauxhall Insignia following a night out drinking and taking cocaine.
The investigating traffic officer said after Campbell's sentencing: "Trent Warburton was a young man with his whole life ahead of him. His life was tragically cut short when Jamie Campbell decided to get into his car whilst high on drugs."
You can read the full report below.
Dad-of-three threatened to 'chop up' Betfred worker with meat cleaver before trying to flush it down toilet
A hooded knifeman told a lone Betfred worker he would 'chop her up' with a meat cleaver as he ransacked the store's till before he tried to flush the weapon down a toilet.
Martin Skillen, 31, stole £285 cash from the betting shop on Fountain Street in Manchester city centre , a court heard.
The dad-of-three, who lives in Ancoats , walked into the store just after the female shop worker had opened it up for the day.
He tried to distract the employee by throwing betting slips at her before launching himself over the counter where she was setting up the till.
Skillen screamed at the terrified woman as he held a meat cleaver in one of his hands and stole the money.
As he left he warned the woman: "If you lock that door I’ll come back and chop you up."
At Manchester Crown Court on Monday, Skillen, of Ripley Close, Ancoats, admitted one charge of robbery and one charge of possession of a bladed article in a public place.
He was jailed for four years after a judge said he committed a 'truly wicked crime'.
Man who 'lured' young girl to his house then raped her is locked up
A man in his 20s who raped a schoolgirl has been jailed.
Kade Billington, from Denton, pursued his victim online after meeting her and then 'lured' her to his home, detectives said.
Billington, 22, pleaded guilty at a previous hearing at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court to three counts of the rape of a girl under 13, one count of penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 13, making indecent images of a child and possession of cocaine.
He was sentenced to 13 years in prison and has been given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will also be required to sign the sex offender register for life.
I'll never forgive the vile rapist who left my daughter with a sexually transmitted disease
The father of a young rape victim has told how his daughter's life has been destroyed by a sex monster who abused her.
Gary Spencer repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped the young girl, and then threatened her in a bid to keep his vile crimes secret.
Spencer, 24, of Lapwing Lane, in Runcorn, has now been jailed for 12 years, the Liverpool Echo reports .
His horrific behaviour even left his young victim with a sexually transmitted infection.
His victim's family slammed the abuser for 'stealing the young girl's childhood'.
He was jailed for 12 years after the court heard a victim personal statement detailing the impact his horrific attacks had on the child.
Judge Gary Woodhall , who ordered the defendant to serve an extra year on licence, said aggravating factors included transmitting a sexual infection to his victim.
He ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years.
'Every family's worst nightmare'... the carer who treated a 91-year-old retired midwife 'like a piece of meat'
A cruel carer who treated a 91-year old retired NHS midwife 'like a piece of meat' as she fed and cleaned her at a nursing home is now behind bars.
As Tabetha Mutyambizi, 47, was led away to start 12 months in jail, the family of great grandmother Mary Agar confronted her in court to condemn her ''inhumane and callous'' conduct.
Mutyambizi was described in court as 'every family's nightmare - and slammed by the judge for seeming to be more bothered about the case's impact on HER rather than her victim.
Dementia sufferer Mrs Agar who spent her life looking after others was manhandled as she was being fed yoghurt and dragged off her bed when she soiled it whilst being being looked after by mother of four Mutyambizi.
The experienced care worker from Higher Broughton, Salford, was only arrested after the victim's family who been concerned about Mrs Agar getting cuts and bruises installed a covert camera in her room at St Marks care home in Sale - and filmed her being abused.
Mutyambizi denied a charge of neglect and ill treatment whilst in a position as a carer but was convicted after a trial. She had 11 previous offences in her record dating back to 1999 for deception and shoplifting.
A careless driver killed a 10-year-old girl - and what the driver's family did next is appalling
The family of a 10-year-old girl run down and killed outside her school live in fear of the driver's relatives after suffering a campaign of intimidation, a court has heard.
Sobia Aftar, 33, has now been jailed for 20 months for causing the death of little Marianne Haboc by careless driving.
She appeared from custody at Minshull Street Crown Court despite having been initially released from custody under investigation.
The court heard Aftar was re-arrested after police caught her and husband Aftar Hussain, known as Raj, at Manchester Airport in January, with ten suitcases and their four children preparing to board a flight to Saudi Arabia.
A judge then agreed to hold her in custody before she was charged with causing death by dangerous driving.
A trial had been set to go ahead on Monday before prosecutors agreed to accept her guilty plea to the lesser charge.
Judge Greene jailed Aftar for 20 months of which she will serve ten in prison and a further ten on licence.
She was also disqualified from driving for two years and four months.
GP surgery manager jailed for stealing almost £700,000 of NHS money to play gambling apps on her phone
A GP surgery manager has been jailed for over three years after she plundered almost £700,000 of NHS money to play gambling apps on her mobile phone.
Karen Evans, 44, falsified patient records to divert money earmarked for medication, staff wages and medical supplies to her two bank accounts over a 15 month period.
The mother-of-two used most of the money to log into online betting apps including Sky Bet, Gala Bingo and Bet Fred.
On one occasion she won £120,000 and a free bottle of champagne - but frittered away her winnings on other bets in just days.
Evans, from Hyde was eventually found out after doctors at the Failsworth Group medical practice near Oldham launched a probe into why they had to arrange a £25,000 overdraft to pay the staff.
It emerged £582,265.65 had gone missing in 327 illicit transactions since their manager was appointed on a £38,000-a-year salary.
She had executed the scam by falsifying hundreds of patient records and wrongly marked down nine of them as ''end of life care.''
At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Evans admitted two charges of fraud by abuse of position and was jailed for three years and four months.
Thug goaded his dangerous dog 'Sasha' into biting two victims by shouting 'Bad man'
A thug incited his dangerous dog to bite two men putting them in hospital by shouting 'bad man', a court heard.
Stephen John Ball, 27, has been jailed after pleading guilty to a string of charges dating back two years.
In May 2017, he admitted being the owner of a Staffordshire bull terrier called 'Sasha' that was dangerously out of control.
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier bit two men, Robert and Peter Crane, on the hand leaving both requiring hospital treatment, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Neil Usher told the court Ball was 'goading' the dog to bite the men by shouting 'bad man'.
Judge John Edwards ruled that Sasha will be subject to a contingent destructive order.
This means the dog will not be destroyed but will be subject to a number of strict conditions by which the owners must keep it, including wearing a muzzle when in public and being kept on a lead at all times.
If the order is breached the dog will immediately be put down.
In a separate incident, Ball admitted wounding with intent at an address on Rippon Avenue in Whitefield in April last year.
Ball was also sentenced on an outstanding matter of threatening and abusive behaviour that related to a fight between 'rival groups' on Grosvenor Street in Radcliffe.
Ball was sentenced to four years in prison for wounding with intent, three months for threatening behaviour, three months for owning a dangerous dog and one month for criminal damage, all to run concurrently.
Drink driver killed 'amazing, bingo-loving' gran and left her friend with life-changing injuries
A drink driver who killed a grandmother and left her friend with life-changing injuries has been jailed.
Lynne McDermott, 56, died in hospital the day after she was hit by a BMW 330i being driven by Leon Kay.
Her friend Deborah Barton, 57, suffered multiple fractures to her left shoulder, arm, hip, ankle and pelvis in the crash on February 2 and still requires support for her injuries.
On Tuesday Kay, 33, was jailed for eight years and nine months and banned from driving for nine years and four months after pleading guilty to death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and drink-driving.
Preston Crown Court heard how Kay, of Lydia Street, Accrington, hit an empty, parked Ford Ecosport and the two women on Station Road in Fleetwood at around 9.10pm on February 2.
The paedophile who sent an obscene message to a schoolboy - then tried to frame an innocent bodybuilder
A bodybuilder was arrested after being framed by a stranger who posed as him to send sexual messages to a young boy, a court heard.
Brandon Cooper spent his 24th birthday in Strangeways on after he was jailed for 16 months at Manchester Crown Court.
Cooper, from Salford, was 'jealous' of the entirely innocent Connor Siddall, who has 'tens of thousands' of followers on social media.
The night Mr Siddall was arrested he was due to be enjoying a meal with his grandparents, but the 19-year-old instead spent three hours in a police station being grilled by officers.
Since the false allegations were made, Mr Siddall, who has never met Cooper, was warned that 'half of Salford are after him', the court heard.
Cooper, who is said to have an 'extremely low IQ', set up a fake social media profile using Mr Siddall's name.
In August last year, using the fake profile, Cooper sent an obscene message to a young boy while posing as Mr Siddall.
Cooper, of Brookhouse Avenue, Eccles, pleaded guilty to one count of inciting a child under the age of 13 into sexual activity.
He will have to sign the sex offenders register for ten years, and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for life.
Drunk driver 'could have been killed' when he walked into the middle of road after crashing his car
A drunk driver 'could easily have been killed' when he walked into the middle of the road after crashing his car, a court heard.
Zharque Patterson, 21, has been jailed for more than a year following the incident in the early hours on Chester Road, near Stretford Mall .
Manchester Crown Court heard that at about 4am on March 17, Patterson was driving a car onto the junction near the shopping centre while 'heavily intoxicated'.
The court was told that Patterson had been at a party with friends, and 'on the spur of the moment' he had 'far too much to drink'.
He has no recollection of the crash or the aftermath, how he came to be in the car and doesn't know whose car it was, the court heard.
Judge Michael Leeming sentenced Patterson, of Scafell Close, Urmston , to 56 weeks in prison.
Patterson pleaded guilty to four offences, one count of dangerous driving, one count of driving while disqualified, one count of failing to provide a specimen and one count of driving with no insurance.
Former GMP officer posted pictures of young cadets to vile websites
A former police officer abused his position by collecting thousands of images of female officers and police cadets as young as 12, before posting manipulated sexualised pictures on sick paedophile websites, a court heard.
Christopher Dunn, 33, was told his actions had 'undermined public confidence in Greater Manchester Police', as he was jailed for four years and four months.
While working as a cadet leader Dunn led a 'double life', taking pictures of young and often 'vulnerable' cadets for his own sexual pleasure.
On some occasions he even manipulated pictures of young girls to make them sexualised, before posting them to online networks for the pleasure of other paedophiles.
He also did the same with adult female police officers, either taking pictures or collecting them from social media and sometimes manipulating them before uploading them to sick porn websites.
Dunn, of Moss Lane, Swinton, pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images of children, two counts of misconduct in a public office and two counts of possessing indecent images for distribution.
Police dash-cam footage shows moment car-jacker crashes stolen Mini during high speed chase
Police dash-cam footage showed Jason Rae attempting a handbrake turn before speeding through a crossroads in Moston where the Mini ploughs into another car.
In a shocking robbery the day before Jason Rae had dragged a 70-year-old woman out of the Mini by her hair before stamping on her legs.
Rae, 49, of no fixed address has now been jailed for four years.
Rae was jailed for four years and will serve a further four years on licence after pleading guilty to robbery, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, failing to stop and failing to provide a sample of breath.
He's has also been banned from driving for 44 months.
Woman having epileptic fit was dragged into alley and had phone stolen
A homeless drug addict who stole a woman's iPhone and car keys while she lay on the floor having an epileptic fit has been jailed.
The judge said Noel Steadman, 46, had committed a 'despicable' act which would 'disgust right thinking people'.
The victim, 39-year-old Leonora Royce, said the late night incident in Manchester city centre has 'shaken me to my core'.
Manchester Crown Court heard on Thursday how Steadman, a prolific thief who suffers from epilepsy himself, was caught after shocking CCTV footage was published by the M.E.N. and other media.
It showed Steadman and another man, who has not been caught, carrying Mrs Royce into an alleyway off Nicholas Street.
After laying her down, Steadman, seen to be wearing grey trousers in the footage, stole her iPhone and her car keys, before opening her Kia Sorento and looking for anything else he could steal.
Steadman pleaded guilty to offences of theft and vehicle interference.
He was jailed for 22 months.
Stabbed 18 times on her doorstep - the 'grotesque' murder of a mum whose ex was furious she had a new boyfriend
A 'jealous and controlling' thug who stabbed his ex-partner to death at her own front door has been sentenced to life in prison.
Vernon Holmes, 47, denied murdering Alison Hunt, 42, saying he spent the evening at his Salford home on the night of the killing.
But a jury at Manchester Crown Court saw through his lies and found him guilty of murder.
On Friday, after a judge said there was 'no mitigation whatsoever' in the case, he was given a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years.
Holmes, of Caroline Street, Irlam, Salford, must serve a minimum sentence of 25 years before he can be considered for parole.
Disgraced children's nursery boss due to celebrate 40th wedding anniversary is behind bars after being exposed as a sneak thief
A children's nursery manager due to celebrate her 40th wedding anniversary is now behind bars after she was unmasked as a sneak thief who plundered £59,000 from her workplace to fund her son's wedding and pay credit card bills.
Grandmother Hazel Leece, 59, gradually stole the money over period of up to five years after being allowed access to the nursery school's bank accounts for the day-to-day running of the business.
Unsuspecting boss Anne Grundy, 79, who owned the family-run Casson Fold day nursery in Westhoughton, near Bolton, only discovered the extent of the pilfering when she noticed a suspicious £78 transaction from M&S in her business accounts.
Leece initially claimed it was for staff uniforms and tried to refund the money but then broke down and confessed when other thefts were identified during an audit.
She later she had been in ''financial crisis'' due to a £65,000 mortgage on her home and a £10,000 bill for her son's wedding and she had helped herself to regular sums of money ranging from £80 to £200. She begged Mrs Grundy not to fire her but was dismissed from her job.
At Bolton Crown Court, Leece who now lives in a caravan and works in a supermarket, wept as she was jailed for 34 weeks after she admitted theft as husband Rodney watched from the public gallery.
The dad nicknamed 'Tank' gunned down in a hail of bullets - before his killer went to the pub
A man has been jailed after shooting a dad-of-two dead in broad daylight on a Tameside street.
Wade Cox, 29, will serve a minimum of 36 years after being found guilty of murdering Luke Graham and of shooting another man.
Mr Graham, nicknamed 'Tank', was gunned down on a residential street in Ashton-under-Lyne as children played nearby last summer.
Police said that after murdering Mr Graham, Cox spent the night in his local pub in Droylsden 'as though nothing had happened'.
Four other men have been jailed in relation to the brutal murder.
A jury at Manchester Crown Court spent two weeks considering their verdicts before finding Cox, of Rainow Avenue, Droylsden, guilty of murder and wounding with intent.
Another man, Jordan Atkinson, 26, of Stamford Drive, Stalybridge, was found guilty of encouraging or assisting an indictable offence and was jailed for eight years.
Jack West, 29, of Parrenthorn Road, Prestwich; Conor Cornforth, 27, of Calder House, Old Mill Wharf, Droylsden; and Benjamin Dodd, 28, of Easton Road, Droylsden, were found guilty of assisting an offender.
Jack West was jailed for 42 months, Cornforth received 37 months; and Dodd got 30 months.
Drunk driver filmed going the wrong way down the fast lane of the M6
A drunk driver who hurtled the WRONG way down the fast lane of the M6 - straight into the path of oncoming traffic, has been jailed.
David Haughton, 75, from Bolton, has been jailed for his horrific driving, and banned from the road for two years, Lancashire Live reports .
Dashcam footage, released by police, shows his bronze Volvo heading towards another car - which has to swerve away at the last minute.
Police say they responded to reports that a car was travelling the wrong way down the M6 between junction 33 and 32, near Lancaster, on Tuesday, April 23.
Haughton, of Dryfield Lane, Bolton, was later found in his vehicle having stopped against the central reservation.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: "The potential consequences of his actions could have been fatal."
Haughton was arrested and charged with dangerous and drink driving after being found to be almost twice the legal drink driving limit.
He was handed an eight-month prison sentence and disqualified from driving for two years.
The murderer who made a string of 'spurious allegations' against his victim
A murderer made 'spurious allegations' against his victim to try and damage his character, a judge said as he sent the killer down for life.
There were tears in the public gallery as David Connors, 24, was sentenced to life in prison to serve a minimum of 17 years after being found guilty of murdering 21-year-old Billy Livesley.
Another man, Jimmy Price, 22, a childhood friend of Mr Livesley, was jailed for 18 months for perverting the course of justice.
Manchester Crown Court heard that Mr Livesley died after being hit on the head with a crowbar by David Connors on a car park off Bickershaw Lane in Abram, Wigan, on December 28, last year.
David Connors' brother Peter Connors, 32, was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter after the trial.
'Hard-working dad' was paid to help gangmaster exploit foreign workers
A former employment agency employee who helped an illegal gangmaster exploit dozens of vulnerable foreign workers has been jailed.
Joshua Beesley, 27, described as 'a hard-working dad', made thousands from his part in the plot which was exposed following an investigation by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA).
A court heard how Romanian workers were taken on by Birtwistles - a meat processing firm based in Irlam , Salford.
They were recruited by Alexandru Goran, also known as George, and his wife Ana Marie Goran, with the promise of a job and somewhere to live.
They would even facilitate the travel of some of the victims from Romania by paying air fares.
The couple then housed the victims in rented multi-occupancy properties - sometimes four victims in one room - with having to pay on average £40 to £50 a week in rent to the Gorans.
They were told where to work, when to work and for how long, and had no access to bank accounts, pay slips or any record of what they should be receiving for the work they were carrying out, the court heard.
Beesley, of Lockerbie Place, Wigan , was charged and later pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting an unlicensed gangmaster and conspiring to commit fraud by abuse of position at a court appearance last month.
He was jailed on Monday for 20 months.
Another employee of the agency, Christopher Beech, also admitted the aiding and abetting an offence - by 'turning a blind eye'.
Beech, 43, of Lilac Court in Congleton, was handed an eight-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.
He was also given a 10-day rehabilitation order and a community order requiring him to complete 250 hours of unpaid work.
Bogus taxi driver jailed for sex attack on woman after night outr
A man who posed as a taxi driver then sexually assaulted a woman who got into his car after a Christmas night out has been jailed.
Police said the victim, who is in her 20s, was subjected to a 'terrifying ordeal' and described the circumstances of the attack as 'the stuff of nightmares'.
Distressed and frightened, she managed to jump out of Nadeem Sultan's car and run into woodland, where she raised the alarm.
Sultan, 46, of Stamford Road, Old Trafford, has now been jailed for two years.
He was found guilty of sexual assault by touching following a three-day trial at Chester Crown Court. Sultan pleaded guilty to touting a private hire vehicle and driving without insurance.
Sultan was made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
Two boys locked up for their roles in the fatal stabbing of Yousef Makki
Two knife-obsessed teenage boys have been locked up for their roles in the fatal stabbing of Manchester Grammar School pupil Yousef Makki.
Neither of the youths, referred to in press reports as Boy One and Boy Two, can be named for legal reasons.
Boy One was handed a 12 month detention and training order for perverting the course of justice.
Boy Two was handed a detention and training order of four months for possessing a knife.
Yousef, 17, from Burnage, who had ambitions to be a heart surgeon, bled to death after he was stabbed through the heart on Gorse Bank Road in Hale Barns on March 2 this year following a row about a drug deal that went wrong.
Following a four-week trial, a friend, also 17, was cleared of murder and manslaughter by a jury which agreed the defendant had acted in self-defence.
A second boy, also 17, was cleared of perverting the course of justice and both youths were also acquitted of a charge of conspiracy to rob.
The plane yob who really doesn't seem to be able to stop swearing
Holidaymakers in 'high spirits' after England's World Cup quarter final win witnessed a foul-mouthed tirade by a passenger who abused cabin crew and police.
Lorry driver Joshua Kilpatrick was on a plane awaiting takeoff at Manchester Airport for the Greek island of Rhodes, hours after England beat Sweden on July 7, last year, to reach the World Cup semi final.
Boarding began at 7.30pm and passengers were said to be in 'high spirits' following England's victory, and the fact they were all about to begin their holiday.
But this celebratory atmosphere began to turn sour when the cabin crew manager noticed Kilpatrick, 32, from Stockport, who had been drinking, swearing on two separate occasions.
But he decided to let it go, hoping the issue would resolve itself.
Passengers were then delayed due to air traffic control restrictions and Kilpatrick launched into a foul-mouthed rant, saying: "Don't f****** start with this s*** because you have got an hour's delay."
When cabin crew asked him to curb his language, his swearing continued and he began abusing Thomson crew members.
Police were called for assistance and he had to be physically removed from the plane.
Now Kilpatrick has been jailed for nine months, after he pleaded guilty to one count of affray.
A robber who watched his accomplice threaten a shopkeeper with a knife was caught after he left fingerprints on a fridge
A brave passer-by tried to detain two robbers by locking them inside the shop they were raiding.
Jamie Buckley, 26, has now been jailed for his part in the theft which saw them escape with just £160, after he left his fingerprints on a fridge.
The owner of the ‘News, Food and Booze’ newsagent on Beal Lane Shaw, Oldham, had a kitchen knife held to his face by one of two men who came into his shop.
The knifeman cornered the dad, who was working alone at the time, in a back room and told him: "Where is the money? Give me the money or I will stab you up."
He grabbed the £80 from the float the shopkeeper was counting before making his way to another till and grabbing another £80, Simone Flynn, prosecuting said.
At the time a man who was passing the shop became "concerned what was going on inside" and not only called police but also "tried to hold the shop door closed to stop them escaping" Ms Flynn added.
Both robbers did eventually escape. However, during the 'panic' of being locked inside Buckley was seen touching a fridge door and he was traced using his fingerprints, the court was told.
The man who brandished the knife has never been traced.
Girlfriend of prisoner tried to smuggle £33,000 worth of cocaine by hugging him during Forest Bank visit
The girlfriend of a prisoner at Forest Bank tried to smuggle in £33,000 worth of cocaine as well as Spice and mobile phones during a prison visit, a court heard.
Samantha Turner, 36, has been jailed after she admitted trying to hand over the items when she went to hug prisoner Stephen Benson in the Salford jail.
They both stood up and hugged each other, but prison staff noticed that Benson put his hands under the coat Turner was wearing as if he was fumbling for something, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Benson then took a black package, a taped up box the size of a child's shoe box, and stuffed it down his tracksuit trousers.
The package was seized and was found to contain 10.96g of high purity cocaine, which prosecutors said could be worth anything from £16,000 to £33,200 inside prison.
There was also 14.22g of Spice, with a potential value of £1,442 in prison.
The court heard Turner said she thought the package contained a phone battery, Rizla papers and some tobacco.
Judge Richard Mansell QC said he couldn't accept this claim, 'given the size of the package concerned and the common knowledge that drugs and phones are the two most highly prized commodities for prisoners'.
Prolific thief stole Mercedes during crime spree at underground car parks in the city centre
A prolific thief stole a brand new Mercedes, during a month-long £40k crime spree to fuel his drug habit.
A court heard that Ian Dickinson, 35, sold the luxury motor for drugs and a 'small amount' of cash after ‘falling off the wagon’ earlier this year.
The dad, 35, nicked trainers, laptops and even a drum kit after targeting a number of underground car parks in Manchester city centre.
Manchester Crown Court heard how Dickinson had previously served time behind bars for similar offences but had engaged in a rigorous a drug rehabilitation programme.
However he ‘fell off the wagon’ after deciding to support his former partner in bringing up their severely disabled child.
During a sentencing hearing on Friday (July 26) the court heard that Dickinson’s drug problems stemmed from childhood issues.
Dickinson, of no fixed abode, was today jailed for two years and eight months by a judge at Manchester Crown Court.
He was also made the subject of a criminal behaviour order banning him from parts of the city centre for three years.
Drunk robber jumped onto shop counter, smashed open the till and attacked workers with nail scissors - all because he thought they'd laughed at him
A violent robber has been locked up after using a pair of nail scissors to slash at two shop workers.
Thomas Nicholson, 20, jumped onto the shop counter, smashed open the till and attacked workers during a ‘sustained, prolonged and vicious’ attack at the Salford grocery store.
After fleeing through a fire escape, he then stormed into a nearby Tesco Express and threatened a shop assistant with a bottle before being rugby tackled by a security guard.
The violent rampage was fuelled by alcohol, Manchester Crown Court.
Prosecutor Robert Smith said Nicholson entered the East West Express store on Trafford Road at around 7.30pm in February 4 this year.
Nicholson - who has five previous convictions for eleven offences - has now been jailed for five years and two months after admitting robbery and attempted robbery.
The sex beast who raped and abused four children... two of them turned to drugs to numb the pain
A sex beast who 'robbed his young victims of their childhoods in the most cruel and despicable way' has been locked up.
Andrew Austin, 51, has been jailed for a string of historical offences against children.
He admitted four counts of rape; six counts of indecent assault; two counts of indecency with a child; and a single count of sexual assault.
His sickening crimes finally came to light when one of his victims and a charity worker contacted police.
Austin protested his innocence when interviewed by officers.
He came clean before his case went to trial.
Austin, from Salford, was sentenced to 27 years following a Manchester Crown Court hearing.
He will serve at least half of that term in jail and can only be released when it is deemed safe by the Parole Board.
Thug tried to stab man at Piccadilly Spar with knife he had hidden up his sleeve - it was caught on CCTV
The terrifying moment a knife-wielding thug tried to stab a man at the Spar on Piccadilly was caught on CCTV.
Daniel Johnson, 28, has been jailed for 18 months, with police chiefs lambasting his 'despicable' behaviour which 'put innocent lives at risk'.
Johnson went into the shop, on Piccadilly in Manchester city centre, in the early hours of Saturday, June 22, a court heard.
He started an argument with a man and woman, which continued as they stood at the front door of the shop.
When the man confronted him, Johnson lunged twice at him with a knife he had hidden up his sleeve.
Johnson was later involved in a fight with a second woman. Dramatic footage, released by police after Johnson was locked up, shows he still has the knife in his hand that point.
Johnson, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to affray; possession of a bladed article; and attempted actual bodily harm at Manchester Crown Court.
Catholic priest, 76, is jailed for 18 years for 'horrifically' sexually abusing two teenage boys
A Catholic priest who sexually abused two teenage boys at a seminary where he taught has been jailed for 18 years.
Michael Higginbottom, 76, was found guilty by a jury of five counts of serious sexual assault and seven counts of indecent assault following a re-trial.
The boys were abused as they boarded at St Joseph's College, a Catholic seminary in Upholland, Lancashire, which has now closed, in the 1970s and 80s.
During a two-week trial, jurors heard he 'regularly, systematically and horrifically' abused the boys.
Higginbottom, from Newcastle, denied all the charges he faced.
But after the re-trial at Burnley Crown Court, he was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault and seven counts of indecent assault in relation to the first victim, and one count of sexual assault in relation to the second victim.
Both victims can't be named for legal reasons.
The court heard Higginbottom would serve half his sentence in prison and half out on licence.
