From the mum who tried to kill her adult sons to the kick-boxing coward who murdered an amputee as he sat helplessly in his wheelchair, these are some of the criminals locked up in October.
The region's courts have given out hefty prison sentences for all manner of crimes last month, with M.E.N reporters there to cover the most serious cases.
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 October 2020.
The mum who stabbed a young dad to death
A dispute over damage to a van escalated into a fist fight - and ended with a mum stabbing a young dad to death.
Kelly Gray, 32, has been jailed for 10 years after she knifed 23-year-old David Gavin in Rochdale.
A court was told Gray believed her family was in 'grave danger'.
It followed a disagreement over a kitchen fitter's van which descended into a fight, with weapons being held by both sides.
The kitchen fitter had been working at Mr Gavin's house when his vehicle was damaged.
Mr Gavin believed members of the Gray family were responsible for the damage, and after he and others confronted them, a fight broke out.
Kelly Gray arrived at the scene shortly after, running towards the brawl armed with a knife and stabbing Mr Gavin once in the neck.
He was pronounced dead in hospital about 90 minutes later, on May 17 last year.
Kelly Gray then fled to Ireland, and was only caught three months later after a European Arrest Warrant had been issued.
Gray was originally accused of murder, but prosecutors accepted her plea to manslaughter on the grounds of a loss of control.
The 'monster' who targeted a young girl
Described as a 'monster' by the mum of his young victim, Barry Graham, 74, was found guilty of inciting a child to perform sexual activity.
He was jailed for four years following a trial at Minshull Street Crown Court and ordered to sign the sex offender register indefinitely.
His traumatised victim gave evidence in court, which helped send him down.
Her schooling has been affected and she's having therapy following the ordeal.
Graham was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
The crack-fuelled knife robber in flip flops who terrified Betfred staff - days after setting fire to his own flat
A crack-fuelled robbery at knife-point by a man in flip flops left two bookie workers traumatised - just days after residents were forced to evacuate from their homes because the knife-man set fire to his own flat.
Daniel Kirkman has been jailed for aggravated arson, robbery and possession of a bladed article after the spate of incidents within a matter of days in January 2020.
On January 16, the 30-year-old was discharged after admitting himself to hospital where he was treated for mental health concerns, brought on by abuse of crack cocaine.
But a week of chaos began the very next day, when he set his own flat on fire in the early hours of January 17.
He torched his sofa, mattress and bed frame, sending smoke ripping through the Bolton at Home apartment in Sefton Court, Halliwell.
Kirkman later marched into a Betfred shop and hid in the disabled bathroom before emerging and pointing a '30 cm-long kitchen knife' at the ceiling, demanding the workers hand over cash.
The man who carried blade for 'protection' - after witnessing two friends die in knife incidents
A man who pulled out a blade during a scrap said he was carrying it for protection - after witnessing two pals die in knife incidents.
Clinton Chitanga, 22, has been jailed after a judge learned of 'worrying' comments the defendant made about carrying a weapon.
Chitanga was involved in 'fisticuffs' near the entrance to an apartment block in Michigan Avenue, Salford Quays.
He produced a kitchen knife during the incident, which happened just before midnight on May 20.
CCTV footage showed a woman trying to stop Chitanga from becoming further involved in the confrontation, but he managed to break free.
Chitanga, of Holyrood Drive, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a knife in a public place.
He was jailed for 13 months.
The burglar who attacked victim with a plank of wood after he was caught
A would-be burglar attacked his victim with a piece of wood after he was found inside their shed.
William Steele was discovered when a resident on Radcliffe Road in The Haulgh, Bolton, returned home at around 7.30pm on Monday, August 24.
The man found that the door of his shed had been taken off its hinges and when he went out to see what had happened he spotted Steele standing inside.
The pair got into an altercation and Steele, 34, started hitting the man with the plank he was holding.
He appeared via video link from HMP Forest Bank to plead guilty to assault; occasioning actual bodily harm; and burglary.
At Bolton Crown Court, Steele, of no fixed address, was jailed for 16 months.
The pregnant mum jailed after 'foolish' effort to smuggle drugs into prison
A pregnant mum has been jailed after trying to smuggle drugs into a prison.
Leonie Gerrard, 19, from Salford, took a package containing cannabis, tobacco, a mobile phone and two SIM cards with her while visiting a prisoner.
She was visiting an inmate at a young offender institution at Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire.
The pair 'embraced' during the visit and an 'exchange' was made, with the package handed over during a visit on December 22, 2018.
The prisoner was removed, with a cling film package containing the banned items recovered.
Now, almost 22 months after the incident, Gerrard has been jailed for 15 months.
Gerrard, of Eldon Road, Irlam, pleaded guilty to three counts of taking a prohibited item into a prison.
The gold thief jailed over 'abhorrent' daylight burglaries
A thief has been jailed over three 'abhorrent' burglaries.
George Price, 29, was convicted after 'family gold burglary offences', police said.
Price, from Newton Heath, Manchester, struck with others at homes in West Derby, Liverpool, and Widnes, Cheshire, in broad daylight.
Detectives said the break-ins last year caused 'a great deal of distress' to victims and their families.
Price, of Ainsley Street, Newton Heath, was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison this week at Liverpool Crown Court.
Merseyside Police said he pleaded not guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit burglary, but was found guilty after a trial.
Woman who feared she'd die during 'cowardly' attack by her boyfriend was 'begging to be finished off'
A woman said she was thought she was going to die and was 'begging to be finished off' during a 'cowardly' attack by her boyfriend.
Hamzah Butt, 31, had met the woman while she was working an escort weeks earlier, before they started a relationship.
He was 'jealous' and would not accept her line of work, Manchester Crown Court heard.
At first he 'constantly' messaged her asking to meet up, and then began saying he wanted to marry her.
But he became jealous and started accusing her of being with other men.
She was at Butt's flat on Slade Lane in Levenshulme, on April 7, when she told him she was leaving to go for a job interview.
Butt didn't accept what she was saying and became 'abusive', prosecutor Adam Lodge said.
She tried to reassure him, but Butt blocked her from leaving.
At one point he grabbed her and threw her against the stairs.
Shortly after, twice grabbed her again and threw her against a bathroom wall.
Butt was sentenced to 14 months.
Mum lucky not to be left in wheelchair after back was broken during attack which left her 'foaming at the mouth'
A judge said a mum was lucky to not be left wheelchair bound after breaking her back when she was attacked by her partner.
Craig Angus, 35, has been jailed after he left the woman with fractures to her spine in three places, after the incident at her home in Walkden, Salford.
She was left 'foaming at the mouth' after being grabbed by the neck, and having her head banged against a wall.
At first Angus claimed she might have suffered the injuries in a car crash.
But the woman, who was in court to see her former partner sent down said: "It has just changed me completely.
"I don't sleep, I'm anxious all the time."
Angus was locked up for 14 months.
Angus, of Mains Lane, Poulton-Le-Fylde, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.
The burglar who sent terrified victim plunging from a window ledge to concrete floor below
A desperate man tried to hide from an intruder by clinging onto a window ledge - but the burglar found him and sent him plunging to the concrete floor below.
Colin Williams, 23, has been jailed for more than nine years for the callous attack that left the victim with two broken heels and an injury to his fingers that required surgery.
A jury at Liverpool Crown Court heard the two were known to each other, but had become involved in a dispute.
Williams, of Poplars in Warrington and Hulme, Manchester, sent the victim, also aged 23, a series of threatening messages on Facebook including ‘you think you’re smart playing hide and seek’ and ’not done until I’ve caught you’.
Within a minute of sending the messages, Williams went to the victim's home and and kicked down the door to the second floor flat in Padgate, Warrington.
In fear of Williams, the victim climbed out of the kitchen window and hung onto the ledge to try to avoid being seen, Cheshire Police said in a press release.
Williams was found guilty of aggravated burglary and section 18 assault following a four-day trial at Liverpool Crown Court and has been jailed for nine years and six months.
The paedophile found with more than 400,000 indecent pictures of children on his work computer
A paedophile has been jailed after police found more than 400,000 indecent pictures of children on his work computer.
Michael Donkin, 59, downloaded hundreds of thousands of vile, illegal images of children as young as one-year-old, including almost 25,000 classed as being of the most serious category.
When police searched his home in Wythenshawe on July 16 this year, he told them: "Yes, it's all on that computer there."
As well as having the 'extraordinarily large amount' of images on his work computer and a hard drive, Donkin also had 80 videos and 12,000 images of young girls taken in public spaces.
He admitted having a sexual interest in young children and was jailed for two years and four months at Manchester Crown Court.
Donkin, of Porlock Road, Wythenshawe, pleaded guilty to three offences of making an indecent photo and one offence of possession of a prohibited image of a child.
He was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will have to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.
The yob who ran innocent couple over when they spurned his attempts to sell them drugs
A couple on their way to watch a film were left seriously injured by a yob who ran them over when they spurned his attempts to sell them drugs.
Joenade Shahid, 29, has been jailed for three and a half years for ramming his innocent victims over a garden wall in the "nasty and wholly unprovoked attack" in Ashton, Tameside, from which they are still feeling the physical effects two years on.
The 44-year-old man and his 25-year-old partner were walking towards the Cineworld cinema at Ashton Moss after drinking in The Witchwood pub on the day of the incident, Sunday October 7, 2018.
The court heard they walked past Shahid who was sat in a small silver car "blaring out loud music."
He shouted at them to 'come back here' repeatedly despite the man telling Shahid that they weren’t interested, Shahid drove slowly alongside them and started to offer them drugs.
The man again refused and at this point Shahid's tone "became increasingly aggressive" and he got out of his car to try and confront them, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said in a statement about the case.
In a bid to keep up with them, Shahid got back in his car and followed the victims onto Richmond Street where he was heard revving his engine before driving at them from behind, causing them to fall into a front garden of a house on the street.
They managed to get to their feet and seek refuge at a nearby mosque, where the emergency services were alerted.
The couple were both taken to hospital and were found to have suffered serious injuries.
Shahid, of Tennyson Avenue, Dukinfield, pleaded guilty to charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and assault occasioning actual bodily harm at an earlier hearing.
He was sentenced to three and a half years in prison by a judge at Minshull Street Crown Court.
Mum tried to kill her adult sons by putting lit disposable barbecues in their bedrooms
A mother tried to kill her two sons by poisoning them after feeling 'hopeless' and 'powerless'.
Lisa Walmsley, 52, has been jailed for attempted murder after she lit disposable barbecues in her two adult sons' bedrooms in a bid to kill them though carbon monoxide poisoning.
Her plan was thwarted after one of her children alerted police.
The two men have 'forgiven' their mother, who had been suffering from mental health problems for some time and also planned to kill herself.
Walmsley, from Stockport, who was described as otherwise being an 'excellent and loving mother', was jailed for five years and four months as details of the 'very sad' case were revealed for the first time.
Gambling addict conned victims out of £700,000 in 'breathtaking' scam
A conman defrauded his victims out of almost £700,000 by promising generous returns on investments in a 'breathtaking' scam, a court heard.
In reality Sam Whittingslow, 29, was spending his investors' money on online gambling and foreign holidays.
Whittingslow, from Tameside, targeted one woman, described as a wealthy and successful businesswoman, who invested more than half a million pounds.
She said she felt like she'd been 'groomed' by him, and claimed Whittingslow 'takes pleasure out of manipulating people'.
She had recommended Whittingslow to a man who then became another victim, with five people in total losing thousands.
In total, the five victims lost £678,659.
About £414,000 will be returned to victims after intervention from the Gambling Commission.
Jailing him for three years, Judge Paul Lawton told Whittingslow: "The scale of your fraud is both breathtaking and audacious, and you will have been properly advised that there is a heavy price to pay."
Drug-dealer driver killed dad then told lies
This is the driver who killed a dad in a drug deal that went wrong.
Dealer Shaun Ward, 23 arranged to sell drugs to Joss McCaughtrie, 26, in Bolton.
Ward, of no fixed address, was behind the wheel of a VW Golf, despite never passing a driving test.
One of the car's windows was smashed in circumstances which remain unclear, before Ward sped off, with Mr McCaughtrie clinging onto the vehicle for 'dear life'.
Ward tried to 'shake off' Mr McCaughtrie, eventually propelling him into a fence.
He suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead soon after.
Ward then 'concocted' a story of lies. He tried to blame Mr McCaughtrie for the incident, claiming he had threatened him with a hammer.
Shannon Kay, Ward's then girlfriend, went along with the story.
At Manchester Crown Court on Thursday, Ward was jailed for seven years and two months.
Kay, 24, avoided jail, after admitting assisting an offender.
Mr McCaughtrie's devastated family told of the impact of their loss - and how his seven-year-old son has lost his father.
The paedophile who lured girl into bedroom to 'show her how to download PlayStation games' before launching horrific sex attack
A paedophile already serving time for historic sex offences has been convicted of sexually assaulting a girl.
Colin Cambray lured the child - now an adult - into a bedroom, telling her he would show her how to download PlayStation games.
The 51-year-old made the girl watch pornography and perform a sex act on him before he touched her inappropriately, Bolton Crown Court heard.
On another occasion, Cambray touched the girl inappropriately under a blanket.
The coach company worker told the child 'she would get into trouble if she told anyone'.
In 2017, Cambray was jailed for nine years after being convicted of historic offences in relation to another child.
After he was locked up, the girl in this case spoke out.
Cambray pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault of a child; one count of causing a child to watch pornography; one count of causing child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity; and one count of engaging in sexual activities in front of child.
Cambray, formerly of Carnation Road, Farnworth, was sentenced to six years, with an extended licence period of three years.
The man who caused thousands of pounds worth of damage by trying to steal a cash machine
A man who attempted to steal a cash machine in Warrington has been jailed for more than four years, after causing over £10,000 worth of damage.
David Bennett, 42, was one of four offenders who arrived at the Co-operative store in Bridge Shopping Centre, Latchford, in two stolen vehicles.
At around 10.45pm on May 28, after getting out of the black BMW and the white van, the group forced open the store’s shutter doors, Chester Crown Court heard.
Once inside they placed a heavy duty chain around the ATM and attempted to pull it out of the shop using the van.
After failing to do so and failing to gain access to the cash inside the machine, the offenders fled in the BMW, leaving the van at the scene.
The vehicle was insured to Bennett, and following a lengthy investigation, on September 9 officers executed a search warrant at his address.
A number of items were seized from the address, including a heavy duty chain, hydraulic metal cutters, mole grips and a lump hammer.
Bennett was arrested and subsequent DNA tests proved that he had handled the chain which was used in the burglary.
Traces of his DNA were also found in the BMW and he was later charged with burglary.
Bennett, of Hardwick Road, pleaded guilty to one offence of burglary and was jailed for four and a half years.
The thug jailed for stabbing childhood friend to death at birthday party
A man who stabbed his childhood friend to death at a birthday party in Bolton has been jailed.
Ricardas Jonusas plunged a kitchen knife into the side of Laurimas Ruzanov after wrongly believing he had slapped his girlfriend during a private argument.
Paramedics fought to save him as he lay dying in his own home but tragically his 18cm wound – the same length as the weapon used in the brutal attack – inflicted fatal injuries.
The pair had known each other for several years and the victim had even supported Jonusas financially to allow him to come to the UK from Lithuania.
Ricardas Jonusas pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 15 years.
He will remain on licence for the rest of his life following his release.
Man knifed pal in the back during chilling attack - before driving to police station and handing himself in
A man has been jailed after stabbing his friend in a chilling attack.
Paul Andrews, 62, knifed his pal in the back causing critical injuries, before driving to a nearby police station to hand himself in.
A court heard that on the afternoon of October 3, 2019, the 58-year-old victim visited his friend at Andrew's house in Chester.
As he got up from his chair to leave, the victim felt as if he had been punched in the back and fell to his knees, police said.
The victim realised he had been stabbed, Chester Crown Court heard.
As he lay injured, Andrews walked past him, out of the door and drove to a police station to hand himself in.
Emergency services attended the scene on Alder Grove in Hoole, where the victim was lying on the ground with a 30cm knife still embedded in his back.
The victim was airlifted to hospital and rushed to theatre.
Andrews was sentenced to 18 years in prison after he was convicted of attempted murder at Chester Crown Court.
The fire-obsessed woman who terrorised neighbours by threatening to torch their homes during lockdown
A drunken, fire-obsessed mum launched a terrifying campaign of vitriol at her neighbours three weeks into the national lockdown.
When a resident suggested 60-year-old Garland Pamela Robertson stay indoors, she threatened to torch one house, tried to firebomb a car, hurled a boiling kettle of water at another neighbour and then aimed a vile homophobic tirade at another neighbour.
Now the aspiring artist, who has been disowned by her three grown-up children, has been jailed for her campaign of intimidation.
The court heard Robertson had 46 previous convictions to her name, mostly for antisocial behaviour but including assault, drunk and disorderly, threatening behaviour, harassment, public order offences with a weapon and being drunk on a plane.
She had been jailed previously including for 27 months in 1996 for arson and then later for seven-and-half years for causing another fire by pushing a burning Molotov cocktail through a front door.
Robertson, formerly of Winstanley Road in Miles Platting, was jailed for two years after she admitted attempted arson, threatening to damage property and affray. The judge also made a restraining order prohibiting the defendant from contacting her former neighbours or going to Winstanley Road.
The drunken man who strangled and punched his then partner before kicking one her dogs in the head knocking two of its teeth out
A drunken man who strangled and punched his then partner before kicking one her dogs in the head knocking two of its teeth out has been jailed.
Alan James Holt, 64, left his victim bruised and fearing she might die after he flew into a rage after a drinking session a court heard.
And a plea by her not to send him to prison was ignored by a judge who said his behaviour was so appalling only an immediate custodial sentence could be passed.
Holt and his victim, his then partner, had been in a relationship for around a year Manchester Magistrates' Court was told.
However "it couldn't be described as a stable relationship" Jade Coleman, prosecuting, said, saying the pair had separated numerous times.
Holt, of Five Quarters, Radcliffe, was arrested and told officers in interview that "he had been drinking and couldn't remember much" but admitted "it must have been me as there was no one else in the house."
He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
He was already serving a community order for another recent incident of ABH.
He was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison for the new offences and was re-sentenced to 12 weeks, to run consecutively, for the previous incident - totalling 38 weeks.
Thug broke into bed-bound man's house and demanded he hand over money in series of 'despicable' robberies
A man who raided a bed-bound man's house before robbing an elderly woman at knifepoint has been jailed.
Jason Garrity, 27, left his two victims suffering significant psychological trauma following the robberies in April this year.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard how on April 10, Garrity forced his way into the house of a man who is bound to his bed.
Garrity demanded the man hand over all of his money, before taking his wallet and other items, the court heard.
He attempted to use the victim's bank card to withdraw cash, but this was unsuccessful.
The second robbery occurred on April 14, when Garrity followed a woman on a mobility scooter to her home in Droylsden.
Garrity entered her house wielding a knife and demanded money, before stealing her handbag, the court heard.
The woman was able to put a block on her cards before Garrity tried to use them to make a purchase at a nearby newsagent.
Garrity, of Bell Clough Road, Droylsden, was jailed for seven years and six months at Manchester Minshull Street Court.
He had previously pleaded guilty to burglary, robbery and two counts of attempting to commit fraud.
The M62 drink driver who hit speeds of 140mph and flashed at an unmarked police car to move out of his way
A judge has told a drink driver that emergency workers 'would've been picking up the pieces of him' if he'd crashed after he drove at 140mph on the M62.
Shek Uddin was twice the legal limit and flashed at an unmarked police car to move out of his way.
A court heard he flashed at other cars, signalling them to get out of his way, as he sped down the motorway in a VW Golf after leaving a party.
A judge today slammed the 29-year-old's behaviour, branding his driving as 'frighteningly dangerous', reports the Liverpool Echo.
Uddin was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court for driving a motor vehicle dangerously and driving a motor vehicle when his alcohol level was over the limit.
Uddin, of Brynton Road, Manchester, was handed a 12-month prison sentence and was disqualified from driving for three-and-a-half years.
The uninsured drink-driver who killed another motorist when he ran a red light and smashed into another car at 74mph
An uninsured drink-driver killed another motorist when he ran a red light and smashed into another car at 74mph on a suburban road at 3am.
David Edmonds, a father of two with a string of previous convictions from Hulme, had been drinking Budweiser beer when he got behind the wheel.
He was doing more than twice the speed limit when he crashed into former bus driver Ronald Brown, 56, in Stretford.
His Seat Altea propelled Mr Brown's Vauxhall Astra onto a pavement, where it then burst into flames on the threshold of a residential front garden.
Mr Brown, a father-of-one from Old Trafford known as DJ, died of catastrophic injuries before the fire broke out, according to a post mortem examination.
When police rescued Edmonds from the wreckage of his car, he was slurring, unsteady on his feet and he denied he had been the driver, suggesting a 'mate' had been at the wheel.
He has now been jailed for seven years and his victim's family are backing new legislation for tougher sentences for killer drivers.
Edmonds, of North Down Avenue in Hulme, was also banned from driving for eight-and-half years. He admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing death whilst uninsured.
The designer-loving crack-addict drug dealer caught with cocaine and heroin in his Gucci 'man bag'
A street drug dealer had been jailed after police found a stash of crack cocaine and heroin in his Gucci man bag.
Keagan Allen, 25, tried to run away but officers collared him and found 31 snap bags of drugs as well as £210 in cash in his designer pouch.
Police were alerted when they saw a white Ford Focus travelling at 'high speed' along Old Birley Street in Hulme on the afternoon of February 22 this year, prosecutor Neil Ronan told Manchester Crown Court on Thursday.
Officer stopped the car nearby and saw Allen was the sole occupant. The court heard that he gave police a false name.
The officers' suspicions were raised further when they discovered the car was insured to someone else and Allen appeared to be 'disproportionately nervous', said the prosecutor.
When officers asked him to get out of the car, Allen was 'passively resistant' although eventually he complied and he was arrested and handcuffed.
He started to run away but he was stopped and officers seized the Gucci 'man bag' which had been around his waist, said Mr Ronan.
Genuine Gucci man bags cost more than £500.
Inside it, officers found 24 'deals' of crack cocaine, 25 of heroin and a snap bag containing a solid rock and two other bags containing a brown powder as well as £210 in cash, the court heard.
Allen, of Longford Close in Stretford, was jailed for two years and four months after he admitted two counts of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply, driving without insurance and obstructing police.
The cocaine-fuelled gang who stalked Manchester looking for lone men in terrifying string of robberies
A gang of three Manchester thugs prowled the city looking for lone men to attack in a string of terrifying robberies.
One victim was mocked and labelled a 'silver spoon student' after having his own money withdrawn from a cash machine by the robbers, a court heard.
Dean McDonagh, 20, and brothers Jack and Owen Parkes, 20 and 18 respectively, were involved in a number of robberies against young men across the city centre.
Some involved them holding their victims 'captive' in a stolen car, after luring them inside on the pretence of being invited to a party.
One victim was left stranded in a housing estate without money or a phone, and was told to 'f*** off' by one resident when he asked for help.
Now the trio, from Beswick, have all been jailed for the robberies committed in September last year.
McDonagh, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to four counts of robbery, two counts of driving while disqualified, and three counts of driving without insurance.
He was jailed for four years and nine months.
Jack Parkes pleaded guilty to four counts of robbery and Owen Parkes, aged 17 at the time of his crimes, pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery.
Jack Parkes was jailed for three years and nine months, while his brother received a two year sentence.
The kick-boxing coward who murdered amputee as he sat helplessly in his wheelchair
A man who repeatedly kicked a helpless wheelchair-bound father-of-two to death in Warrington has been jailed for life.
Daniel Sharples was convicted of the murder of 53-year-old Michael Mairs following an eight day trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
The 38-year-old attacked Michael in the street after downing shots of sambuca on the morning of Sunday, October 6, 2019.
He had been drinking at the Looking Glass and Hop Pole pubs in Warrington town centre with friends before leaving at around midday.
Sharples then made his way up Winwick Street and came across Michael, who was drinking with friends.
He began to verbally abuse the group before attacking Michael's two friends – who both fled the scene after being repeatedly punched in the face.
He then punched Michael in the face, before tipping his wheelchair over and repeatedly kicking him in the head as he lay helpless on the floor.
As the attack continued, a member of the public intervened and attempted to pull Sharples off Michael, who was barely conscious.
Sharples was initially charged with Section 47 assault to which he pleaded guilty.
However, following Michael’s death, Sharples was charged with murder.
Sharples, of Griesdale Avenue, Orford, Warrington, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 21 years.
The Spice addict who made a woman's life hell after she became homeless in the coronavirus pandemic and ended up living in a garage
A woman who became homeless after losing her job due to the coronavirus pandemic ended up living in a garage with a Spice addict who began bullying and attacking her, a court heard.
Nathan Mellor, 25, has been jailed for 27 months after admitting controlling and coercive behaviour during their relationship, which lasted for a few weeks in the summer.
He previously had been locked up for two years for an attack on another partner.
The woman, 24, met Mellor after losing her job and becoming homeless.
The couple began living in a garage behind a derelict pub in Ancoats as they had 'nowhere else to go', Manchester Crown Court heard.
Within the garage there was some heating and space for them to sleep.
Prosecutors said that the couple would head into Manchester city centre during the day, before returning to the garage when it went dark.
During July and August Mellor started 'bullying' her and acting in a 'violent' way.
On one occasion, she had fallen asleep and was woken to find Mellor slapping her 'as hard as he could' as he called her names.
He picked up a hammer and threatened to 'cave her head in with it'.
Mellor, of Gladeside Road, Wythenshawe, has also been using Spice 'on a regular basis', the court heard.
A restraining order was also passed, to last indefinately.
The hapless robber who tried to raid 3 stores in 30 minutes - but didn't bank on hero shopkeepers
A hapless robber who raided three shops within half an hour was foiled by a hero shopkeeper who restrained him and called the police.
Matthew Bailey, 25, went on a robbery spree through Stockport on the afternoon of Thursday August 20.
During the first robbery, bungling Bailey failed to open the till, before he was chased away by the shopkeeper during the second and, on his third attempt, he was apprehended by police.
For all his efforts Bailey only managed to grab a few packets of cigarettes and a bottle of vodka.
Bailey, of Turncroft Lane, Offerton, was jailed for four years and four months at Manchester Crown Court.
He pleaded guilty to one count of robbery, two counts of attempted robbery and driving whilst disqualified.
The one punch killer jailed for manslaughter after 'unprovoked' attack on young man in Longsight
A man has been jailed for the manslaughter of a young man who died after being punched in the head in Longsight.
Creole McNamee, 28, was captured on CCTV exiting a vehicle before punching 35-year-old Abdi Omar Ali to the head, which caused him to fall backwards to the ground.
Police were called to Hathersage Road in Longsight at 11.35am on Sunday 3 May this year, by hospital staff reporting a man with serious injuries.
Mr Ali was treated by hospital staff for a number of days, but sadly died from his injuries on Monday, 11 May.
Following an investigation, McNamee was arrested and taken into police custody, where he was later charged with assault.
Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard that CCTV footage obtained by police showed Mr Ali walking along the road whilst using his phone.
A short time later, McNamee pulled up in a white van, got out of the vehicle and punched Mr Ali once in the head, the court heard.
The punch caused Mr Ali to fall backwards on to the pavement.
McNamee, of Manor Road, Stretford, was today sentenced to five years and four months imprisonment after pleading guilty to manslaughter an earlier hearing.
Pair who left man for dead after brutal, 'absolute madness' city centre attack
An unconscious man was found on the floor in the foetal position covered in blood after being brutally attacked by men he had previously been in McDonald's with.
The victim, who was kicked at least a dozen times, was left for dead and found in an alleyway near the Palace Theatre in the city centre after a 'period of absolute madness'.
His attackers, Andrejus Bukatas, 31, and Marekas Garlauskas, 36, both said to have been 'very drunk', left him fighting for his life following the attack, which lasted about 20 minutes.
Hours later, passersby noticed the man and took him to a nearby McDonald's to help him, the same restaurant where he had been earlier with Bukatas and Garlauskas.
Doctors feared he would die after suffering two bleeds on the brain but he pulled through after emergency surgery.
After a painstaking investigation by GMP using CCTV footage, Bukatas and Garlauskas were traced.
Now the pair have been jailed, Bukatas receiving a seven year sentence and Garlauskas a seven-and-a-half year term.
Both Bukatas and Garlauskas, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to section 18 assault.
They will serve two-thirds of their sentence in prison, and Judge Cross said he expected that they would both be deported on their release.
Gang thug who slashed 'grass' across face with knife after luring him into trap
A gang thug lured a man into a trap, called him a 'grass' and slashed his face with a knife while an accomplice appeared to film the attack on a mobile phone, a court heard.
The victim was lucky to survive the planned attack in Stockport town centre last year.
HGV driver and father-of-three Nathan Kelso, 37, slashed his victim across the face with a knife, leaving a gaping wound. He was serving a suspended prison sentence at the time he carried out the attack.
Luke Wilson, 36, appeared to be filming the incident on his phone.
Now the two men, gang members with long criminal histories, have been jailed.
Their terrified victim refused to help the prosecution, even though he could have died in the attack which left him permanently scarred.
The Recorder of Manchester Judge Dean QC sentenced both men to nine-and-a-half years in prison and told them they would be released on licence two-thirds of the way through their sentence.
Wilson, of Nottingham Close in Brinnington, and Kelso, of Cumberland Avenue in Brinnington, had admitted wounding with intent.
The 'Jekyll and Hyde' drug-addled son who beat up parents with garden furniture in 'desperate attempt to get money for habit'
A 46-year-old drug addict has been jailed after beating up his own parents with garden furniture in a 'desperate attempt to get money to fuel his habit'.
Christian Condron has been in the midst of a 'Class A drug addiction for 25 years', Bolton Crown Court heard as he was being slapped with prison time and a restraining order for the 'disgusting' assault.
The drug problem led Condron to develop a 'Jekyll and Hyde' personality, which caused him to unleash violence on people while under the influence.
At the time of his attack on his parents, Condron was already serving a suspended sentence for 'punching a woman in the face'.
The attack on the woman happened in the middle of a busy main road while she was with her child after she refused to give him money, the court heard.
The suspended sentence was just days away from expiring when Condron arrived outside his parents' home at 5pm on June 16 this year.
Condron, of Whalley Avenue, Bolton, pleaded guilty to common assault, assault by beating, criminal damage and possession of a bladed article.
He was sentenced to serve 10 months in prison and was handed a restraining order by the judge, at the request of Condron's parents.
The burglar who raided people's homes as they slept upstairs
A creeping thief who burgled people's houses as they slept upstairs has been jailed.
Stephen Connolly, 42, was wanted on recall to prison when he was caught red-handed with a haul of stolen goods in April this year.
Connolly carried out two burglaries in Shaw Heath area in the early hours of April 8, 2020.
Police say he stole a laptop and car from a house in Kimberley Street while the occupants were asleep upstairs.
He raided another property on Ladysmith Street, again while the occupants slept upstairs. He fled the scene with a laptop, a car and a second set of car keys.
Connolly was caught after police officers went looking for him at his home in Stockport. He wanted on recall to prison at the time.
Connolly, of HMP Forest Bank, was sentenced at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to four years and three months imprisonment, after pleading guilty to two counts of burglary and one count of taking a conveyance without authority.
