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A grooming gang based in Rochdale, parents of a little boy mauled to death by dogs and a killer who stabbed his own mum to death just three of the criminals locked up in the region in October. Other offenders put behind bars include a stalker who harassed a motivational speaker after meeting him for two minutes, a predator who attacked vulnerable people in Manchester's the Village and two violent teenage thugs who used alias profiles to find their victims on Facebook Marketplace. Greater Manchester courts gave out hefty prison sentences for all manner of crimes this month. 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. MEN reporters cover some of the most serious cases each week - and here is our round-up for the last month. Here are some of the criminals locked up in Greater Manchester in October: A ‘bullying’ thug extorted thousands from his dead friend’s customers. Callum Noble took on the debts of his pal, Kyle Barrow, who dealt drugs within the Oldham area, a court heard. Following his death Noble, 26, began bombarding Mr Barrow’s customers to enforce the debt they previously owed. He demanded £600 from one customer who owed £60, and £4,000 from another who owed £400. Noble bombarded both customers with harassing messages, posted online about them and even threatened one of their friends in order to get the money. Noble later confronted them separately in public, attacking them and forcing them to open their banking app to give him the cash. Noble, of Thackeray Road, Oldham, was handed six years and eight months after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possession of an offensive weapon, witness intimidation, being concerned in the supply of cocaine and robbery. Read the full story here: Violent ‘bully’ extorted hundreds from dead friend’s customers for his own greed Seven men have been jailed for a combined 174 years after being found guilty of a series of historic sexual offences committed against two girls in Rochdale . The girls, who were teenagers at the time in the mid 2000s, were groomed and sexually abused for years. They were treated as 'sex slaves' and were expected to have sex 'whenever and wherever' in filthy flats, on rancid mattresses, in cars, car parks, alleyways and disused warehouses. 'Girl A' and 'Girl B', who cannot be named for legal reasons, gave evidence during a five month trial, which began at the end of January and concluded in June. Their abusers were mainly either taxi drivers or market stall traders in the town. The girls were 'passed around' for sex by the predators before being discarded. Mohammed Zahid, 64; Kasir Bashir, 50; Mushtaq Ahmed, 66; Roheez Khan, 39; Mohammed Shahzad, 43; Nisar Hussain, 43; and Naheem Akram, 48, had all denied the charges they faced. Zahid was the only offender to abuse both girls. Bashir did not attend the trial and jurors were ordered not to speculate why. After the verdicts were delivered, it was revealed that he absconded while on bail before the trial got under way. The sentencing hearing lasted three days, after beginning at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester on Monday (September 29), and continued today (September 30) when sentences were handed down to the seven men. Read the full story here: Rochdale grooming gang jailed for 174 YEARS combined for rape of two girls A drug dealer who filmed himself with his stash and a hoard of weapons in his bedroom 'wasn't the brightest' police say. Alfie Drummond, 23, recorded clips on his phone of him weighing 66g of 'flake', a slang term for cocaine. Other clips also showed him with a series of knives and weapons - which he dubbed his 'new toys' - on his bed. "I f*****g dare someone come round" he could be be heard to say. Police first began investigating him early this year, when officers were alerted to a phone number being used to peddle drugs in the Winsford area. Read the full story here: 'He wasn't the brightest': The dopey drug dealer who posed with 'his toys' in his bedroom A man who breached his bail conditions to get his partner to retract her statement against him has been sent to prison. 43-year-old Ashley Farrell gave his girlfriend a 'burner' phone to talk to her after he was charged for an incident that occurred on 14 November 2024. Farrell, of Ellenbrook Road, Woodhouse Park, Wythenshawe , would pressure his partner about retracting her statement, and would even visit her in Wales to go through the wording. His intention was to plead guilty following a withdrawal of the statement in order to get a suspended prison sentence. Police say that he had apologised to his partner, 'promising' that he'd change and they would go into couple's therapy. However, once she retracted her statement, he became 'bad tempered' and gaslighted her about the incident. Farrell appeared at Chester Crown Court on Monday (September 29) and was sentenced to 12 months in prison after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice. Read the full story here: He promised his partner that he would change, but it was all a lie A senior prison officer cried in the dock as she was sentenced over a relationship with an inmate, during which the pair communicated using a smuggled phone. Amie Turner, from Bolton , started working in HMP Manchester in 2014. On Wednesday (October 1), Manchester Crown Court heard how she was promoted to Band 4 senior officer in 2023. But during that year, the 34-year-old made dozens of secret calls and texts to a prisoner. A joint investigation by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) and HMPPS Counter Corruption Unit detectives confirmed that the prison officer had been making calls to a mobile phone located within the prison. Turner, of Alexandra Road, Bolton , cried in the dock as she was sentenced to a year and three months in prison after pleading guilty to misconduct in a public office and encouraging and assisting the use of a mobile phone in prison. Read the full story here: Shamed prison officer cries after her secret messages to inmate are exposed A drunk woman who bottled an innocent man ‘for no apparent reason’ during a night out has been locked up. Katherine Pye, 42, hit a total stranger in the face with a broken bottle after a night in Oldham town centre. Carlos Ventura, 24, had been out with friends and had headed to a takeaway before being attacked by Pye in the street. Manchester Crown Court heard how he was left with serious cuts to his face and neck, and was even told he could have died or been left paralysed had his injuries been inflicted millimetres either side. Pye was sentenced to four years in prison, and told she could serve up to half of that period in jail. Read the full story here: 'That girl was angry, she was after a fight - she could have killed me' The family of a teenager killed while he rode as a passenger on a stolen bike being chased by its owner do not hold the rider of the bike responsible for the boy’s death. Dean Barnes, 16, had been a pillion passenger on a stolen motorbike being driven by Adam Norman when the bike crashed in Stockport . Homeowner Callum Duncan had followed the pair after they stole motorbikes from his shed. Mr Duncan, 29, went on trial accused of causing death by dangerous driving, and was found not guilty. Norman, who ‘almost thought of Mr Barnes as his son’, was found guilty of the same offence. He has now been sentenced to 16-and-a-half years in prison. His sentencing hearing at Minshull Street Crown Court heard that the Barnes family hold Mr Duncan responsible. Read the full story here: Family of teenager killed as he rode as motorbike passenger don't hold jailed rider responsible A predator who attacked and robbed vulnerable victims in Manchester city centre has been jailed for life. Mourad Malki, also known as Sid Ali Djelid, ‘lay in wait’ before attacking one woman and two men, over the course of five months around Manchester’s Canal Street. He also went on to rob a phone and bank cards from a third man after luring him away to a secluded area. Sentencing the 39-year-old as a dangerous offender, Judge Tom Gilbart told him: “Undoubtedly this was a campaign of rape. "I am quite satisfied that you went into the city centre for the purposes of finding victims. You were seen walking the streets, watching people go by as you waited to identify a person’s vulnerability that gave you the opportunity to attack them. “All of the evidence suggests that you are a predator.” Malki, of no fixed abode, was jailed for life to serve a minimum period of 16 years in prison. Of that he must serve two thirds of the term, namely 14 years and 291 days before he will be considered safe to be released into the community by the Parole Board. He was also placed onto the Sex Offenders Register for life. Read the full story here: Predator who lay in wait before raping victims across Manchester city centre jailed for life A predator has been jailed after sexually assaulting a girl before carrying out ‘systematic sexual abuse and rape’ of a second. Rosario Bellardita Defelice, has been jailed for 24 years for child sex offences which took place over a several years. The 52-year-old pleaded guilty to 39 offences which included sexual assault on a child under 13; attempted rape of a child under 13; rape of a child under 16; assault by penetration; causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity; sexual activity with a child; and causing a child to watch sexual activity. Judge Hilary Manley told him he destroyed, terrorised and corrupted the childhoods of his victims, adding: “You did anything to continue to get your way and to continue your depraved enjoyment in what you were doing.” Defelice, of Salford , was handed a 24 year sentence with an extended licence period of eight years. He will serve two thirds of his term in jail. He was also put onto the Sex Offenders Register for life. Read the full story here: Sobbing predator who destroyed, terrorised and corrupted the childhoods of his victims The parents of a three-year-old boy mauled by two dogs on a farm have been jailed following his death. Daniel Twigg suffered horrific injuries following the 'appalling tragedy' at Carr Farm, in Milnrow , Rochdale , on May 15, 2022. Joanne Bedford, 37, and partner Mark Twigg, 43, had moved onto the farm with their children and were looking after the dogs while their owner was on remand in prison. Both signed a contract, agreeing to care for the man's eight or nine 'untrained guard dogs', which included Cane Corso, American Bulldog and a Boerboel breeds. Signs were in place warning visitors about the dogs, including 'do not exit your vehicle'; 'dogs are loose'; and 'beware of the dogs they bite'. Read the full story here: Parents of tragic three-year-old boy mauled by dogs on farm jailed following his death A ‘coward’ dragged a woman from his car by her hair then repeatedly punched her in the face. Andrew Nuttall, 36, launched the brutal attack on the woman after the pair had been for a night out in Salford . He was giving her a lift home when an argument broke out. While she begged him not to leave her alone in the middle of nowhere at 2.30am, he told her: “I’ll f***ing drag you out”, before attacking her. She was left with a severely swollen black eye, as well as bruising to her cheek and jaw. Jailing him for two-and-a-half years, Recorder Michael Hayton KC said he behaved in an ‘incomprehensible’ way. Read the full story here: The shameful coward who felt he wasn't getting the attention he deserved A mum murdered by her partner previously told police he was abusing her. But Clare Burns told officers that she 'felt unable to provide a full account'. About a month later, in the early hours of April 7, Lee Stewart fatally assaulted 51-year-old Ms Burns. An investigation has been launched by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and the outcome has yet to be revealed. Greater Manchester Police said: "We had previously attended the home a month prior, after a report that Mr Stewart had spat at Clare. Here Clare made an initial disclosure that she had been subject to abuse at the hands of Leonard, known to most as Lee, Stewart, but felt unable to provide a full account to officers." Ms Burns was found dead at her flat in Queens Road, Collyhurst. Stewart, 55, pleaded guilty to murder and today sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 16 years and 363 days behind bars. GMP said of the killer: "He was not witnessed performing CPR or trying to come to Clare’s assistance and was swiftly arrested by officers, as a murder investigation was launched." She was found to have suffered 'blunt force head and neck injuries'. Read the full story here: Mum murdered by partner previously complained about him to police A chess champion stalked a woman and threatened to smear her as a prostitute after she refused to rekindle an affair they began via a 'sugar daddies' dating site, a court heard. Married Paul Keevil, 55, had been gifting her money, but resorted to 'effectively blackmail' when she began a relationship with another man, the court was told. Over a five month period, obsessed Keevil, who's won UK chess tournaments and coached the game, vowed to publicly slur her unless she got back with him. He even sued her for £5,000 for the return of the cash, telling her she would face jail for fraud. In one message Keevil told the victim: ''The best thing you can do right now is say ok and that means sleeping with each other (willingly), it means flirting with each other and it means nice messages and emojis. And yes it means telling a few people we're together. If you do that, any threats will go.'' At Bolton Crown Court Keevil, of Fairman Drive in Hindley, Wigan , was jailed for 28 months after he admitted stalking the woman and sexually assaulting her. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years. Read the full story here: Chess champion stalks woman and threatens to smear her as a prostitute after she refused to rekindle 'sugar daddy' romance Two violent teenage thugs used alias profiles to find their victims on Facebook Marketplace before attacking or threatening them, a court has heard. Bilal Jama and Michael Ogbeide-John, both aged 17, used various names on the social networking site to falsely advertise a bike they were selling before going on to rob and attack their victims when they met to pay for the items, a court heard. Both were sentenced on Tuesday (October 14) at Manchester Crown Court after earlier pleading guilty to three counts of robbery and one of attempted robbery. Ogbeide-John additionally plead guilty to possession of a bladed article. Read the full story here: 'Do you want me to stab you?': The violent thugs who used Facebook Marketplace to lure their victims A 77-year-old man sexually assaulted a teenage girl after grooming her. Jack Platt had befriended the girl and would invite her, and her friends, round to his house on multiple occasions. Whilst there he offered them drinks, and would go on to hug the girl after each visit. During one particular visit with friends, Platt put his hand under her shirt, leaving her feeling ‘creeped out’. She later realised her bra had been unclipped, Minshull Street Crown Court heard. On a further visit, he gave her pieces of jewellery and asked the group if they had a boyfriend, if they’d had sex before and stated that if they were his girlfriend he would ‘treat them better’. It was during that visit that he showed her his aftershave collection before asking her for a hug, said prosecutor David Toal. “He hugged her then walked her backwards onto the bed. He started touching her with his thumb on her thigh, she froze and didn’t say anything as he touched her [breast],” he said. “He then touched her face and kissed her on the lips as she desperately tried to move away from him.” He was jailed for 45 months. Read the full story here: Man, 77, is finally where he belongs A thug left his partner 'petrified' after flying into a violent rage and strangling her. David Dyet, 45, strangled his now ex, hit her and threatened to stab and kill her. Minshull Street Crown Court heard his fit of rage began in their bedroom as Dyet issued foul-mouthed threats. Dyet, from Heywood , was sentenced to a year and six months. Prosecuting, Emily Woodside said a row broke out between Dyet and his former partner in the early hours of June 27. She began recording what was happening on her phone, before Dyet began attacking her. The woman could be heard 'crying throughout' in the footage. Dyet told her: "Do you think I give a s*** if I knock you the f*** out?" He straddled her and put his hands around her neck. As she screamed, Dyet released his grip. He then hit her around the head and told her she was 'not going to leave the house alive'. Dyet repeatedly threatened to 'stab and kill her'. Read the full story here: 'Do you think I give a s*** if I knock you the f*** out?' A dad from Oldham was dragged back home from Brazil to face justice over a plot to import huge amounts of cocaine from South America. Allan Sice, 49, fled the country in a bid to dodge justice. Previously, secret messages revealed he had been plotting with other criminals to import more than 100 kilos of cocaine from South America into the UK. Manchester Crown Court heard how messaging revealed he was talking with contacts about cocaine potentially being smuggled from Ecuador while hidden in bananas, or from Colombia inside a cover load of coffee. EncroChat messages sent by Sice, who operated anonymously as the handle ‘LuckyNumberEight’ within the encrypted messaging system, revealed his role as a ‘middleman’ within the criminal underworld. No drugs were actually supplied or imported in the case. A judge said he was sure that Sice had fled to Brazil after discovering that European law enforcement had infiltrated the EncroChat system and its contents. After being extradited back to the UK, Sice has now been sentenced to 16 years in prison. Read the full story here: One-way ticket for Oldham dad who thought he'd be safe in Brazil A predator with a 'monstrous sense of sexual entitlement' has been jailed for 20 years for a string of sexual offences against a vulnerable teenage girl. Karl Davies travelled from his home in Birkenhead, Merseyside, to meet his victim in Stockport a total of four times in the summer of 2024, Manchester Crown Court heard today (October 20) The 42-year-old sexually abused her during these meetings and on one occasion encouraged her to self-harm, providing her with a razor blade and asking for photos of the act. Encouraging someone to self-harm is a relatively new offence introduced in the 2023 Online Safety Act, and Davies' conviction is thought to be the first in the UK where an adult has done so to a child. But he had been in contact with his victim, whose anonymity is protected under law, long before these meetings, using a total of six concocted Snapchat aliases to exploit and manipulate her over the course of a year. Davies was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison, with an extra five years to be served on licence. He is expected to serve a minimum of 13 years before becoming eligible for parole. Read the full story here: The 'depraved, sadistic' man who targeted child for sex - and encouraged her to self-harm The head of one of the country's biggest drug dealing gangs who built a huge property empire and lived a life of luxury in Cheshire has been jailed after his operation was brought down. Gregory Bell, 43, has been likened to a CEO due to his role at the top of the illicit organisation which 'operated like a business', dealing multiple kilos of cocaine, heroin, MDMA, amphetamines and cannabis on a daily basis. Bell 'managed logistics, authorised deals, and collected profits' but 'distanced himself from the physical handling of drugs' which, according to police, were distributed on an 'industrial scale.' He used a number of aliases on the encrypted Encrochat network, later smashed by police, as he dished out orders and managed a network of safe houses and couriers to co-ordinate deliveries 'with precision.' Bell, who others called ‘boss’ or ‘gaffer’, owned 34 properties across Manchester and two villas in Spain. He lived in a ‘prestigious rented apartment’ at Butley Hall, Scott Road in Prestbury, and sent his daughter to a private school. Manchester Crown Court heard that he paid her fees by handing over an envelope full of cash with the school’s receptionist. Prosecutors told how gambling addict Bell had staked a total of almost £2.2 million in bets with Ladbrokes and Betfred. Bell, of Tameside , has now been jailed alongside two of his associates, including one who fled to Spain. Read the full story here: Drugs boss built up huge property empire and paid child's school fees with envelope of cash - before he was brought dow n A 'dangerous' predator who filmed himself sexually assaulting a girl in a shop in Manchester city centre has been jailed for a host of sick sex offences. Mobarak Almutairi, 19, followed three young girls into a shop on Market Street in February this year, where he inappropriately touched and sexually assaulted one of them. After this was reported to police, officers used CCTV footage to track him down, and he was arrested that same month. Officers seized his electronic devices and found footage of him attacking the girl, whose age has not been disclosed. They also discovered just under 4,000 indecent images of children, some of kids as young as eight years old, which police said were 'made predominantly by Almutairi' over a period of four years. They showed 'history of sexual abuse against children both within and outside of the UK' Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said. He was jailed for three years and eight months. Read the full story here: A pervert followed three girls into a shop on Market Street....and the full extent of his sickening crimes began to unravel A drug dealer who savagely attacked a man waiting for a taxi in Manchester has been jailed. Joshua Lee, 31, pleaded guilty to a series of drug offences involving crack cocaine, heroin and cannabis, and was convicted by a jury after trial of assault and affray in separate cases. Lee is now starting a six year prison sentence. Greater Manchester Police said Lee was convicted of assault and affray following a violent attack on a man waiting for a taxi on Cheetham Hill Road in November, 2022. Armed with a large knife, he threatened the victim and punched and kicked him. He sustained multiple injuries, including bruising and abrasions, GMP added. Read the full story here: Drug dealer armed with huge knife brutally attacked man waiting for taxi A social media consultant waged a 'breathtaking' campaign of cyberstalking, harassment and abuse against a motivational speaker after meeting him for just two minutes. Samantha Wall, 55, from Stockport , met the self-employer entrepreneur and author Brad Burton at an event at Aston Villa's Villa Park stadium in Birmingham in January 2019, attended by around 200 people. They made 'small talk' and she posed for a selfie with him in what a court heard was a brief and 'innocuous' encounter. Soon after she began a much-publicised 'barrage of online abuse' against him, which a judge said was 'of the most egregious kind' as he jailed her for two years and four months. Read the full story here: Woman who waged 'breathtaking' campaign of cyberstalking, harassment and abuse jailed A drugs gang has been brought down after a major police investigation sparked by a daylight shooting in central Manchester. Six men have been jailed - with an 18 year-old man also convicted and sentenced - in what senior detectives called 'good news for the communities of Longsight , Ardwick, Gorton and Fallowfield '. The sentences - collectively totalling more than 20 years - followed a long-running police investigation into the organised supply of drugs in Longsight and Ardwick. Read the full story here: Drugs gang brought down after shooting in broad daylight A daughter ‘bullied and belittled’ her own mum after moving in with her, leaving her fearing for her life. Samantha Bailey-Sharp, 34, was abusive and violent towards the 67-year-old, repeatedly punching her, kicking her and controlling her. Over a five week period, Bailey-Sharp left her mum feeling like she had to ‘walk on eggshells’ in her own home. After a trial earlier this year, she was found guilty of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault by beating. Bailey-Sharp, of Eden Street, Oldham , was jailed for two years and three months, of which she will serve less than half in prison. Read the full story here: 'I’ll crush your head mum, I am stronger than dad' A man stabbed his mum to death before attacking his dad and sister in a 'rampage of violence'. Benjamin Obinim, 23, was under the 'delusional' belief that his mum, Alberta Obinim, and sister, Bernice Obinim, were 'witches' and had put something into his chest. In August last year, at around 11pm, he barged into his sister's bedroom, attacking her with a knife, before the violence spilled out onto the street. Neighbours watched on in horror as he repeatedly stabbed his mum, his dad and his sister. Alberta, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene. Obinim's dad, Joshua Obinim, 64, suffered significant internal injuries and remains in hospital. Bernice, 18, was left with serious injuries to her face and body, a court heard. Police found Obinim sitting in his car nearby with the blood-stained knife. He was arrested and taken to Ashworth hospital where he has remained ever since. He has since been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and still believes something was implanted into his body. Today at Minshull Street Crown Court, after previously pleading guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and two offences of wounding with intent, he was handed a hospital order. Read the full story here: Neighbours watched in horror as killer repeatedly stabbed his mum, dad and sister
