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Killer drivers, murderer mum and rapists among those jailed in Greater Manchester in July

A mum who murdered her five-year-old son was among the criminals jailed in Greater Manchester this month.

Also locked up were killers drivers, including Adil Iqbal, who caused the death of a mum and her unborn son, rapists and drug dealers.

Prison sentences are handed down to the worst offenders each week at our region’s courts. The M.E.N. has dedicated court reporters on hand to cover the most serious cases day-in-day-out.

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'Selfish' thug stole car before high-speed police pursuit which resulted in death of beloved mum

Marcel Doyle was jailed for 14 years and 11 months

A ‘selfish’ thug stole an Audi before leading police on a high-speed pursuit which resulted in the catastrophic death[2] of a beloved mum. Marcel Doyle, 47, stole the car from a driveway as a man was waiting to take his wife to work.

He then was caught on CCTV switching the registration plates before overtaking an unmarked police car at speed. As the car followed him down a number of streets in Royton, Oldham, they reached speeds of 80mph, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

As he was making his way down Oldham Road, Heather Smedley was at the front of a line of traffic waiting to turn right onto Otmoor Way. Doyle then turned into the junction, narrowly avoiding Mrs Smedley.

The police car, which was one second behind Doyle, then collided with the side of Mrs Smedley’s car. She sustained multiple injuries and sadly died at the scene.

Doyle, having pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, was jailed for 14 years and 11 months.

Drug dealing 'family man' with EncroChat alter ego hid gun under his patio

John Duffy

A drug dealing 'family man' with an EncroChat alter ego[3] hid a gun under his patio. John Duffy, 41, was part of a gang that helped to import huge amounts of cocaine and heroin into the UK.

He and his fellow gang members used encrypted mobile phones to run the operation and arrange deliveries around north east Manchester. Manchester Crown Court[4] heard Duffy was a 'highly-trusted member' of the group, responsible for delivering drugs to customers as well as obtaining and storing guns and ammunition.

Michael Brady KC, prosecuting, said Duffy used his Harpurhey[5] home to store the drugs and weapons, which were used to 'protect and enforce' the gang's operation. Police uncovered the plot after the EncroChat network, an encrypted messaging platform used by criminals, was cracked by the National Crime Agency in 2020.

Duffy went by the username ‘Pondraisin’ and messages showed he had made multiple deliveries of cocaine, heroin and cannabis to customers under instruction from his friend and boss within the operation, Nathan Loftus. The court heard that between April and June 2020, Duffy had delivered 10kg of cocaine, one kilogram of heroin and a 'substantial amount' of cannabis.

Duffy, of Oldershaw Drive, Harpurhey, pleaded guilty conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin and cannabis; and possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, and was jailed for 17 years.

Nathan Loftus, of Wilton Drive, Bury, was jailed for 22 years in October 2021 for his role in the huge drugs plot[6]. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import heroin and cocaine.

Sean Doyle, who worked as a driver for the operation, was locked up for seven years. Doyle, of Wavertree Road, Blackley, admitted conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine.

Vile predator approached woman on night out then raped her in 'secluded area'

Francis Henshaw has been jailed for rape and sexual assault

A vile predator approached a woman on a night out[7] in Rochdale[8] before raping her in a 'secluded area'. Francis Henshaw, from Heywood[9], attacked the woman in Rochdale town centre in December last year, police said. He raped and sexually assaulted her.

Just two months before, in September 2022, the 42-year-old sexually assaulted a teenage girl as she made her way to work in Manchester city centre. Police said he 'pressured the victim to join him in a back street' before he attacked her.

A member of the public stepped in and led the victim to safety. Following an extensive investigation, Henshaw was charged with rape and sexual assault.

On July 3 at Minshull Street Crown Court, he was found guilty of both offences. He was jailed for nine years with a two-year extended licence.

This is the killer learner driver who took a beloved grandad's life

Ravi Singh Ratthore should not have been behind the wheel unsupervised when he hit Roger Parris, the court heard Ravi Singh Ratthore should not have been behind the wheel unsupervised when he hit Roger Parris, the court heard

This is the face of the learner driver who killed a grandad as he cycled to work[10]. Ravi Singh Ratthore should not have been behind the wheel when he ploughed into Roger Parris.

Tears were shed as 13 of Mr Parris' loved ones packed the public gallery in courtroom four and tributes were paid to their 'beacon of strength' with a 'zest for life'[11]. His life was tragically cut short months before his planned retirement.

The court heard Mr Parris, a milkman from Salford[12], was cycling along Centenary Bridge over the Manchester Ship Canal while on his way to work in Eccles[13].

Mr Parris had been cycling on the main carriageway at around 12.50am on December 20, 2021, having previously complained about the 'state of repair of the cycle path'. Prosecuting, John Kennerley said Mr Parris was wearing a helmet and reflective clothing, while his bicycle had functioning lights on the front and rear and the road was 'illuminated by street lights'.

But Singh Ratthore, 22, failed to notice the experienced cyclist before driving into him from behind. Despite only holding a provisional licence, Singh Ratthore drove a silver Volkswagen Golf unsupervised and without L plates, the court heard.

CCTV footage captured Singh Ratthore driving behind Mr Parris on the inside lane, while a BMW was driven 'almost parallel' to his Golf in the outside lane. Greater Manchester Police[14] estimated the two cars were travelling at between 52mph and 58mph, on a road with a 40mph limit.

The court heard Singh Ratthore continued to drive with a damaged windscreen, before returning using two roundabouts. By the time he was back at the scene, a member of the public had already stopped to call emergency services.

Singh Latthore pleaded guilty to causing death by driving without due care and attention, and causing death whilst driving not in accordance to his provisional licence, having been unsupervised while hitting Mr Parris. Singh Ratthore, of Lime Crescent, Old Trafford, was sentenced to 14 months in prison and will be eligible for release on licence.

'The fact he returned the following day showed he was completely unrepentant'

Ashley Skelly has been jailed

A man threatened 'terrified' railway staff with a knife[15] after they refused to let him through the ticket barrier.

Ashley Skelly approached the barriers at Stockport[16] station on June 20 this year. He became 'aggressive' with two female staff members after he was refused entry due to a previous incident that day, British Transport Police said.

The 33-year-old then pulled out a Stanley knife and held it up at them, leaving them 'genuinely afraid for their safety'. The next day, he went back to the station and was spotted by officers.

He was arrested and found to be carrying the Stanley knife again. As he was taken to custody, he 'continued to be aggressive and agitated' and damaged his handcuffs.

Skelly, of HMP Liverpool, pleaded guilty to criminal damage, two counts of making threats to kill and possession of a bladed article. He was jailed for 26 weeks at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court.

Mum who murdered son, 5, by poisoning him with anti-depressants jailed for life

Claire Scanlon

A mum who murdered her five-year-old son[17] by poisoning him with anti-depressants has been jailed for life - with a minimum term of 18 years. Emergency services were called to Limeside, Oldham, on New Year's Eve, 2021 following reports Dylan Scanlon was unconscious.

Neighbours and family members attempted to resuscitate him, but he was sadly pronounced dead. He was found with 64 bruises to his head, face and body. However, a toxicology report concluded he had nine times the fatal adult dose of an anti-depressant in his system.

The child's mother Claire Scanlon, 38, claimed he had fallen down stepladders and that he had been 'running around with the dog' just 20 minutes before reporting him unresponsive. She was arrested and later hospitalised under the Mental Health Act, during which she admitted to staff members at Edenfield Hospital: "I killed my son."

A police investigation revealed a large number of 'angry' voicemails to her ex-partner Gary Keenan, in which she said he left her for another woman while she struggled to live 'emotionally, practically and financially' as a single mum.

Prosecutors said Scanlon was 'very angry and depressed' following the breakdown of the relationship. In one voicemail, she said: "I promise you, you won't see him again. You'll see. Bye. Go and enjoy your life."

Following a trial at Minshull Street Crown Court, Scanlon was found guilty of murder[18]. Members of Dylan's devastated family were in the public gallery on Friday (June 14), but Scanlon refused to attend. She was jailed for life to serve a minimum term of 18 years in prison.

Fraudster put on a female voice to pose as his dead mum

Daniel Cuthbert has been jailed for two years

A devious son posed as his dead mother by putting on a female voice to con his grieving dad out of £56,000[19], a court heard.

Daniel Cuthbert moved large sums of money, including his father’s entire redundancy pay-out, into his own account. The 42-year-old drained his dad’s life savings over a 14-month period between 2017 and 2018.

He made repeated telephone banking calls pretending to be his father, Preston Crown Court heard. On at least nine occasions he called to make transfers while putting on a female voice and pretending to be his mother who had died months earlier.

The court heard Cuthbert posed as his late mum eight times to transfer a total of £9,000 from his father's account into his own. Cuthbert, formerly of Stanion, Northamptonshire, also took out loans in his father’s name which led the father to lose his house after racking up huge debts, LancsLive reports.[20]

The court heard Cuthbert’s father became suspicious in mid-2017 and confronted his son but was too overcome with grief to take it further. In early 2018, the father was visited by an official from his building society informing him he was going to lose his house due to debt arrears.

Northamptonshire Police’s Volume Fraud team launched an investigation and arrested Cuthbert. Cuthbert admitted fraud by false representation and was jailed for two years on Thursday (July 13).

Thug disguised his gang as builders before brutal attack in family home

Khassim Lawrence

A 'thug for hire' told his 'soldiers' to disguise themselves as builders in order to go to a family home to execute a brutal attack[21], according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

Khassim Lawrence was caught by officers masquerading behind the pseudonym 'Motleymetal' on the encrypted platform Encrochat. Following an extensive investigation, which involved' hours of trawling through incriminating messages', officers were able to pinpoint Lawrence's every move, says the force.

Those messages - which GMP described as 'horrific' - included the details of a violent and targeted attack on a man and showed Lawrence conspiring to buy tens of thousands of pounds-worth of drugs to be distributed across Manchester. The crucial phone evidence showed that, in April 2020, Lawrence was approached as a ‘thug for hire’, tasked with threatening someone with a firearm as a result of a long-standing dispute over drug debts.

Lawrence readily accepted the job and was told to ‘gun butt him a few times and f**k him up’ and to ‘spray the gaff up’ to send a message about paying his debts, says GMP. "He knew the target lived with a child, but the risk of serious violence to innocent people didn’t seem to be a cause for concern for him or the gang," said a spokesperson for the force.

"Over the next few months, the men discussed the best type of firearm to use, sent photos of the victim, and shared details of his wife’s car and whereabouts, with a clear message that if the debt wasn’t paid, the victim’s family will be threatened and put at risk.

"Lawrence arranged for some of his men - his ‘soldiers’ - to disguise themselves as builders and go to the victim’s house and carry out the attack. They would be paid £7,500 for this."

At Manchester Crown Court on July 14, 29-year-old Lawrence was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Yob known for causing trouble in hospital sexually assaulted two people in waiting room

Dylan Hardman

A thug has been jailed after sexually assaulting two people and hurling vile racist abuse in a hospital waiting room[22].

Dylan Hardman, 26, has also been made subject to an order limiting his attendance at the Royal Oldham Hospital in the future due to him 'regularly causing problems and demand'.

Hardman had attended the hospital on November 14 last year when, unprovoked, he 'began to shout and make direct racist remarks and questions towards a person who ultimately feared for their safety'.

He went on to sexually assault two people and 'continued to become erratic' and was causing 'understandable distress and concern'. A nurse moved him to another area however he returned and hurled more abuse.

Hardman, who had complained of chest pains, was taken to a treatment room for tests where he 'continued to inappropriately behave.'

He was escorted out by security and was later arrested. It was also discovered he had sexually assaulted a person at a shop in Oldham, having been identified using CCTV.

Hardman of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court to 20 months in prison for three sexual assaults, racially aggravated public order offences and provocation of violence.

Sick predator attacked pensioner and child after 'trawling streets' for victims

Issa Brayzi-Pour

A remorseless rapist attacked a pensioner and sexually assaulted a child while ‘trawling the streets at night time looking for vulnerable individuals'[23], a court heard. Issa Brayzi-Pour, 22, has been jailed for public protection after committing the attacks on two complete strangers in Farnworth.

The child said she feels that 'she’s had her freedom taken away' while the woman said she no longer feels safe since being raped, and has undergone counselling. Prosecutors claimed Brayzi-Pour had been 'out trawling the streets at night time looking for vulnerable individuals'.

He had been in the country for about 10 months after arriving in the UK as an asylum seeker from Iran. The 70-year-old woman had been to the pub with members of her family where a boxing match was being shown, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

At one point she left the pub and Brayzi-Pour 'stalked' and 'followed' her, prosecutor Henry Blackshaw claimed. They engaged in conversation, and she feared that Brayzi-Pour was going to rob her.

Ms Blackshaw said that Brayzi-Pour had taken hold of her, and was 'effectively steering her around corners'. But as they reached a side road Brayzi-Pour raped her, during the summer last year.

An extensive police investigation was launched, and Brayzi-Pour, who at the time was wearing 'distinctive' clothing including a 'dark hooded coat and slider sandals', was picked out on CCTV. He was arrested three days later. A DNA swab taken from Brayzi-Pour then proved to be a match to intimate swabs taken from the victim.

It was then discovered that Brayzi-Pour had sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl 12 days earlier, also in Farnworth.

Brayzi-Pour, of Longcauseway, Farnworth, Bolton, was unanimously found guilty of two counts of rape and of offences of sexual assault and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Brayzi-Pour was sentenced to 13 years in prison. He will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence before the Parole Board decides whether it is safe to release him.

Men drag driver out from his van and beat him with crowbar - all for some vapes

Karwan Salar and Ribar Karim

Two men have been jailed after beating a van owner with a crowbar and stealing £45,000 worth of vapes[24] from his vehicle.

Karwan Salar, 31, and Ribar Karim, 35, forced the victim to stop the van and dragged him out before attacking him with a crowbar and fleeing with the van. The pair didn't make it far, though, and were found by officers just a minute away from the scene trying to transfer the vapes into a waiting Audi.

The pair were sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for the robbery and possessing an offensive weapon at Manchester Crown Court on Tuesday (July 18).

The court heard how Karim and Salar had been driving an Audi A5 along Waterloo Road in Cheetham Hill on January 11 of this year, when they intercepted the Mercedes sprint van.

They forced the vehicle to stop before Salar, of West Drayton, London, started to threaten the victim, asking him to hand over his keys. The victim refused but was dragged out of the van and attacked with a large crowbar- leaving him with injuries that required hospitalisation.

He tried to keep hold of his van but was eventually overpowered and Salar and Karim, of Douglas Towers in Bradford, made off with the vehicle.

They were discovered by police just a minute's drive from the robbery, on Allison Street in Strangeways. Officers discovered the van door was wide open and some of the boxes of vapes had been moved from the van to the boot of the Audi A5.

Boy racer who killed pregnant mum Frankie Hough and her unborn child in BMW horror smash jailed

Adil Iqbal

A boy racer filmed himself speeding at up to 123mph before losing control and killing a pregnant mum-of-two[25] on the M66. Frankie Jules-Hough's son Tommy, aged nine, and nephew Tobias, aged four, were also ‘very seriously injured’ in the horror crash.

Her other son, two-year-old Rocky, was miraculously unharmed after being protected by his baby seat. Frankie, 38, from Chadderton, Oldham, was 17 weeks pregnant and just days earlier had learned she was having a baby girl, who she and her partner had named Neeve.

The mum had pulled over on the hard shoulder in Bury after her Skoda had a flat tyre. As she made a call to say she'd be late, Frankie let out a 'blood curdling scream'. Prior to the crash, Adil Iqbal, 22, had been undertaking and overtaking vehicles at speed in his BMW.

A few seconds before the collision, he had filmed himself, using one hand to hold his phone and the other on the steering wheel, while travelling at up to 123mph. When he hit Frankie’s car, he was driving at 92mph.

He eventually lost control, hit the railings and collided with the Skoda. Iqbal pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving; and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He wept throughout an emotional sentencing hearing at Minshull Street Crown Court, and was jailed for 12 years.

Prisoner carried out £2,000 hit on Salford crime lord in Strangeways exercise yard

HMP Manchester

A prison 'hitman' serving a life sentence earned thousands of pounds by targeting fellow inmates[26] and staging pre-arranged fights behind bars, a court was told. Gary Moody, 37, was paid to attack other prisoners in contract hits and take part in bare knuckle bouts between convicts, a judge heard.

The convicted robber, from Sunderland, was arrested in 2020 after slashing the face of former bouncer Christopher Zammit, from Salford, in an exercise yard at HMP Manchester, also known as Strangeways.

In the days after the attack, Moody rang a relative to ask if a £2,000 bounty he had been promised for the hit had arrived in a bank account. He said: "I have done them proud, I have done it for them." At Manchester Crown Court, Moody was jailed for another eight years after he was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.

Zammit, 39, who was sentenced to nine years and four-months in prison in 2014 after he was convicted of running a drugs gang, and has since been released, refused to be treated for his injuries or take any questions over the assault, the court was told. He even instructed police to turn the body worn cameras off - but was heard to threaten retaliation on Moody and his family.

The court heard Moody was originally jailed for an indeterminate period for public protection in 2005 after he robbed three university students at knifepoint in just seven days.

Man attacked two female Metrolink workers at Old Trafford tram stop after Manchester United match

Daniel Neale was jailed at Tameside Magistrates Court

A man punched a Metrolink worker when they tried to move him on from a tram stop[27] following a Manchester United match.

Daniel Neale attacked the two women at Old Trafford[28] station after United's home fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers on May 13. The workers had confronted Neale after they found him drinking inside a turnstile at the busy station.

The 39-year-old, who was said to be 'extremely intoxicated' at the time, turned 'aggressive' and punched the two women as well as another man who was at the station. At Tameside Magistrates Court[29] Neale was jailed for 28 weeks after he admitted three counts of assault by beating and being drunk and disorderly.

'Utterly stupid' hit-and-run driver dodged police for months

Levi Lowther has now been jailed

A hit-and-run driver who was able to dodge police for four months, despite visiting one of his victims in hospital, was locked up this week.

Levi Lowther fled the scene of the smash after crashing a rented Volkswagen people carrier into a tree on Didsbury Road in Stockport.

The 26-year-old managed to evade police despite making 'many trips' to the bedside of his new girlfriend, who was injured in the incident.

She suffered a badly fractured leg and had to learn to walk again.

Two other women were left injured in the crash, with one suffering a fractured spine and ribs, plus internal haemorrhaging and extensive liver damage.

None of the three women were wearing seatbelts at the time of the impact and all had been inhaling 'hippy crack' nitrous oxide cannisters to loud music in the moments before the crash, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

Judge Angela Nield questioned why police had not arrested Lowther earlier.

She told him: "The utter stupidity of your driving on the night in question has had a serious and wide-ranging impact on your friends and loved ones.

"Yet it is surprising you weren’t detained sooner, like on one of your many trips to the hospital when visiting your partner."

Lowther, of Ormerod Street, Burnley, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He also admitted failing to stop after a crash and driving without a licence or insurance.

He was jailed for three years and disqualified from driving for eight and a half years.

Drug boss jailed for 18 years after secret network busted

Jamie Joseph Veale, of Moorfield Road, Widnes, used the Encrochat handle Monstermunchman

Jobless Jamie Joseph Veale had no visible signs of income, but talked of staying in luxury villas overseas for months at a time, owned a jet ski, had designer watches, and went on extravagant holidays.

The source of his cash was discovered when he was unmasked as a cocaine dealer, who had used the Encrochat encrypted network to arrange the supply of kilos of the drug across the North West.

Veale, 32, of Moorfield Road, Widnes, used the platform which was cracked by international law enforcement in May 2020 to run his large-scale operation.

Between May 19 and June 13 2020 Veale used the encrypted network to negotiate prices for kilo amounts of class A drugs from those involved in the importation of the bulk amounts. He was responsible for the supply of at least 17kg of cocaine.

Cheshire Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit executed a warrant at Veale’s address and discovered multiple mobile devices, cash, a large amount of designer jewellery and clothing, and drug related paraphernalia.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs at Liverpool Crown Court and was jailed for 18 years.

References

  1. ^ by clicking here (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  2. ^ thug stole an Audi before leading police on a high-speed pursuit which resulted in the catastrophic death (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  3. ^ drug dealing 'family man' with an EncroChat alter ego (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  4. ^ Manchester Crown Court (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  5. ^ Harpurhey (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  6. ^ was jailed for 22 years in October 2021 for his role in the huge drugs plot (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  7. ^ vile predator approached a woman on a night out (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  8. ^ Rochdale (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  9. ^ Heywood (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  10. ^ learner driver who killed a grandad as he cycled to work (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  11. ^ tributes were paid to their 'beacon of strength' with a 'zest for life' (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  12. ^ Salford (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  13. ^ Eccles (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  14. ^ Greater Manchester Police (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  15. ^ man threatened 'terrified' railway staff with a knife (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  16. ^ Stockport (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  17. ^ mum who murdered her five-year-old son (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  18. ^ Scanlon was found guilty of murder (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  19. ^ devious son posed as his dead mother by putting on a female voice to con his grieving dad out of £56,000 (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  20. ^ LancsLive reports. (www.lancs.live)
  21. ^ 'thug for hire' told his 'soldiers' to disguise themselves as builders in order to go to a family home to execute a brutal attack (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  22. ^ sexually assaulting two people and hurling vile racist abuse in a hospital waiting room (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  23. ^ ‘trawling the streets at night time looking for vulnerable individuals' (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  24. ^ beating a van owner with a crowbar and stealing £45,000 worth of vapes (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  25. ^ boy racer filmed himself speeding at up to 123mph before losing control and killing a pregnant mum-of-two (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  26. ^ prison 'hitman' serving a life sentence earned thousands of pounds by targeting fellow inmates (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  27. ^ man punched a Metrolink worker when they tried to move him on from a tram stop (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  28. ^ Old Trafford (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  29. ^ Tameside Magistrates Court (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)

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