Four Greater Manchester drug dealers who carried out a 'massive' operation that 'spanned the whole of the UK' are among the criminals jailed in our region this January.
A pervert who travelled to Manchester Pride to take photos of women's bottoms was also locked up last month. A drunk easyJet passenger who grabbed a stewardess by the neck after drinking three quarters of a bottle of whisky on a Manchester flight was also given prison terms.
A pair of vicious thugs who attacked three men in the street, leaving one deaf and another unable to drive were also handed prison sentences this month.
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Prison sentences are handed out to the worst offenders each week and Manchester Evening News reporters are in court to cover the most serious cases.
Here are some of the criminals locked up in Greater Manchester this week...
Drugs gang caught red-handed with designer watches and thousands of pounds in cash
Members of a drugs gang were caught with luxury watches and thousands of pounds in cash after a huge raid. A raid of Kyle Darbyshire's home in Walkden, Salford, led to officers discovering £15,799 in cash as well as a number of designer watches and jewellery.
The drug dealer smirked in his police mugshot and role within the gang was uncovered following a National Crime Agency led operation in relation to the use of encrypted mobile phones - which are used almost exclusively for criminal activity including money laundering and drug supply.
Financial investigators valued the gang's potential returns from the drugs to be nearly £400,000. Darbyshire, 35, of Blantyre Avenue, Walkden, was sentenced to 12 years in jail at Manchester Crown Square Crown Court, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and production and cultivation of cannabis.
Three other men were also arrested as part of the investigation for the production of cannabis and were given suspended sentences.
Pervert loner jailed after police spotted him acting suspiciously at Manchester Pride
A loner has been jailed after taking hundreds of pictures of women's bottoms - breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Plain clothes officers 'observed' Andrew Smoggie, 52, taking a number of photographs of passing women from behind on Peter Street during Manchester Pride festival on August 27, 2022, prosecutor Katherine Wright told Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday (January 18).
When police stopped him, they carried out a check and realised he was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which barred him from taking pictures or videos of women he didn't know in a public place. Analysis of the phone found 348 images of mostly adult women, all fully clothed, who appeared to be unaware the snap had been taken, said Miss Wright.
Some of the images showed girls from the age of 14, the court was told. Police also uncovered a second phone belonging to Smoggie on which a further 1,400 pictures of women in a public place were found.
Smoggie had 27 previous convictions spanning 36 offences, six of them sex crimes, the court was told. Smoggie, of Thelwall Walk in Warrington, was jailed for two years and four months after he admitted two breaches of the SHPO and a breach of his suspended prison sentence.
Drunk easyJet passenger grabbed stewardess by neck on Manchester flight
An easyJet passenger who grabbed a stewardess by the neck after drinking three quarters of a bottle of whisky has been jailed for six months. Colin Smith, 51, was travelling from Manchester to Malta with his partner when the flight attendant spotted him standing up after the seatbelt signs were switched on.
The stewardess warned Smith to be careful because the plane was landing, but was met by a ‘vacant’ stare. He then grabbed her by the neck with both hands, Minshull Street Crown Court heard. The woman managed to get away from Smith, before he tried to hit her again. In an attempt to defend herself, she pushed Smith back.
He fell onto two seated passengers, and was restrained. Whilst he lashed out at her, the stewardess asked his partner if he had any health concerns, to which she replied: “I told him not to drink that whisky” on March 28 last year. When he returned to the UK a week later on a Jet2 flight, he was arrested and made full admissions.
Smith, of Woodland End, Hull, East Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to assault and being drunk on an aircraft at an earlier hearing. On Monday (January 16) Judge Tina Landale sentenced him to six months imprisonment.
Manchester drug dealers snared over huge operation that 'spanned whole of UK'
Four Greater Manchester drug dealers have been jailed over what police called a 'massive' operation that 'spanned the whole of the UK'. Mark Evans, Keith Kemp, John James (JJ) Reilly and Caine Tanswell were collectively locked up for a total of 35 years and eight months.
Evans, who used the Encrochat handle 'Mangystaff', acted largely as a courier, with some involvement in supplying class B drugs, GMP said. His 'Mangystaff' handle, police added, was also used by Kemp at times, who the force said was also a courier and was active as 'a main conspirator for his associates'.
Reilly used the Encrochat handle 'Wideorchid' and largely acted alone, but had connections with the rest of the group, police said. He also sourced Class A drugs for other members of the group and acted as a middleman for various drugs and money transactions, a GMP spokesman added.
Tanswell, who used the handle 'Ivyhawk', also acted largely alone, but purchased Class B drugs from another member of the group.
Evans , 37, of Brows Avenue, Wythenshawe, was jailed for 10 years and six months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, money laundering and handling stolen goods. Kemp, 44, of Marden Road, Wythenshawe, was also jailed for 10 year, six months for conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs, and money laundering.
Reilly, 39, of Broadoak Road, Wythenshawe, was jailed for 12 years, also for conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs and money laundering. Caine Tanswell, 28, of Yew Tree Lane, Wythenshawe, got two years, eight months for conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and money laundering.
Driver stopped for cops, waited for officer to get to his car and then sped off again
A driver has been jailed after speeding off from cops he had initially stopped for, before leading them on a high speed chase through a town centre. Luke Conway, 21, pulled over after a police car activated its sirens on Chorley Old Road, Horwich, on November 7 2022.
However when an officer approached his Volkswagen Passat on foot, Conway sped off. He drove through Horwich town centre at 70mph - more than double the 30mph speed limit - and ran a red light where pedestrians were waiting to cross, prosecution barrister Thomas Worsfold told Bolton Crown Court.
After a chase lasting a few minutes, Conway eventually fled his car on foot after turning into a cul-de-sac and failing to drive down a footpath. Police caught up with him shortly after and he was arrested.
Conway, of Montserrat Road, Johnson Fold, Bolton, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, possession of cannabis, possession of an offensive weapon, driving without insurance, and driving while disqualified and was jailed for four months. Conway was also banned from driving for two years.
Thug strangled woman and left her for dead in park after she made joke about his son
A violent thug confessed to his mum that he 'may have murdered someone' hours after leaving a woman for dead in a country park. Shane Woods subjected his victim to a brutal assault after she made a joke about his son, a court heard.
During a sentencing hearing at Bolton Crown Court on Monday (January 9) the Honorary Recorder of Bolton Judge Martin Walsh said that Woods, of Balcarres Road, Aspull, met up with his victim in the early hours of May 21 last year, after speaking to her on social media, and that they drank alcohol and took cocaine after making their way to the park.
The woman could not recall how the assault started but said that when she regained consciousness on one occasion, Woods' hands were around her throat, strangling her. She drifted in and out of consciousness and the court was told that one of the times she came round, she believed she had suffered a stroke because her face was so swollen.
A few hours after returning home, Woods confessed to his mum that he "may have murdered someone" and asked her to call 999. When arrested, Woods made reference to showing the police "where the body was", the court heard.
The 33-year-old, from Wigan, has now been jailed for 11-and-a-half years, with an additional five years on extended licence, after a senior judge deemed him to be a 'dangerous' offender.
He was originally charged with attempted murder but pleaded not guilty and instead admitted to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent at a hearing in October, which was accepted by the Crown.
How a routine police stop of a speeding Audi A3 brought down a massive criminal network
A routine police stop of a speeding car brought down a massive drugs network, with five men now starting jail terms totalling 31 years.
It led to the seizure of almost five kilos of MDMA, nearly two kilos of cannabis and a substantial amount of ketamine - with a combined street value of around £220,000. Jawwad Iqbal-Wahid, 25, and Imran Hossain, 29, were travelling in the black Audi A3, which was first spotted by patrolling officers on the A6 Stockport Road in Levenshulme, south Manchester.
Snap bags filled with cannabis were uncovered and Hossain was found with a large amount of money and two mobile phones, GMP added. Subsequent analysis of the phones uncovered text messages detailing drug dealing in south Manchester and further afield, the force said, with one of the phones found to be a 'drug line' being operated by Sadek Shek, 25.
Five men appeared at a Manchester Crown Court sentencing hearing on January 6 after they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, MDMA, cannabis and ketamine. Sadek Shek, of Brynton Road, Longsight, was jailed for 10 years.
Imran Hossain, of Elsdon Road, Longsight, was jailed for six years. Muteeb Tahir, of Hector Road, Longsight, was also jailed for six years. Jawwad Iqbal-Wahid, of Hector Road, Longsight, got three years and Michael Gill, of Westbank Road, Burnage, was jailed for six years and nine months.
Sick predator groomed 'young and innocent child' he repeatedly sexually abused
A vile predator has been jailed for more than six years after repeatedly sexually abusing a child over a two-year period.
Shaun Broomhead, 41, pleaded guilty to eight separate offences in relation to the same victim - a girl aged under 14. He was eventually arrested after the brave girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, managed to covertly film one of his attacks.
Prosecuting, Andrew Mackintosh told Bolton Crown Court that Broomhead denied the offences when questioned by police. Once shown the video that the girl had recorded, the court heard that he responded: “I don’t know what to say”.
In November 2022, Broomhead, of Lostock, pleaded guilty to four counts of assault by penetration, two counts of sexual assault, and two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity. He has now been jailed for six years and three months and was made subject to a life-long sexual harm prevention order.
He will also have to sign the sex offender register for life.
Man and woman linked to Manchester's notorious Waterloo Gang jailed after turf war shootings
A 'dangerous criminal' associated with a gang involved in a violent turf war with two other Greater Manchester organised crime groups has been jailed. Joseph Jonathan Mulenga, 20, had links with the Cheetham Hill-based 'Waterloo Gang', police said.
GMP said the gang had been in a 'dispute' with two OCGs, one in north Manchester and one in Salford, that resulted in guns being fired and young men being seriously assaulted or stabbed. Mulenga's conviction and sentence, together with that of Jamie Leigh Cunningham, 21, came after guns and ammunition were found stashed in a loft, the force added.
Detectives said Mulenga, of Bellott Street, Cheetham Hill, and Cunningham, of Rochdale Road, Harpurhey, were the final two defendants to be dealt with by the courts as part of Operation Approach, launched to target the Waterloo Gang in March 2021. During the period, a total 26 firearms discharges were recorded in the area and a huge amount of drugs were seized.
Both pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition. At a Manchester Crown Court sentencing hearing on Tuesday (January 17) Mulenga was jailed for five years and Cunningham, who police said also had ties with the Waterloo Gang, was jailed for 18 months.
Man punched masked machete thugs after finding them in his living room
Three men who carried out a string of burglaries across Stockport have been jailed for a total of 34 years.
Owen Edwards, 21, Michael Goddard, 32, and Kyle Warburton, 24, spent two days targeting homes in Marple, Mellor and Offerton in December 2021.
During one incident, in the early hours of December 29, the rear patio door window of one home in Marple was smashed using a sundial from the garden. The car keys and house keys were taken from the kitchen table.
At around 9.30pm on December 30, a downstairs window was smashed at a home in Mellow. The resident, who was at home with his teenager daughter at the time, discovered four men dressed in dark clothing in his living room.
He punched one of them while another man waved a machete at him. They followed him through the house while demanding the keys to his VW Golf before they all jumped back out of the broken window and sped off in the stolen car.
Paedophile lured young girl from Piccadilly to his home before raping her
A vile paedophile lured a young girl from Manchester city centre to his home in Tameside before raping her. Girmay Andes approached the youngster in the Piccadilly area, where he isolated her from her friend, Manchester Crown Court heard today (January 20).
The 28-year-old then persuaded the girl to go back to his home on Moorside Street, Droyslden, where he committed the rape. The court heard that the girl was able to contact people she knew, who in turn informed the police.
Andes took the girl out of his property before the police arrived. They subsequently tracked her down a short distance away, where she told officers the ordeal she had been through.
Andes was arrested a short time later. He has been jailed for eight years for the rape of a girl under the age of 16 and ordered to sign the Sex Offender's Register for life.
Vicious thugs ambushed three innocent men leaving one deaf and unable to drive in barbaric attack
Two vicious thugs ambushed three innocent men from behind as they were walking home from a night out - one was left deaf and unable to drive following the barbaric attack. Jordan Smith, 30, and Simbarashe Mandaza, 26, had earlier been kicked out of Albert Schloss in Manchester City Centre having been involved in a fight inside the bar with a different group.
Having left, Smith was later seen driving back to the area, near Deansgate, in his car. As the three men, not known to either Smith or Mandaza, left the bar around half an hour later, CCTV footage captured the terrifying moment Smith, followed by Mandaza, ran up behind them and brutally attacked them.
Armed with a brick, Smith swung at the first man, hitting him to the head and knocking him to the ground. Mandaza attacked the second man, kicking and punching him to the floor where he continued raining punches down on him.
The third man tried to defend his friends, but Mandaza repeatedly punched him to the head. After the attack both men ran, but Mandaza returned when he saw one man trying to get up, and stamped on his head with such force that he fell over.
Smith and Mandaza were both charged with attempted murder, but instead pleaded guilty to an alternative offence of wounding with intent. On Thursday (January 26), Smith, of Hulme Road, was jailed for 15 years; and Mandaza, of Back Hulme Road, was jailed for 17 years.
Both will serve two thirds of their sentence in prison before they will be released on licence
Bare-chested bricklayer bit police officer's boot and threatened to 'get families and children raped'
A bare-chested bricklayer attacked a police officer and repeatedly spat at two others whilst vowing to have their children raped during a terrifying rampage. James Smith, 29, sank his teeth into the boot of the constable who was handcuffing him before fighting his male colleagues who intervened.
During the violent struggle officers had to put a spit hood over Smith's head before locking him in leg restraints and then physically carrying him to their patrol van. Whilst on his way to the police station, he suddenly appeared to collapse due to his intoxicated condition.
When an ambulance was called, Smith came round and began hurling more abuse at the officers, calling them ‘nonces’ and saying he would ‘get their families and children raped’. At Minshull Street Crown Court, Smith, of Trencherbone, Radcliffe, admitted three charges of assaulting an emergency worker and criminal damage and was jailed for 22 months.
He also pleaded guilty to unrelated offences of battery upon an ex-girlfriend plus criminal damage to her apartment after he binged on bottles of brandy and vodka plus 20 cans of lager mixed with cocaine. He further admitted glassing a pubgoer in an unprovoked attack leaving him with puncture wounds and other cuts to his forehead, face and lip.
Rapist burst into woman's home after knocking on her door and asking to use the phone
A dangerous thug forced his way into a woman's home, choked her until she fell unconsciousness then raped her. Mitchell Gleave, 27, has been jailed for 15 years for the 'horrifying and sickening' attack.
Police say Gleave attacked the woman, who he knew 'vaguely as an acquaintance' at her Wythenshawe home on Saturday, February 23, 2019, after initially knocking on her door asking if he could use her mobile phone. He choked her several times, leaving her unable to speak and causing her to repeatedly lose consciousness.
He put his hand over her mouth to silence any screams while sitting on top of her and punching her to the body. She tried to shout for help, but Gleave threatened to kill her.
When he finally left the house the victim ran out shortly after to find help nearby and the police were called. She then suspected that while she had been unconscious Gleave had sexually assaulted her.
He was later charged and found guilty of rape. Gleave, of no fixed abode, was jailed for 15 years at Manchester Crown Court after being found guilty of rape, attempting to choke with intent, making threats to kill, assault and robbery.
Dealer jailed after a tip off about what was under his bed
A drug dealer was caught red-handed by police who discovered over £200k worth of drugs, and a revolver stashed under his bed. Glen Marlow, 29, hid huge quantities of cocaine and heroin, as well as the handgun, inside a red holdall which was spotted by police during a raid of his home in Gorton.
The items, along with almost £6,000 in cash, were seized by GMP's Challenger City of Manchester north team in October last year, after they received 'information from the public.' Detectives estimate the total street value of the class A drugs found, which included 165kg of cocaine and 1.1kg of heroin, plus 721g of bulking agent, to be worth £205,000.
He was jailed for six years at Manchester Crown Court after admitting possession with intent to supply cocaine, heroin and crack cocaine, and possession of a firearm. He also admitted to money laundering.
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