Good afternoon, these are the latest lunchtime ECHO headlines.
Man admits raping woman by Lime Street station but claims he cannot remember attack
A man who raped a "vulnerable" woman has admitted to the offence.
Merseyside Police were called following reports of a sexual assault outside of Liverpool Lime Street station on Sunday, February 6 this year. William Ormandy, 31, of Church Road, Halewood appeared at Liverpool Crown Court this morning, via video link from HMP Altcourse, when he pleaded guilty to rape.
Judge Denis Watson, QC, asked if there was any basis of plea, to which Sarah Holt, defending, said there was not. Ms Holt said: "The defendant's position, other than that implicit in his pleas entered, is he has no recollection of the actual intercourse taking place, but he accepts that which is said."
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Ormandy denied the lesser offence of assault by penetration, which Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting, said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) did not pursue. She said the prosecution would ask in due course for that charge to "lie on the file".
Read the full story here.
Call police if you see this man on any Merseyrail train
A man has been banned from all Merseyrail stations and parts of Wirral.
Martin Thomas can not enter Moreton, use Merseyrail trains or visit any stations or footbridge on their network. This relates to a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order imposed by the courts after an application from Merseyside Police.
The order will run until March 13, 2024. The 41-year-old admitted to possession of cocaine and a public order offence relating to his behaviour towards women and Merseyrail staff in the area.
Read the full story here.
Liverpool restaurant named among top places for brunch in the UK
A Liverpool restaurant has featured in the UK's top 50 brunch and Sunday lunch list.
According to OpenTable, one popular Merseyside venue made it onto the list. The list is based on more than one million reviews submitted by verified OpenTable users in the past year.
In Liverpool, the one restaurant named among the top 50 is Churrasco Steakhouse. The popular steakhouse is well known for its large menu.
Read the full story here.
