A man deliberately poured boiling water over his pet cat, leaving him in 'excruciating pain' was one of the criminals hauled before courts in Greater Manchester this week.
Prison terms were handed to a 'bodybuilder' who sucker punched a defenceless mum when she challenged him over slapping a woman in a pub, just weeks after he'd escaped from prison.
A drunk thug who defaced his ex-partner's car before sending threatening voice notes after she refused to let him in her home was also hauled before courts in our region.
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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 dealt with in Greater Manchester over the last seven days.
Predator jailed for four years for raping girl
A predator has been locked up for raping a girl more than three decades ago. Nicholas Caro, from Bramhall in Stockport, attacked his victim in 1991, police said. She was under the age of 16 at the time.
The 51-year-old was found guilty of the historic rape at Manchester Crown Court on July 15 this year. On Tuesday (September 6), a judge jailed him for four years and made him sign the sex offenders' register for life.
Investigating Officer, Edward Hooley said: "We are pleased that this predator has today received 4 years for the rape of his victim over 30 years ago. She has had to live with this for the past three decades and has now been vindicated with this sentence.
"GMP work hard to bring sex offenders to justice and if anyone believes they have been a victim of rape, we urge them to come forward and speak to us. We can be contacted via https://crowd.in/dD1S3U, 101 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting reference number 06/JJ/00580/19."
'Bodybuilder' who escaped from prison sucker punched mum after she confronted him over slapping woman in pub
A 'bodybuilder' sucker punched a defenceless mum when she challenged him over slapping a woman in a pub. Macauley Heald, who had escaped from prison three weeks earlier, left the woman with a broken jaw.
She has only recently been able to eat soft food more than two months after the attack, having been on a liquid diet. The woman, in her 20s, had challenged Heald after he slapped a woman in the Stocks Hotel in Walkden, Salford.
Heald, 25, punched her once to the face with significant force after she'd said: "So you hit women?" She has been left terrified and now wants to leave Salford.
Heald has been locked up again for the shocking attack. Manchester Crown Court heard that Heald had been serving a 13 year sentence for aggravated burglary imposed in 2017.
He was part of a gang which broke into a house, with a man being seriously injured. Heald, of no fixed address, was jailed for four years and 10 months after pleading guilty to escaping from lawful custody, wounding and common assault.
He will serve two-thirds of the sentence before the Parole Board will consider whether it is safe for him to be released, after the judge declared him a 'dangerous' offender.
Vile man left cat in 'excruciating pain' and with horror injuries after pouring boiling water over him
A man deliberately poured boiling water over his pet cat, leaving him in 'excruciating pain'. Ashley Porter, from Oldham, has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years after inflicting the horrific burns on his cat Shadow.
The 30-year-old tried to claim that his pet had hooked his tail around a boiling kettle which then fell on him, but a veterinary expert said evidence showed the injuries were caused by the water being deliberately poured on Shadow. Shadow was left with horrendous burns on his head, neck, right shoulder and side of the chest after the incident in January 2020, while some of the claws on his feet had fallen off.
He was left to suffer in pain for at least five days before he was rescued and taken to the vets, the RSPCA said. Manchester Magistrates' Court was told how the RSPCA were called to Porter's home in Shaw on January 19, 2020.
There was no answer at the address so another RSPCA inspector phoned Porter, but he refused to hand over his cat despite confirming he was injured and 'in excruciating pain'. Porter said he would take Shadow to the vets the next day, but the RSPCA found that no appointment had been made.
Shadow was rushed to Wendy Lane Vets in Rochdale by the RSPCA where the full extent of his injuries were revealed. The RSPCA said he has now made a full recovery and has been adopted into a loving home.
Porter, of Ashworth Street, Shaw, pleaded guilty to two animal welfare offences at Manchester Magistrates' Court on August 23. He has been banned from keeping any animals for 10 years.
He was also handed a 18-week jail sentence suspended for 12 months, was fined £260 and ordered to pay £260 costs.
Thug engraved vile insult onto ex's car and sent threatening voice notes after bad break-up
A drunk ex-boyfriend defaced his former partner's car before sending threatening voice notes after she refused to let him in her home. Thomas O'Connor, 40, carved the word s**g onto her car outside her home in Rochdale and threatened to get 'his people' involved, after their relationship ended badly.
The pair had met online nine months prior but things quickly turned sour after the woman's ex-partner got involved, Tameside Magistrates' Court heard. After turning up uninvited to his ex-partner's house on April 27 this year, the court heard that the woman refused to let O'Connor in, prompting him to lose his temper.
Prosecutor Laura Peers told JPs that O'Connor had spent the day drinking to get over the break-up - something he wouldn't usually do due to his 'mental health issues.' He then turned up at the woman's address and 'pulled out a yellow screwdriver and began to stab at the windows.'
The defendant then walked back and began to damage her car. O'Connor, who has a number of previous convictions and was said to have spent most of his life in prison, admitted offences of harassment and criminal damage.
His defence barrister, Rob Stewart told the court his client accepted full responsibility for his actions and said he had arrived at his ex-partner's house to collect some of his belongings.
O'Connor, of Carrswood Road, Manchester, was sentenced to an 18-month community order by at Tameside Magistrates Court and ordered to complete a 35-day rehabilitation requirement. He was also made the subject of a alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement and ordered to pay £900 compensation to his victim.
O'Connor was also banned from contacting her for the next 18 months.
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