Latest news with #Anderton
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Mancunian Way: ‘If they can say sorry, why can't you?'
Peter Tatchell wants an apology - and not the first time. In fact, the LGBT activist has been calling for Greater Manchester Police to apologise for past 'homophobic witch-hunts' for two years. In particular he says former chief constable James Anderton - nicknamed 'God's copper' - left an indelible mark on the force's reputation with gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people. READ MORE: Tesco shoppers shocked after spotting new £10 item on supermarket shelves READ MORE: Coronation Street's Maria Windass star declares love as she reveals link to co-star But current chief constable Stephen Watson says an apology could be seen as 'merely performative'. Anderton's views on homosexuality are well known. At the height of the AIDS crisis, the devout Christian denounced gay people as 'swirling in a human cesspit of their own making'. Tatchell says the force under Anderton 'became synonymous with open hostility towards the LGBT+ community' and claims he directed officers to 'illegally harass gay venues' - including a notorious raid by 23 police officers on Napoleon's bar in 1984. The human rights activist is calling for an apology for the 'abusive and often unlawful manner' in which now-repealed homophobic laws were enforced. This isn't ancient history. We're talking about police action less than 40 years ago. Many of those who felt the brunt of Anderton's words and actions are still alive today. Tatchell says a formal apology would be 'an important act of healing'. But Chief Constable Watson says that while he is 'of course sorry' that police bodies prior to the GMP's foundation in 1974 'didn't always perform to the standards deserved by those whom we serve', it would 'nevertheless be quite unjust for me as the current Chief Constable to cast some sort of sweeping assertion as to the general conduct of the force over a prolonged period of time'. In a letter to Tatchell dated in April, he says 'virtually no serving officer in the entire force can speak to the period with any personal knowledge' and an apology would make 'little or no difference'. It's a point our LGBT+ writer Adam Maidment simply can't accept. 'By not apologising, we're sort of at a cross-roads where progress in certain areas just can't, and won't, be made,' he says in this illuminating comment piece. 'With Mr Watson refusing to apologise and starting the efforts to firmly strike a line through past behaviour, the wound is still there - it's basically just being left to fester. 'How are we to feel like the police force is truly behind us as a community with that remaining?' In total, 21 police forces have apologised for similar past wrongs, including the Metropolitan Police, Police Scotland and Merseyside Police. Tatchell says apologies are 'acts of justice' which affirm that change has occurred. His ongoing question to Mr Watson is: 'If they can say sorry, why can't you?' Earlier this month reporter Nicole Wootton-Cane revealed that convicted paedophile Todros Grynhaus had been allowed to live opposite a children's play area. Nicole and reporter Stephen Topping have now discovered that Grynhaus owns the house next door, which was rented out on Airbnb and According to Land Registry documents the property is owned by a company called Heywood Investments Ltd with Grynhaus listed as a director of the company, alongside his wife, Leah Grynhaus, who is also listed as company secretary. There are no other listed directors for the company. Airbnb has since taken the listing down from its website and suspended an account which hosted the property. has also now removed the listing. You can read the full investigation here. The independent experts who Andy Burnham appointed to his local grooming gangs inquiry resigned after authorities 'lawyered up', a Parliamentary committee has heard. Baroness Louise Casey said authorities in Greater Manchester initially refused to share data with Mr Burnham's review. And she told MPs on Tuesday (June 17) that 'they were all lawyering up' to fight over what information would be shared and by whom. Jo Timan has the details here. Years of setbacks, billions of pounds splurged, and a devastating blow to the North announced in a former Manchester railway station. HS2 is a long way from the vision first proposed by the last Labour government 16 years ago. Now Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander says there is 'no reasonable way to deliver' the high-speed railway on schedule and within budget. Reporter Stephen Topping explains the background here. When What' s On editor Jenna Campbell bought a family-sized portion of lasagna off the internet, she suddenly feared she had been scammed. Something about the sign outside Miss Lasagna, on Gorton Road, made her pause. And ordering via WhatsApp also confused her. But her fears were assuaged on meeting Frederica, a Roman who told her all about her time feeding traditional Italian food to Mancunians. When Jenna took her lasagne home, it was eaten in absolute silence - 'a sign that the food is good'. You can read her full review here. Thursday: Get in the shade and don't forget your suncream, it's going to be sunny all day and 28C. Roads: A572 St Helens Road southbound, Leigh, closed due to roadworks from A578 Twist Lane to Bonnywell Road. Until June 30. A6 Chapel Street westbound, Salford, closed due to long-term roadworks from A6041 Blackfriars Road to A34 New Bailey Street. Until January 19. Hub: Wythenshawe Civic Centre's former Co-op department store is set to become the town's new Culture Hub. It will house food and drink spots at ground level; studio spaces for workshops, events, and artists on the first floor; and a 200-seater theatre on the second storey. More here. Extended: The Greater Manchester Housing Investment Loans Fund will continue despite a High Court battle. The fund, which loaned £1bn to property developers, closed to new applications earlier this year, as always planned. But on Tuesday (June 17), the government confirmed it will re-open and extend the fund 'to deliver thousands of new homes over the next ten years' as part of its push to build 1.5m properties. Details here. Dumped: Cars, fridges, and mattresses are among items being dumped next to a Stockport landmark hoping to get World Heritage status. Residents in Marple say three areas around the town's historic canal locks and the River Goyt have become dumping grounds for rubbish and larger items. More here. HMOs: Bolton council has agreed new rules to control the number of homes being converted into rental properties for multiple tenants. In 2021, the borough had 117 houses of multiple occupation (HMO), but by the end of last year there were 720. Details here. He's one of the best known voices in rock n' roll and one of the most famous faces in music - but Liam Gallagher is more than just a music icon. He is a thinker, a philosopher - a Descartes for our times. If you ever need sage counsel, you need only look to Liam. As we all prepare to see Oasis take to the stage again for the first time in years, I've been looking at some of Liam's wittiest one liners and best pieces of advice. You can read them all here.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Yahoo
Jail again for teenage road menace caught driving while banned SEVEN times
A teenager has been jailed again after racking up his seventh offence of disqualified driving. Blackburn Magistrates' Court heard Haseeb Aziz was still subject to post-sentence supervision following a jail term for his last offence. Aziz, 19, of Canterbury Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified on Hodgson Street, Oswaldtwistle. He was jailed for 16 weeks and disqualified from driving for 18 months, to be served at the end of an existing four-year ban. He is also banned until passing an extended re-test following a conviction for dangerous driving in 2022. Glenn Anderton, prosecuting, said a police dog handler on mobile patrol decided to carry out a routine check after seeing a Renault Clio with a lone male onboard drive past in the early hours. The Clio then made several turns and the officer formed the opinion the driver was trying to evade him. 'The Clio eventually turned into an alleyway and the driver decamped while the vehicle was still moving,' said Mr Anderton. 'The car collided with a wall and the defendant ran off.' He said the officer, with the assistance of his dog, detained Aziz nearby. 'This is his seventh conviction for disqualified driving and he has never held a licence,' said Mr Anderton. Daniel Frazer, in mitigation, said his client was still only 19 and it was clear at some stage he had to stop behaving in the way he was. 'The last two sentences have been custodial and that doesn't seem to be working," he conceded. 'I asked him why he was driving and he couldn't give a satisfactory answer.'
