Latest news with #ManchesterAirport
Daily Mirror
20 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Friends claimed they'd been shopping in New York but their luggage said otherwise
There are some people who are not phased by the security checks and scanners and brazenly try to smuggle illegal substances through the airport - a number of them have now been nabbed Thousands of families will be jetting off to and from Manchester Airport for their summer getaways. While most holidaymakers are mindful of the 100ml liquid rule and removing large electrical items from their hand luggage, there are always a few who slip up. Yet, there are some travellers who seem unfazed by security measures and audaciously attempt to smuggle illegal substances in their luggage. A number of these so-called "tourists" were nabbed by vigilant security teams and police at Manchester Airport. Among those caught was a pair of friends who claimed their suitcases were brimming with shopping, a woman who flaunted her holiday snaps to staff before being apprehended, and a boxer who accepted an "offer he couldn't refuse". Below is a snapshot of some individuals arrested at Manchester Airport, as highlighted by the Manchester Evening News, though it's not an exhaustive list. They claimed they went shopping in New York - their luggage told a different tale Sophie Bannister, 30, hailing from Withington, and her mate Levi-April Whalley, 31, from Lancashire, appeared to have returned from a fabulous shopping spree in New York, touching down on British turf with suitcases that seemed to overflow with new purchases. Their suitcases, however, told a starkly different tale. Upon their return to the UK, the pair were caught with over 35kg of cannabis in their baggage. In April, seated together in the dock, the women clasped hands and wept as the court was informed of their attempt to smuggle the drugs into the country, reports Liverpool Echo. Both women pleaded guilty to the charge of fraudulent evasion of prohibition. Bannister's 20-month term was suspended for 18 months, while Whalley was given a 16-month sentence which was also suspended for the same duration. The court heard that both women were susceptible to exploitation due to their personal and financial struggles. The remorseful friends disclosed to the Mirror the series of events that led them to become entangled in a cannabis smuggling scheme, which seemingly began with a single message on social media. She flaunted her holiday snaps to staff - then they nicked her A mum who proudly presented her vacation snaps to officers at Manchester Airport found herself under arrest when they spotted a revealing detail. Larissa Lins, aged 27, insisted she had travelled to the UK to "research nice places" after transiting through France and Portugal from Brazil. Despite her claims of innocence regarding any illicit activities, the photo gallery she shared with the officials inadvertently revealed her time in France. While browsing through the images, they came across a snapshot of the "white pellets". Further investigation revealed that Lins had ingested, concealed, and stashed away a kilogram of narcotics both inside and outside her body. After admitting to her role in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on importing a class A substance, she was sentenced on October 17 last year. The court informed her that she will "almost inevitably" face deportation back to Brazil after completing 40% of her term. Boxer behind bars after irresistible offer A former pugilist and father of two found himself under arrest at Manchester Airport following what he described as "'an offer he felt he could not refuse". Edward Nesbitt, aged 36, was one of two drug mules imprisoned in May, alongside Yoke Woon, subsequent to the seizure of a suitcase crammed with 23 kilos of cannabis at the airport. Manchester Crown Court listened to accounts of how Uber driver Woon arrived with the contraband on a flight from Singapore in March. He abandoned the suitcase on the luggage belt in Terminal 2, where it was retrieved by Nesbitt, who had landed on a different plane from Amsterdam. Prosecutor Mark Pritchard detailed how Woon, aged 43, touched down at T2 just past 8:30 am on March 4 on a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore, using a Malaysian passport. Friends admir 'you're going to see it' as luggage scrutinised Two school friends faced the music after a "naïve and stupid" decision following their three-week revelry in Thailand. Lewis Ellis and James Poutch jetted off in April to experience a festival dubbed as "the world's biggest water fight". Upon their return to Manchester Airport via Abu Dhabi, Ellis, 20, and Poutch, 19, were stopped for a luggage inspection. Ellis didn't hesitate to confess to customs officers: "I have cannabis in my bag, I may as well tell you because you're going to see it." The search revealed a staggering 37kg of cannabis stashed in their bags. Both Ellis and Poutch were handed suspended sentences at Manchester Crown Court.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How to get tickets for Race Across the World's Manchester experience revealed
Race Across the World: The Experience, which originally first started in London, is coming to Manchester this year and ticket information has now been confirmed. The experience gives fans of the BBC series Race Across the World (RATW) a chance to race across the city much like the participants do on the programme, but on a smaller scale. Each series of the programme sees pairs race a stretch of the globe with no luxuries such as mobile phones, flights or credit cards – they only have the cash that a flight would cost. You'll have "no maps" and "no public transport" to help guide you, and you'll be against the clock. How to get tickets to Race Across the World: The Experience in Manchester Originally, when the attraction was announced, fans of the show could only sign up to the waiting list but now, we know exactly when tickets will be going on sale. CityDays explained that those who signed up for the waiting list will be able to access discounted presale tickets from Tuesday, July 22, giving them a 20% discount and 48 hours access before those who didn't sign up. The presale can be accessed by the website from Tuesday. The general release for tickets will take place on Thursday, July 24. Tickets will cost from £25 and can be bought from the link above. How long will the experience take to complete? The 4-5 km mission across Manchester will take between two and three hours to complete, allowing players to experience the city like never before, according to organisers. Players can expect to pass through famous landmarks, cultural hotspots and iconic pubs and cafes where escape-room-style puzzles await while interacting with characters on their phones, untangling directions and making crucial tactical decisions. Recommended reading: Race Across the World: The Experience coming to Manchester this summer Manchester Airport issues travel advice to passengers ahead of busiest summer yet Must-visit foodie spots you can fly to from Manchester Airport with cheap flights Who won Race Across the World 2025? Gaz and Yin were eliminated in the earlier stages of the competition, so four teams in the 14,100km (8,761-mile) race successfully crossed Asia, the world's largest continent, to make it to the finish line. Mother and son, Caroline and Tom, won series five of the BBC One show. Housewife Caroline, 60, and 21-year-old Tom became the first mother-and-son team to win after reaching the final checkpoint in Kanniyakumari, the southernmost tip of mainland India, to claim their £20,000 prize.
Rhyl Journal
2 days ago
- Rhyl Journal
Would-be assassin in a niqab failed in murder plot after gun jammed, court told
Aimee Betro, 45, is alleged to have flown from Wisconsin in the US as part of a plot orchestrated by co-conspirators Mohammed Aslam, 59, and Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, to attack a rival family on September 7 2019. Father and son Aslam and Nazir, of Elms Avenue in Derby, were jailed at Birmingham Crown Court in November last year for their part in the plot but Betro flew back to the US days after the bungled assassination attempt and was later extradited to the UK. Appearing on Monday at the same court as her co-conspirators did, Betro, who wore pink leggings and her hair in space buns in the dock, listened as prosecution counsel Tom Walkling KC told a jury of six men and six women that the attempted assassination was the culmination of a long-running 'vendetta' involving the family of Aslat Mahumad in Birmingham. Mr Walkling said 'revenge was the motive' after Nazir and Aslam were injured during disorder at Mr Mahumad's clothing boutique in Birmingham in July 2018, which led them to conspire to have someone kill him or a member of his family. It is believed Mr Mahumad was the target of the attempted shooting on September 7 2019, and Betro lay in wait in a BMW she had bought earlier that day outside his family home in Measham Grove, Birmingham, the court was told. After around 45 minutes, Mr Mahumad's son Sikander Ali arrived home, and CCTV of the moment the would-be assassin, with face covered, approached him and fired the gun at point-blank was shown to the jury. After the gun jams, Mr Ali manages to escape by reversing his SUV out of the road, clipping the car door of the BMW and damaging it so badly it would no longer close. After the failed assassination attempt, Betro allegedly returned to the scene in a taxi hours later in the early hours of September 8 and fired three shots through the windows of Mr Mahumad's family home, which was empty at the time. Before she is alleged to have returned to the scene to use the now-working gun to fire bullets into the house, Betro is said to have used a cheap phone she had purchased to send messages to Mr Mahumad including: 'Where are you hiding?', 'stop playing hide and seek, you are lucky it jammed' and asking him to meet her at a nearby Asda. The damaged Mercedes was later found dumped, by members of Mr Mahumad's family and then the police, and inside was a black glove with Betro's DNA on it, Mr Walkling said. The court heard Betro, who had flown into the UK on August 22 2019, was back at Manchester Airport by 1.30pm on September 8, and flew back to the US the next day. The trial continues.
Powys County Times
2 days ago
- Powys County Times
I had to defend myself, man accused of police officer assault at airport says
The brother of a man accused of assaulting three police officers at Manchester Airport has told a jury he struck out himself after he was 'put in a situation where I had to defend myself'. Muhammad Amaad, 26, and Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, are alleged to have used a 'high level of violence' against Pc Zachary Marsden, Pc Lydia Ward and Pc Ellie Cook after they tried to arrest the younger brother. The Greater Manchester Police officers entered the Terminal 2 car park paystation after reports that a male fitting Amaaz's description had headbutted a member of the public inside the airport just minutes before on July 23 last year. Giving evidence on Monday at Liverpool Crown Court, Amaad said: 'They come in and grab Fahir straight away. They started pushing him forward into the ticket machine. 'I didn't understand the need for the aggression.' He told his barrister Chloe Gardner that nothing was said by any of the officers and that he tried to 'de-escalate the situation' by saying 'easy, easy … no, no, no'. Ms Gardner said: 'Were you trying to be provocative or make things worse?' Amaad said: 'No, I was trying to help, if anything.' Ms Gardner said: 'As far as you could see, did you see any reason why they grabbed hold of him?' 'No,' said Amaad. He said he then saw a male officer, Pc Marsden, grab his younger brother's neck. Amaad said: 'I didn't know where his other hand was. I thought both his hands might be around his neck and he was choking him. 'So, I stepped around and I just placed my hand under the officer's arm.' He denied he pushed Pc Marsden or tried to grab the officer's throat. Amaad said: 'Next, all I can remember is I got a bang in the face. My eyes sort of shut and I put my hands up and thought 'what was that?' 'Then I just remember 'bang, bang, bang'. It caught me by surprise, I was stunned. 'We just sort of fell over on to a chair and I am feeling punches, holding and grabbing, and I had to defend myself during that time.' Pc Marsden went on to fire his Taser at him, the court heard, and he later sat down with his hands on his head after he saw the officer's firearm. Amaad told the court: 'I just felt to myself 'I'm not dying today'. I have been punched, I have been tasered, I am not going to die today.' Ms Gardner said: 'Why did you strike Pc Marsden at the seated area?' Amaad said: 'Because it was at that point I was trying to make him stop and defend myself. I was put in a situation where I had to defend myself'. Earlier, a total of 20 character references for Amaaz were read out by his barrister Imran Khan KC including many citing the defendant's charity work in the local community. Among the testimonials were one from his elder brother, Mohammed Abid, 28, a serving officer with Greater Manchester Police since 2020. He said his youngest brother, 'the baby of the family', looked up to him as a role model and that Fahir had never previously had any interactions with the police or the criminal justice system. He said: 'He lives a clean, honest lifestyle. His dedication to his academic goals and personal development is something I deeply admire. 'Our family has strong moral values instilled in us by our parents at an early age. 'Mohammed Fahir Amaaz is a kind, respectful, upstanding young man with a bright future ahead.' Amaaz is alleged to have assaulted Pc Marsden and Pc Ward, causing them actual bodily harm. He is also accused of the assault of emergency worker Pc Cook, and the earlier assault of a member of the public, Abdulkareem Ismaeil, at a Starbucks cafe in T2 arrivals. Amaad, a former assistant manager at KFC, is alleged to have assaulted Pc Marsden, causing actual bodily harm. Both men, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, deny the allegations. Amaad disagreed with prosecutor Adam Birkby that Pc Marsden posed no threat as the officer fell backwards on to seating close to the ticket machine. Mr Birkby said: 'Do you accept you punched Pc Marsden six times?' Amaad said: 'I was not counting but if it was six then yes.' Mr Birkby said: 'You say those punches were lawful and the force used was reasonable?' 'Yes,' said Amaad. Mr Birkby said: 'You are simply pummelling him with six punches when he was in a position where he couldn't defend himself, do you agree?' Amaad said: 'I disagree.' Mr Birkby put it to Amaad that he realised the officers had come to arrest his brother when they initially surrounded him at the ticket machine. He said: 'You must have put two and two together that this was in relation to the violence your brother had used just five minutes earlier at Starbucks.' Amaad said: 'I didn't have time to think. I just saw them grab him.' Mr Birkby said: 'You knew your brother was resisting and yet rather than allowing the officers to get on with their jobs you physically intervened.' 'No,' said Amaad. Mr Birkby went on: 'Because you didn't want your brother to get arrested.' Amaad said: 'No, that's incorrect.'
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Would-be assassin in a niqab failed in murder plot after gun jammed, court told
Father and son Aslam and Nazir, of Elms Avenue in Derby, were jailed at Birmingham Crown Court in November last year for their part in the plot but Betro flew back to the US days after the bungled assassination attempt and was later extradited to the UK. Appearing on Monday at the same court as her co-conspirators did, Betro, who wore pink leggings and her hair in space buns in the dock, listened as prosecution counsel Tom Walkling KC told a jury of six men and six women that the attempted assassination was the culmination of a long-running 'vendetta' involving the family of Aslat Mahumad in Birmingham. Aimee Betro appeared at Birmingham Crown Court (Rui Vieira/PA) Mr Walkling said 'revenge was the motive' after Nazir and Aslam were injured during disorder at Mr Mahumad's clothing boutique in Birmingham in July 2018, which led them to conspire to have someone kill him or a member of his family. It is believed Mr Mahumad was the target of the attempted shooting on September 7 2019, and Betro lay in wait in a BMW she had bought earlier that day outside his family home in Measham Grove, Birmingham, the court was told. After around 45 minutes, Mr Mahumad's son Sikander Ali arrived home, and CCTV of the moment the would-be assassin, with face covered, approached him and fired the gun at point-blank was shown to the jury. After the gun jams, Mr Ali manages to escape by reversing his SUV out of the road, clipping the car door of the BMW and damaging it so badly it would no longer close. After the failed assassination attempt, Betro allegedly returned to the scene in a taxi hours later in the early hours of September 8 and fired three shots through the windows of Mr Mahumad's family home, which was empty at the time. Before she is alleged to have returned to the scene to use the now-working gun to fire bullets into the house, Betro is said to have used a cheap phone she had purchased to send messages to Mr Mahumad including: 'Where are you hiding?', 'stop playing hide and seek, you are lucky it jammed' and asking him to meet her at a nearby Asda. The damaged Mercedes was later found dumped, by members of Mr Mahumad's family and then the police, and inside was a black glove with Betro's DNA on it, Mr Walkling said. The court heard Betro, who had flown into the UK on August 22 2019, was back at Manchester Airport by 1.30pm on September 8, and flew back to the US the next day. The trial continues.
