Latest news with #ManchesterCrownCourt
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
‘I'm not convinced you really understand how inappropriate this was and I don't think you feel sorry about it'
A drunken passenger had to be strapped down into his seat after downing half a bottle of rum. Mohammed Ridwan Ali, 28, was on a flight from Bangladesh to Manchester Airport when he began arguing with his sister. Things escalated, with Ali becoming abusive with other passengers and 'staggering' around the plane. Manchester Crown Court heard that had to be 'restrained' in his seat until he was met at the airport by officers from Greater Manchester Police. READ MORE: The final goodbye as grieving mum clutches onto son killed in e-scooter crash READ MORE: "Please don't steal from us" - Stockport pub makes plea to customers after bizarre theft during "hardest year" Addressing Ali, a judge told him: 'I'm not convinced you really understand how inappropriate this behaviour was and I don't think you are really sorry about it.' Sign up to the MEN Court newsletter here Prosecuting, Elle-Louise Fradley said that on March 6 this year, at around 6.15pm, police were called to a flight from Bangladesh following reports from the crew of an 'intoxicated passenger'. 'It was reported that he had been disruptive during the flight,' she said. As officers arrested him at the gate, they found him to be 'agitated' and smelling strongly of alcohol. They also said his eyes were glazed and his speech was slurred. 'The crew reported that the defendant was consuming alcohol during the flight. He then had a verbal disagreement with his sister. At the point of the verbal altercation, he became volatile and shouted at other passengers and was unsteady on his feet,' said Ms Fradley. 'They decided to restrain him for the remainder of the flight.' Later when the crew searched his bag they found a 1.5 litre bottle of Captain Morgan's which was half empty. No statements were given by the crew at the time, but they told officers they 'simply wished for the defendant to be removed from the aircraft'. Representing Ali, Olivia Davin, said he was 'embarrassed and ashamed'. 'He tells me he was stabbed to the chest in July last year, was in a coma, then received intense physiotherapy to relearn how to walk again,' she said. He suffered two cardiac arrests at the time. As a result he has since 'self medicated' with alcohol, the barrister added. She described the incident as a 'wake-up call'. Join our Court and Crime WhatsApp group HERE Sentencing, Recorder David Wood said: 'Being drunk on an aircraft is a criminal offence because the danger a volatile passenger can cause to the aircraft is considerable. 'You had to be tied down to your seat. They would not have done that if it wasn't absolutely necessary.' Ali, of Elsdon Road, Longsight, was handed 12 weeks imprisonment which was suspended for a year. He must also complete 10 rehabilitation activity requirements, an alcohol treatment programme and pay a £250 fine. He had previously pleaded guilty to entering an aircraft when drunk.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Brit's backpacking lie unravelled when airport cops checked her bag
A Brit travelling home claiming to be a backpacker has had her lie exposed when Border Force at Manchester Airport found nearly 50kg of drugs crammed into her huge suitcase A woman heading back from a trip in Thailand, claiming to be a backpacker, had her lie exposed right in front of her when the border force opened her gigantic suitcase to find 50 kilos of cannabis. Lauren Martin of Worthing Street, Liverpool, made her way back from the Asian tourist destination to Manchester Airport on April 5, with her huge suitcase stuffed to the brim with 31 vacuum-sealed bags of the drugs. Just moments before she was busted, Border Force asked what was in the surprisingly large bag, to which she claimed was just clothes. But the team at Manchester Airport were still sceptical and would go on to find the 49 kilos. Appearing at Manchester Crown Court, a judge blasted Martin, telling her: "I have no idea what possessed you." Recounting her lies to the court, prosecutor Elizabeth Walker said: " She was arrested and interviewed, and told officers she went to Thailand for a week backpacking. 'She said she met two people in the hotel and went out to drink. One of them asked her to take some clothes back for their girlfriend. She said she was expecting to meet their partner at the airport, and didn't check the cases as she felt it wasn't right to do so.' Martin's defence Betsy Hindle mitigated by saying her client had an electronically monitored curfew from 7pm to 7am and was receiving Universal Credit. The Manchester Evening News reported that Judge Paul Lawton was less than impressed, adding: "You say there was no reward in it for you, I'm not convinced that is true. I accept you were naïve and pressured by others.' 'You need to understand how perilously close you came to going to prison. If this had been anything other than class B, you would have been going to prison for years and years.' Pleading guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug, the judge believed Martin was capable of rehabilitation. He handed her a year-long prison sentence suspended for two years, along with 100 hours of unpaid community service. Martin had also been extremely lucky that her drug smuggling was found on the British side of her trip, with Thailand notorious for being tough on drug offences. If found guilty of drug smuggling, people can be sentenced to life imprisonment and even given the death penalty depending on the amount and type of substances. Jonathan Wheeler was issued a death sentence when he was caught smuggling 2kg of heroin worth £1m into Thailand in 1994 . He spoke to LBC about the rise in young Brits being targeted and groomed into becoming drug mules. Mr Wheeler said these drug gangs can spot exactly when holiday makers are running short on cash and can soon target them. He added: "People want more of that. The raves, the parties and all the rest of it. They want more of that. They [the gangs] are trying to be successful and make money to get another meal. They are trying to get you to do it again in the future. "They will target vulnerable people. They'll see that they're down on their luck and they're offering the run. They don't want to come home, so they think 'yeah, I'll take the chance."
North Wales Live
6 days ago
- North Wales Live
Women tells Manchester Airport cops she had been to Thailand backpacking, then they checked her bag
A judge told a woman "I have no idea what possessed you" after she was caught bringing almost 50 kilos of cannabis into the UK. Lauren Martin was stopped by Border Force officers at Manchester Airport, after flying back from Thailand on April 5 this year. She was asked what was inside her large suitcase and Martin claimed it was just clothing. However further inspections by officers found 31 vacuum sealed bags of the class B drug, weighing a total of 49 kilograms, Manchester Crown Court heard. "She was arrested and interviewed, and told officers she went to Thailand for a week backpacking," said prosecutor Elizabeth Walker. "She said she met two people in the hotel and went out to drink. One of them asked her to take some clothes back for their girlfriend. She said she was expecting to meet their partner at the airport, and didn't check the cases as she felt it wasn't right to do so." In mitigation, Betsy Hindle said her client had been subject to an electronically monitored curfew from 7pm to 7am and was receiving Universal Credit. "I have no idea what possessed you to try and bring 49 kilos of cannabis into this country," said judge Paul Lawton: "You say there was no reward in it for you, I'm not convinced that is true. I accept you were naïve and pressured by others." He added: "You need to understand how perilously close you came to going to prison. If this had been anything other than class B, you would have been going to prison for years and years." Judge Lawton said he felt able to suspend the sentence as Martin was 'capable of rehabilitation'. Martin, of Worthing Street, Liverpool, was handed a 12 month prison term which was suspended for two years. She must also complete 100 hours of unpaid work. She had earlier pleaded guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
'I'm sick to death - f*****g third time I've been locked up for this'
A man who battered his partner over the head with a metal pole told cops: 'I'm sick to death... f***ing third time I've been locked up for this.' Dean Jolly, 34, attacked the woman during a drunk bust-up on New Year's Eve 2024. It began after he asked to see her phone, believing she was being unfaithful. The couple had been in a 'turbulent' relationship for around 13 years, Manchester Crown Court heard. READ MORE: CCTV shows balaclava-clad thugs preparing to carry out 'brutal and pitiless' machete and shotgun attack READ MORE: First picture of boy, 15, killed in horror e-bike crash Pierce Power, prosecuting, said that on December 31 last year, the woman called police to report Jolly had thrown a kettle at her and hit her over the head with a metal pole. Sign up to the MEN Court newsletter here She said she had to escape by climbing out of the window after he had taken her keys and locked the door. 'She said he wanted access to her phone, but she would not give it to him," Mr Power said. "He was concerned she was messaging other men, and she accepts she was having an affair with another man. 'He was going to leave the property but she didn't want him to and said she wanted to be with him 'forever'. He then put his hands to her throat, taking hold of her neck for a few seconds making it difficult for her to breathe.' The woman picked up a knife from the kitchen, but Jolly was able to disarm her. He then hit her with the pole. She was left with a wound to her scalp and bruises over her back and arms. The woman said they had both been drinking and were using drugs at the time. Jolly was arrested the following day. He told officers: 'Sick to death with it... time and time again. Third time. F***ing section 18 again. I'm sick to death, f***ing third time I've been locked up for this.' His partner has not supported the prosecution and did not provide a victim impact statement, it was said. Jolly has 14 previous convictions for 19 offences, though had no previous convictions for violence. Join our Court and Crime WhatsApp group HERE Adam Roxborough, defending, said Jolly recognises drugs had played a detrimental impact on his mental health and had been drug free since being remanded in custody. He said he had spent the equivalent of a 14 month jail term while on remand. 'There is a turbulent past to this relationship, it began when they were very young and became extremely toxic towards the end because of her infidelity,' Mr Roxborough said. 'He is not a violent person. He has a genuine wish to put the relationship behind him.' Handing him a suspended jail term, Recorder Nicholas Fewtrell said: 'It's important to send out a message to those men, like you, who believe they can act this way towards women that it won't be tolerated. 'However, you are making progress to try and turn your life around during the last seven months on remand.' Jolly, of Elter Water Avenue, Workington in Cumbria, was made the subject of an 18-month community order and ordered to carry out 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 100 hours unpaid of work. He previously pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and strangulation.
ITV News
17-07-2025
- ITV News
Pair who kidnapped and attacked elderly imam in Oldham jailed
Two men who kidnapped and violently attacked an elderly imam before trying to cover it up by setting fire to the car they used have been jailed. The 87-year-old was taken from the streets in Oldham, bundled into the back of an Audi, blindfolded and repeatedly punched, strangled and hit with a stick. After a "sustained and violent beating", he was then stripped to just his underpants and a 'torn and blood-stained' tee shirt and dumped on a cold and remote country road in the Rishworth area of West Yorkshire. Manchester Crown Court heard how Azizur Rahman and his friend Shohad Miah carried out the kidnap in September 2024 after they learned the elderly man had performed a 'ritual exorcism' on Rahman's stepson because he was "believed to be possessed by evil spirits". The imam had been asked by Rahman's estranged wife to visit their home where he said prayers and provided amulets. After being dumped in the street the elderly victim was forced to walk for around half an hour wearing only one shoe before he knocked on at a house for help, and the emergency services were called. He was left with a number of injuries including a bleed on the brain, a bloody wound to his ear, a swelling to his cheekbone, a large bruise to his neck and a missing tooth. In a victim impact statement read out in court, he said the incident had left him feeling "shameful in my own community". He said: "Before the incident, I used to go out of the house regularly and speak with members of the community. I don't go out as often anymore. "When I do, I feel a great sense of shame over what happened to me. I am well known in the community and lots of people ask me what happened. "I get a sense from speaking to people that they assume I must have done something wrong to be treated in such a way. This makes me feel shameful in my own community. "Before this happened, I used to walk to mosque every day by myself with freedom and I would look forward to going. Now, even though I still walk to mosque by myself, I feel scared in case something like this happens again. "I have been scared ever since this happened and am still not sleeping well. At night, I keep thinking about what happened to me and it keeps me awake as I run it through in my mind." On Tuesday 15 July, the cocaine-fuelled kidnappers were jailed following the terrifying attack. Rahman, 39, of Bluebell Walk, St Mary's Way, Oldham, who the court heard had 20 previous convictions for 30 offences and was at the time serving a suspended prison sentence for drink driving, was sentenced to 11 years and 16 weeks in prison after being found guilty of kidnap, robbery, section 18 assault, intentional strangulation and perverting the course of justice. Miah, 25, of Firbank Road, Royton, was jailed for nine years after being found guilty of kidnap, section 20 assault, intentional strangulation and perverting the course of justice. Speaking after the case Det Sgt Rick Bolt, of GMP's Major Incident Team, said: "This was a particularly shocking crime that targeted a vulnerable elderly man, causing him severe physical and emotional trauma. This was not a random attack; the victim was specifically targeted due to a prior visit to Rahman's home, where he had performed prayers: "The swift and thorough investigation by our team, utilising forensic evidence, ensured that these dangerous individuals were brought to justice.
