Latest news with #Rochdale
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Manchester Airport trial jurors told stamp and kick a 'distraction'
Jurors have been urged by prosecutors to "not be distracted" by the kick and stamp of a police officer during a fracas at Manchester phone footage of the incident on July 23 last year was shared on social media and went Amaad, 26, and Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, are on trial accused of assaulting PC Zachary Marsden, PC Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook after they tried to arrest the younger officers went to arrest Mr Amaaz after reports that a male fitting his description had headbutted a member of the public inside the airport minutes earlier. Prosecutors say Mr Amaaz resisted police and his brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, intervened as a "high level of violence" was inflicted on the defendants, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, deny the allegations and say they were lawfully acting in self defence or in defence of each Amaaz is alleged to have assaulted PC Marsden and PC Ward, causing them actual bodily is also accused of the assault of emergency worker PC Cook, and the earlier assault by beating of a member of the public, Abdulkareem Ismaeil, at a Starbucks cafe in T2 Amaad is alleged to have assaulted Pc Marsden, causing actual bodily harm. 'A distraction' In his closing speech to the jury earlier, prosecutor Paul Greaney KC said it was "simple logic and common sense" that what happened subsequently was "irrelevant as to why the defendants used the force they did".He said: "We don't shy away from that kick and stamp by PC Marsden. However, what does that kick, what does that stamp have to do with your task?"The defence suggest, at least as we understood it, that the kick and stamp and other aspects of the aftermath reveal that the officers were out of control from start to finish."Mr Greaney said: "We suggest from all of what you have seen and all of what you have heard from these three professional officers when they gave evidence is that you can be sure that the suggestion that they were out of control is false and wrong."The jury was asked by the prosecutor to "focus on the violence used by the defendants and not be distracted by what happened afterwards". He said: "That's what it is, a distraction and an example of an effort to try to complicate what is a simple case." Mr Greaney said the claims by Mr Amaaz that he did not realise that PC Ward and PC Cook were women when he struck them was a "barefaced lie".PC Ward suffered a broken nose as she was floored by a punch to the face and PC Cook was also knocked to the ground by a number of elbows and punches, the court has Greaney told jurors: "Of course we know you will make fair allowance for the fast-moving and dynamic events but the suggestion he didn't know they were women cannot exist in the world we inhabit."Mr Greaney said Mr Amaad had "no legitimate reason to seek to prevent the officers from carrying out their duty particularly in the circumstances where it must have been obvious his brother was resisting arrest".His claims that he thought his brother was being choked by PC Marsden was "demonstrably untrue", said the Greaney said the officers were doing what the law entitled them to do in their plan to seek to move Mr Amaaz from the pay station area and then tell him outside he was under said: "What was going through their minds is we have a duty to perform and we are going to perform it."Conversely, what was going through the mind of the first defendant, Amaaz, was that he plainly knew that the people taking hold of him were police officers. He had just attacked a man in public in an international airport. "What he did think they were there for?" Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Man arrested on suspicion of murder after 15-year-old boy dies in crash
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 15-year-old boy died in a crash following an alleged theft. Officers were called to the collision between a car and an e-bike in Middleton, Greater Manchester, just before midday on Tuesday and the boy was pronounced dead at the scene, a spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said. A 59-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder. The force spokesman said officers were investigating allegations of a theft in events leading up to the collision. Another 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of theft, he said. Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Dean, from GMP's Rochdale district, said: 'This terrible incident has seen the death of a teenage boy, and we are working hard to establish the full facts of this case, in what is the very early stages of an investigation. 'A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and will be questioned in due course, while officers are already in place to support the family of the boy who has died today. 'I want to remind people that at the heart of this is a grieving family, and I would ask the community to not speculate on social media while we piece together the events of earlier today.' He appealed for any witnesses to the incident on Rowrah Crescent, or anyone with dashcam, CCTV or doorbell footage to come forward. Anyone with information can contact police via 101 or through the Live Chat service at quoting log 1364 of 22/07/25.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Metrolink trams on busy route suspended due to 'heavy flooding'
Tram services on the East Didsbury line are suspended due to 'heavy flooding'. Rochdale services are operating between Trafford Bar and Rochdale, which ticket acceptance in place on a number of Bee Network bus services. A Bee Network spokesperson said: "Due to heavy flooding, services on the East Didsbury line are currently suspended. Rochdale services will operate between Trafford Bar and Rochdale. Ticket acceptance is in place on 15, 23, 25, 42, 42A, 43, 50, 85, 86, 101, 103, 111, 142, 143, 147, 171 and 172 bus services." READ MORE: LIVE: Three seriously injured after double decker bus has roof ripped off in crash -updates READ MORE: Boy, 15, killed on M60 as flowers laid next to motorway after horrific tragedy A Met Office yellow weather warning for thunderstorms is in force for Greater Manchester until 9pm tonight. The warning states: "Heavy showers and scattered thunderstorms may cause some localised flooding and transport disruption on Monday. "Scattered heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected on Monday. Rainfall amounts will vary from place to place but 20-30 mm is likely within an hour in a few places, with a small chance of 40-50 mm in one or two locations; this most likely across southern Scotland and northern England. Lightning strikes are also likely along with the potential for hail and gusty winds. "Showers and thunderstorms will slowly ease during Monday evening." --- Day in day out, our reporters in the Manchester Evening News newsroom bring you remarkable stories from all aspects of Mancunian life. However, with the pace of life these days, the frenetic news agenda and social media algorithms, you might not be getting a chance to read it. That's why every week our Features and Perspectives editor Rob Williams brings you Unmissable, highlighting the best of what we do - bringing it to you directly from us. Make sure you don't miss out, and see what else we have to offer, by clicking here and signing up for MEN Daily News. And be sure to join our politics writer Jo Timan every Sunday for his essential commentary on what matters most to you in Greater Manchester each week in our newsletter Due North. You can also sign up for that here. You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp. Click here to see everything we offer, including everything from breaking news to Coronation Street. If you prefer reading our stories on your phone, consider downloading the Manchester Evening News app here, and our news desk will make sure every time an essential story breaks, you'll be the first to hear about it. And finally, if there is a story you think our journalists should be looking into, we want to hear from you. Email us on newsdesk@ or give us a ring on 0161 211 2920.
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Hundreds in Rochdale join dig to unearth town's history
More than 600 people have taken part a community dig to uncover the history of Rochdale town excavations of the site, known as Broadfield slopes, have found the foundations of an 18th century corn mill, a weighing station, and glass school children and voluntary organisations were invited to get involved in the dig, which lasted two was part of a wider project to research and regenerate the area between the town hall and a church. Pupils from Marland Hill primary school were among those who took part in the 'Big dig', a project which is just the latest investigation at the site. There have been a series of excavations of the land since 2021, and they have discovered artefacts from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Lead archaeologist, Dr Colin Elder, said: "There's so much. It's a site that just keeps on giving, which is why we've got so many digs out of it. "Because we have such a long presence of human existence and activity on this slope, marked by the medieval church and then chopped and changed so drastically by the Georgians and the Victorians, we're hitting different time periods as we're coming down."Dr Elder and his team visited schools and community groups to talk to volunteers before they went to the added: "As much as the archaeology is super impressive, it's the community engagement in this project that really stands out." This dig is part of a wider £3 million project, with £1.4 million, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, spent to open the slope up and get the public using the area again. There will be new stone steps, landscaping and a restoration of the Packer Spout Fountain once the dig is Meredith, Rochdale Council's cabinet member for regeneration, said: "This is a knock on from the work on the (renovation of the) town hall. "It's part of a wider picture of what we're doing in this area to make it look nice for the people of Rochdale so they can be proud of where they live."Helen Featherstone, the director, for England North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: "We're delighted to be supporting the Broadfield Park Slopes project, and that it is giving the communities of Rochdale the opportunity to get truly hands-on with their local heritage, and discover some of the fascinating stories of the history of their hometown."The Big Dig is one of a number of events taking place across the borough during Rochdale's year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Sun
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Rochdale grooming gang fiends could FINALLY be deported months after Pakistan refused to take them back
RINGLEADERS of a Rochdale grooming gang could finally be deported to Pakistan after using a loophole to avoid being kicked out of the UK. Fury erupted when Qari Abdul Rauf and Adil Khan ripped up their passports and Pakistan refused to take them back. 4 4 The men were part of a nine-strong gang of Asian men convicted of sex offences against vulnerable girls in 2012. Up to 47 girls as young as 12 were plied with alcohol and drugs and gang-raped across Rochdale during a two-year reign of terror. Then-Home Secretary Theresa May ordered the pair to be sent back to Pakistan in 2014 as it would as it would be "conducive to the public good". But ten years later, Rauf and Khan still remain in Rochdale where - horrifically - their victims are forced to live alongside them. Rauf and Khan held dual British-Pakistani citizenship but were stripped of their British nationality. A judge ordered both men to be deported to Pakistan nearly a decade ago. However the men, two of Britain's worst grooming offenders, renounced their Pakistani citizenship days before an appeal against the order. This meant they would be left "stateless" if they were kicked out of the UK, exploiting a loophole that allowed them to remain here. But according to The Telegraph, a lifting of a ban on direct flights between Pakistan and UK could mean 'progress' in negotiations for deportation. Sources for the Interior Ministry have previously said "progress" could be made if the UK were to take part in talks. They also suggested returning direct flights to the UK by its national airline PIA, which were suspended for safety reasons, could help. But UK officials previously said this suggestion had not been raised in discussions. Rauf and Khan were ringleaders of a prolific grooming gang in Rochdale, which has been plagued by sexual exploitation. Khan got a 13-year-old girl pregnant and trafficked another girl, 15, to others - using violence when she complained. He was sentenced to eight years in 2012 and released on licence four years later. Dad-of-five Rauf trafficked a 15-year-old girl and raped her in a secluded area before taking her to a flat in Rochdale where others had sex with her. He was caged for six years and released in November 2014 after serving two years and six months of his sentence. 4
