Dean Scanlon, 23, was caught at Manchester Airport with cannabis worth at least £160,000 stuffed into two suitcases. He had been offered the job as part of a chance to clear a £2,500 debt he had accrued during a spell in Ibiza, Manchester Crown Court heard. In return for the debt being cleared, Scanlon was told he had to try and smuggle the class B drugs into the UK on his return from Thailand. But the plot was soon rumbled and Scanlon, originally from Dublin, has been jailed for 15 months. Scanlon, of no fixed address, was held and charged with one count of being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug. He later pleaded guilty to the offence. Read the full story here. (Image: GMP) 1 of 8
A rapist plied a vulnerable teenager he’d met on Facebook with alcohol and cocaine before sexually abusing her. Reece Austick was 21 when he raped and sexually abused his 14-year-old victim. She travelled to Manchester alone and visited his flat, where the offences were committed. He gave her alcohol and cocaine and later Austick sexually abused and raped her. Manchester Crown Court heard that the pair connected on Facebook, where they had mutual friends, but had never met before. Austick, from Salford, lied about his age, at first claiming he was 15, then 17. But at the time, he was actually 21. He pleaded guilty to one count of rape and one count of having sexual activity with a child and was jailed for seven years and two months. Read the full story here. 2 of 8
A man who used 'vulnerable' children to help him deal drugs has been jailed. Arron Kenny, 24, used threats of violence to make the youngsters help with the supply of drugs - including holding of substances - the drugs line mobile phone and collecting money. Minshull Street Crown Court heard a police investigation into the supply of Class A and Class B drugs in Tameside discovered Kenny was running the 'Sam N Marco' – or ‘SNM’ drugs line. He coordinated the drug supply, cultivation of cannabis and movement of drugs from place to place. Kenny was arrested in 2021 but 'briefly disappeared', according to Greater Manchester Police. When cops caught up with him in December the same year, he was living in an apartment in the city centre and was relying on a driver to take him out to deal drugs as he had two broken legs. A raid was carried out and police seized a large amount of Class A drugs and cash. Kenny, of Ashton Old Road, Manchester, was jailed for 11 years at Minshull Street Crown Court on Monday (November 18). Read the full story here. (Image: Greater Manchester Police) 3 of 8
A robber pointed a gun at a Tesco sales assistant and shouted ‘don’t call the police or I’ll shoot you’ during a terrifying ordeal. Michael Wilde ordered the woman to empty the tills at the Tesco Express store on Quay Street, Manchester city centre, warning her he had a ‘gun and 12 bullets’. Wilde then fled with about £300 in cash and some cigarettes, but another shop worker had been able to press a silent alarm to alert the police. He was caught just down the street by brave cops, after Wilde had also pointed the gun at one of them. Following the heist, it was discovered the weapon was in fact a ‘toy gun’. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and handed an extended four years on licence. Wilde will have to serve two-thirds of the 12 year jail term before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board. Wilde, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to robbery, possessing an imitation firearm at the time of committing a specified offence, and attempting to make use of an imitation firearm with intent. Read the full story here. 4 of 8