Locked up in February: Some of the criminals jailed in Greater Manchester last month
| Published date | 01 March 2021 |
The region's courts have given out hefty prison sentences for all manner of crimes last month with M.E.N. reporters there to cover the most serious.
An open, transparent criminal justice system is an important part of how our democracy works -so we make no apologies for devoting so much time to letting you know what happens in our courts.
These are just some of the court cases our reporters have covered in February 2021.
The scam artist mum plundered thousands from innocent people -and splashed it on luxury hotels and restaurants
A prolific crook took the lead role in an audacious fraud which targeted luxury Lake District hotels, shops and restaurants.
Sonia Malhi, 39, who had more than 100 previous convictions, travelled from her Greater Manchester home and headed up the scam to dupe businesses across Cumbria during January last year.
This involved the use of stolen receipts from card terminal transactions made by innocent members of the public whose accounts were also then plundered.
As accomplices used devious distraction techniques at numerous premises, Malhi covertly sought to enter card numbers manually, paying for expensive rooms at luxury hotels, splashing out on £75 bottles of champagne and requesting wrongly redirected refunds.
During a spree lasting several days, Malhi was at the forefront as frauds and attempted frauds amounting to almost £14,000 were committed in Keswick and the surrounding area, West Cumbria and Kendal.
After suspicions were raised and Cumbrian traders became alive to suspicious activity, Malhi was arrested in Kendal on January 26, 2020. She later admitted two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, plus theft and illegal possession of both cocaine and a knuckleduster following a shoplifting spree in Chester during December, 2019.
The court heard Malhi, a mother, of Hobson Crescent, Audenshaw, had more than 100 previous offences to her name, including 42 for fraud and similar, and 36 for theft.
Imposing an immediate total jail term of 20 months, the judge, Recorder Eric Lamb, told Malhi: “The sheer persistence of your involvement was demonstrated perhaps best by the way in which the proprietors of the Kendal hotel, when they realised what was taking place, made contact with their fellow tradespeople in the area and discovered the awful truth of what was going on with you... in order to carry out this deception.”
The 'savage' who murdered his friend in brutal killing then hid his body from police for weeks
A murderer who stabbed his friend to death then tried to behead him has been jailed for life.
Matthew Jones, 42, killed 39-year-old William Phelan in his own home, then left his body there for about six weeks.
It was only when police broke down Mr Phelan's door that they found him.
After the 'brutal and savage' killing, Jones stole some of his victim's possessions and tried to cover his tracks.
A judge said he deliberately broke the key to the flat in Harpurhey in the lock to try and hinder attempts to enter the property.
Jones also put up a note at the flat saying 'gone on holiday'.
Mr Phelan's family told how they have been left 'haunted' by the 'evil and sickening way' he was killed.
Jones was sentenced to life in prison to serve a minimum of 20 years after he was unanimously convicted of murder.
His trial heard that both men suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, and had become friends while they were being treated for mental illnesses in hospital.
Jones had spent the months prior to murdering Mr Phelan living in his eventual victim's flat.
It is not clear when exactly Jones murdered him. Prosecutors were only able to say it happened at the end of January 2018, or the start of February that year.
Defending, Adam Kane QC said Jones had suffered from 'chronic, enduring paranoid schizophrenia' since 2001, and had lacked insight about the presence of his mental illness.
Jones had already served time in custody which counted towards his sentence, which reduced the minimum term to 18 years and 170 days.
The thug who slashed 'peacekeeper's' face with cut-throat razor in pub beer garden
A drunken lout has been jailed for seven years after slashing a stranger's face in a beer garden.
Philip Christopher McKinney, of Vernon Close, Cheadle Hulme, was sentenced at Bolton Crown Court on February 1 having been found guilty of wounding with intent, following a trial.
The 39-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article, but claimed that the wounding was unintentional.
In the early hours of March 7 2020, McKinney had been drinking in the beer garden of the Egerton Arms pub, in Stockport.
He was out with his girlfriend and had been drinking lager and shots of Jagermeister, Bolton Crown Court heard.
Judge Timothy Stead confirmed that McKinney has 48 previous court appearances for 110 offences.
Sentencing him to seven years imprisonment, Judge Stead said: "You have shown some remorse for what happened but it doesn't extend to an acceptance of the charge of wounding with intent.
"This was not only a slashing attack to a man's face but the wound was to his face and it required stitches.
"This attack was unprovoked, there is very clear film footage.
"He was trying to prevent violence and trying to stop you getting further involved in a violent incident between two women.
"The weapon involved was an open cut-throat razor, it wasn't a folding pocket knife, it wasn't a piece of cutlery, and you were carrying that with you as a matter of habit.
"You had it in your pocket and as soon as a situation which you perceived to be one of conflict arose, you only too readily took it out and slashed at a man's face."
Burglar struck at pensioner's home twice in weeks -but he didn't spot the cameras
A burglar who crept into a pensioner’s home twice to steal jewellery woke the victim up while rifling through their bedroom as they slept.
Simon Walmsley managed to lift jewellery from the house in Cheshire on two occasions last summer.
But the brazen thief was caught out by CCTV cameras installed at the family home.
He is now beginning a four-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of burglary at Chester Crown Court.
Walmsley, of Elmsway, in Bollington, Macclesfield, broke into the elderly victim’s property twice in six weeks -stealing jewellery on both occasions.
After the first break-in at the house on Oak Lane, Kerridge, on Saturday July, the family installed CCTV on the advice of police.
When Walmsley, 56, broke into the property again on the night of Saturday August 15, he searched the victim’s bedroom as they slept, rummaging through their drawers and cupboards.
On top of the custodial sentence, Walmsley was ordered to pay a £190 victim surcharge.
Young mum-to-be had abortion and split up with partner after ex threatened to kill them and their unborn baby
A young mum-to-be terminated her pregnancy and split up with her partner after her ex threatened to kill them and their unborn baby.
Sam Donnelly, 28, hounded his ex-girlfriend, aged 22, with over 4,000 calls and text messages from his prison cell at Forest Bank.
She had fallen pregnant with her new partner in the hope of starting a new life together, but their romance was short-lived after Donnelly found out about it whilst he was in jail.
Donnelly threatened to shoot her, and dispatched three masked friends to her home armed with a handgun to terrorise her family, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
Using an illegally acquired mobile phone from his prison cell, jealous Donnelly bombarded his former girlfriend with 4,208 phone calls and texts in just 77 days.
He warned her: "I'm not going to let this go. I'm going to end your lives."
Donnelly was arrested at Forest Bank prison in Salford, after he sent three masked friends to the victim's home armed with a handgun.
The court heard that the gang pointed the gun at her and her sister's face before running off. The family subsequently had to seek refuge in safe houses.
Donnelly, of Ladbrooke Road in Ashton, was jailed for five years and eight months after he admitted coercive behaviour, using prohibited items in prison and conspiracy to commit violent disorder.
He was also banned from contacting his ex-partner and her family for life under the terms of a restraining order.
The thug who attacked his partner in front of their baby
A thug who attacked and strangled his partner in the presence of their baby was told he was lucky not to be facing more serious charges.
Nico Noicely, 31, assaulted the woman in her own home in a 'particularly nasty' incident.
Noicely had been accused of seeing his ex, and arguments had been occurring prior to the attack within their 'tempestuous' relationship.
But a judge said this provided no excuse for the attack.
"You are lucky you weren't put on more serious charges which would have led to a much lengthier custodial sentence," Judge Suzanne Goddard QC said.
Noicely was jailed for two years after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He punched, kicked and strangled his partner in July last year, Manchester Crown Court heard.
The couple had been in an on-off relationship for about three-and-a-half years after meeting on a dating site.
They had a son together, born in February last year, but the court heard there had been issues in the relationship.
Defending, Anastasis Tasou said Noicely's mental health was 'fragile' at the time.
He said that prior to the attack, Noicely, of Turnshaw Avenue, Huddersfield, had received phone calls from the victim which 'threatened violence', which were provided to police.
The crazed mum who'd been drinking and smoking Spice was 'foaming at the mouth' when she attacked a cop
A crazed mum who had been 'drinking heavily' and smoking Spice was 'foaming at the mouth' when she attacked a police officer in Piccadilly Gardens -as people 'screamed and cheered as if they were at a football match'.
Petra Clyde, 41, sunk her teeth into...
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