A joint Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

Around 1:30am on Sunday 27 March 2014, a 42-year-old man was seriously assaulted by two men, one of whom had a weapon, in an unprovoked attack outside Ma Kelly’s bar at the junction of Talbot Road and Dickson Road in the town centre.

As a result of this attack, the victim received head injuries that required hospital treatment at the time.

Two men have been arrested and bailed in relation to this attack, but the detectives investigating the incident are now appealing for anyone who witnessed the attack to come forward to help them clarify exactly what happened.

Detective Constable Chris Sanderson said: “This was a nasty and seemingly unprovoked attack that left the victim with serious injuries.

“Therefore, we would appeal for anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed this attack to please come forward with any information they have.

“We would particularly like to speak to two women we know witnessed the attack, although we would also appeal to any taxi drivers at the nearby taxi rank who may have witnessed this attack to also come forward with any information they may have.”

Anybody with any information can contact Police on 101, quoting log number 0139 of Sunday, April 27^th.

Alternatively, you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

Three men conned a 69-year-old man into giving them money for work that was not carried out in Rochdale.At around 12.30pm on Tuesday 22 April 2014, three men knocked on the door of a house on Lister Road, Middleton, claiming to be from the water board.
They said they were there to check the drains and asked for money. When it was given to them, they claimed they needed to get some machinery and would be back to carry out the work.

They never returned.

One man is described as being white, 5ft 10in tall, of stocky build, in his 30s, had short dark hair, wore dark clothing and spoke with a local accent.

Another was white, 6ft tall, of slim build, in his late 20s and wore a multi-coloured cap.

Detective Constable Mike Berger said: “These men took advantage of their victim, claiming that work needed to be done. They convinced him they would be back but never returned, taking his money with them.

“I would urge all members of the community to be vigilant. If someone comes to your home unexpected, ask them for ID. If they work for an official organisation or company, they will gladly show it to you.

“If you are still unhappy, tell them to come back later when a family member or trusted neighbour can be with you.”

Anyone with information should phone police on 0161 856 5701 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

A cleaner turned carer who stole thousands of pounds from a woman with learning difficulties has been sentenced.

Denise Hill , of Kings Road, Stretford, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at an earlier hearing and was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court, Minshull Street, today, 08 May 2014.

She was sentenced to 16 months suspended.

Hill was initially employed as a cleaner for a vulnerable woman who suffered from learning difficulties. This woman lived at her Stretford home with her 91-year-old mum, who also suffered from poor health and hearing.

After working for the family as a cleaner, Hill gained their trust and begun to look after them in an unofficial capacity as a carer and someone who would help them out, which included managing their finances.

Hill would often take the woman into town for her to withdraw money from her two bank accounts.

She was paid between £30 and £40 a week from mid-2012 onwards, and eventually left the family’s employment in June 2013 after she broke her wrist in an accident.

It was only when the mother and daughter moved home that they realised Hill had used the victim’s bank card to withdraw a total of £7,700 from two bank accounts to which she had access via a debit card.

The police were then called and an investigation launched.

Detective Constable Andy Devonshire, from Greater Manchester Police’s Volume Fraud Team, said: “These cases are often the most saddening we deal with in our office.

“There can simply be no justification, no defence and no excuse to steal from someone who places their utmost trust in you as this family did with Hill. She was given a position of responsibility by a vulnerable woman and her frail mum and to say she violated that trust would be an understatement.

“Aside from the financial loss, it is the emotional side of things of having someone you trusted so much let you down so badly that has hurt the victim and her mum.

“Temptation may be there for people who are given responsibility for managing the finances of elderly and vulnerable people, but if you do abuse this trust and take a slice for yourself you are not only committing a despicable act of theft but Greater Manchester Police and the courts will pursue you until you have been brought to justice.”

A man was assaulted and had his specialised bike stolen in Manchester.

At around 4.30pm on Monday 28 April 2014, the 35-year-old man was pushing his bike on Berry Brow, Clayton Bridge when he was approached by four men from behind.

They asked him questions about his bike when one of them grabbed it.

The victim was then punched and pushed to the ground before one of the men took the bike, riding off towards Assheton Road.  The others walked off towards Droylsden Road.

The offenders are described as being white, in his late teens, of slim build and around 5ft 9in tall.  The man riding the bike was wearing a grey tracksuit.

Detective Constable Marie Eldred said: “The victim suffered a brain injury a number of years ago. He dedicates all of his time to customising and riding his bike ”

“His pride and joy has been taken away from him by these callous robbers and I would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed the attack to contact us.

“The bike is described as being a Petr Krays Orange Zero, had blue and silver frame with gold wheels and a blue leather customized seat.  If you believe you may have seen the bike or know where it is, please call police.”

Anyone with information should phone police on 0161 856 3521 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Police have released a CCTV image following a burglary in Old Trafford.

Around 3am on Sunday 20 April 2014, the offender approached a house on Auburn Road in Old Trafford. He climbed over a fence into the garden and climbed through an insecure window into the kitchen.

Once inside he stole an iPad and climbed back out the kitchen window. He ran from the scene through a neighbour’s garden towards Kings Road.

Police have released an image of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the burglary.

PC Clare Hall said: “If anyone recognises the man in the image or has any information about the burglary I would ask that they call police.

“I would also remind residents to keep doors and windows secure at all times.”

Anyone with information should call Trafford North Neighbourhood Policing team on 0161 8567655 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A man has been charged following an attempted robbery at a Widnes jewellery shop.

Jack McKeown, aged 19, of no fixed abode, has been charged with one count of burglary. He has been remanded into custody and is due to appear before North Cheshire Magistrates′ Court today (Friday 9 May).

The charge relates to an incident at a jewellery shop in Green Oaks Shopping Centre on Thursday 8 May in which two men, armed with a sledgehammer, attempted to rob the premises.

One man was arrested at the scene, the other – who was dressed in dark clothing and wearing a balaclava – made off from the scene on a motorbike.

Police have thanked the public for their assistance following the incident, which took place shortly before 3.30pm.

DS Mark Naylor said:  “I would like to thank members of the local community for their assistance during the incident. Enquiries are ongoing and I want to reassure the public that we take all incidents of this nature extremely seriously. Officers are in the local area today to provide reassurance and anyone with any concerns or any information is urged to speak to them.”

Police have released the image of a man wanted in connection with an assault in Eccles. 

At 1am on Saturday 26 April 2014, a 26-year-old man was in the smoking area of Wangies on Liverpool Road when there was an altercation with another man. 

The victim was then hit across the head, causing cuts before the offender left and an ambulance was called. 

The man, who is believed to be a regular, is described as being white, in his early to mid 20s, 6ft tall, of slim build, spoke with an Australian accent, wore a dark grey beanie hat, jeans, black t-shirt with Bill Hicks slogans and grey hooded top. 

Detective Constable Horace Bell said: “The victim was left with a nasty head injury after he was hit and I would appeal for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to call us. 

“We have managed to recover a CCTV image of a man who we would like to speak to and I would appeal to him or anyone who knows him, to come forward.” 

Anyone with information should phone police on 0161 856 5097 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. 

A man and woman from Egremont have been charged in connection with a disorder at the Chatanooga Takeaway on Main Street, Egremont.

The incident occurred at around 11am on Monday 5th May when a man and woman entered the takeaway and were abusive towards staff members. A 33 year old man from Egremont received minor injuries during the incident.

Eric Dodgson, aged 45, of Old Smithfield, Egremont has been charged with racially aggravated public order.

Natalie Bates, aged 26, of Brisco Mount, Egremont was also charged with racially aggravated public order and criminal damage, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and racially aggravated common assault.

Both will appear before West Cumbria Magistrates Court on the 21st May 2014.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a discrimination-related crime should report this to Cumbria Constabulary on 101.

Police would like to speak to the man picture in connection with shoplifting.

On 1^st December 2013  a man entered the Co-Op store on Harrell Lane, Barrow and took some items of food, worth around £30, without paying.

Police would like to speak to the man pictured as he may have information relating to the incident.

Anyone with information can ring Cumbria Police on 101 and speak to PC Stuart Game, or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A callous thief who befriended a 98-year-old man in order to steal more than £36,000 of his life savings has today been jailed for over four years.

David Flaherty (19/03/1964) Woodend Road, Benchill pleaded guilty to ten charges of fraud by abuse of position and one of theft at Manchester Crown Court on 29 April 2014.

He was sentenced today, Friday 9 May 2014, to four years and four months in prison.

The offender struck up a relationship with the victim after his wife became the man’s carer, and slowly built up trust as he helped out with the household chores.

But once he had become friends with the victim, Flaherty started to abuse his position.

Between March 2011 and June 2013 Flaherty used the victim’s current account and credit card to steal almost £5000, using the cards to pay for his phone bill, Sky TV, mortgage and even a holiday to Benidorm.

Some of the money had been given willingly by the victim, who thought he was lending Flaherty money to buy building supplies.

Other payments were made by the offender without consent.

During the same period, Flaherty convinced the victim to write two cheques totalling £13,000, again with the intention of helping him buy building supplies.

Of that £13,000 Flaherty spent just £287 on supplies for his work as a builder, with the rest spent on funding his lifestyle.

But the majority of the thefts occurred as a result of Flaherty’s withdrawals from cash machines, with almost £16,000 taken from the victim’s account between June 2011 and June 2013.

Not content with ransacking the victim’s life savings, Flaherty also used his position of home carer to steal valuable items of jewellery, taking two pocket watches, a necklace and a diamond ring belonging to the victim’s late wife.

The value of these items was approximately £1500, and Flaherty pawned them for his own personal gain.

Detective Constable Shaun Nicholls said: “This was a despicable and selfish act against a vulnerable member of our society.

“Worse than that, it was a deliberate and callous breach of trust of an elderly man who was supposed to be the offender’s friend.

“Flaherty built up a relationship with the victim, gained access to his financial details and started to use his life savings as his own personal trust fund.

“Not content with fraudulently borrowing large sums of money, Flaherty flagrantly used the victim’s debit and credit cards to fund his own lifestyle and when that was not enough, even resorted to stealing jewellery he knew to have enormous sentimental value.

“The victim worked hard all of his life to ensure he could enjoy a comfortable retirement and this sentence sends a message to those who think they can abuse a position of great trust and take advantage of the hard work of others.”

A woman was stabbed in the neck in Rochdale.

Just after 8.45pm on Thursday 8 May 2014, a 30-year-old woman was stood with two friends when she was approached by a man.

There was a short discussion and walked to a footbridge that crosses from Lincoln Street to Oldham Road.

Following another short discussion, the man hit her, knocking her to the ground. He demanded money before stabbing her in the neck with a knife and running off in the direction of Oldham Road.

The man left empty handed.

The woman was taken to hospital for treatment but was later released.

The offender is described as being white, in his 30s to early 40s, short, of large build, had curly brown hair, wore a dark coloured suit, white/light coloured shirt and dark coloured tie.

Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Jones said: “This was an unprovoked and vicious attack on a sex worker which left her with a knife in her neck. Fortunately, her injuries were not serious but she has been very lucky and we could have been dealing with a murder.

“The community will understandably be concerned about what has happened however, we have increased patrols in the area and we are determined to find who is responsible.

“We do need help from the public and I would ask anyone who may recognise the description of the man or who saw the attack take place near to the bridge, to contact us straight away.”

Anyone with information should phone police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Police are appealing for witnesses after an arson attack on a home in Oldham. 

At around 2.20am on Friday 9 May 2014, offenders put a wheelie bin against the front door of a flat house on Fifield Close.  A mattress was placed on top and set on fire. 

Five people were rescued by the fire service and treated for smoke inhalation. 

Detective Inspector Jason Byrne said: “This was a callous and reckless act which could have cost the lives of five people.  We are treating this as deliberate and are investigating alongside the fire service. 

“We do believe this is an isolated attack and therefore there is no further threat to other members of the community. 

“I would appeal to anyone who believes they may have seen two people acting suspiciously in the area to contact police.  From what we have been told, they were both men, one wore a dark two toned jacket with grey trousers, the other a dark hooded top.” 

Anyone with information should phone police on 0161 856 8927 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. 

Merseyside Police can confirm that a 32-year-old man from Tuebrook has been arrested on suspicion of of theft from a dwelling and attempted theft of a motor vehicle, following an incident on Southport Road in Bootle on Thursday, 1 May 2014.

The man, who requires treatment for an existing injury, has been taken to hospital for treatment and he will be interviewed by detectives.

The mastermind of a sophisticated fraud, which cost the banking industry over £2.5million, has today been jailed in his absence.

No such scam had ever taken place in the UK nor, thanks to the banking institutions reinforcing their security, has any such fraud happened since it was uncovered over four years ago.

It is estimated that the total cost of the scam could have been up to £7.5million.

Greater Manchester Police, which smashed the operation, is now appealing to the public to help put the offender, Maxwell Parsons, where he now belongs – behind bars. The officer who carried out the extensive investigation, Detective Constable Carol Britton, was also today commended by the trial judge for her work in bringing Parsons to justice.

Today, 11th April 2014, Maxwell Parsons, a self-taught computer fraudster with previous convictions for other embezzlements, has been jailed for seven years at Manchester Crown Court, Crown Square, after being found guilty of conspiracy to defraud after a 4 week trial.

He will also serve a three year jail term, handed to him in his absence in February 2014, for an unconnected offence of theft. These will run consecutively, to make a total jail term of 10 years.

Two other offenders were also sentenced today for their role in the scam.

The fraudsters came up with a way to manipulate banking systems so that payments they made were automatically reversed.

Using bank accounts of people complicit in the fraud, or others who were coerced, purchases would be made and the fraudsters would glean information from the sales receipt. The majority of those purchases were for foreign cash from bureau de change, which was then converted back to sterling

These details, usually a short code, would be inputted into a computer programme named ‘merchant dialler’ designed by Parsons, which would effectively remove the earmark identifying the funds for the transaction, so that the amount in the account could be spent again and again.

The scam was fully active between December 2008 and 1st June 2009. The purchases were made all over the UK but mainly in Greater Manchester, where the majority of the gang were based.

At the peak of their activities, they laundered around up to £50,000 a day. The total amount taken was at least £2,560,833.84.

Anyone wi5th information on Parson’s whereabouts is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Detective Constable Carol Britton, of GMP’s Major Fraud Unit, was commended by the trial judge for single-handedly bringing Parsons and his co-defendents to justice. She said: “This was a systematic, sophisticated and large-scale fraud where a number of people were able to effectively steal money quickly.

“A lot of hard work has gone into this investigation. This fraud could not have been as damaging as it was to the banks had it not been for the teamwork between the various defendants. We therefore spent hours examining evidence to ensure we traced these people and that we had the full picture of what was happening.

“Maxwell Parsons is a prolific criminal who has deliberately been evasive with the authorities at every opportunity. Throughout this investigation and the trial he has done all he can to delay this day, but we have remained committed to bringing all of the perpetrators to justice.

“Parsons fled as his day of reckoning approached in court and has remained on the run since. He could be anywhere in the UK and goes by a number of aliases.

“Parsons is a well-practiced, convincing and persuasive liar and can talk himself out of almost any situation. If you recognise this man then please do the right thing straight away and call the police.

“Since this conspiracy, the banks themselves worked very hard to ensure that a similar scam could not happen again. We therefore want to make it clear that anyone who tries to embezzle money from banks will not succeed and more than likely to be caught, investigated by the police and brought to justice.”

Andrew West, Crown Advocate for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “this was a very difficult and complex case to investigate, and it is greatly to the credit of Greater Manchester Police that they were able to untangle the fraud and to enable the case to be presented coherently.

“Maxwell Parsons has committed a number of unique frauds on the banking system, which, by their nature, were very difficult to detect and prosecute. In particular I would like to mention the work of DC Britton in investigating the case and bringing the culprits to justice.”

BREAKDOWN OF DEFENDANTS 

Maxwell Parsons (born 26/5/65) whose last known address was Rosewell Court, Broomfield Road, Coventry, was found guilty of Conspiracy to Defraud and sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

Also on 3 December 2013 Maxwell Parsons was convicted at Manchester Crown Court, after a trial of two offences relating to fraud against banks in the Nottinghamshire area. Parsons developed a computer programme which could mimic the messages sent by a bank to a cashpoint machine. Parsons, in absence, was sentenced to three years imprisonment for the theft of £19,180 and two years concurrent imprisonment for Possession of articles for use in fraud, contrary to the Fraud Act 2006.

Takhliq Khaliq (born 3/2/67) of Boddens Hill Road, Heaton Mersey, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to Conspiracy to Defraud and used a company called Feranti Trading Limited, to facilitate some of the frauds. Takhliq Khaliq also pleaded guilty to an offence of False Accounting (Mortgage Fraud) and agreed to have that taken into consideration on sentencing. He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work.

His brother Zaki Khaliq (born 5/4/70) of Carrwood Road, Bramhall, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to Conspiracy to Defraud. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Muhammed Khan (born 18/8/70) of Alexandra Road South, Whalley Range, a friend of the Khaliqs’ also pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud and was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

Two businessmen who operated a nationwide scam to steal hundreds of thousands of pounds through bogus companies have today been jailed.

Michael Norman Jeffery Anderson, born 01/02/1972, of Meadow Street, Todmorden and Gavin Nicholas Mellor, born 15/12/1969, of Willow Tree Court, Patricroft, Eccles, both pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court, Minshull Street , to three offences of fraudulent trading, conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
Both were jailed for three years, four months.

The pair set up three fraudulent companies, Latec International UK Ltd based in Droylsden, Blothall Ltd based in Padiham Lancashire and Ludlum Supplies Ltd based in Rossendale Lancashire.

In total they scammed products form 50 companies across the company with victims as far afield as Dorset.

Their criminal enterprise spanned more than 18 months – from November 2010 to June 2012 – and saw them steal around £500,000 in products.

Their scheme began to unravel on 26 April 2012 when GMP were contacted by HSBC Invoice Finance UK who reported that three companies in the UK steel industry had been left considerably out of pocket after dealing with a company called Latec International Uk Ltd.

This finance arm of HSBC can provide credit facilities for companies, allowing them to set up an account with their own customers. A rigorous credit check is conducted with the potential customer and HSBC agree to pay their customer a percentage of the invoice owed, enabling cash flow within the business.

Each of these three victim companies has been approached by Latec International UK Ltd, using an industrial unit at Greenside Industrial Estate, Greenside Lane, Droylsden Manchester.

In each case a credit account has been created for Latec and goods, mainly steel, were delivered to the unit in Droylsden.

Witnesses told officers the unit was mainly empty, but occasionally two men would turn up, load goods onto a flat-bed truck and leave.

One was described as calling himself Darren Harris while the other was described as looking like Matthew Kelly from television.

Officers later discovered the unit had been emptied and, following a series of other complex inquiries, found the pair had moved to another industrial unit on Grove Mill, Padiham, Lancashire.

It later emerged that Lancashire police were investigating a claim that a Widnes-based company had been defrauded out of the Padiham company, by this time called Blothall Ltd.

Around the same time a man calling himself Darren Harris handed in cash at an Oldham bank that contained a counterfeit £20. A CCTV image of this was given to police and there was a clear likeness to one of the men who had been seen operating at Latec International UK Ltd.

Lancashire police were asked to monitor the Padiham site and, on 12 June 2012 two men, Anderson and Mellor, were arrested there and handed over to GMP.

During the subsequent investigation, carried out by Greater Manchester Police’s Volume Fraud Team, detectives uncovered a total of 50 companies that had lost out to their various businesses to the tune of £500k.

Detective Constable Stuart Donohue, of GMP’s Volume Fraud Team, said: “Anderson and Mellor clearly set out to deliberately and systematically steal from as many innocent firms as they could.

“They would have known that in today’s financial landscape, many firms cannot afford to take massive financial hits like this.

“Inevitably, it is people’s livelihood’s, not to mention employee’s jobs, that can be effected by this. This also applies to HSBC who will inevitably have to pass on some of the losses of this kind of large-scale fraud to the customer.

“At least this pair now fully understand that GMP does not tolerate fraud in any of its forms.”

Gavin Nicholas Mellor

Michael Norman Jeffery Anderson

A man has been arrested in connection with a stabbing in Rochdale.

Just after 8.45pm on Thursday 8 May 2014, a 30-year-old woman was stood with two friends when she was approached by a man.

There was a short discussion and they walked to a footbridge that crosses from Lincoln Street to Oldham Road.

Following another short discussion, the man hit her, knocking her to the ground. He demanded money before stabbing her in the neck with a knife and running off in the direction of Oldham Road.

The man left empty handed.

The woman was taken to hospital for treatment but was later released.

An 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He is currently in custody for police questioning.

Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Jones said: “This was an unprovoked and vicious attack on a sex worker which left her with a knife in her neck. Fortunately, her injuries were not serious but she has been very lucky and we could have been dealing with a murder.

“The community will understandably be concerned about what has happened and investigations are ongoing, we would ask anyone who has any information in relation to this incident contacts us either directly on 101 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Matthew Graham of Burnsall Grove, Royton has been charged with attempted murder, attempted robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.

He will appear at Bury and Rochdale Magistrates Court on Monday 12 May 2014.

Just after 8.45pm on Thursday 8 May 2014, a 30-year-old woman was attacked by a man on a footbridge that crosses from Lincoln Street to Oldham Road in Rochdale.

He hit her, knocking her to the ground and demanded money before stabbing her in the neck with a knife.

Merseyside Police can confirm that forensic examinations carried out with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service have established that the fatal fire on Moscow Drive, Tuebrook, was started deliberately.

Extensive examinations have taken place at the two-bedroom flat over the last three days by specialist investigators from Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service with expert forensic scientists from partner agencies. Those examinations have concluded that an accelerant was used to start the fire, which claimed the lives of a 40-year-old (correct) woman and her four-year-old son. At this stage of the investigation there is no evidence of any third party involvement.

Police are now also in a position to name the deceased as Janma Joshi and her son Moksha Jai Joshi (known as Jai – pronounced Jay) to family and friends.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy O’Connor, said: “Extensive forensic examinations carried out by Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service have established that the fire was deliberately started by an accelerant. Examinations are still  underway to determine the type of accelerant used.

“Although the investigation is in its early stages there is currently no indication of any third party involvement, however, there is still a lot of investigative work to be undertaken and we need to remain open minded.

“Detectives are continuing their inquiries and I would urge anyone who may have information which could help us with our inquiries to come forward.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call Merseyside Police on 0151 777 4067, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Merseyside police have this evneing named the mother and son who were killed in a house fire which was started at an address on Moscow Drive in Merseyside

They are named as Janma Joshi and her son Moksha Jai Joshi (known as Jai – pronounced Jay) to family and friends.

“Detectives are continuing their inquiries and I would urge anyone who may have information which could help us with our inquiries to come forward.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call Merseyside Police on 0151 777 4067, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.