An armed gang who carried out a series of almost 30 robberies across Greater Manchester and Cheshire and made off with thousands of pounds’ worth of goods have been jailed for over 50 years.
Six criminals from Salford, Trafford and Sale targeted local businesses and homes throughout 2019 – threatening shop staff with machetes, dragging one retail worker across the floor by their ankle, and putting another in a headlock.
A mother and two children were also left “scarred for life” after the gang locked them in a cupboard whilst they stole watches, jewellery and the family’s car during a house raid in Warburton.
A shocking 29 armed robberies were committed between May and November 2019.
Jack Yarwood from Salford, Michael Burke from Trafford, Stuart Watson from Trafford, Daniel Adamson from Sale and Michael Kedie from Sale were all jailed at Manchester Crown Square this week (June 29) – with the combined sentences totalling more than half a century.
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The first offence took place at a Co-Op in Cheshire at around 9.45pm on 12 May 2019 where three masked men – Kedie, Yarwood and Burke – entered the store and threatened staff with a machete and a hammer and stole cash from a safe.
The gang continued to target retail stores over the next few months, including several Co-Ops in Stretford, Wythenshawe, Lymm, Bowden, Swinton and Cheadle Hulme, as well as a McColls in Bramhall, Poundland in Urmston, Starbucks in Trafford Park, Sainsbury’s in Altrincham and Asda Petrol Station in Sale.
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The OCG threatened staff in shops & even locked a family in a cupboard whilst they raided their house in #Cheshire armed with this machete. In a statement read out in court from the family, they described as the "worst night of their lives" and the children are scarred for life.. pic.twitter.com/tTlhRJg4Su
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) June 30, 2021
In October 2019, following a Co-op raid on Knutsford Road in Warrington, the gang fled in a Ford Focus and were pursued by police. Two of the men exited the vehicle armed with machetes and ran towards the officer, before getting back into the Focus and driving off – eventually abandoning the car in the Racecourse Estate in Sale.
Officers found cigarettes, cash and other items from the robbery left inside the Focus.
GMP’s Serious and Organised Crime Group division pieced the attacks together through phone and CCTV analysis, surveillance and the support of a large number of witnesses in the case.
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The group of six men were sentenced this week following a robbing spree in 2019 / Image: GMP
Detective Sergeant Richard Castley, from GMP’s SOCG, said: “This was a series of terrifying incidents that saw staff and members of the public in their own homes assaulted and scared for their lives – some of them still haven’t returned to work and some are still recovering from their ordeal.
“The members of the public targeted by these offenders were simply doing their job to serve the public in their local shop or were in their home addresses when they were confronted with this masked gang armed with weapons.
“Their robbery spree days are now over after our thorough investigation and this sends out a message – no matter how organised and sophisticated a group is – we will track offenders down and bring them to justice.”
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Investigation launched after man ‘brutally’ murdered at Peak District stone circle on summer solstice
Emily Sergeant
A murder investigation has been launched after a man’s life was taken in ‘the most brutal way’ following a summer solstice event.
The investigation has been launched after Derbyshire Police were called to reports of a man’s body being found at Nine Ladies Stone Circle in the Peak District at 1:38pm on Monday 22 June, and when emergency services attended the scene, a 26-year-old man was found and pronounced dead.
The man has been named as Isaac Clare-Watts, from Nottingham, and police say his family are aware and are being supported by specialist officers.
Police are now searching to understand the circumstances around his death.
A 41-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the incident, and he remains in custody for questioning.
Investigators say they remain ‘keen’ to hear from anyone who was at the site over the weekend – which was notably the weekend of the summer solstice – as well as anyone with video footage from the event, and dashcam footage of vehicles arriving and leaving over the weekend.
A Major Incident Public Portal (MIPP) has been set up where members of the public can send information to police directly.
“I am urgently appealing for anyone who attended the summer solstice event over the weekend to please speak to officers as soon as they can,” commented Detective Inspector Tony Owen from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), who is leading the investigation.
“A young man’s life has been taken in the most brutal way, so it is vital that myself and the team build up a clear picture of the exact circumstances surrounding his death and this is why we urgently need to speak to everyone who was at the scene over the weekend.
“You may have only been there briefly and think you can’t help but you could hold the key piece of information we need to understand what has happened and help us to get justice for this young man’s family.
“So I would ask, please, that if you attended the event, you contact us urgently so we can build up a picture of the event itself and what has led to this man’s death. I also really urge anyone who captured video footage from the event over the weekend to please come forward.
“You could play a key role in helping us with this murder investigation.”
Featured Image -Wikimedia Commons
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Prestigious Edinburgh TV Festival to move to Manchester for first time in 50 years
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester will become the new host city for the TV Festival from 2027 onwards it was announced today.
For the first time in five decades, following an extensive consultation and competitive bidding process – which was launched in 2025 – the prestigious festival is set to move from its home in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh to our region from 2027 onwards, beating out other major northern cities like Newcastle in the process.
As part of a UK-wide strategic review into the event’s long-term future, the Festival’s board of directors say the review was undertaken in order to ‘examine how the TV Festival could continue to grow’ amid increasing challenges around accessibility, affordability, and sustainability across the television industry.
Greater Manchester‘s ‘successful and comprehensive’ bid included commitments around affordability, infrastructure, industry partnership, and long-term growth potential.
Plans include holding the Festival in locations in the newly developed St. John’s creative and cultural district.
“Greater Manchester presented a vision for the Festival that combined genuine creative ambition and future-facing energy with practical accessibility and affordability for delegates,” commented Campbell Glennie, who is the CEO of the TV Festival and The TV Foundation.
“This means we can radically reduce the costs associated with attending the Festival as well as the cost of passes.
“The city reflects the expanding ambition of the UK television industry, while still offering the scale, connectivity and unique cultural identity needed for an event of this significance – it gives us the strongest platform to grow the Festival’s reach and impact in the years ahead.”
Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council, said being chosen as TV Festival hosts is ‘brilliant news’ for Greater Manchester, adding: “It speaks to the growth, success and strength of our screen sector in the city region and the strong partnerships and talent we have here.”
The final Edinburgh edition of the TV Festival will take place this August, and dates and further details for the TV Festival in 2027 will be shared later this year.
The Manc -
1st July 2021 
