News
Blackpool fan tragically passes away following assault outside The Manchester pub
Tributes from friends and fellow Blackpool supporters are flooding in.
A Blackpool fan has sadly passed away following a matchday assault outside a pub this weekend.
Now identified as Tony ‘Toe’ Johnson, the Seasider was left fighting for his life after he was attacked outside The Manchester pub in Blackpool on Saturday.
The incident is said to have occurred around 7pm, according to Lancs Live, after 15 supporters were reported to have begun scrapping around the town centre as police were already carrying out derby day patrols for Blackpool’s match against Burnley.
Johnson, aged in his 50s, suffered serious head injuries and received CPR on the scene before being rushed to hospital where ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
A 33-year-old man is said to have been arrested following the interaction and remains in custody; there is currently no suggestion he targeted specifically. His death was confirmed by close friend George Robinson on social media in the early hours on Monday morning, 6 March.
The club issued a statement on Sunday following the assault and the news that Johnson was left in critical condition. Blackpool have since issued an update after the lifelong fan was confirmed as dead, informing Seasiders that there will be an “open book of condolence from 4pm in the Moretti Lounge today, with supporters also invited to lay flowers at the Mortensen Statue”.
They went on to assure that they are working with “Lancashire Police as they continue their investigation and are not able to make any further comment at this stage.”
The tragic news has hit the Seasider supporters and English football at large as a stark reminder that football fan violence is still as present as ever.
Local Sunday league team Armfield FC are one of many sharing tributes to the well-known Tangerine, with so many sharing the sentiment that “no one should go to a football match and never come home under any circumstances”.
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Tony was hailed as a “true Mucker” and a “proper Blackpool bloke” who will be sadly missed by all. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones.
While his passing marks yet another dark day for football, it has sparked fresh appeals to further combat the prevailing culture of hooliganism in sport.
Rest in peace.
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News
‘Seriously injured’ man rescued from reservoir dam at popular Bolton country park
Emily Sergeant
A significant emergency service response descended on a popular country park in Bolton early yesterday evening.
After reports of a person in the water at Jumbles Reservoir, in the Bromley Cross / Bradshaw area of Bolton, came in just before 6:30pm yesterday (Monday 18 May), teams from North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), Lancashire Constabulary, and Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service all attended the scene in droves.
Specialist support was also provided from NWAS’s Hazardous Area Response Team, North West Air Ambulance, Bolton Mountain Rescue Team, National Police Air Service, and United Utilities – which looks after the reservoir.
It was also confirmed that a HM Coastguard helicopter was requested to attend the scene.
At this time, no formal statement has been made by the police, but Bolton Mountain Rescue Team has taken to social media to update the concerned public on the situation as it unfolds.
Their statement reads: “At 18:28 this evening, the team was contacted by North West Ambulance Service with the report of a person in the water at Jumbles Reservoir, Bolton.
“We worked alongside colleagues from NWAS and their Hazardous Area Response Team, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, North West Air Ambulance, National Police Air Service, Lancashire Constabulary, and United Utilities. A HM Coastguard helicopter was also requested.
“A seriously injured male was rescued from within the overflow structure on the reservoir dam and was conveyed to hospital for further treatment.”
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According to reports in the MEN, pictures and videos posted on social media showed rope rescue teams along with water rescue units also in attendance, and the emergency response was seen in the main car park off Bradshaw Road.
Further statements and updates on the situation are expected in due course.
Featured Image – David Dixon (Wikimedia Commons / Geograph)
News
Bury primary school teaching assistant jailed after pleading guilty to child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A teaching assistant from Bury has been sentenced after pleading guilty to multiple sex offences against a ‘vulnerable’ young boy.
Terri Cook, of Masefield Avenue in Radcliffe, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week, where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to eight charges of sexual offences.
The sentencing came after officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU) began in ‘intense’ investigation into Cook back in September of last year after a member of the public reported seeing her out with a young boy.
The subsequent investigation showed that she had been grooming and manipulating the young boy into engaging in a sexual relationship with her.
Police found numerous messages on Cook’s phone where she had been inciting sexual communications with the boy and holding indecent images of him, and she was also found to have been buying him expensive items, like jewellery and clothing, for a period of more than nine months.
During a powerful statement read out in court, the young boy was described as being ‘extremely kind and caring’, with his mum adding: “Despite experiencing traumatic events earlier in his life, he continued to be positive and compassionate. He smiled every day and made us all laugh.”
Cook was sentenced four-and-a-half years in prison for eight charges of sexual offences.
Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Adam Stanfield, from GMP’s Bury CPIU, said: “This case was a horrific example of calculated abuse of power, and Cook targeted a vulnerable child who put his trust in her.
“Grooming is a form of manipulation that can leave lasting emotional and psychological damage, and our priority remains protecting young people and supporting victims as they recover.
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“This sentencing also emphasises our unwavering commitment to protecting male victims. They can be victims too and I urge anyone who believes they may have been through anything similar to please report to us.”
Featured Image – GMP
Danny Jones -
6th March 2023 
