News

Man arrested at Manchester Airport after fleeing country during child sex offences trial

He was described as being 'cowardly'.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 1st October 2025

A man has been arrested at Manchester Airport after he previously fled the country while he was on trial for child sexual offences.

Hassan Mahmood, of Gigg Lane in Bury, had been found guilty on four counts of child sexual offences in August – including engaging in sexual communication with a child, and even engaging in ‘penetrative sexual activity’ with a child.

But the 23-year-old fled the country on the second day of the trial.

The trial then continued in his absence, despite the fleeing, and he was subsequently sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.

Now though, following his arrest at Manchester Airport as he returned to country this week, Mahmood is now awaiting sentencing for the fleeing, and is due to appear at court to begin the formalities of receiving his sentence.

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Mahmood’s original conviction and sentencing came following an extensive investigation carried out by the Bury Complex Safeguarding Team.

He was described as being ‘cowardly’ by GMP investigating officers.

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“Mahmood cowardly left the country to evade punishment for his vile crimes, and I am glad he will now be behind bars where he belongs,” commented Detective Constable Shaheen Saleh, from GMP’s Child Criminal Exploitation Team.

“We are committed to locking up those responsible for child sexual offences, and we will always ensure that they are brought to justice, no matter where they try to hide.

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“We remain in contact with the victim of this case and have been supporting her throughout the process.”

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Further details of Mahmood’s sentencing are set to be announced in due course.

Featured Image – GMP

News

Heaton Park announces the death of another one of its beloved resident donkeys

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Another one of Heaton Park’s beloved resident donkeys has sadly passed away, the park has announced this week.

Back in May of this year, Heaton Park shared the devastating news that one of its well-known resident donkeys called Lenny had been diagnosed with an endocrine disease, and would therefore have to start undergoing specialist medical treatment moving forward.

The treatment Lenny would be receiving was to support his health during his retirement, as not long prior to his diagnosis, he had reached approximately 30 years of age.

Considering that The Donkey Sanctuary says the average life expectancy for a donkey is just over 30, reaching this age was said to be a ‘significant achievement’ for Lenny and everyone who cared for him.

Sadly though, as the months went on, things started taking a turn for the worse.

Heaton Park‘s Estates Team requested an onsite vet visit after identifying some changes with Lenny’s health, and these changes were subsequently linked to a condition called hyperlipaemia.

It’s with ‘great sadness’ that the park had to announce to the public that Lenny passed away later that same day.

“Lenny was a staple in Heaton Park and was a significant star in the memories of both staff and our visitors, he will be deeply missed by us all,” the Estates Team said in a touching tribute shared on the park’s social media.

Lenny’s passing unfortunately comes not long after the death of one of Heaton Park’s post well-known resident donkeys, Ralph, who died in early June of this year at the grand old age of 40 years old – with many tributes being paid to him.

Following both Lenny and Ralph’s deaths, the Estates Team has assured visitors that the remaining two resident donkeys, Bonnie and Josh, are ‘doing well’ and are being ‘monitored closely’

Bonnie and Josh are being monitored closely for ‘any changes in behaviour which could indicate stress’ as a result of Lenny’s unexpected passing, as the Estates Team says that visitors may notice them on ‘a few extra walks’ around the park over the coming weeks.

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Visitors are asked to ‘say hello’ to Bonnie and Josh if they see them on a walk around the park over the next couple of weeks.

Many tributes to Lenny have been flooding in on Facebook.

Featured Image – Heaton Park & Hall (via Facebook)

News

Lola Young cancels all upcoming shows after collapsing on stage

Danny Jones Danny Jones Lola Young cancels Manchester gig and all other tour shows

Rising UK pop star Lola Young has unfortunately cancelled all of her upcoming gigs “for the foreseeable future” after recently collapsing live on stage.

This, of course, includes her two scheduled dates at O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, as well as the rest of the dates on her breakout world tour.

Young, a BRIT School graduate whose career has taken off over the past year or so, took to social media to reluctantly inform fans that all her remaining shows are now cancelled as he prepares to take some time for herself and recover.

Admitting that it “pains her”, it is clearly the right decision for her overall health, and we hope she returns to full strength soon.

In case you missed the headlines or the clip that went viral online, Lola Young passed out mid-performance during the 2025 All Things Go music festival.

Whilst up on stage at the Forest Hills Stadium in New York, the 24-year-old singer could be visibly seen losing her footing and grasp of the microphone, before dropping it entirely and falling backwards as she lost consciousness.

Not only did this include a serious risk of head injury and/or concussion, but it is not the first time alarm bells have been raised surrounding her welfare in the past few months alone.

Shortly after struggling with in-ear monitors during her biggest-ever show at Wembley for Capital FM’s Summertime Ball, Young also threw up on stage during her Coachella debut.

The London-born artist has opened up multiple times in the past about struggling mentally at times, as well as ADHD and, most notably, her schizoaffective disorder diagnosis, which often revolves around symptoms such as depression, mania, mood irregularities and more

She ultimately had to pull out of a set in Washington, DC, as well; in fact, even before the incident this past Saturday (27 September), she told the crowd she had been having a difficult time.

Posting after the DC cancellation, Young said: “I love this job and never take my commitments and my audience for granted, so I’m sorry to those who will be disappointed by this.”

Echoing the same sentiment she shared above, she went on to add, “I hope you’ll give me another chance in the future. Thank you to all those who listen and care.

“To all those who love to be mean online, please give me a day off.”

It goes without saying that we wish her all the best, and that it’s worth noting that Lola Young isn’t the first artist who has risked putting entertainment before their own health, which raises real questions around what the industry can do to better safeguard individuals and prevent situations like this.

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Featured Images — The Project TV (screenshot via YouTube)/Press shot (supplied)

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