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Emily Sergeant -
16th April 2020
Emily Sergeant -
16th April 2020 News
Beloved Greater Manchester tourist attraction left devastated after deliberate act of ‘mindless’ vandalism
Emily Sergeant
A beloved heritage tourist attraction in Greater Manchester has been left devastated after being attacked in a deliberate act of ‘mindless’ vandalism.
East Lancashire Railway (ELR) has revealed that it has, once again, been the victim of what it is referring to as a ‘deliberate and disgraceful’ act of vandalism overnight over May bank holiday weekend, where a locomotive and several coaches from the InterCity 125 heritage set were ‘targeted’.
In what can only be described as a ‘mindless attack’, extensive graffiti was plastered across rolling stock.
“One coach had only just been repainted in February, making this damage particularly galling,” ELR said in a gutting statement.
Staff and volunteers working on the heritage railway claim this incident was ‘not opportunistic behaviour’ and was, in fact, a ‘calculated act of destruction’ against irreplaceable heritage assets cared for by volunteers.
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Once the vandalism was discovered, volunteers immediately stepped in and worked tirelessly for several hours using specialist cleaning materials to remove the graffiti before it could permanently set.
Although further polishing and restoration work is still required, ELR says the volunteers’ swift action prevented what could have been ‘significant and lasting’ damage.
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“This is a disgraceful and deeply frustrating attack on a railway run largely by volunteers, with many steam and diesel traction owned either by the ELR or groups and in some cases, private individuals who give their time freely to preserve our railway,” commented Mike Kelly, who is the Chairman of the East Lancashire Railway.
“It is nothing short of a kick in the teeth for those who work so hard to maintain and preserve historic traction and rolling stock.
“We are working closely with the police and are determined to see those responsible identified and held accountable.”
Read more:
- Heaton Park’s historic tramway will be back up and running this summer after major funding secured
- Iconic Flying Scotsman steam train returns to Greater Manchester this summer
- Greater Manchester’s popular luxury steam train dining experiences are back
Greater Manchester Police attended the scene, gathered evidence, but anyone with any information about those responsible is urged to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org.
Featured Image – ELR (Supplied)
News
Former supply teacher charged with child sex offences in schools across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A former supply teacher has been charged with a number of child sex offences, including upskirting in schools across Greater Manchester.
Abusali Rahman, a British national of Bangladeshi ethnicity from Salford, is remanded in custody after being charged with offences including, but not limited to, 12 counts of taking an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child (images obtained by upskirting), three counts of making indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (making AI-generated images), and one count of attempting to meet girl under 16 following sexual grooming.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between December 2023 and June 2025, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Thirteen girls have been identified – aged between 13 and 16 at the time of the alleged offending – at seven high schools in three Greater Manchester boroughs (Bury, Bolton, and Salford).
All affected schools and the parents of the 13 identified girls have been informed, GMP has confirmed, and all necessary safeguarding personnel have been made aware of the ongoing investigation – with specialist support on offer to them throughout this case.
Rahman has not worked in schools since he was arrested in June 2025, after a concern was raised by a parent about an image of their child in school uniform being circulated by a social media account.
The discovery of further images prompted an upskirting investigation by GMP’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT), and a ‘significant’ amount of specialist and sensitive work has since gone into trying to identify girls.
Rahman was charged and appeared at Wigan Magistrates’ Court last month (April 2026), before being remanded into custody and set to appear again at Bolton Crown Court on Thursday 28 May.
By law, alleged victims of sexual offences have a lifelong right to anonymity, and GMP therefore asks that people respect their privacy and protect the integrity of the case by not speculating or commenting on it, either in person or online.
Read more:
- Bolton man jailed for 22 years for horrific sex offences against two children of ‘extreme youth’
- Private tutor with ‘sordid sexual agenda’ jailed after sexually assaulting five young girls
- Trafford gymnastics coach jailed for 18 years after raping and sexually assaulting young girls
“I understand the concern and upset that will come with this news,” commented Detective Chief Superintendent Rebecca McKendrick, head of GMP’s Public Protection Division.
“It is so important that everyone refrains from speculation as this is an active case where the girls affected have a right to lifelong anonymity and the defendant has a right to a fair trial. The last thing that needed now is speculation around this case – if you know something, please report it directly to us.”
Featured Image – MChe Lee (via Unsplash)
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