The main offender of a group of sexual predators who preyed upon young teenage girls in Bolton has been jailed.
Ashley Darbyshire appeared at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday (Monday 28 April) was found guilty of grooming, raping, and sexually assaulting underage girls in the Blackrod area of Bolton between 2016 and 2018.
He was convicted of three counts of rape, 12 counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and one count of making indecent photographs of a child.
Darbyshire was sentenced alongside three other men who were part of the group, with the remaining set to be sentenced today (29 April).
#SENTENCED | Three men part of Blackrod grooming gang have been sentenced today 28/04/25 for sexual offences against girls under 16.
Ashley Darbyshire (01/01/1997), of Bolton, was sentenced to 15 years, at Liverpool Crown Court.
According to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), the offences began in 2016 when the primary offender, Darbyshire – who was 19 at the time – first came into contact with the primary victim, a girl aged 13, and then went on to introduce her to nine of his friends, who each ‘used and abused her at their disposal’ on numerous occasions into 2018.
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The men – who were all aged from between 17 and 29 at the time when the offences began – also approached the other victims, all girls under the age of 16, via private messaging and social media platforms, and got to know them from where many local teenagers would hang out and socialise near the community centre.
The men plied some of the victims with alcohol and drugs, GMP explained, while some of them would send indecent images of their private body parts to the girls, as well as initiate sexual conversations with them on messaging platforms.
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The other two grooming gang members sentenced on the same day as Darbyshire / Credit: GMP
The offences eventually came to light after an incident involving one of the victims and another defendant on Sunday 17 June 2018, after which the police were notified, and an investigation was subsequently launched.
The group of men were all convicted of a range of sexual offences, with over 30 convictions between them.
Darbyshire has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, and is set to serve 10 years in custody, as well as being placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
On the same day as Darbyshire’s sentencing, another man from the group, Ross Corley, was convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a child and sentenced to 28 months in prison, and another unnamed man was convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, and was sentenced to 15 months, suspended for two years.
According to GMP, many of the men ‘showed no remorse’ for their actions in court when sentenced.
Featured Image – GMP
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Manchester’s libraries to become ‘warm spaces’ with free hot drinks and WiFi this winter
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s libraries are set to become ‘warm welcome spaces’ offering free hot drinks and internet access to those in need again this winter.
After millions of local residents visited the ‘stigma-free safe spaces’ to escape and take refuge from the cold each year since they were first introduced in 2022, Manchester City Council has decided to reintroduce its popular ‘Warm Welcome Spaces’ scheme again this year during the chillier months.
All 22 of Manchester‘s public libraries are, once again, taking part in the scheme this time around.
Designed to ‘provide support to people who need it’ over some of the most challenging months of the year when temperatures drop, the Council’s scheme is offering a range of different services – and they’re all for free of charge.
Free hot drinks, WiFi and internet access, data SIM cards, and newspapers are just some of the things people can make the most of inside these ‘warm spaces’, as well as get access to information, advice, and extra signposting to other support services they made need in the city.
Manchester’s libraries will become ‘warm spaces’ with free hot drinks and WiFi again this winter / Credit: Haydon Waldeck | koolshooters (Pexels)
There will be age-friendly spaces to connect with others, story times once a week at 11am for children under five, and even weekly digital drop-ins too.
Manchester Central Library, Miles Platting Community Library, Hulme High Street Library, Beswick Library, Longsight Library, and Abraham Moss Library are just some of the libraries taking part this winter.
All 22 libraries will be free to enter, and the Council says people can stay in them ‘for as long as you like’.
“For many years, the Council has been a proud supporter of the Warm Welcome Spaces initiative,” explained Councillor Thomas Robinson, who is the Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care at Manchester City Council.
“In Manchester we have been all too aware of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and the hardships people have suffered as a result.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say this work has the potential to be lifesaving. The simple act of offering a person a safe place where they can interact with other Mancunians, to not feel alone or get the help they need, can have a lasting and meaningful impact.”
Find your local free ‘Warm Welcome Space’ in Manchester here.
Featured Image – RawPixel
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University fees set to increase in line with inflation but Government promises ‘better outcomes’ for students
Emily Sergeant
University tuition fees are set to increase in line with forecasted inflation for the next two academic years, the Government has announced.
Last year was the first year, since 2017, that tuition fees were increased in line with inflation, and now that the Office for Students is forecasting that 43% of institutions will be in deficit without further action to ‘shore up’ their finances, the Government has announced in its ‘landmark’ Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper – published this week – that fees will need to rise again.
To support universities in continuing to deliver world-class teaching and research, tuition fees will rise in line with forecast inflation for the next two academic years.
According to the Department for Education, legislation will then be brought forward, when parliamentary time allows, to enable automatic increases to fee caps in future years in line with inflation – but this will only be institutions that meet tough new quality thresholds set by the Office for Students.
Where standards are deemed to ‘fall short’, the Office for Students will then act quickly to stop the expansion of low-quality courses and will aim to hold providers to account.
University fees are set to increase in line with inflation for the next two years / Credit: PickPik
Universities that underperform could face financial and regulatory consequences, the Government has confirmed, as a way of ensuring public money is spent only on courses that deliver for students and the economy overall.
“Young people from all backgrounds feel they have been let down by a system that talks about opportunity but too often fails to deliver it,” commented Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, as the White Paper was published this week.
“Universities charge significant fees for their courses, but if they are going to charge the maximum, it is right that they deliver the world-class education students expect.
“These reforms will ensure value for money, higher standards across our universities and colleges and a renewed focus on the skills our economy needs.”
The Government has also said it will also work with universities and local authorities to ensure they offer ‘adequate accommodation’ for their students.
It will also support efforts to drive down the cost of living going forward.
Emily Sergeant -
29th April 2025 
