A man who broke into a Manchester student’s residence and raped her has been jailed for 20 years, it has been confirmed.
today (31 August 2023) been sentenced to 20 years in jail with a further 5 years on license after release.
33-year-old Courtney Adams, of Chichester Road in Manchester, raped and sexually assaulted the 19-year-old woman after breaking into an address on Cavendish Place at around 5:30am on 29 November 2022.
The victim awoke to find Adams in her room “holding a knife to her face” and “demanding cash and valuables”, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) reports.
Earlier on the night of the attack, Adams had also broken into another victim’s address on Greater Western Street armed with a crowbar – with the victim having heard Adams breaking in and proceeding to flee the house to “seek assistance from her neighbours” after seeing him.
Whilst the victim was gone, Adams then “tore through her home” and stole numerous things – including debit cards, handbags, and more – and after making unsuccessful attempts to use the stolen cards in a late-night convenience store, he then made his way to Cavendish Place.
On gaining entry to the property in central Manchester, Adams took a knife from the kitchen and went into a bedroom.
What then followed is what police have called a “truly horrific ordeal”.
Cavendish Place in Manchester city centre / Credit: Google Maps
Adam’s pressed the knife to the 19-year-old victim’s face and threatened to harm her if she didn’t hand over valuables and cash, and so, distressed and in fear of her life, the victim gave him a quantity of cash, but he still proceeded to ransack the room looking for more, before going on attacked, sexually assault, and rape her.
Left “immediately traumatised” by what had happened to her, the victim called a friend and together they contacted the police.
Upon receiving reports, GMP straight away launched an investigation to “rapidly-locate” and arrest the man responsible for this “horrific attack”.
The search operation involved extensive house-to-house enquiries, several appeals to the general public for information, and reviewing hundreds of hours of CCTV and other footage.
Following appeals for information, officers were provided with compilations of CCTV by members of the public and using this footage, they were able to piece together the events of that night and follow the movements of the man later identified as Adams.
#JAILED | Today (31/8/23) Courtney Adams (DOB: 1/11/90) of Chichester Road, Manchester has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for the rape and burglary of a nineteen-year-old female student at an address on Cavendish Place, Manchester in November 2022 ⬇️ https://t.co/izxQZUEfdOpic.twitter.com/uS8t8gzH9N
Investigators also discovered till receipts on the grass near Cavendish Place, which showed Adams attempting to use the stolen credit cards in the shop and linked him to the other burglary that had taken place earlier that evening on Great Western Street.
Investigators consulted the Greenheys Neighbourhood Team who, on viewing CCTV, identified Adams as the suspect.
This led to a warrant at Adams address, and following this phone work was completed which yielded crucial evidence that put Adams directly at the scenes at Great Western Street and Cavendish place during the times when the offences took place.
After investigators discovered information linking to Adams’ earlier crimes in the night, a warrant led to his address, and on 4 December 2022, he was arrested.
He was then charged a short time later, and remanded until trial.
Following this rape conviction, yesterday (31 August), Adams was sentenced to 20 years in jail with a further five years on license after release, GMP has confirmed.
Featured Image – GMP
News
More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham
Daisy Jackson
More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.
The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.
The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.
The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).
Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.
Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.
What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.
“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.
“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
Emily Sergeant -
1st September 2023 
