A former personal trainer from Manchester has been jailed after grooming and sexually assaulting a teenage client.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) first received information that Matthew Lawrence was having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old child while he was a personal trainer in a gym at the time, and had befriended her by offering to train and help her with her diet and nutrition.
At first, the manager of the gym was said to be “concerned” that the victim was not over the age of 16, as per the gym’s membership requirements, and approached Lawrence advising him to terminate her membership.
Lawrence, however, replied stating: “Don’t ban her, in case she goes to the police.”
In past conversations, Lawrence had said he preferred dating younger girls as he liked their “innocence”, and had also bragged to another member of the gym that he had been exchanging indecent images with the victim, which, of course, led staff at the gym to become concerned by his behaviour and were become fearful that he had groomed her.
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Thankfully, they reported the matter to the police, and Lawrence was subsequently circulated as wanted.
Matthew Lawrence was sentenced at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court this week / Credit: Flickr
After detectives managed to track down several witnesses who stated that they were in the presence of Lawrence when he learned the victim was just 15-years-old, as well as gathering further evidence from his mobile phone, the victim bravely confided in her mother in August 2023, and told her that Lawrence had tried to kiss her, and physically forced her to commit sexual acts on him.
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When interviewed by specially-trained officers, the victim disclosed that Lawrence had taken her to the cinema as a reward for training so hard in the gym, before sexually assaulting her in his locked car.
Phone analysis conducted also showed that there were over 3,000 calls and texts between Lawrence and the victim in the space of just a month, many of a sexually explicit nature.
He was arrested by GMP officers at London Airport on the 1 September 2023, which prevented him from starting a new job as a personal trainer on a cruise ship.
After Lawrence pleaded guilty to sexual communication with a child, and two counts of sexual activity with a child at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday 28 January), he was eventually sentenced to three years and nine months in jail.
He is also subject to an indefinite restraining order and sexual notification order, and a 10 year sexual harm prevention order.
Featured Image – GMP
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‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
Emily Sergeant -
29th January 2025 
