An armed gang who carried out a series of almost 30 robberies across Greater Manchester and Cheshire and made off with thousands of pounds’ worth of goods have been jailed for over 50 years.
Six criminals from Salford, Trafford and Sale targeted local businesses and homes throughout 2019 – threatening shop staff with machetes, dragging one retail worker across the floor by their ankle, and putting another in a headlock.
A mother and two children were also left “scarred for life” after the gang locked them in a cupboard whilst they stole watches, jewellery and the family’s car during a house raid in Warburton.
A shocking 29 armed robberies were committed between May and November 2019.
Jack Yarwood from Salford, Michael Burke from Trafford, Stuart Watson from Trafford, Daniel Adamson from Sale and Michael Kedie from Sale were all jailed at Manchester Crown Square this week (June 29) – with the combined sentences totalling more than half a century.
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The first offence took place at a Co-Op in Cheshire at around 9.45pm on 12 May 2019 where three masked men – Kedie, Yarwood and Burke – entered the store and threatened staff with a machete and a hammer and stole cash from a safe.
The gang continued to target retail stores over the next few months, including several Co-Ops in Stretford, Wythenshawe, Lymm, Bowden, Swinton and Cheadle Hulme, as well as a McColls in Bramhall, Poundland in Urmston, Starbucks in Trafford Park, Sainsbury’s in Altrincham and Asda Petrol Station in Sale.
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The OCG threatened staff in shops & even locked a family in a cupboard whilst they raided their house in #Cheshire armed with this machete. In a statement read out in court from the family, they described as the "worst night of their lives" and the children are scarred for life.. pic.twitter.com/tTlhRJg4Su
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) June 30, 2021
In October 2019, following a Co-op raid on Knutsford Road in Warrington, the gang fled in a Ford Focus and were pursued by police. Two of the men exited the vehicle armed with machetes and ran towards the officer, before getting back into the Focus and driving off – eventually abandoning the car in the Racecourse Estate in Sale.
Officers found cigarettes, cash and other items from the robbery left inside the Focus.
GMP’s Serious and Organised Crime Group division pieced the attacks together through phone and CCTV analysis, surveillance and the support of a large number of witnesses in the case.
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The group of six men were sentenced this week following a robbing spree in 2019 / Image: GMP
Detective Sergeant Richard Castley, from GMP’s SOCG, said: “This was a series of terrifying incidents that saw staff and members of the public in their own homes assaulted and scared for their lives – some of them still haven’t returned to work and some are still recovering from their ordeal.
“The members of the public targeted by these offenders were simply doing their job to serve the public in their local shop or were in their home addresses when they were confronted with this masked gang armed with weapons.
“Their robbery spree days are now over after our thorough investigation and this sends out a message – no matter how organised and sophisticated a group is – we will track offenders down and bring them to justice.”
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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)
The Manc -
1st July 2021 
