News
Happy Mondays star Bez handed fine for ‘driving carelessly’ at 90mph
He told police he sped up to "get away" as he thought he was being followed by "some kind of weirdo".
Happy Mondays star has been convicted and handed a fine after being caught driving carelessly on a motorway earlier this year.
Bez – real name Mark Berry, who is famed for being the maraca-shaking dancer in legendary Manc rock band Happy Mondays – appeared in court yesterday after he was caught cutting across an unmarked police car in his Bentley Continental on 3 January 2022.
The Crown Prosecution Service told the court that the 58-year-old was witnessed the dangerously undertaking other cars and driving at excessive speeds through speed restricted roadworks.
The Salford-born dancer then cut across all three lanes of the motorway, in front of a white van, to leave the motorway at junction five.
At this point, he was travelling at around 85 to 90mph.
Magistrates in Warrington heard that police officers followed Mr Berry for 13 minutes, before he was arrested after leaving the M56 at Junction 5 near Manchester Airport.
He told police he had sped up to “get away” as he thought he was being followed by “some kind of weirdo”.
Following the incident, Bez was found guilty of driving without due care and attention at Warrington Magistrates’ Court yesterday, and was subsequently fined £1,009 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £101, as well as costs of £400 – with three points also added to his licence.
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Following the hearing, senior district crown prosecutor Neil Colville, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “Berry was driving recklessly on that night without any thought for the other drivers on the road and it is lucky that someone was not hurt as he was driving at speed and carelessly.
“The fact that he cut across a car that was being driven by a police officer is fortuitous. That led them to follow him and stop him before he could cause any more issues. He has denied his wrongdoing until the end, but has now been found guilty. Some people think the laws of the land do not apply to them.
“Speed limits and road regulations are there to protect us all, and Mark Berry chose to ignore them.
“He has been found guilty and has only himself to blame.”
Featured Image – ITV
News
Beloved Manchester artist Stanley Chow slams Conservative Party for using his artwork
Daisy Jackson
Celebrated local artist Stanley Chow has lashed out at the Conservative Party.
The illustrator, who is famed for his cartoon portraits of famous faces, has discovered that the political party have been using his Andy Burnham illustration at their party conference.
Publicly addressing the usage, Stanley said he would be ‘seeking legal advice’.
He shared a photo of his Andy Burnham portrait that has been placed onto a water bottle with the slogan ‘Bottler Burnham’.
The label also says: “0% strength. Bottled under pressure from Badenoch.”
In another photo, Stanley Chow revealed that the Tory party conference has used his Andy Burnham portrait on pots of sweets, too.
This time, they say: “Andy Panders’ people pleaser pick n mix. Free sweets for everyone, it will only cost you higher taxes.”
Stanley wrote: “It seems like @conservatives have been using my artwork without my permission at their conference party…
“Regardless of whatever your political allegiances are, it’s still copyright infringement… I’ll be seeking legal advice.”
Backing him up in the comments are a number of other local artists, including Mancsy, who said: “As well as the copyright infringement, I expect more of political parties than making gags at the expense of the opposition. It’s alarming on multiple levels.”
Someone else wrote: “Imagine calling a prime minister a people pleaser like it’s an insult… when it’s their job.”
Another person said: “How does that even happen?! Layers of people signing off who go, ‘Sure, let’s not worry about copyright’ (people who’ve presumably never step foot in MCR and seen your artwork, like EVERYWHERE). Drag em, babe. Copyright and reputation, surely.”
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Featured image: The Manc Group
News
Manchester man jailed after sexually assaulting and masturbating in front of woman on train
Emily Sergeant
A man has been jailed after sexually assaulting and masturbating in front of a woman on board a train to Manchester.
Following an extensive British Transport Police (BTP) investigation, Nisan Fernando Kurukulasuriya, of Troutbeck Road in Altrincham, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court last month.
At the trail last month, the court heard how, on Monday 20 April 2026, 39-year-old Kurukulasuriya was on a train from Stoke to Manchester and sat next to a woman he didn’t know, who was on the phone.
He then sexually assaulted her repeatedly, doing so again even after being pushed away by the woman.
The woman then noticed that Kurukulasuriya had exposed himself and was masturbating in front of her. She shouted at him, and in response, he stood up and ran away to leave the train – but the woman immediately got up to report the incident to staff.
When the train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly, the woman alerted a member of staff while Kurukulasuriya was stood only a few meters away, and BTP were subsequently called straight away.
Police quickly attended and arrested Kurukulasuriya.
When police interviewed him, Kurukulasuriya showed no remorse for his actions and refused to answer any questions put to him.
After pleading guilty to Sexual Assault and Outraging Public Decency at a previous court hearing, Kurukulasuriya was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, and was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which will bar him from sitting next to any woman he doesn’t know on public transport, as well as being put on thensex offenders register for 10 years.
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BTP Detective Sergeant, Mark Haviland, called Kurukulasuriya a ‘despicable man’ who targeted a woman travelling alone ‘for his own sick sexual gratification’.
Featured Image – BTP
Emily Sergeant -
27th September 2022 
