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
‘Seriously injured’ man rescued from reservoir dam at popular Bolton country park
Emily Sergeant
A significant emergency service response descended on a popular country park in Bolton early yesterday evening.
After reports of a person in the water at Jumbles Reservoir, in the Bromley Cross / Bradshaw area of Bolton, came in just before 6:30pm yesterday (Monday 18 May), teams from North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), Lancashire Constabulary, and Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service all attended the scene in droves.
Specialist support was also provided from NWAS’s Hazardous Area Response Team, North West Air Ambulance, Bolton Mountain Rescue Team, National Police Air Service, and United Utilities – which looks after the reservoir.
It was also confirmed that a HM Coastguard helicopter was requested to attend the scene.
At this time, no formal statement has been made by the police, but Bolton Mountain Rescue Team has taken to social media to update the concerned public on the situation as it unfolds.
Their statement reads: “At 18:28 this evening, the team was contacted by North West Ambulance Service with the report of a person in the water at Jumbles Reservoir, Bolton.
“We worked alongside colleagues from NWAS and their Hazardous Area Response Team, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, North West Air Ambulance, National Police Air Service, Lancashire Constabulary, and United Utilities. A HM Coastguard helicopter was also requested.
“A seriously injured male was rescued from within the overflow structure on the reservoir dam and was conveyed to hospital for further treatment.”
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According to reports in the MEN, pictures and videos posted on social media showed rope rescue teams along with water rescue units also in attendance, and the emergency response was seen in the main car park off Bradshaw Road.
Further statements and updates on the situation are expected in due course.
Featured Image – David Dixon (Wikimedia Commons / Geograph)
News
Bury primary school teaching assistant jailed after pleading guilty to child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A teaching assistant from Bury has been sentenced after pleading guilty to multiple sex offences against a ‘vulnerable’ young boy.
Terri Cook, of Masefield Avenue in Radcliffe, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week, where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to eight charges of sexual offences.
The sentencing came after officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU) began in ‘intense’ investigation into Cook back in September of last year after a member of the public reported seeing her out with a young boy.
The subsequent investigation showed that she had been grooming and manipulating the young boy into engaging in a sexual relationship with her.
Police found numerous messages on Cook’s phone where she had been inciting sexual communications with the boy and holding indecent images of him, and she was also found to have been buying him expensive items, like jewellery and clothing, for a period of more than nine months.
During a powerful statement read out in court, the young boy was described as being ‘extremely kind and caring’, with his mum adding: “Despite experiencing traumatic events earlier in his life, he continued to be positive and compassionate. He smiled every day and made us all laugh.”
Cook was sentenced four-and-a-half years in prison for eight charges of sexual offences.
Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Adam Stanfield, from GMP’s Bury CPIU, said: “This case was a horrific example of calculated abuse of power, and Cook targeted a vulnerable child who put his trust in her.
“Grooming is a form of manipulation that can leave lasting emotional and psychological damage, and our priority remains protecting young people and supporting victims as they recover.
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“This sentencing also emphasises our unwavering commitment to protecting male victims. They can be victims too and I urge anyone who believes they may have been through anything similar to please report to us.”
Featured Image – GMP
Emily Sergeant -
27th September 2022 
