A man has been jailed after ‘abusing and isolating’ a young teenage girl from Manchester who he groomed on social media.
David Stewart, from Birmingham, has been jailed this week after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, meeting up with a child following sexual grooming, child abduction, and witness intimidation.
He is also subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order.
The 25-year-old’s sentencing comes after Manchester Children’s Services received a disclosure from a parent who had serious concerns about the inappropriate behaviour of Stewart towards her teenage daughter back in August 2023.
Following notice of the report, officers and partners based in Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) multi-agency Complex Safeguarding Hub immediately launched an investigation to understand the serious allegations, while specialist agencies were also deployed to safeguard the victim and her family.
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#JAILED | Man jailed for nine years for grooming and isolating young girl in Manchester following swift investigation from officers and partners
Specialist agencies were deployed to safeguard the victim and her family and offer them the support and care they needed pic.twitter.com/Z5wzGdaRfr
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) March 4, 2025
GMP’s investigation uncovered that around May 2023, Stewart contacted the victim – who was a 13-year-old girl at the time – on social media, and over several months, groomed her, isolated her from support, repeatedly lured her away from family, and went on to sexually exploit her.
Stewart was subsequently arrested on suspicion of sexual grooming in September 2023.
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He was bailed while detectives built a case, but was given a child abduction warning notice, which prohibited him from contacting the victim or spending time with her.
Despite this, police received intelligence in December 2023 that Stewart was still in contact with the victim and had even lured her to the airport where he sexually abused her.
Stewart was then swiftly re-arrested in the West Midlands, and was transported back to Manchester where he was charged and remanded so that he could not be a risk to anyone.
“Stewart manipulated and abused this young girl to satisfy his own depraved sexual urges,” explained Detective Inspector Chris Chadderton following the sentencing.
“He continued to offend whilst under police investigation, demonstrating his callous and brazen nature, so I am pleased that this sentence has been passed down and he is now behind bars.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Cult US sustainable clothing brand Reformation to open in Manchester city centre
Emily Sergeant
Cult US sustainable clothing brand Reformation is set to open its doors in Manchester very soon.
Since it was first founded in Los Angeles all the way back in 2009, Reformation has gone on to become one of the largest sustainable womenswear brands on the planet, and is now known and loved for making beautiful, timeless apparel and accessories that aim to ‘inspire confidence’ across life stages and occasions.
Operating on a business model that pairs a smart approach to merchandising with a responsive supply chain, Reformation now operates more than 70 retail stores across the US, UK, Canada, and France.
At the heart of the Reformation story is a genuine commitment to ‘doing things differently’.
Since day one, sustainability has been woven into everything the brand makes – from the eco-certified fabrics and responsible factories, to its famously transparent sustainability reports.
Currently, Reformation has five UK stores to its name – but, it may come as no surprise to fans of the brand that they’re all in London.
That’s why the news of this new Manchester opening is such a big deal.
Set to be the label’s first UK store outside of the capital, Reformation has secured a prime spot on King Street in the heart of the city centre, and although there’s no confirmed opening date as of yet, if the shop windows saying ‘Summer 2026’ are anything to go by, we can only imagine it’ll be very soon.
“For Manchester, it’s a landmark moment, and for King Street, it’s the latest signal that this is one of the UK’s most exciting retail destinations,” a spokesperson for King Street said in a statement.
Stay tuned for details on opening dates to be announced in due course.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Andy Burnham to begin rolling out new ‘everyday fixes’ for Brits amid cost of living crisis
Emily Sergeant
A series of ‘everyday fixes’ to help combat the rising cost of living crisis are soon to be rolled out nationwide.
Kicking off with two measures today, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced that he plans to ban retailers from making ‘misleading’ claims to customers about discounts.
The Government says shoppers have ‘increasingly complained’ about outlets artificially inflating prices to give a false sense of value, such as increasing prices only to then immediately advertise ‘discounts’ to make savings look larger than they really are, which goes on to create an uneven playing field for honest competitors.
The Prime Minister also wants to see an end to so-called ‘subscription traps’, where people find it hard to cancel their subscriptions, and contracts are automatically renewed at a higher cost.
Set to come into force in January 2027 and saving people an average of £14 a month for every unwanted subscription, the changes will mean businesses will need to provide clearer up-front information, regular reminders. and a ‘much easier’ exit to contracts.
Andy Burnham to begin rolling out new ‘everyday fixes’ for Brits amid cost of living crisis / Credit: gov.uk | Piotr Cichosz (via Unsplash)
A new 14-day cooling-off period will also be introduced to let consumers cancel after a trial or long-term contract renews.
Certain charitable memberships, like the ones for cultural and heritage organisations for example, will be excluded from the new subscription rules due to the fact they have a unique role in preserving the nation’s history, landscapes, and cultural collections.
The Prime Minister says he is ‘determined’ to use every chance he gets to restore fairness and take pressure off people.
“I know people are sick and tired of rip-off discounts and subscription traps,” Andy Burnham said. “Westminster has got used to telling people that everyday hassles like this are just part of life, but I don’t think that’s right, especially when the cost of living continues to weigh heavily on so many people’s lives.”
Emily Sergeant -
5th March 2025 
