A new Thai restaurant with tuk-tuk seating booths has its sights set on a new Manchester opening, it has been revealed.
Zaap Thai, which already has a portfolio of popular Thai restaurants in the north of England, is eyeing up a new Manchester location on Lincoln Square.
It has submitted plans to open a new restaurant at the square, which can be found just off Deansgate. If successful, Zaap Thai will join the likes of Maray, Wings, Shirley’s cafe, and BOX sports bar.
The street food brand has already made its mark in the north with well-established sites in Leeds, Nottingham, Newcastle, Headingley, and Sheffield.
Image: The Manc Group
Image: The Manc Group
The Manchester site will mark the sixth site for the restaurant group, which serves an affordably-priced menu spanning over 80 different authentic Thai dishes that draw inspiration from Bangkok in particular.
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Street food favourites like Pad Thai can be found alongside summer specials such as authentic Northern Thai sausages, Thai red curry with duck, Tom Yum wonton soup, and Thai jasmine rice stir-fries, plus sweet treats like Thai-style coconut ice cream and a special mango sorbet boba sundae.
Elsewhere, you’ll find Thai-inspired bao buns stuffed with the likes of crispy pork belly, tofu, and chicken, hearty Bangkok platters, curries, and an array of different noodle dishes on Zaap Thai’s extensive menu.
There are plenty of strong options for veggies and vegans, with plant-based meat alternatives offered alongside the likes of vegetables and tofu, and a small dim sum section to discover here.
Image: The Manc Group
Image: The Manc Group
As for drinks, discover plenty of cocktails, beers, and soft drinks sourced from Thailand, as well as boozy (and regular) bubble teas with lychee, watermelon, and brown sugar.
Brought to Manchester by the Yorkshire-based SUKHO Group, also behind the Sukhothai and the Zaap Thai Market in Nottingham, it is set to make something of a splash if it passes its consultation on 8 August.
Featured image – The Manc Group
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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.
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
News
GMP officer sentenced after hitting pedestrian during police chase in Rochdale
Emily Sergeant
A police officer has been sentenced this week after he struck and ‘seriously injured’ a pedestrian following a pursuit of a suspected drink driver in Rochdale.
35-year-old Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer PC Sam Lockley pleaded guilty back in January 2026 following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.
The IOPC investigation established that, in the early hours of the morning on 19 November 2023, PC Lockley was driving a marked police vehicle with the lights and sirens activated, and attempted to stop a suspected drunk driver on Drake Street in Rochdale.
A short pursuit that commenced but stopped merely a minute later after the police vehicle collided with a pedestrian on the footpath of Rochdale Road at approximately 3:30am.
The evidence gathered indicated that PC Lockley failed to slow down as he approached and drove through the red traffic lights at the Kingsway junction, and was travelling at a speed of 96mph in a 30mph zone.
The pedestrian suffered ‘serious injuries’ as a result of the collision, and received extensive medical treatment following.
At a hearing back in February of this year, PC Lockley received a two-year suspended sentence and was ordered to carry out 15 days community service, while also receiving two-year driving disqualification.
Also following the investigation, the IOPC decided that Lockley should face a gross misconduct hearing to face allegations that his manner of driving breached the police standards of professional behaviour.
“We continue to liaise with the force about disciplinary proceedings,” the IOPC concluded.
IOPC Director Amanda Rowe added: “My sympathies remain with the man, who sustained serious injuries, and all those affected by the incident.
“This was a complex investigation which relied on extensive amounts of data and expert analysis and the evidence showed PC Lockley drove at excessive speeds at night-time and although he was responding to a report of a suspected drink driver, it does not excuse his manner of driving.
“PC Lockley admitted he drove in a dangerous manner when he didn’t address hazards or warnings during the pursuit and ultimately by the time he saw the pedestrian, he was travelling too fast to avoid a collision.
“His actions that day have had long-lasting consequences and he has now been held accountable.”
Georgina Pellant -
24th July 2023 
