Three teenagers from Burnley have been banned from keeping pets after filming hundreds of animal cruelty videos and sharing them to social media.
Marcus Leverett, 19, Ryan Hancock, 18, and another teenager – who cannot be named due to his age – were exposed for the disgusting actions after Lancashire Police launched ‘Operation Rachet’ last year, and found horrifying footage showing dogs being used to kill badgers, deer, rabbits, and birds.
Police began investigating the group after reports that two teenagers were filmed in Burnley encouraging their dog to attack a cat – which died of its injuries on the way to the vet.
After seizing mobile phones, police uncovered the extent of the abuse and 182 TikTok videos.
Marcus Leverett pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court, and was sentenced to 12 weeks custody suspended for 18 months, as well as being ordered to pay £1,000 in costs and being disqualified from keeping all animals for 10 years, while Ryan Hancock was jailed for 18 weeks and also disqualified from keeping all animals for 10 years.
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The third teenager was given a 12-month referral order and was too disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years.
His family was also ordered to pay £500 costs, plus a £22 victim surcharge.
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Speaking on the tragic incident, PC Matt Hartup, of the Lancashire Police Rural Task Force in the East of the county, said: “The glamorisation of this type of violence is barbaric and serves no purpose in the countryside as it promotes horrendous suffering and abuse of animals, including the lack of concern for the welfare of the dogs used for these crimes.
“We hope the court results over the last two days sends a strong message to those looking to commit crime in Lancashire, that it will not be tolerated and it will be acted upon.
“We would like to thank the community for bringing it to our attention so promptly.”
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PC Hartup also crucially confirmed the good news that the dogs in the video have all been “safely rehomed”.
Jason Bowles – the RSPCA officer who led the investigation, – added: “This group of lads was targeting animals on the council estate they lived on as well as wildlife in the surrounding area [and] we found awful footage on their mobile phones that showed extreme cruelty to animals.
“Many of the photos and videos had been set to music and edited for sharing online.
“Not only did the animals they attacked and killed suffer, but their own dogs also suffered from injuries in the confrontations and fights.”
Featured Image – RSPCA
News
Derelict Manchester office block to become ‘vital’ accommodation for homeless families
Emily Sergeant
A derelict former office block in Manchester is set to become vital accommodation for homeless families in the region.
Manchester City Council has announced that, subject to planning approval, new temporary accommodation for dozens of homeless families will be created on the site of a derelict former office block in south Manchester, off Nell Lane in Chorlton.
The Council acquired the 1.1 acre site last month with the support of the Government’s Local Authority Housing Fund.
The initiative – which is part of wider plans to boost the city’s stock of quality temporary accommodation – will see self-contained two-bedroom accommodation created for around 55 homeless families built where former NHS offices, Mauldeth House, currently stand.
Mauldeth House has been empty for several years now at this point, and had become somewhat of a ‘blight’ on the neighbourhood, attracting anti-social behaviour along the way and being targeted by squatters – but with the plans for the new accommodation, this could change for the better.
The site, and therefore the new accommodation, is said to be ‘ideally located’ for families, as it’s close to shops, schools, public transport, leisure facilities, and Chorlton Park.
The new accommodation will see families supported by a specialist team based on site to help them move on as quickly as possible into permanent settled tenancies, which is, of course, the long-term goal for many.
The Mauldeth House initiative is cited as being one example of the Council’s drive to increase its temporary accommodation stock across the city to reduce the number of out-of-area placements.
Other successful examples of this initiative include Mariana House in Whalley Range, and The Poplars in Rusholme.
It also comes after it was announced last month that homeless children in Greater Manchester, particularly those who are placed in temporary accommodation out of area for their school, will now get free bus travel to and from school.
“Mauldeth House is a great example of how we can put derelict properties to good use to benefit those experiencing homelessness, as well as making our neighbourhood look better,” explained Deputy Council Leader, Cllr Joanna Midgley.
“We are tackling homelessness on many fronts, the most important one being prevention, but we also need an increased supply of good quality temporary accommodation within the city so that if people do become homeless they are not uprooted from their social support networks.
“One of the ways we are doing this is through the innovative use of existing sites whether they are council owned or we are able to acquire them, as in the case of Mauldeth House.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Bolton woman who falsely accused 10 men of raping her has been jailed
Emily Sergeant
A woman from Bolton who falsely accused 10 different men of raping her over a six-year period has now been jailed.
Stacey Sharples, 31 from Farnworth in Bolton, pleaded guilty of 10 counts of perverting the course of justice in relation to reports against 10 separate men at Bolton Crown Court earlier last month (2 February 2026), before appearing in court again this week to be sentenced.
The investigation into Sharples was launched after the arrests and questioning of almost all these men, and following the pursuing of all relevant lines of enquiry, which consistently revealed evidence contrary to what had been disclosed by Sharples.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says investigations of this nature are ‘extremely rare’ and the decision to pursue Sharples as a suspect was ‘not one taken lightly’.
“However, it is our duty to act in the public interest and on the evidence and information we uncover and receive, which in this case demonstrated a continuous, wilful making of false allegations, knowing full well the consequences for each of the men involved,” GMP said in a statement following Sharples’ sentencing.
Of the allegations Sharples pleaded guilty to – of which were made over a six-year period between 2013 and 2019 – most of the men were arrested and spent time in custody, with some also undertaking intimate examinations, and almost all spending periods of time on police bail or released under investigation.
Statements from the men accused by Stacey Sharples / Credit: GMP
GMP says there’s ‘no doubt’ the reports and arrests have had an impact on these men, their sense of self and relationships, their wider networks, and how they move forward with their lives.
False accounts also undermine those who have genuinely experienced sexual violence.
Police say it also affects the confidence in the criminal justice system, and that the time spent investigating Sharples’ reports could have been put towards investigating ‘genuine reports of sexual offences’ instead.
Sharples has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison this week after pleading guilty to making false rape allegations.
Speaking following Sharples’ sentencing this week, Detective Sergeant Steven Gilliland, who investigated this case, said: “We took the allegations made by Stacey Sharples seriously, explored all lines of enquiry and swiftly made arrests or interviewed of all the men she accused.
“We gave her multiple opportunities to provide further explanation or information to us, after interviews with the men and subsequent evidence uncovered didn’t align with her first recollection, as we understand that trauma can impact how victims and survivors recount their experiences.
“Ultimately, as the evidence continued to demonstrate that the reports were untrue, coupled with the desire for justice from some of the men who had been falsely accused, it was right that we followed the evidence and pursued the individual who had actually committed a criminal offence.”
Emily Sergeant -
25th February 2022 
