A 51-year-old male has been convicted after police officers saw him taking illicit photos of hundreds of women during the Manchester Pride Parade.
Andrew Smoggie has been charged with a breach of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
He had been pretending to make phone calls during the busy event in the city centre on Saturday 27 August, but two plain-clothes Project Servator officers noticed his screen was on camera mode.
Smoggie was challenged, and it emerged that he was a registered sex offender whose SHPO prevented him from taking photos of female strangers in public spaces.
Police caught registered sex offender Andrew Smoggie taking photos of women at the Pride Parade. Credit: Unsplash
Hundreds of photos of women, many taken at the Pride Parade, were found on his phone.
ADVERTISEMENT
Smoggie, of Thelwall Lane in Warrington, was remanded in police custody and on Monday 29 August pleaded guilty at Manchester & Salford Magistrates court.
A statement from GMP said: “Every year in Greater Manchester, hundreds of sex offenders are put behind bars following comprehensive investigations by our officers and detectives across GMP committed to getting justice for survivors.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We’re continuing to do all we can to protect the public from harm and sexual offending – whether it be in the real world or the digital world – by safeguarding and supporting survivors, and target and prosecute offenders.
“All our officers tackling sexual abuse will ensure that all necessary steps are taken to use the extent of the necessary legislation so that all available powers are used to ensure offenders are preventing from harming again – and, if they do, we can work with partners agencies to take them off the streets.
ADVERTISEMENT
“If you or someone you know has been raped or sexually assaulted, we encourage you not to suffer in silence and report it to the police, or a support agency so you can get the help and support available.”
You can find support at:
Saint Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre
Saint Mary’s SARC in Manchester provides a comprehensive and co-ordinated response to men, women and children who live or have been sexually assaulted within Greater Manchester. They offer forensic medical examinations, practical and emotional support as well as a counselling service for all ages.
Services are available on a 24-hour basis and can be accessed by calling 0161 276 6515
Greater Manchester Rape Crisis
ADVERTISEMENT
Rape Crisis is a confidential information, support and counselling service run by women for women over 18 who have been raped or sexually abused at any time in their lives.
Survivors provides specialist trauma informed support to male victims in Greater Manchester who have experienced sexual abuse, rape or sexual exploitation.
Call 0161 236 2182
Featured image: Unsplash
News
Former care home worker who defrauded elderly woman out of £300k arrested after fleeing to Spain
Emily Sergeant
A fraudster former care home worker who’s been on the run for almost a year has finally been arrested in Spain.
Pamela Gwinnett has been arrested in Tenerife, where she fled to in 2025, and will be returned to the UK to face justice for her crimes.
The arrest comes after a meticulous investigation by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) where Gwinnett was found guilty of defrauding an elderly woman, named Joan Green from Chorley in Lancashire, out of almost £300,000 while she was employed as a caregiver at a nursing home.
Gwinnett fled the UK for Tenerife in 2025 in an effortto evade authorities, GMP said.
She was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison in her absence back in October 2025 for a number of offences, including fraud by abuse of position and theft , and at a subsequent Proceeds of Crime hearing, an order for £300,000 was granted… but up until this week, Gwinnett has been on the run and police have been trying to track her down.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) worked alongside the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Spanish authorities to locate Gwinnett and begin the process of her return to the UK where she will serve her sentence.
Speaking in reaction to Gwinnett’s arrest this week, PC Georgia Loughton, who was the GMP officer in charge of the investigation, said: “I am pleased that Pamela Gwinnett will be returned to the UK where she will serve her sentence.
“Gwinnett knowingly defrauded a vulnerable woman out of almost £300,000, cutting off all contact with her family and controlling every aspect of her life.
“She was trusted by Joan, and she used this position of trust to her own financial gain. Joan was isolated from her family and denied from seeing her grandchildren and their children.
“Sadly, Joan passed away in 2022, however we hope that the return of Gwinnett to the UK to serve her sentence gives Joan’s family a sense of justice as they look to move on with their lives.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Micah Richards reveals dad ‘unexpectedly’ died shortly before going on air for England v Argentina last night
Emily Sergeant
Micah Richards has revealed that his dad died shortly before he went on air for the World Cup semi final last night.
The former right back – who most-notably played for Manchester City for a decade from 2005-2015, and for the England national team from 2006-2012 – was one of the BBC’s pundits providing on-air analysis last night as England faced Argentina in a highly anticipated semi final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup last night.
The two teams faced off in Atlanta, and while goals came from both sides, it was ultimately Argentina that reigned supreme – securing a 2-1 win over the Three Lions.
But while much of the country is grieving the fact that football won’t be ‘coming home’ (well, for another two years at least), Richards is grieving on a deeper level.
He took to Instagram after the loss last night to share with his 1.4m followers that shortly before he went on air, his father Lincoln passed away ‘unexpectedly’ – calling him the ‘proudest parent possible’ in a touching tribute.
“He has left us all too soon,” Richards began in his tribute.
“Hwas my greatest fan. He barely missed a game my entire life. He would take me wherever I needed to go when I was a kid and he was the proudest parent possible during my professional career. It was so rare for him to not be by my side.
“I know how much watching England World Cup games means to everyone at home, and how the experience bonds families together across the generations, like nothing else.
“I know, particularly as a proud old-school Yorkshireman, dad would’ve wanted the show to go on this evening. And so it did.”
Daisy Jackson -
31st August 2022 
