News

Rochdale man jailed after police discover guns, drugs, and 800 parrots on his land

He pleaded guilty to 13 counts.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 14th October 2024

A man from Rochdale has been handed a jail sentence after thousands of pounds worth of drugs, guns, and more than 800 parrots were discovered on his land.

Back on 27 July 2023, officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called out to the address of The Pen, on Dyehouse Lane in Rochdale – which was a large plot of land with several containers, buildings, and outbuildings, and the family home of 36-year-old Zak Dearden – and proceeded to conduct searches.

This operation took a month, and more than 50 police officers were used to successfully complete the search of the land and all buildings.

Dearden was originally arrested, charged, and remanded for a drugs offence, but after officers received some intelligence that he had guns at his home address, and this is when searches began – with Operation Greyhound commencing in July 2023.

The Pen site on Dyehouse Lane in Rochdale, where Zak Dearden lived / Credit: GMP

Over the next four weeks, the search of the buildings resulted in drugs, firearms, and chemicals which were believed to be used in the manufacture and production of drugs, being seized from the property.

Five firearms with ammunition, and drugs including 10kg of amphetamines with a street value of £100,000, 99g of cannabis oil with a street value of £12,884, £57,000 worth of cannabis and £4,685 worth of cocaine, were all recovered from the property site in total.

As Dearden also ran a pet shop with his father selling exotic birds, officers found several hundred different animals including dogs, peacocks, parrots, mink, ferrets, ducks, Koi Carp, and a bull at the address, and at one count, there were even more than 800 parrots in separate outbuildings.

All the animals, including the 800 parrots, were left in the care of Dearden’s father after searches.

Dearden pleaded guilty to 13 counts, including but not limited to, the possession of guns, ammunition, possession of drugs, being concerned in drug supply, and drug manufacture.

Read more:

The 36-year-old appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week, and after pleading guilty, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Featured Image – GMP

News

All military personnel can travel for FREE on Manchester’s public transport this weekend

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant A Metrolink tram in Manchester city centre

All military personnel will be allowed to travel for free across Greater Manchester’s public transport system this weekend.

In case you hadn’t heard, this Saturday 28 June is Armed Forces Day.

Armed Forces Day sees Brits celebrate those who are currently serving troops, their families, serving reservists, veterans, and cadets, and Manchester will also be paying tribute to the hundreds who have ‘fearlessly served’ with day of commemorations in the city centre on Saturday.

Mancunians are expected to line the streets as a parade made up of armed forces personnel, veterans, and cadets will begin a procession that will proudly march through the centre of Manchester, starting in St Peter’s Square at 11:30am. 

You can also expect an afternoon of live performances by the lively Lancashire Army Artillery Band, alongside music hosted by BBC Radio DJ, Michelle Dignan, up until 4pm. 

Historic military displays, and stalls from organisations including the NHS, Royal British Legion, and Manchester City Council’s own Armed Forces Covenant, will also be in attendance, as well giving visitors the chance to explore an engaging display of military vehicles, uniforms, artefacts, and personal stories that span the rich legacy of the British armed forces inside a pop-up Military Museum tent.

This year’s Armed Forces Day is also particularly-special because it marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE Day) which happened on 8 May, and the upcoming Victory over Japan (VJ Day) on 15 August.

All military personnel can travel for free on Manchester’s public transport this weekend / Credit: GMP | Bee Network

And so, in order to honour what an important weekend it is for hundreds in our region, the Bee Network has announced that all military personnel will be allowed to travel for free.

Free travel will be permitted on all Bee Network bus and tram services on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June for any members of the Regular and Reserve Services carrying their MOD90 card, veterans who carry their Veterans’ badge or Veterans’ rail card, and cadets travelling in uniform.

“The Armed Forces community makes an invaluable contribution to our society, and we’re showing our appreciation with free travel on Bee Network buses and trams across Greater Manchester this weekend,” commented Danny Vaughan, who is the Chief Network Officer at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).

The free travel is part of TfGM’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant – a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly.

Read more:

“It’s a special weekend and one we’re proud to get behind,” Danny concluded.

Featured Image – Janus Boye

News

Stockport paedophile jailed after ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in early 2000s

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Christopher Oates

A prolific paedophile has been sentenced after admitting to ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in the early 2000s.

Christopher Oates, from Stockport, has been brought to justice this week after he subjected vulnerable girls to what Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has referred to as a ‘campaign’ of violence and sexual abuse 20 years ago.

The court heard how the 45-year-old groomed one of the survivors from when she was just 14 years old, by providing her with a false sense of security, paying her compliments, and pretending to be her boyfriend, all before he proceeded to ply her with drugs, gifts, and affection, and using the trust and control he gained to persuade her to start sex work on the streets of Manchester.

When the teenage victim began to doubt his intentions and asked to go home, Oates dragged her down an alleyway, violently attacked her, and threatened her with a gun, stating: ‘You do as I say, you’re mine now,’ commanding her to go to her ‘spot’.

It was this incident that prompted the teenager to confide in her mother and support services, and from here, found the strength to move forward with her life, while still courageously supporting the police investigation.

From this investigation, detectives were then able to identify a second teenage victim, a 17-year-old, who Oates also coerced into sex work.

The two victims recall Oates taking them to a designated spot in central Manchester at least once a week to carry out sex acts in cars for money.

Oates would supply both victims with cocaine and alcohol, and even pressured them to take crack cocaine and heroin, aiming to build an addiction and increase their dependency on him.

In April 2024, Oates pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of children, taking indecent images of children, and attempting to engage a child in sexual communication, as well as pleading to the production of cannabis and two counts of possessing an identity document with improper intent.

After being remanded into custody, on 5 September 2024, Oates was postal charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, three counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15 years old, and two counts causing / inciting a child aged 13-17 years to prostitution.

A paedophile from Stockport has been jailed after ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in the early 2000s / Credit: GMP

In March earlier this year on the fourth day of his trial, Oates admitted to the offences, and this week (25 June 2025), he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for all his crimes.

“I would like to commend the two women at the centre of this case for the strength they demonstrated throughout our investigation and subsequent legal proceedings,” commented Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Eleanor Humphreys, from GMP’s CSE Major Investigations Team, as Oates was sentenced this week.

“It has been an arduous process for them to relieve the horrific abuse, and I am so grateful they placed their trust and confidence in our team to pursue justice.

“Their resilience and determination were the driving force behind reaching today’s outcome, where a dangerous man begins serving a lengthy sentence behind bars, far away from causing any more harm or misery.

Read more:

“Despite Oates’s cowardly attempts to evade facing justice, the evidence we uncovered was overwhelming, and his crimes finally caught up with him.

“I hope this brings these survivors a sense of closure after all these years.”

Featured Image – GMP

More News

Feature

You can sleep in a luxury train carriage at an old railway station in Greater Manchester

Affiliate

Olivia Rodrigo at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for GUTS: Spilled tour

Audio

Popular noodle bar Chopstix to host ALL-NEW live music event in Manchester

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches