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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Ruben Amorim insists he ‘cannot’ quit as Manchester United manager

Danny Jones Danny Jones Ruben Amorim says he won't quit as Man United manager

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has reiterated that he won’t quit his job at the club and that his departure will only come through being sacked.

The struggling head coach has notched the lowest tally of any permanent manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, and despite a much-needed win against Sunderland this past weekend – not to mention a much more positive performance overall – there are still growing calls of ‘Amorim Out’.

Amorim has registered just 34 points from the 33 Premier League games he’s been in charge of so far,

Nevertheless, as per quotes from The Guardian over the weekend, the Portuguese head coach assured that he will not be stepping away from the role and would have to be sacked for him to leave Man United.

amorim won't quit as man united mananger
Credit: Agencia LUSA (screenshot via YouTube)

Speaking to the outlet after the 2-0 home win this past Saturday, Amorim said: “No, that is a decision of the board – I cannot do that. Sometimes I have that feeling, and losing is hard, not to create the momentum.

“It’s so frustrating when you create the momentum, go to the next game, [and] something happens. That feeling sometimes hurts me a lot. Also, the players and especially the staff here. But that is not my decision, and I think it would be really hard to leave if I don’t do everything to follow my career here.”

The 40-year-old still has the support of many supporters, but it’s fair to say that many neutrals and even die-hards who would like to believe they have put their faith in this rebuild and the INEOS project up to now are growingly increasingly impatient and doubtful, with plenty of vocal detractors already.

Amorim continued, “It’s a dream to be here and I want to continue here, and I want to fight for this; but the problem is now what makes me suffer is to lose games, not to lose my job.”

He also added the caveat that, unlike those who were unfortunately laid off during the two rounds of redundancies over the past 12 months alone, “you fear [losing] your job when you have to pay the bills, and I don’t have that feeling.”

It’s also worth noting that this is by no means the first time he’s fielded questions of the matter of resignation, having previously worried fans with divisive comments about sometimes ‘hating’ his players and flitting between wanting to either quit or echo Fergie and stay at Old Trafford for decades.

Despite the United administration assuring that he has their backing, every game feels like it could be make or break for Amorim at the moment.

Although he does have the respite of the October international break coming up, the first game back is against the reigning champions Liverpool away at Anfield – a team he is yet to beat.

In fact, you could also argue that this may only serve as disruption to any kind of momentum they may have generated with the victory over the Black Cats; only time will tell.

You can see his most recent post-match press conference in full down below.

Ok, Man United fans: Amorim won’t quit, but do you think he should be sacked, or does he deserve more time?

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Featured Images — MUTV (screenshot via YouTube)

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Historic hidden library in Manchester city centre reveals £11m transformation plans

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Ambitious plans to transform one of Manchester’s greatest historical hidden gems have been announced.

Founded all the way back in 1806, The Portico Library – which is hidden in plain sight on Mosley Street, in the heart of the city centre – played a central role in Manchester’s rise as the world’s first modern city, and since then, it has been serving as a window into the past and a providing a place of inspiration for anyone who needs it.

But now, these new transformation plans, titled The Reunited Project, will ensure the building not only survives, but also thrives as the UK’s most sustainable historic library for generations to come.

The Portico Library‘s transformational scheme is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and will look to ‘reunite’ the historic building’s three floors for the first time in over a century, creating a fully-accessible and sustainable cultural library.

Crucially, plans will see a step-free entrance and lift installed to make the library accessible to all.

There’ll also be new exhibition and event spaces introduced as part of the scheme to explore the stories of Manchester’s communities and the city’s heritage.

There will a Northern Bookshop, showcasing regional and emerging writers, and independent publishers, as well as a creative Portico Kitchen, which will celebrate the city’s food culture, writing, and history.

A place for school groups, families, and all people to explore Portico’s collection and experiment creatively also forms part of the plans.

Portico Library has revealed £11m transformation plans / Credit: Portico Library

“Portico Reunited is about more than restoring a building,” explained Dr Thom Keep, who is a Librarian & the Chief Executive of the Portico Library, after the transformation plans were submitted to Manchester City Council.

“It’s about opening doors to stories, ideas, heritage and communities across Greater Manchester.

“These plans secure Portico’s future, unlocking the power of heritage to inspire Manchester’s visitors and residents to explore, share, and celebrate their stories and the city’s literary and global heritage.”

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If the plans are approved by the Council, The Portico Library will close for around 18 months for construction, during which it will continue to engage the public through its ‘Portigo !’ pop-up programme.

Featured Image – Portico Library

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