A man who has been dubbed ‘one of the most prolific child sexual predators ever seen in the North West’ has been sentenced to 14 years behind bars.
Stuart Latham, 22, from Wigan, was sentenced to 49 offences including rape, sexual activity with a child, blackmail, sexual communication with children, inciting children to engage in sexual activity, and the creation, possession and distribution of indecent images,.
These charges were against 41 victims between the ages of 11 and 15, spanning the whole of the UK.
A joint investigation by GMP and Lancashire Police tracked down all but eight of Latham’s total 48 victims – those who have been identified will be safeguarded from further harm long after his sentencing.
Officers first received a report that Latham had raped a 12-year-old-girl in Heysham in 2023, who he had met on the social media app Swiper. He had told her he was 15 years old.
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While on bail for the offences in Lancashire in April 2024, GMP received a referral made by US authorities via the National Crime Agency that a local man was having sexualised chat with children on Snapchat.
When officers arrived to his home address, Latham tried to hide his phone in the back of his wardrobe, but digital forensic experts were able to analyse the device and found that he had a history of ‘catfishing’ young girls on Snapchat, posing as a 14-year-old boy under the name ‘Josh’.
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He was sending mass messages up to 200 girls at a time, asking for help before requesting sexualised images and videos, sometimes offering cash and giftcards in return.
To keep his stream of images coming, he would blackmail his victims with threats to leak the images or tell their parents, and would also send explicit videos and images of himself.
He never paid any of the victims, and showed no remorse or accountability in any of his police interviews.
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Detective Constable Emma Murtagh, from GMP’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, and who led this case, said: “This is one of the most horrific cases I have ever had to investigate, not only due to the scale of the offending, but also due to the devastating impact and harm this this man’s behaviour and actions have had on these young girls and their families.
“We worked incredibly hard to identify as many victims as possible, listen to them, safeguard them and support them through this terrible ordeal. That has been our priority throughout and the victims living in very different locations has not been a barrier to this investigation.
“The impact has also been felt by all their parents and guardians, who understandably were very shocked and distressed to hear about what had been happening.
“This case demonstrates unfortunately the ease of which those looking to exploit children can target, manipulate and blackmail them online.
“We encourage anyone who may find them in a situation like these young people to come forward to police. We are steadfast in our pursuit of holding child predators to account and protecting children, and will act on any information we receive.”
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Detective Chief Inspector Dylan Hrynkow, of West Rape and Serious Sexual offences team said: “This investigation was complex with cross border offending, due to excellent joint working we have been able to secure charges and convictions for these horrendous offences.
“This crime has understandably had a profound impact on the victim, who has shown incredible strength and bravery over a significant amount of time, throughout proceedings. I can only hope that the knowledge of Latham’s significant sentence will bring some sense of closure in knowing he has been brought to justice.
“If you have been a victim of any sexual offending in Lancashire, I want you to know that we will listen to you, we will appropriately investigate, and we will do all we can to get you justice.”
Latham was jailed at Preston Crown Court on Friday 19 September.
You can find information about online safety and organisations which support victims and parents HERE.
Manchester United fans planning another major protest amid more upheaval around the club
Danny Jones
Manchester United supporters look set to stage another high-profile demonstration in protest against the INEOS Sports ownership group.
This is the latest response to the club’s continuing struggles, and not just the first proper organised mobilisation of the year, but the first since the most recent major march last spring.
Following the sacking of ‘manager’ Ruben Amorim, despite co-owner Jim Ratcliffe and his board of executives insisting that the Portuguese head coach (that distinction proving to be a crucial detail), the local sporting giants are once again starting from scratch and looking for another replacement boss.
With that in mind, militant fan group The 1958 announced their most recent protest ahead of a home fixture next month in a rather bold fashion…
As announced we protest against this dysfunctional co-ownership before Fulham.
Yep, neither Amorim, Erik ten Hag, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, nor any face even remotely associated with Old Trafford/Carrington is safe from an AI parody.
As for The 1958 group’s actual protest plans, speaking via the BBC this week, the supporters’ trust has confirmed that they will be making a vocal statement outside the stadium on Sunday, 1 February.
Travelling Reds already made their thoughts known with a very blunt, provocative and somewhat controversial banner in the away end at Turf Moor for the 2-2 draw against Burnley.
With Man United approaching a third-round FA Cup tie against Brighton and two big games in the form of a Manchester Derby at home and a trip to Arsenal, they have decided to choose the Fulham game at Old Trafford to stage the march.
Despite admitting that the results under Amorim were no way near good enough, they insist that the – most notably the overarching and Glazer family shadow ever looming over the organisation.
Further details around the actual timings and locations are still yet to be shared by the organisers, but you can expect this to be a well-attended, large-scale event.
Often convening at The Tollgate pub near regular matchday tram stop, Trafford Bar, before walking down Talbot Road towards the ground itself, we imagine Reds will then descend upon the Theatre of Dreams in their thousands.
In case you didn’t already surmise from the video itself, Ratcliffe and co. will be no doubt the subject of the usual chants, as well as more banners and flags.
What do you make of the latest plans, Man United fans?
Nothing will ever be quite as bold as the infamous Old Trafford break-in from 2022 (Credit: The Manc)
More Greater Manchester football matches called off as Storm Goretti sets in
Danny Jones
Yet more scheduled football matches in Greater Manchester and the surrounding regions have been postponed and/or cancelled due to Storm Goretti.
The increasingly cold, blustery and icy conditions moving over from France and across more parts of the UK have already caused schools to close, flights to be grounded, and plenty more disruption.
Another such inconvenience has come in the form of live sports, large swathes of which now look like they simply won’t be taking place.
One of the latest to be called off is Salford City‘s upcoming game against Swindon Town in the FA Cup this weekend, with various other games involving teams up and down the footballing pyramid now facing uncertainty over whether their third-round fixtures will go ahead as planned.
Ironically, this is just the tip of the iceberg, if you’ll pardon the very obvious pun.
Another game that was called off late last week, between Chadderton and FC Isle of Man, is yet to be rescheduled; the same is true of Rochdale AFC’s meeting with Brackley Town, Radcliffe v Oxford City, as well as games involving Bury, Stockport Town, Irlam, Cheadle Town, Prestwich Heys and more.
Other nearby outfits, such as Chorley, Warrington Rylands and Ramsbottom United, just to name a few, are also still unsure of when their next game will be.
In many cases, it is simply a matter of the grounds being largely or completely frozen and deemed unfit for use following pitch inspections.
Oldham Athletic – which has already been hit with plenty of snow and frost – yesterday confirmed that their Notts County clash wouldn’t be going ahead due to that very reason.
With winds of up to 90 miles per hour also being reported, yellow and even red weather warnings have been issued across various parts of the country, with people being urged to check their routes home from work by local authorities.
Storm Goretti should start calming down this evening (Fri, 9 January) and into Saturday morning, but the after-effects could still play havoc over the next few days.
For instance, over in Cheshire, Macclesfield FC are going so far as to call on nearby residents to help clear their playing surface from heavy snowfall.
So, if you’re in the area and fancy helping out, they could sure do with your help.
VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED
Macclesfield FC are once again requesting the help of the fanbase and the local community to help clear the remainder of the compacted snow from the surrounding areas of the https://t.co/fL99QEEJ4D Stadium.
Daisy Jackson -
22nd September 2025 
