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.
Sir Ian McKellen pays emotional tribute to long-time friend and fellow northern actor Sir Patrick Stewart
Emily Sergeant
Sir Ian McKellen has paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, following his death.
Sir Patrick Stewart – who was born and bred in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and is best-known for his theatre work alongside an illustrious 60-year screen career, taking on prominent roles in franchises such as Star Trek and X-Men – sadly passed away at the age of 86, with his death being announced publicly yesterday evening (29 October).
And now, his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Ian McKellen, has paid tribute.
Sir Patrick and Sir Ian shared the stage together countless times over their decades-long careers, but also famously starred alongside each other in the X-Men franchise, and subsequent Marvel movies, as Charles Xavier/Professor X and Magneto.
The tribute, shared across Sir Ian’s social media platforms, reads: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.
“We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions.
“My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”
“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did, for not just his devoted Trekkies, but film and theatre audiences who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
“America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.
“But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.”
Sir Patrick Stewart’s farewell performance will be in Avengers: Doomsday, which is being released in UK cinemas on 18 December 2026
Featured Image – Gage Skidmore (via Flickr)
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Manchester announces ‘poignant’ plans to mark Remembrance Sunday with free city centre service
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is set to honour the ‘service and sacrifice’ of members of the armed forces community during this year’s annual Remembrance Sunday commemorations.
With Remembrance Day only a couple weeks away now, just as it does each year, Manchester City Council has now revealed how the city will mark this important occasion, and has confirmed all the details of the annual Remembrance Sunday Parade.
Proceedings will start on John Dalton Street at 10:30am, and run right through until midday – with the service itself being held at 11am.
Veterans, military personnel and cadets, all led by Greater Manchester Police‘s Band, will march from John Dalton Street to the Cenotaph St. Peter’s Square.
This will be followed by a short return march to Mount Street across St Peter’s Square.
The service will begin at the Cenotaph at 10:58am, and a two-minute silence will be observed at 11am in tribute to those who have lost their lives in conflict. The start and conclusion of the silence will be marked by the firing of a maroon.
/ Credit: Manchester City Council
Following the service, veterans, military personnel and cadets will take part in a short return march across St Peter’s Square to Mount Street.
As the Council marks another year of its partnership with the Royal British Legion, further the Remembrance Sunday events will take place across the city following the service – including arts and crafts sessions, memorial services, and performances.
“Remembrance Sunday is one of the most important occasions in Manchester’s civic calendar,” declared Councillor Shaukat Ali, who it the Lord Mayor of Manchester.
“It is a time for us to come together as a city to remember and honour the courage, sacrifice and service of those from our diverse communities who have given so much in times of conflict. I want to encourage residents, families and visitors to join us at the Cenotaph as we pay our respects and ensure that the contribution of past and present generations is never forgotten.”
Daisy Jackson -
22nd September 2025 
