A man has been sentenced to 11 years behind bars for drug offences – but it’s his mugshot that’s really got people talking.
Callum Buckley, 33, was found guilty of storing 72g of cannabis, six vacuum sealed packages of amphetamine and 18g of cocaine with a 78% purity, inside a container in Manchester.
Officers also found during their investigation that he was the man behind the EncroChat handle ‘Peptalk’, which he used to arrange his supply chain of Class A and Class B drugs.
But since GMP shared his mugshot on social media, people have been quick to point out a certain feature – his teeth.
Buckley has a pair of blinding pearly whites, which he’s proudly showing off in his mugshot.
Several people have compared them to those tooth-shaped jelly sweets or Wallace (of Wallace and Gromit fame), with one person asking if he’d ‘got high off his own supply’.
Dozens of people have also pointed out his uncanny likeness to YouTuber MrBeast, with someone writing: “Honestly thought Mr Beast let himself go then.”
Buckley was involved in organised crime that involved the supply of Class As to associates as far as Luton.
He would refer to himself as ‘Cal’ while sending and receiving photos of blocks of cocaine, which he was buying each week for £42,000.
He also discussed the sale of heroin and cannabis valued at £11,000 and £5,000 respectively.
At one stage, he told an associate of a shipment of drugs into Ireland worth an approximate £200,000.
Officers found designer clothing, footwear and a gold Rolex Yacht Master watch, with a total value of £53,000 during a raid at his property.
He was arrested on Thursday 15 September 2022 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin and cannabis, possession with intent to supply cocaine, amphetamine and cannabis and money laundering.
He has now been sentenced to 11 years in prison at Manchester City Crown Court.
Detective Constable Chris Anders, of GMP’s City of Manchester Challenger North team, said: “Buckley was using the EncroChat device to converse with other criminals under the guise of the handle ‘Peptalk’ and alike other criminals before him, he believed that his criminality was protected by the encrypted device.
“We could see from the messages that Buckley had criminal contacts from as far as Luton, Bedfordshire in order to supply significant amounts of heroin and cocaine that was on a national scale, and that he had a direct influence upon the supply of these drugs into Ireland.
“He sent messages that he was travelling once a week to buy blocks of cocaine worth £42,000, at a time when the country was in a national lockdown due to Coronavirus and families couldn’t see their loved ones.
“The disruption of the EncroChat device enabled us to see first-hand the scale of Buckley’s criminality, which he was reaping the rewards of. Today’s sentencing is a clear reminder to criminals that they cannot hide behind these devices forever and that they will be prosecuted and sent to prison for a substantial amount of time.”
If you are concerned about criminal activity within your area, you can report this to us directly on 101 or by reporting information using our online report tool at www.gmp.police.uk.
You can also report information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.
Tatton Park makes decision to temporarily close gate after visitor is attacked by rutting deer
Emily Sergeant
Tatton Park has made the decision to temporarily close one of its gates after a member of the public following a ‘recent change in deer activity’.
It comes after ‘a couple of injuries’ despite warnings and a large amount of signage across the park.
The decision to close the Knutsford gate had to be taken by Tatton management with input from Cheshire East Council’s health and safety manager, and its director of growth and enterprise, along with ‘expert advice’ from the leading deer vet who works across many deer parks in the UK.
The Knutsford gate will be closed to pedestrians and vehicles ‘until further notice’, but the Dog Wood entrance and the main Rostherne entrance will remain open.
Tatton Park cited a current ‘larger number’ of stags than usual found feeding on fallen acorns near the Knutsford entrance, and an overall ‘recent shift in our deer herd’s behaviour during the rutting season’ as the reason for the gate’s closure in a statement shared to social media this week.
Rutting season – which refers to the autumn deer breeding season, typically from late September to early November in the UK – is when deer herds may exhibit aggression if approached.
“If you come across wild deer whilst visiting, we strongly advise you take an alternative route,” the park said in its statement.
The park’s Operations Team added in a statement, as reported by the MEN: “Despite all warnings, a large amount of signage, staff being on hand to advise people to avoid the deer, and all efforts to try to re-route people and get them to stop approaching the deer, we have unfortunately had a couple of injuries.”
One of the ‘injuries’ referred to was an incident involving 67-year-old man named Rod Savage, who was reportedly hurled up in the air after a large stag suddenly appeared and charged at him with his antlers, puncturing his stomach.
Tatton Park temporarily closes its gate after a visitor is attacked by rutting deer / Credit: Diana Parkhouse (via Unsplash)
The terrifying ordeal happened just 300 yards inside the Knutsford entrance, contributing to the gate’s temporary closure.
Tatton Park has now issued warnings and advice to all future visitors.
People are being told to ‘never walk between the deer’ and ‘never put yourself between deer and a fence’, while always maintaining a safe distance of 50m or more when possible, and ultimately remaining vigilant and fully-aware of your surroundings at all times.
“We’ll be monitoring the situation daily and continue to provide updates,” the park concluded in its statement on social media.
“We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”
Featured Image – Diana Parkhouse (via Unsplash)
News
Shocking new study reveals that almost 100 people a day are caught drink-driving
Emily Sergeant
Nearly 100 drivers a day in Britain have had ‘drink-drive endorsements’ added to their licences in the past three years, a shocking new study has revealed.
Alarmingly, it’s people between the ages of 25 and 39 that are the most frequently penalised for drink-driving – with around 48,000 drivers in this age bracket being handed endorsements, followed closely by 40,000 drivers aged 40 to 65.
In contrast, only 15,000 drivers aged 17 to 24 were penalised, and a mere 3,000 over-65s received points on their licence between 2022 and 2024.
It’s all according to a study by road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, using data obtained from the DVLA via a Freedom of Information request.
A shocking new study has revealed that almost 100 people a day are caught drink-driving / Credit: Pexels
Drivers caught over the alcohol limit face automatic licence revocation, potential imprisonment, and unlimited fines, while the endorsement remains on a driving licence for 11 years.
Another shocking revelation from the study is that fatalities linked to drink-driving have climbed over the past decade, peaking in 2022 at the highest level in 13 years – with the RAC saying this trend ‘raises alarms’ about the effectiveness of current road safety measures.
RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis called it ‘completely unacceptable’.
“These disturbing figures show the twin evils of driving under the influence of drink and drugs are behind a frightening number of lives lost on the UK’s roads every year,” he commented.
A third of Brits want police to immediately ban drink drivers at the roadside / Credit – Vladimir Proskurovskiy (via Unsplash)
“A new approach to tackling these repugnant crimes is desperately needed. We hope this will be a key part of the Government’s forthcoming road safety strategy, [as] we’ve consistently been calling for a change in approach when it comes to reducing alcohol-related road deaths, as it’s clear the status quo isn’t working.”
The RAC has been campaigning for courts being given the powers to mandate the fitting of alcohol interlocks (‘alcolocks’) to offenders’ vehicles to prevent them driving drunk again.
It is also ‘supportive’ of the police being given the powers to immediately disqualify any driver who fails a drink or drugs test at the roadside.
Daisy Jackson -
28th September 2023 
