Two people have today been arrested in connection with the serious sexual assault of a teenage girl 20 years ago.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed that today (22 November), a 54-year-old man from Altrincham was arrested on suspicion of the serious sexual assault of a girl under the age of 16 in the early 2000s, while at the same time, two other warrants were then executed – which GMP said resulted in the arrest of a 52-year-old man for the same offence.
These arrests were carried out by the force’s CSE (Child Sexual Exploitation) Team.
The CSE Team is a unit dedicated to bringing those to justice who are believed to have been involved in serious sexual assault of girls under the age of 16 in the early 2000s.
As part of Operation Green Jacket – which is GMP’s response to child sexual exploitation between 2002 and 2005 – these two arrests have come as the result of what has been described as a “painstaking investigation” by the team.
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DS Simon France says the CSE Team is “pleased with today’s arrests”.
He continued: “Our team works extremely hard to investigate non-recent serious sexual offences against girls under the age of 16, to ensure the perpetrators are arrested, charged and dealt with by the courts.
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“Although 20 years have passed since the offences, our team are dedicated to ensuring that victims of this kind of horrific abuse are seen and heard, making sure they receive justice.
“These young girls are now women with their own lives and families, and we commend their bravery in coming forward and talking us through events, which are extremely painful for them to relive, in order for us to build a successful case.”
Two men have been arrested in connection with serious sexual assault of teenage girl 20 years ago / Credit: GMP
GMP is urging anyone who believes they may have been a victim of sexual assault to contact the team on 0161 856 8259, via 101, or by using our LiveChat function.
“Often with these kind of cases victims are reluctant to come forwards as they think they will not be taken seriously,” DS France concluded.
“My response to that is we will listen to you and you will be believed.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
How will the Government’s new digital ID alternative for alcohol sales work?
Emily Sergeant
All licensed venues across England and Wales now have the choice to introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales alongside physical.
Instead of having to hand over physical ID that contains personal information, such as names and home addresses, customers now have the choice to simply provide confirmation that they are 18 or over on their phone – helping to better protect privacy and personal safety in the process.
This means that, no matter whether you’re buying a drink at your favourite pub, heading to a festival, or enjoying a night out at a concert, you won’t need to worry if you’ve left your ID at home.
According to the Government, this new change will benefit businesses greatly too, as certified digital services are able to check that an ID is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it much easier than the alternative can, which therefore helps to reduce the risk of any fake or borrowed IDs going undetected.
Well, according to the Government, it could be as simple as a customer showing a QR code for staff to scan, or tapping their phone against a compatible reader, where staff will then receive a clear confirmation on their device that the customer has passed the age check.
This change follows a 2024 Government consultation where it was reported that 72% of respondents supported the use of digital identities for age verification when buying alcohol.
Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock reiterated that ‘it will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt [digital ID]’ and that physical ID will ‘still remain a valid way’ for customers to prove their age.
“This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age, allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out,” she concluded.
Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
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Manchester to host G20 Summit in 2027 with more than a dozen world leaders descending on the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed as the host city for the G20 Summit next year.
It was already announced back in November last year that the G20 Summit would be coming to the UK in 2027, and plans were apparently already being discussed to host it in Manchester even before Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and Number 10 North was set up.
But now, ahead of this year’s leaders’ summit being held in Miami in December, it has been confirmed that the G20 Summit will arrive in Manchester in November 2027.
Manchester is said to have been picked to host the leaders’ summit because of its ‘cultural heritage’.
Bringing together 19 of the world’s largest economies and two major multilateral bodies – the European Union and the African union – G20 members who will be invited to attend the summit next year make up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population as a whole.
Manchester has been confirmed to host the G20 Summit in 2027 / Credit: 10 Downing Street | Paul Kagame (Flickr)
G20 members are also some of the UK’s closest economic partners, the Government insists.
17 of the UK’s top 20 global export markets attend the summit, as do 18 of the UK’s top 20 sources of foreign direct investment.
The presidency of the G20 is currently held by the US but will pass to the UK after the leaders’ summit hosted by the president at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in December.
The 2027 summit will be held at Manchester Central, it has been confirmed, and other locations across the UK will also host other G20 events as part of the year-long presidency, but these are yet to be announced.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd November 2022 
