A local man has been jailed after making “shocking and disturbing” threats towards an MP and NHS workers.
Ryan Breheny, from the Greater Manchester town of Wigan, appeared at Bolton Crown Court this week (Tuesday 17 September) after he called 999 back in June of this year and threatened to kill hospital workers, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
On top of these serious threats to kill, he also claimed to the 999 call operator that he had been offered an AK47.
Not long after this, GMP then revealed that the 48-year-old sent emails to an MP’s office with messages that contained more threats to kill.
Police officers attended his property following the call made to 999 and emails sent to the local MP, and when they knocked on his door, Breheny arrived with a crossbow and subsequently began to arm it, before being arrested shortly after.
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Further weapons including air rifles, crossbow bolts, and a machete, were also discovered during a search of his house.
Recounting the order of events, a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokesperson said in a statement that Breheny used the word “execute” multiple times in his call to 999, and referred to the specific weapons he was planning on using, as well as referring to chemicals he could get hold of and how “easy” it was to make a bomb.
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“Less than an hour later, he sent two threatening email messages to an MP’s constituency office,” the CPS spokesperson added.
“The messages contained threats to kill the MP.”
Abbie Clarke, for the CPS said: “Breheny’s threats have caused fear and distress to the staff at the MP’s office. “Members of Parliament and the emergency services play vital roles in our communities and criminality cannot be allowed to impede or affect that.
Breheny plead guilty to the aforementioned offences during a subsequent court appearance, and following this, was jailed for three years and three months for threats to kill at Bolton Crown Court this week.
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“Breheny’s threats were shocking and disturbing, causing distress to those involved,” commented Detective Constable Cupitt, from GMP’s Wigan CID.
“We will not hesitate to act where people make these sort of threats and will seek to secure the appropriate charges.
“We work closely with elected officials to ensure they can carry out their work without the fear of individuals who would cause them harm, and will always do our best to protect them and our communities.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Andy Burnham to begin rolling out new ‘everyday fixes’ for Brits amid cost of living crisis
Emily Sergeant
A series of ‘everyday fixes’ to help combat the rising cost of living crisis are soon to be rolled out nationwide.
Kicking off with two measures today, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced that he plans to ban retailers from making ‘misleading’ claims to customers about discounts.
The Government says shoppers have ‘increasingly complained’ about outlets artificially inflating prices to give a false sense of value, such as increasing prices only to then immediately advertise ‘discounts’ to make savings look larger than they really are, which goes on to create an uneven playing field for honest competitors.
The Prime Minister also wants to see an end to so-called ‘subscription traps’, where people find it hard to cancel their subscriptions, and contracts are automatically renewed at a higher cost.
Set to come into force in January 2027 and saving people an average of £14 a month for every unwanted subscription, the changes will mean businesses will need to provide clearer up-front information, regular reminders. and a ‘much easier’ exit to contracts.
Andy Burnham to begin rolling out new ‘everyday fixes’ for Brits amid cost of living crisis / Credit: gov.uk | Piotr Cichosz (via Unsplash)
A new 14-day cooling-off period will also be introduced to let consumers cancel after a trial or long-term contract renews.
Certain charitable memberships, like the ones for cultural and heritage organisations for example, will be excluded from the new subscription rules due to the fact they have a unique role in preserving the nation’s history, landscapes, and cultural collections.
The Prime Minister says he is ‘determined’ to use every chance he gets to restore fairness and take pressure off people.
“I know people are sick and tired of rip-off discounts and subscription traps,” Andy Burnham said. “Westminster has got used to telling people that everyday hassles like this are just part of life, but I don’t think that’s right, especially when the cost of living continues to weigh heavily on so many people’s lives.”
He concluded: “These are just two of the everyday fixes we’re going to be rolling out.
“We want to put more money in people’s pockets and give people hope that politics really can work for them and their everyday lives.”
Featured Image – Piotr Cichosz (via Unsplash)
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Bury man jailed for life after being found guilty of murder at New Year’s Eve party
Emily Sergeant
A man has been handed a life sentence following the murder of another man at a New Year’s Eve celebration in Bury.
Antony Junior Murray, aged 25 of Tarn Drive in Bury, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week (7 August) where he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 years after being found guilty of murder.
It follows the death of 23-year-old Joe Burton on New Year’s Eve last year.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that emergency services were called to reports of a disturbance at an address on Tarn Drive at approximately 11:56pm on New Year’s Eve (31 December 2025), and upon arrival, officers discovered Joe ‘unresponsive’ at the bottom of a staircase with a significant amount of blood around him.
Despite the best efforts of paramedics, Joe was pronounced dead at 12:43am on New Year’s Day (1 January 2026).
A post-mortem examination later confirmed he had died from a single stab wound to the back.
At the scene, Murray initially denied any involvement and claimed he had returned home from a pub to find the victim unresponsive, however officers quickly identified inconsistencies in his account.
Initial enquiries – including phone and location data – showed that Murray had been at the address throughout the evening.
Joe had been in a relationship with Murray’s sister and had been invited to the address earlier that evening, and then further investigation revealed that Murray, Murray’s sister, the victim. and another individual had been at the property together, drinking and setting off fireworks to see in the New Year.
CCTV footage recovered from the scene captured the events leading up to the incident, including the fatal attack, and showed Murray assaulting Joe and placing him in a headlock, before proceeding to stab him in the back.
Following a detailed police investigation, Murray was charged with murder and was subsequently found guilty at court.
“Murray carried out a brutal attack on Joe and then attempted to mislead officers about his involvement,” explained Duncan Thorpe, who was the Senior Investigating Officer on the case.
Emily Sergeant -
19th September 2024 
