Oldham

Police renew appeal to track down man who sexually assaulted a young girl on a footpath

The victim reported 'smelling an unusual smell' before she was grabbed and assaulted by a stranger.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 5th May 2023

CCTV images have been released today relating to the sexual assault of a young girl in Oldham.

The victim described walking along the public footpath near Turner Street in Lees when she ‘smelt an unusual smell’.

She was then pushed out of the way by a man, who grabbed her and sexually assaulted her.

The incident occurred on Saturday 29 April, at around 4.30pm.

The man is described as white, with a slim build, around 19/20-years-old. He wore black joggers, black raincoat and black trainers. He had a hood that was covering his face, but the victim describes him as having hairy hands.

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After the attack, she ran to Turner Street and raised the alarm.

DI Victoria Wade of Oldham CID said: “We are hoping that by releasing images of the man we would like to speak to in relation to this offence, as we believe he could hold some key information, and the map of where the girl walked, it may jog the memories of people living in the area, or indeed those who were visiting the area at the time, as to where they were on Saturday at around 4.30pm.

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The footpath where the attack took place. Credit: GMP

“We are asking for anyone to come forwards who may be able to provide us with doorbell, dashcam or CCTV footage of the man in question, they may be able to help us locate him.

“This is a heinous crime and traumatised a young girl, who was only there to make Tik Toks with her friends. This should not be something that she now has to live with.

“We are asking if anyone can help us, to email [email protected] with any footage they may have or contact us on 0161 856 8967 / 8999, quoting log number 2413 of the 29/04/2023.”

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Previously, Oldham’s neighbourhood Sergeant Graham Craven said: “This is a very concerning attack on a young girl and I would like to assure the local community that a team of detectives are working at pace to locate the offender.

“Whilst specialist officers are supporting the victim, we are continuing to follow up a number of lines of enquiry.

“You will see our officers out and about on foot conducting highly visible patrols over the next couple of days, making enquires and offering reassurance to the community as we move forward with this investigation.

“We also want people in the local area to remain vigilant and to report anything they feel is suspicious to us immediately as we will act on any further information we get.”

“If anyone has any information that may help with the investigation, they are asked to call 101 quoting log 2413 of the 29/4/2023.”

Featured image: GMP

Oldham

Bury FC legend Nicky Adams confirms retirement after more than two decades

Danny Jones Danny Jones Nicky Adams retiring from football

Bury FC is saying goodbye to a veteran of Greater Manchester football as local legend Nicky Adams has announced he will be retiring at the end of the season.

The Bolton-born midfielder has enjoyed a 22-year career, playing for 10 different clubs in that time, most notably Bury, where he began as an academy product and earned his first senior minutes back in 2005.

Having been with the club across four different stints and by far the largest chunk of his playing days, making more than 200 appearances for the North West Counties side, he’s practically part of the furniture at this point.

But the time has finally come, as Adams revealed he will be retiring from professional football at the age of 38 – his longevity being an incredible achievement in itself.

Confirmed via a club statement on Tuesday, 15 April, the Shakers informed fans that Adams, who returned to his home club back in December, will be able to toast hanging up his boots with a promotion party if they avoid defeat against Burscough.

Adams has represented several other Greater Manchester teams in the past too, playing 85 games for Rochdale and 59 for Oldham Athletic, as well as 88 for Radcliffe FC.

Having scored 14 goals during his time with Bury, as well as serving as club captain, he told the club: “I think it’s perfect timing for me, I’m learning the coaching side of it. I’ve been doing that for the last few years, and I’ve got a big opportunity to go and do that full-time now.

“I came here at 16 years old; I’ve come back a few times now, I’ve played over 200 games for the football club, I don’t need to tell anyone what it means to me.

“I’ve had some unbelievable times here, and I’ll be forever grateful to this football club, which gave me the opportunity to go and be a professional footballer and go on the journey that I’ve been on. I’m forever grateful for that.”

Speaking on his return late last year, it’s plain to see how big an impression Gigg Lane has left on him.

He may be calling time on his playing days, but he’s not going anywhere.

Manager Dave McNabb went on to say: “I’m not really sure how to put into words the impact that Nicky has had on me and this group since he walked back through the door in December.

“His legendary status at this football club is well-known and documented. I had heard a lot of good things about his character and his personality through mutual friends and people within the game, so I knew he was going to be a good lad and have a positive impact in the dressing room.

Even with this knowledge, never did I expect to meet such an honest and caring man with enormous levels of integrity and with such high standards and principles. He’s a leader amongst men. When he talks, people listen. He gets the best out of others.

He is trusted and respected by everyone. He drives positive relationships within the group. He is the glue that holds things together. I’m proud to have brought him back to HIS football club, I’m proud to have played a very small part in his illustrious career but most of all, I’m proud to be able to call him a friend.

Signing off with a sentiment, McNabb added: “Good luck Nicky, you’re a legend.”

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Featured Images — Bury FC (via club website)

Oldham

Onlookers ‘in tears’ after tiny duckling rescued from storm drain in beauty spot

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The RSPCA has shared a video of a tiny duckling being rescued from a storm drain

The RSPCA has shared a heartwarming video of a reunion between a tiny duckling and his mum, after the baby bird fell into a storm drain.

The charity, with the help of staff in the nearby Grandpa Greene’s Luxury Ice Cream Parlour, managed to fish the tiny bird out of the storm drain in a painstaking two-hour-long operation.

Miraculously, the duckling was unharmed, and his mum was waiting nearby on the canal in Saddleworth ready to be reunited with her baby.

The RSPCA has now thanked the staff member who helped rescue the duckling, and issued a warning to the public to keep dogs on a lead when near wildlife, believing the poor bird was chased by a dog before falling down the five-feet-high grid.

The rescue operation too place in Diggle last Wednesday 9 April, with Animal Rescue Officer Lee Ferrans taking on the ‘long and painstaking’ process of tempting the duckling into a net.     

Lee said: “I wasn’t able to lift the grid so the only thing I could do was push an extendable pole straight down and try to catch the duckling in a net. There wasn’t a lot of room for manoeuvre and the net kept catching on all the debris.

“Just when I thought I’d been successful, the duckling kept disappearing into a drain on one side and then popping out again. A member of staff from Grandpa Greene’s had just finished her shift and came across to the other side of the canal to help me. I unscrewed the top of the pole with the net and held it down on one side of the drain while she used another section to gently encourage the bird to go into the net.

“It was quite a long and painstaking rescue but we eventually managed to bring the little one back up safely after more than two hours.”

The pair then placed the duckling into a cardboard box before heading further up the canal to reunite them with their mother and six sibling ducklings.

The adult duck ‘instantly recognised’ the chirping and swam straight towards it.

Lee added: “A little crowd had gathered and as the family were reunited people were shedding tears. It was a really lovely moment to see them all back together.

“I’d especially like to thank the member of staff from Grandpa Greene’s who offered an extra pair of hands – I couldn’t have done it without her – and to all the people in the area who stopped and were concerned.

“Storm drains can be a bit of a menace for ducklings, especially at this time of the year when there are babies around, and this brood was only a few days old.”

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Featured image: RSPCA

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