UPDATE: |A burglar gang, some drug mules and a violent rapist News

These are some of the defendants from across Greater Manchester who have been locked up over the last seven days

Burglary gangs, drug mules and a violent rapist are amongst those who have been jailed this week in Greater Manchester.

Two separate gangs prowled the streets looking for high-powered cars close to the M62 and in the Wilmslow area. The have all been jailed for their parts in the burglaries.

Also behind bars this week is two drug mules who, in their desperation’, carried kilos of cocaine into the country. And, a violent rapist who attempted to murder a woman has also been jailed.

Prison terms are handed out to the worst offenders each week. And Manchester Evening News reporters are on hand to cover the most serious cases.

Aaron Gee, Mason Kenny, Brandon Day and Joshua Irving

A gang of young burglars from Greater Manchester carried out a 14-raid spree on homes near the M62. Their target was a high-powered cars – with a preference for Mercedes vehicles.

In total the gang escaped with eight vehicles worth almost a quarter of a million pounds. The burglaries began in March 2024 and continued into late April that year. There were five raids in one night on March 30th 2024.

All the burglaries were close to the M62. Predominantly they involved detached houses, and the target appeared to be high-powered motor vehicles outside the addresses. The gang smashed their way through rear patio doors of the properties to get keys for the vehicles.

Cheshire Police launched Operation Reprimanded to catch the gang. The 14 offences occurred between 24 March and 20 April, including 13 in Warrington and 1 in Middlewich.

Following enquiries, on Thursday 26 September, a team of officers from Cheshire Police and Greater Manchester Police executed warrants at three addresses in Manchester and Ashton-under-Lyne.

Aaron Gee, Mason Kenny, and Brandon Day were arrested during the raids, while Joshua Irving, from Manchester, was produced from prison. They were all jailed this week.

Read the full story here: The baby-faced Greater Manchester burglars who preyed on flash cars by the motorway

Jack Dewhurst

A balaclava-clad armed robber left shopkeepers fearing for their lives after bursting into two convenience stores in terrifying knifepoint heists committed within days of each other.

Drug addict Jack Dewhurst, 27, brandished a large kitchen knife at two robberies of shops in Bolton, stealing cash at both. Shopkeepers at both stores have been left traumatised and feared they would be injured or even killed, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

Another man, Shane White, 52, who was found to have assisted him at the second robbery, was also locked up.

Read the full story here: Balaclava clad thug left shopkeepers fearing for their lives in knifepoint robberies

Declan Fitzgerald, Joseph Kyte and Joshua Irving

Three Manchester men who targeted homes on the leafy streets of Wilmslow to steal cars have been jailed.

Declan Fitzgerald, Joseph Kyte and Joshua Irving prowled the streets in a hire car and stole two vehicles on the same night.

Cheshire Police says officers were called out to reports from residents on Racecourse Road and Alveston Drive, in Wilmslow, on the morning of August 14, 2024.

The residents reported that their cars had been stolen overnight, with both callers waking up to find that the offenders had forced entry into their homes before taking their cars outside.

After checking automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, police discovered the two stolen cars – a Mini Countryman Cooper and a BMW – had travelled from Wilmslow towards Manchester in convoy with a third car, a BMW 320i.

That evening, the car was spotted by Greater Manchester Police on the A580 East Lancs Road near Swinton.

Police stopped the car and arrested the four occupants, which included Fitzgerald, Kyte and Irving. They were questioned in custody while officers searched their homes.

Officers seized a vehicle grabbing key from Irving’s home – a tool which is often used by burglars – while police analysing their phones discovered messages which linked the men to the theft of cars.

All three men have since been jailed.

Read the full story here: They prowled leafy streets in a hire car and went out ‘robbing’ in the night

Djibril Djalo and Madiu Grimes

Two drug mules were caught with £675k-worth of cocaine at Manchester Airport. Djibril Djalo, 34, and Madiu Gomes, 25, were stopped by Border Force officers on December 16 last year.

Concealed in cling-filmed wrapped packages in their suitcases was 25kg of the Class A drug. Djalo, from Portugal, said he had agreed to bring the drugs to the UK for a fee. His lawyer said he was ‘experiencing immense poverty’.

Djalo, Manchester Crown Court heard, was taken to Gambia where he was handed the drugs and flight information. Gomes claimed he was also broke when he was ‘made an offer’ by a criminal group.

They were both jailed for four years after pleading guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a Class A drug.

Read the full story here: Men ‘in immense poverty’ stopped at Manchester Airport before staggering £675,000 find

Michael Brock

A violent rapist has been jailed after a vicious attack which left two men in hospital. Michael Brock has been given a life sentence with a minimum term of 22 years after being found guilty of three counts of attempted murder; rape; and making threats to kill.

On the evening of in July 2023, two women went on a night out. They returned home with two men they had met days before.

One of the women received a message on Facebook from a person called ‘Mike David’. Brock later arrived at the property.

CCTV showed him carrying a rucksack. Its contents included a hammer; a knife; a foldable saw; a lighter; and rags soaked in accelerant.

Investigations revealed he went to the property to attempt to kill one of the women.

When he entered and saw the two men there, Brock attacked them in the kitchen, inflicting serious and life-threatening knife injuries. One of the men suffered a fractured skull.

The terrified women were able to escape and ran barefoot to Harpurhey police station, where they reported the attack, assisted by members of the public who called 999.

Officers spoke to the women at the police station while others were sent to the property. They found Brock had been restrained by the two male victims, who were covered in blood.

Read the full story here: Man who arrived at house with bag of murder weapons tried to kill trio in horrifying attack