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Tameside Reporter •

Inquest opened after Dukinfield man dies in Cumbria

An inquest has opened after the body of a Dukinfield man was found on a beach in West Cumbria.

David Brunt, 65, of Dukinfield, was found on a beach near Whitehaven after being reported missing in April.

He had allegedly been seen boarding a train to Blackpool, where CCTV captured him on the pier - more than seventy miles away from where his body was discovered.

Cumbria Police were called to Parton beach at 10:25am on 1st June after reports of a body.

At the time, a police spokesman said the...
Tameside Reporter •

Council issues statement after Mottram woman fined for flytipping

Tameside Council have urged people to be more cautious when asking others to remove waste on their behalf after a Mottram woman was taken to court.

Candice Parkins, of John Kennedy Road, Mottram, was ordered to pay £618 after several black bags of household waste was dumped in a rural lane in Hyde.

Tameside Magistrates’ Court heard on 1 July 2025 that waste enforcement officers from Tameside Council attended Apple St, Hyde, on 23 July 2024 to investigate reports of flytipping.

Ms Parkins was...
Tameside Reporter •

Stalybridge teacher sentenced for abuse of position of trust

Sam Olsson, of Stonecliffe Terrace, Stalybridge, was sentenced at Bolton Crown Court after he "groomed" his student into a sexual relationship.

A maths teacher at Bolton UTC - which has since been replaced with the unrelated Bolton UCS - Olsson also worked as a conductor for the Besses o' th' Barn brass band in Whitefield.

Bolton Crown Court heard how he began contacting his student through his personal email after she reached out to ask for help with schoolwork.

Prosecutor Joe Allman said: “...
Tameside Reporter •

Mossley murderer John Belfield sentenced to life after killing Thomas Campbell

A drug dealer who tortured and murdered a man in his home in Mossley has been sentenced.

John Belfield, 31, has been sentenced to life in prison after killing Thomas Campbell on July 2, 2022.

Belfield was alleged to be the 'mastermind' behind a plot to rob, torture, and murder Mr Campbell after he got into a relationship with Belfield's ex-partner, Demi-Lee Driver.

Manchester Crown Court heard this week that the killing followed a week of hostile surveillance, which involved planting a tracki...
Oldham Reporter •

Hundreds of historic child grooming gang cases to be re-examined

A national task force is expected to reopen 287 closed cases relating to child sexual abuse.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper made the comment to a committee of MPs on Tuesday, months after vowing for a local inquiry to take place in Oldham, where she says work is "well under way".

Five suspects were arrested this morning (04/06/2025) in Oldham and Tameside as part of an investigation into historic child sexual exploitation.

GMP has confirmed the men are being held in connection with alleged offe...
Tameside Reporter •

'Missed opportunities' to have safely delivered baby - coroner

A coroner has said there were ‘missed opportunities’ to have safely delivered a baby who died in the Royal Oldham Hospital in April.

Yahya Muhammad Hayat was born via emergency C-section in Tameside Hospital, more than thirty-five minutes after doctors realised he had no heartbeat.

During the operation, doctors also found a uterine rupture – a tear in the womb. It is not known when this happened.

Yahya was resuscitated after thirty minutes of CPR and drugs, before being transferred to Royal O...
The Northern Quota •

David Conn calls for ‘duty of candour’ on officials ahead of Hillsborough Law

Reporter of the year David Conn has called for a ‘duty of candour’ to be placed on police as campaigners call for a Hillsborough law to be introduced within the year.


Conn was joined by legal experts from Garden Court North Chambers at a memorial lecture in the University of Manchester on Thursday, honouring of Hillsborough barrister Mark George, who represented 22 families following the disaster.


The lecture discussed failures in the legal system in the years after the disaster. Named the...
The Northern Quota •

Devonte's legacy will be 'to prevent future deaths', say family

Devonte Scott, who died following a pursuit by police in 2021, has been described by his family as “an amazing young boy” who was “well-respected in the community”.


The tribute to Devonte came at a vigil held to remember those who died in circumstances involving police pursuits.


Devonte was 18 when he told his girlfriend, Morgan Masters, that he was “nipping out for an hour” in May 2021. Half-an-hour later, she received a phone call to say he had been involved in a car accident.


An inqu...
The Northern Quota •

No justice no peace: campaigners call for end to police pursuits of young people

Grieving families in Manchester are calling for an end to “unnecessary” police chases which end in the deaths of young people.


They claim police disproportionally target working class people from ethnic minority backgrounds in police pursuits on the streets of Manchester.


Figures from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) show there were three deaths involving police vehicles between April and December 2023, as well as four incidents of serious injury. They also reveal that comp...
The Northern Quota •

Family of teenager who died following police pursuit join others in mourning at vigil

Brandon Geasley was just 18 when he died following a police pursuit involving GMP police.


He died after he smashed into an oncoming car while driving the wrong way down the M60 in May 2021.


The car had been reported stolen earlier that day from Bramhall, although at the inquest following Brandon’s death the coroner determined he was not responsible for the theft.


Officers had initially been dispatched to search for the vehicle and found Brandon on Altrincham Road, at which point he drov...
The Northern Quota •

17-year-old passenger in speeding car chased by police was 'unlawfully killed', inquest determines

The death of a 17-year-old passenger who was driven through a red light while being pursued by police has been ruled an unlawful killing, an inquest has determined.


Ronaldo Johnson, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died as a result of head and chest injuries six days after the crash, after being placed in a coma.


The driver of the car, Elliot Martin, has already pleaded guilty to causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving and sentenced to six years in prison. He was invited to at...
The Northern Quota •

Police investigation into rape next to Mancunian Way

Reports of a rape next to the Mancunian Way underpass in the early hours of this morning have intensified concerns over safety in the city centre.


The incident follows a stark warning issued by Man Met University to staff and students after reports of several attacks over the last six weeks.


Police were called to the scene in the early hours of this morning (January 31) following reports of a rape near Hoyle Street, between the city centre and Ardwick.


A section of woodland and pavemen...