Rochdale Observer
Grooming gang leader ‘is not in Manchester area’
ROCHDALE grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed isn’t in any location in Greater Manchester, the Rochdale Observer understands. Online speculation suggested Ahmed had been spotted in Bury town centre after it emerged he had been moved from a hostel...
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Driver guilty of murder over horrific e-bike crash
AKILLER driver who mowed down a teenage boy in ‘temper’ has been found guilty of murder. Terrence King, 60, deliberately hit 15-year-old Devon Simmondscaines with his car, ploughing into him at almost double the speed limit. Devon, who was riding a...
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I’ll change law to kick out groom gang leader
LAWS that could pave the way to deport Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed have been set out by the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, as she said she would remove protections for criminals held by some Commonwealth citizens. Ms Mahmood announced...
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Man arrested after car flips over and hits pedestrians
AMAN has been arrested after a car being ‘driven dangerously’ overturned and hit two pedestrians in Littleborough on Saturday evening (July 11). Police and paramedics were called to the scene of the collision on Denhurst Road at around 9.20pm. A car...
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Driver killed e-bike teenager ‘in a temper’
ADRIVER mowed down and killed a teenage boy who was riding a stolen e-bike ‘in temper’, a murder trial has heard. Terrence King, 60, denies murdering 15-year-old Devon Simmonds-caines. Jurors at Minshull Street Crown Court were told that King has...
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Airport-fracas thug serving sentence in ‘dilapidated’ prison
THE Rochdale thug jailed for attacking two female police officers during a violent clash at Manchester Airport is serving his time at a ‘dilapidated’ Victorian prison where inmates spend their time ‘watching TV and taking drugs’. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz,...
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Airport thug who attacked female cops is jailed
ATHUG who violently assaulted two female police officers and a member of the public in a ‘cowardly attack’ at Manchester Airport has been jailed for three-and-a-half years. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, from Rochdale, was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court...
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Trio jailed for part in ‘gang feud’ attack on family’s home
AMAN was brutally stabbed by masked thugs wielding a machete and sword who stormed his family home during an escalating gang ‘feud’ in Rochdale. The victim’s mum was also hurt as she desperately tried to defend her son. Three people linked to the...
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Police chief backs airport clash cops
GREATER Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson declared he ‘stands absolutely with [his] officers’ following news prosecutors would not pursue another re-trial in the Manchester Airport brothers case. However, the senior officer stopped...
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Yourlifestyle
Spielberg has faith in humanity... it’s infused in every movie he makes
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Mural transforms railway’s steps
AVIBRANT new mural has transformed the well-used railway steps between Quarry Street and Knowsley Crescent, delivered by Rossendale Borough Council as part of a programme of community-driven improvements across Whitworth. The artwork is the flagship...
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Firms ‘facing ruin’ after mill floods
AFLOOD at an old mill in Rochdale has left several businesses facing financial ruin – with, they say, no choice but to close. The basement of the old mill at Fieldhouse Industrial Estate was flooded last week. This left several businesses without...
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Pervert with hundreds of indecent pictures is spared jail
AWOMAN reported her ex-partner to the police after allegedly seeing concerning messages, but instead police found hundreds of indecent images of children. Ryan Morgan, 27, of Featherstone Square, Littleborough, was found with both pictures and videos...
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Man in court after woman, 44, found dead on estate
AROCHDALE man has appeared in court accused of murdering a 44-year-old woman. Kyle Howard is accused of the murder of Keeley Aspinall, who was found dead at a flat on the Freehold estate in the town on May 25. Mr Howard, 26, of Tweedale Street,...
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£17k cash boost for man’s club
ANDY’S Man Club has been awarded a £17,000 donation by Rochdale Borough Council this May through a national scheme that recycles metals such as artificial joints and coffin fittings after cremation. Run by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium...
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Murder probe as woman found dead
AWOMAN at the centre of a murder investigation in Rochdale has been named. Keeley Aspinall, known to friends as Kiki, was found dead at a flat on the Freehold estate on Monday afternoon. Officers were called out to a concern for a welfare at the...
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School’s stars earn top award
TWO Whitworth Community High School students were rewarded with Mayor of Whitworth Young Achiever awards for their outstanding work. Alice Kowal was nominated by her Guide Leader for her Girlguiding achievements alongside her volunteering and singing...
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Angry parents target trust over teacher strikes
PARENTS in Rochdale are concerned about how many days of school their children are missing after months of teacher strikes. St Cuthbert’s High School students have missed 16 days of school due to strikes, leaving parents seriously concerned for their...
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It’s party time for Dale heroes
MORE than 4,000 fans gathered outside Rochdale Town Hall to celebrate The Dale’s promotion back into the football league. Rochdale AFC will be heading back into League Two following a nail-biting penalty shootout win against Boreham Wood at Wembley...
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Crackdown launched on traders
THE COUNCIL held a successful week of action with a crackdown on illegal trading, unlicensed accommodation, and property standards in Rochdale town centre. Operation Tetbury brought together the council’s housing enforcement service, trading...
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Alleged cartel enforcer still on bail four years on
AFORMER Rochdale doorman named in US sanctions documents as an alleged associate of the Kinahan cartel remains on bail in Spain almost four years after his dramatic arrest on the Costa del Sol. Alleged gangster Johnny Morrissey, now 65, was held...
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What a catch for angling charity as it receives award!
TACKLING Minds has been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest accolade a voluntary organisation can receive in the UK and widely regarded as the equivalent of an MBE. The award was formally presented at a recent ceremony attended...
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Closure of Seven Sisters block ‘step closer’ – residents
THE permanent closure of one of the Seven Sisters tower blocks in Rochdale means another step closer to demolition, according to campaigners. After evacuating residents of the Mitchell Hey block last month, housing landlord Rochdale Boroughwide...
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Call to transform the ‘Chernobyl of Rochdale’
AN abandoned asbestos factory that was once the world’s largest has sat empty for decades. Now it has been put front and centre of a political campaign. With the local elections looming, the Greens in Rochdale are campaigning on the redevelopment of...
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Teachers and staff to strike for 6 days
TEACHERS and staff at a Rochdale high school are set to stage six days of walkouts in strike action. The National Education Union (NEU) said members at St Cuthbert’s, part of the St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, will take part in the...
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Company PA, 25, is collared with cocaine after crash
AWOMAN caught with cocaine in her handbag after an uninsured road smash has been spared jail - after claiming she suffered a potentially life threatening bout of ‘’excited delirium syndrome’’ while under arrest. Hadiza Atunse, 25, was said by police...
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‘High quality’ apartment block rejected because the rooms were too small
THE plan to create a new ‘high-quality’ apartment block in Rochdale has been refused because the flats are too small. Cope Funeral Service has been a mainstay on Manchester Road for years, but a scheme to demolish it and build 28 apartments was tabled...
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Youths run riot in town centre
TEENAGERS have been running riot in the centre of Rochdale, reportedly ‘terrorising’ businesses, harassing staff and ‘causing criminal damage’. Greater Manchester Police said a section 34 dispersal order, covering the entire town, would be enforced...
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Make us the UK’S town of culture
ROCHDALE is vying to become the UK’S first ever town of culture. The council has announced their intention to bid to become the UK Town of Culture 2028, a national competition launched by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The competition...
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Five arrests after man wounded in shooting
POLICE have arrested five men in connection with a shooting in Rochdale. Officers were initially called to reports of a shooting on Beswicke Royds Street, just off Reservoir Street, at around 3.20pm on Thursday, March 5. A 19-yearold man was found with...
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Mum’s incredible weight-loss trip
AROCHDALE mum and football coach has shared the moment that changed her life — and the incredible journey that led to her losing over eight stone. For Donna, who lives in Rochdale with her partner and two daughters, the decision to join Slimming World...
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Dog owners to be given £100 fine for fouling
INCONSIDERATE dog owners will be slapped with £100 fines under new rules from Rochdale Council. Town hall bosses have imposed a new public spaces protection order (PSPO) in relation to dog fouling. Council and police officers now have the power to...
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Transformation of mill signed off
THE transformation of a historic mill site on the edge of Rochdale into ‘sustainable’ new homes has been given the final sign-off. The conversion of the former Tack Lea Works on Bury and Rochdale Old Road can now start following the finalisation of...
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Police capture £1m of assets
POLICE say they have hauled in over £1 million in criminal assets in just one ‘major action’ day in Rochdale. The force’s Operation AVRO focuses on issues raised by the community in a different district of Greater Manchester every month. Beginning...
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Arches enemies
ANEW Mcdonald’s drive-thru for Rochdale has been rejected due to the potential impact on public health. It has been over a decade since the last Rochdale town centre Mcdonald’s site closed its doors on Yorkshire Street in 2011. The US fast-food chain...
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Shooting was a ‘targeted incident’
POLICE have said they believe the shooting of a man in Beswicke Royds Street in Belfield on Thursday was a ‘targeted attack.’ A 19-year-old man was found by officers at the scene with an injury consistent with a gunshot wound to his leg. He was taken...
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Teen is seriously hurt in shooting
EMERGENCY services were on the scene following a shooting in Rochdale on Thursday afternoon. Greater Manchester Police said they were called at around 3.20pm to reports of a shooting on Beswick Royds Street in the Belfield area. A 19-year-old man has...
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GP practice is slammed by health watchdog
AGP practice has been slammed by a health watchdog and placed in special measures after damning findings published in a report. Confidential health records were left in an unlocked room, inspectors found, and doctors failed to check up on patients...
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Sex abuse predator targeted girls online
A‘VORACIOUS’ predator hid under his bed to avoid police after grooming teenage girls. Omar Saif, 23, befriended up to seven victims on social media aged between 13 and 15. None of the girls can be identified for legal reasons. Manchester Crown Court...
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Members of food import fraud gang locked up
FRAUDSTERS who cloned companies’ details to import foodstuffs into the North West – and used a haulage yard in Rochdale – have been jailed. Police said that their investigation into Manchester Food Traders, now closed but formerly of Wood Street in...
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Rail station forced to close by staff shortages
AN MP has hit out at railway bosses after commuters were left waiting outside Rochdale train station as it failed to open amid ‘staff shortages’. No trains were running to or from Rochdale on Tuesday morning when the station was first due to...
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Car parts stolen; suspect released on bail
A ROCHDALE man has been arrested following a high-value burglary at a Porsche garage in Bolton over the Christmas period. The burglary happened at the Porsche Centre on Manchester Road between Christmas Eve and December 27 last year. Around £70,000...
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Families invited to Town Hall fun
ROCHDALE Town Hall is inviting families to enjoy a packed programme of family fun and half term activities, with a series of events designed to entertain, inspire and bring people together during the school holidays. The programme includes a lively...
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Tributes to pair killed in air crash
TRIBUTES have been paid to the two victims of an air crash in Littleborough. Emergency crews rushed to farmland close to Blackstone Edge, Littleborough, just after 11am on February 3 following reports of a light aircraft coming down. Two men’s bodies...
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Two killed in light aircraft crash
TWO people have been killed after a light aircraft crashed on Tuesday afternoon, it has been confirmed. Two men died in a light aircraft crash on farmland in Littleborough, Greater Manchester Police has said. The plane, a Cirrus SR20, is understood...
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Crackdown takes drugs worth millions off our streets
The major police operation began in last March and ended in December, with results just released; drugs, illicit cash, vehicles and weapons including zombie knives were found
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DPD driver sacked over ‘fake iphone delivery’
ADPD driver has been dismissed after a ‘disgusted’ Rochdale customer alleged he had ‘faked delivery’ of his £1,200 iphone. Samuel Taylor purchased a £1,264 iphone 17 Pro Max from Giffgaff and says he received a photo of a DPD delivery posting his...
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Huge homes scheme gets green light
ALARGE housing development that would almost merge Smithy Bridge and Littleborough has been approved. The controversial 199home scheme off Smithy Bridge Road will bring more than just houses to the area, with a relief road to reduce traffic congestion...
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4.99% Expected rise in your council tax
COUNCIL tax in Rochdale is expected to go up by 4.99 per cent in April. The local authority is due to vote on the budget at the end of next month, an annual requirement for every council. Tax would need to be raised by 4.99 per cent to bring forward...
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Crunch time for disputed 199-home bid
ACRUNCH meeting to decide the fate of a 199-home development will take place this week. The 12-hectare site between Smithy Bridge and Littleborough has long been earmarked for housing. If approved, this latest development would almost merge the hamlet...
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Council boss steps down after conduct allegations
JAMES Binks has resigned his post as Rochdale council’s chief executive, it has been confirmed. The former council boss was suspended at the beginning of last month following allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’. The suspension related to an...
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At long last, we’re getting the cash that our area needs
JANUARY is traditionally the month of good intentions, when magazines and TV shows are full of ‘New Year, New You!’ features. It’s also when New Year’s resolutions start off with a flurry of activity, only to melt away with the snow a few weeks...
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Pair are rushed to hospital after crash horror
TWO people were rushed to hospital with serious injuries after a car smashed into a bus stop in Rochdale. Emergency services rushed to the scene on Wardle Road following reports of the incident at around 2pm on Sunday (January 4). A man and a woman...
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Four named in King’s New Years Honours
FOUR local people have been named in the King’s New Year Honours list, including Lioness Keira Walsh. The list, released annually ahead of the new year, celebrates people from across the UK and beyond, recognising their outstanding achievements and...
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45 caravans broken into in ‘strange’ burglaries
AROUND 45 caravans were broken into in a series of ‘strange’ burglaries. The incident at G&H Taylor Caravan Storage off Todmorden Road in Littleborough took place on Saturday night (December 27), affecting half of the caravans on the site. Bentley...
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Washing socks in buckets
DODGY plumbing at a prison in Rochdale meant inmates had to wash their socks and underwear in mop buckets, a report has revealed. HMP Buckley Hall is said to be ‘tired’ and in need of widespread repair. The report from the Independent Monitoring Board...
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Man admits making online threat to former MP
AMAN has pleaded guilty to sending an ‘online threat’ to a former MP. Zaffar Hussain, of Kellett Street in Rochdale, pleaded guilty to sending the ‘threat’ to Simon Danczuk, the former MP for Rochdale, at Wigan Magistrates’ Court on December...
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Warning as ‘super flu’ cases are on the rise
SERIOUS flu cases are sweeping the country, with thousands suffering so seriously that they are being admitted to hospital. And health experts say the peak of the wave is not yet in sight, as cases continue to rise. Greater Manchester is no...
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Lpolice reveal how the trap shut on £1.8m drug scheme
DETECTIVES knew it wasn’t a typical, ‘street-level’ operation. They’d been covertly watching for six months, meticulously gathering evidence. Soon, the sheer scale of the empire would become clear. When officers burst into the flat the gang had taken...
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PLANNING APPLICATIONS
PLANNING applications validated with Rochdale Borough Council up to the week ending Friday, December 5. ● WORKS to one protected Sycamore Tree (TPO290):- Crown lift of lowest branch and crown thin by 20% at 9 Innes Close, Rochdale ● APPLICATION for...
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Devoted dad died after ‘sudden and unexpected illnness’
TRIBUTES have been paid to an engineer and devoted family man who has died. Rory Cook, from Rochdale, (pictured) died peacefully on Sunday, November 23 surrounded by his family and friends following a ‘sudden and unexpected illness.’ Rory, 36, was an...
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Council chief suspended over claims of ‘inappropriate behaviour’
THE chief executive of Rochdale council has been suspended following allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’. James Binks, who was appointed as chief executive earlier this year, has been suspended by council leader Neil Emmott. The decision, made...
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Boos ring out as mammoth housing plan is approved
HUNDREDS of homes will be built on former green belt land in the heart of Littleborough despite major opposition from residents. The Rochdalian town had long been expecting these plans to come to fruition, but now Bloor Homes has permission to build...
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MP in bid to clampdown on drug driving
THE tragic death of an eight-year-old has sparked Rochdale’s MP to demand a crackdown on drug driving. Blake Consterdine-clarke suffered ‘catastrophic injuries’ when his father Leon Clarke lost control of his vehicle on the motorway in 2020. Clarke was...
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Traffic chaos has gone on for too long - MP Waugh
LITTLEBOROUGH ‘has tolerated traffic chaos for far too long’ according to Rochdale’s MP. MP Paul Waugh believes utility companies have failed to properly coordinate roadworks, leading to lengthy traffic jams locally. With temporary traffic lights...
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Ex drug trafficker in bid to open school
AFORMER drug trafficker sprung from a court transport van before eventually being sent to meet the Cali Cartel in one of the biggest ever cocaine deals is hoping to set up a school in Rochdale. Stephen Mee, along with Curtis “Cocky” Warren, smuggled...
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Broken-down van driver hurt by lorry in motorway collision
AVAN driver was seriously hurt after his vehicle broke down and a lorry ploughed into the back of it on the M62. Gary Lubuska was driving home on a Friday evening when his van suddenly cut out and came to a stop on the eastbound carriageway near...
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Killer driver pleads guilty after a number of crashes
ADRIVER who killed a woman and drove into others in a number of collisions in Rochdale has pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. Keith Knight, 49, was initially charged with the murder of 68-year-old Irina Artemeva and...
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Member of grooming gang ‘has left the country’
ACONVICTED member of a grooming gang from Rochdale has ‘left the country’, police have confirmed. Adil Khan, who is in his 50s, was among nine gang members jailed in 2012 for sexually abusing children. He has fought a long legal battle against...
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‘Inappropriate relationship’ ex-teacher in ban for life
AFORMER teacher who “engaged in sexual activity with a child” has been banned from educating for life. Matthew Hindle, 36, started the “inappropriate” relationship with a pupil in 2017 while he was a music teacher in Bury. In the years that followed,...
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