Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News

‘Merciless, sustained, and brutal’

AWIDNES man who bought a block of knives from Asda before he stabbed his estranged wife to death has been jailed for life. Nimalarajah Mathiyadaranam of Warrington Road in Widnes was said to have knifed his former partner Nilani Nimalarajah a total of...

Ketamine use explodes in borough

CRIME and school exclusions have surged in Halton due to a rapid rise in ketamine use. A report to the council’s health and well-being board has lifted the lid on use of the drug across the borough which it said was ‘rapidly escalating’, mirroring a...

Officer didn’t mean to badly hurt teenager in cell assault, claims top cop

APOLICE officer “didn’t want to seriously injure” a teenager he assaulted in a cell, according to his chief constable. PC Sam Clarke of Cheshire Police was found guilty of assault after a trial at Sefton Magistrates’ Court in September this...

Move to cut 60 PCSOs is blasted

CHESHIRE Police is pressing ahead with controversial plans to slash the number of PCSO posts across the county by 70 per cent despite a public backlash. Assistant chief constable Alison Ross has emailed local councils to say, following conclusion of...

Coroner to probe deaths of six people at care home

THE deaths of six residents at a Runcorn care home are to be probed. Inquests have been opened into six deaths at the council-run St Luke’s care home. The six deaths all occurred between December 2022 and January 2024. Residents were aged between 67...

Burglar who was scared off by a cat is jailed

ABURGLAR snuck into a property by climbing through a downstairs window before being frightened off by the owner’s 13-year-old cat. Callum Quirk, 27, from Thirlmere Way, Widnes, appeared at Chester Crown Court where he was sentenced after pleading...

‘She thought her mother was dead’

AWOMAN believed she had found her mum dead in bed after the pensioner’s fiancé left her with a broken neck. Alvin Baker deliberately slammed on the brakes of his taxi “out of nowhere” while his partner was sitting in the back without her seatbelt...

Call to save PCSOs from the axe

ACOST-CUTTING proposal by Cheshire Police to axe up to 60 Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) roles would be a ‘false economy’ and ‘a mistake we cannot afford to make’, a councillor has said. Cllr Julie Smith (Handforth, nongrouped) has written to...

Mental health project sees children Thrive

ASCHEME to transform the mental health and wellbeing of children across Halton has cut school exclusion rates in its first year – and potentially saved millions of pounds in the long run. The project – a partnership between Halton Borough Council and...

Violent thug who attacked girlfriend in a ‘jealous’ rage is jailed

ADAD “went nuts” when his girlfriend talked to a waiter at a restaurant and left her permanently injured. Alexandru-Cristian Mihai told his partner that he was “going to have to give her a slap” due to his “jealousy” before throttling her with such...

Barton guilty over ‘grossly offensive’ X posts

FORMER footballer Joey Barton has been convicted of sending grossly offensive social media posts about broadcaster Jeremy Vine and TV football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko. A jury at Liverpool Crown Court found Barton, 43, had “crossed the line...

Anger over bid to extend quarry activity by 15 years

PLANS have been submitted to extend the life of a controversial quarry which lies on the borders of Halton for another 15 years. An application to extract 1.06 million cubic meters of sandstone from Bold Heath Quarry were originally submitted in 2009...

DEFEND YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW.

A nightclub could open next door without you being consulted! Plans for licensed premises in your neighbourhood could be hidden from view if new government proposals for secret alcohol licensing notices get the green light.

Boxing club hits back over MP’s claim of support

ACOMMUNITY boxing club in Runcorn has branded a local MP’s claims her team helped it secure funding ‘complete fiction’. Reform UK’s Sarah Pochin recently visited Runcorn Amateur Boxing Club (ABC) in Runcorn Shopping City and posted a video where she...

‘Dog village’ scheme near M62 junction

A‘DOG village’ complete with dog cafe, training facilities, sand pit and splash pool could be built on the site of an old sewage treatment plant near Widnes if plans get the green light. Some residents living in Cronton raised concerns earlier this...

Milestone is reached in theatre work

CONTRACTORS at Runcorn’s award-winning theatre The Brindley have reached the latest milestone in its phase one £6.3m extension, with the building now watertight. Forty glazing panels have now been installed to its steel frame extension, says project...

Firefighters to give emergency care to pets

PETS across Cheshire will now receive specialist treatment in emergency situations thanks to a project to provide firefighters with firstaid training, skills and knowledge to care for animals affected by incidents such as house fires. The initiative...

Reform win to face legal challenge

ALEGAL challenge to Reform UK’s win in this year’s Runcorn and Helsby by-election can go ahead, the High Court has ruled. Sarah Pochin won the by-election for Nigel Farage’s party in May by six votes, overturning a majority of almost 15,000 to take...

Family pays tribute to dad after sudden death

THE family of an adoring dad who died suddenly at home have paid tribute to him. David Dineley was found dead in the kitchen of his home by his devastated wife, Wendy, on Sunday, August 31. The 55-year-old dad-of-four had shown no signs of being...

I can never forget run-ins with bodybuilder Arobieke

AMAN who claims Akinwale Arobieke followed him as a teenager has spoken out about the run-ins he claims to have had with the bodybuilder. Chris Edge was a teenager when he was working with his uncle at a firm on Boundary Street in Kirkdale. Chris, who...

Cancer mum still fighting ten years after diagnosis

AMUM was told she has incurable cancer three times after suffering from indigestion. Mum-of-two Colette Swindells had suffered with terrible heartburn for many years but thought “nothing of it”. It wasn’t until 2015 when Colette, aged 46 at the time,...

Boy racer ‘ended my dance career dream’

ABOY RACER broke his 16-year-old passenger’s spine after crashing into a fence, then left her “injured, terrified and in unimaginable pain”, writes Wesley Holmes. Elliot Harris, 19, was going more than 80mph in a 30mph zone when he lost control and...

Casino knife thug is sent to jail

AMAN who used a bar stool to smash slot machines at a casino and seriously assaulted a member of the public has been jailed. Constantin Lupo, of Fredrick Street, Widnes, was jailed for eight months after being found guilty of criminal damage,...

Shopping in the City - back in 1973

RARE footage captures the early days inside a “science fiction” style shopping centre back in the 1970s. For decades, many from Merseyside and beyond have headed a little further out to visit Runcorn Shopping City. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II in...

Pochin has ‘picked the wrong street’ say angry residents

RESIDENTS in Runcorn have hit back at the town’s MP Sarah Pochin after she claimed their street was blighted by violence and antisocial behaviour caused by ‘illegal immigrants’. But Mrs Pochin herself immediately hit back at some of the criticism,...

Community rugby club hit by £10k break-in

ACOMMUNITY sports club in Widnes has been left devastated after thieves ransacked their building and made off with thousands of pounds’ worth of equipment. Officers were called following reports there had been a break-in at a storage building used by...

Dad’s shock at £90k bonanza

ARUNCORN man was left stunned when he opened his front door expecting a plasterer – and instead found out he’d won a brand-new car and £50,000 in cash, worth a total of £90,000. Antony Kewley was at home on leave when he received the shock of a...

JAIL FOR BURGLAR FOUND HIDING IN BATH

THE fight to save a landmark former social club which had been saved from being permanently turned into a storage facility looks set for round two. The LDRS reported recently how Halton Council planners had thrown out an application to transform the...

MP’s portrait of town ‘not based on reality’

AN EXTRAORDINARY war of words has erupted between local leaders and Runcorn’s new MP after they accused her of stoking ‘fear and confusion’ about the town following a series of claims in the media and the Commons. In a strongly-worded joint statement,...

Drug dealer who went on the run caught on holiday

AMAN from Ireland who was caught with nearly 30 MDMA tablets at Creamfields in Daresbury in 2017 and then proceeded to flee the country twice while on bail, has finally been jailed. On Sunday, August 27, 2017, Aaron Godfrey, 29, was stopped at the...

Anger as MP asks Starmer to ‘ban the burqa’

NEW Runcorn and Helsby MP Sarah Pochin was jeered when she used her first ever Prime Minister’s Question to ask if Keir Starmer would ‘ban the burqa’. And the day after her question was asked, the party’s chairman Zia Yusuf resigned having branded her...

I wasn’t listened to, then I lost a toe

AROUTINE doctor’s appointment turned into a living nightmare for a Runcorn dad after a seemingly minor injury spiralled out of control. Colin Rotherham, 62, was attending a podiatrist appointment in January 2023 when he felt a “sharp pain” and later...

Best friend in bid to help couple both battling cancer

ACOUPLE who have both been diagnosed with cancer and are now fighting to make memories “while they still can” after being told the devastating news. Following months of feeling unwell, in March 2020 Sarah Hughes, from Runcorn, was given the...

FOOTBALL CLUB’S NEW HOME HOPES IN TATTERS

AMBITIOUS plans to renovate the former ‘Corpy’ club in Widnes and turn it into a new home for Widnes Football Club are in tatters after proposals were withdrawn. The football club – which recently won promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier...

‘Chop shop’ car theft trio jailed

AMAN suffered a heart attack after falling victim to a million-pound car theft gang. Curtis Morrison, Sean Fagan and Daniel Johnston conspired to steal a staggering 82 cars over a six-month period before having the “high value” vehicles sold off for...

Gang abducted wrong man, stole from him then gave him £20 for a taxi

AGANG of robbers bundled a cyclist into their car before setting him free and giving him £20 after apparently realising they had abducted the wrong man. The victim was snatched from the street by a team of masked men armed with weapons including an...

Jail for ‘drugs mule’ caught with £144k of cannabis

AMAN found with up to £144,000 worth of cannabis at Manchester Airport told Border Force officers he ‘ran out of money’ while holidaying in Thailand. Bernard Kennedy, of Grizedale in Widnes, travelled from Bangkok to Manchester via Dubai on March 20,...

Business award hopefuls named

THE shortlist has been announced for Halton’s most established and prestigious business awards which returns for its 15th year on Friday, June 13. With 56 companies shortlisted in 18 categories, this year has seen an all-time high in the number of...

Man appeals sentence over sex toy prank at camping store

ADAD was jailed after sniffing a sex toy in Go Outdoors in a stag do prank gone wrong. Ricki Hughes presented the toy to a member of staff inside a shoe box while apparently seeking a refund on footwear, telling her: “It’s just banter.” But the till...

Shop worker jailed for sex assault on girl, aged 15

AVAPE shop worker sexually assaulted a girl in the car park of a Morrisons supermarket. Aman Singh lured the teenager into his car under the pretence of giving her e-cigarettes before assaulting her. A trial at Liverpool Crown Court heard that the...

GRAND NATIONAL SWEEPSTAKE KIT

IT’S the world’s greatest steeplechase, drawing a huge global audience for a spectacle unlike anything else. And the crowds will be at Aintree again this weekend for the 177th Grand National. Bookies favourite I Am Maximus, trained by Willie Mullins,...

It’s action stations as campaigning kicks off

● Reform’s Farage visits constituency ● Parties name their candidates ● Amesbury blames assault on drinking Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage and candidate Sarah Pochin (2nd left) on a walkabout in the constituency on Monday and above all the candidates

Hero officers who saved woman hanging off bridge honoured

● PC Gemma Taylor, PC Declan Evans and PC Phil Brandreth are receiving Cheshire Police Federation Bravery Awards

FULL STORY ON PAGE 3

DISGRACED MP Mike Amesbury has said he will quit the Commons after punching a constituent. The former Labour MP was given a 10-week prison term, which was reduced to a suspended sentence after an appeal, leaving him at risk of being ousted from...

MP IS SET FREE

MEMBER of Parliament Mike Amesbury has walked free from jail after having his sentence suspended on appeal. On Monday last week, a hearing at Chester Magistrates’ Court saw Amesbury, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby, jailed for ten weeks after admitting...

JAILED

DISGRACED MP Mike Amesbury is facing calls to quit the Commons after being jailed for 10 weeks for punching a man after a row in the street. The former Labour MP, who has been sitting as an Independent since he was suspended by the party after his...

Dog with tumour is left tied to railings outside a vet surgery

Pervert snared by paedophile hunters is jailed

A‘DANGEROUS’ paedophile has been jailed after sending sexually explicit images and videos to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl. Connor Grant, of Runcorn, sent a decoy profile pretending to be a teenage girl, graphic videos and images of sexual...

Child rapist who terrified victim into silence jailed

ACHILD rapist’s victim feared she would be “tortured” by her abuser after he threatened to “take her away” and “f*** her up”. Former Runcorn resident Neal Hatton terrified the girl into silence as he repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted her during...

‘Selfish and arrogant’ driver left baby needing 24/7 care

AFERRARI driver who crashed into a mum and her newborn son, who was left permanently brain damaged, was slammed by a judge as ‘selfish and arrogant.’ Daniel Halliwell, 35, was driving at speeds of up to 136mph when he lost control of his Ferrari 812...

MP PLEADS GUILTY TO ASSAULT

FORMER Labour MP Mike Amesbury has told his assault victim he is “sincerely sorry” as he potentially faces jail for punching the man to the floor following a dispute about a bridge closure. Amesbury pleaded guilty to assaulting 45-year-old Paul...

Child rapist jailed after bowling alley staff report man to police

Christopher Aherne has been sentenced to 19 years and six months in jail for sexually abusing and raping a child. Bowling alley staff contacted police when they saw a man acting inappropriately with a child

Paedophile who kept disturbing diary jailed

APAEDOPHILE documented his perverted desires in “horrific” detail within a disturbing diary. Gerrard Charnley declared himself “proud to be a paedophile” in the secret book which was recovered by the police alongside a list of children whom he wanted...

Sister-in-law and niece save Malcolm’s life

AFAMILY is celebrating their very own miracle after a dad was “brought back from the dead” thanks to his quick-thinking sister-in-law. Susan Howarth, 55, leapt into action when brother-in-law Malcolm Yale suddenly collapsed after clutching his chest...

Selfish 90 mph killer is jailed

ABOY racer has been jailed after he admitted killing a former Runcorn Linnets footballer who was a pedestrian at a car meet in Warrington. Mason Hodgson appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday 19 November where he was sentenced to eight years in...

Dad and daughter hug as they are jailed for revenge attack

ADAD and daughter who carried out a bloody “revenge attack” outside a Widnes nightclub tearfully hugged each other as they were jailed. Conor McQuade, 44, and his daughter Charlotte, 21, cried as they said goodbye to their family after being sent down...

‘After years of abuse, I just want to be heard’

AYOUNG woman has bravely spoken out about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepdad. Leah Green, 21, was in primary school when the abuse began. During her early adolescence, she endured inappropriate sexual behaviour from Martin Falconer,...

Hundreds of complaints... but no rogue landlords brought to court

HALTON Council has not prosecuted a single rogue landlord over the past five years despite receiving 1,351 complaints from tenants, new figures have revealed. Freedom of Information (FOI) requests sent to local authorities in England and Wales...

Spree burglar locked up for five years

APROLIFIC burglar from Widnes has been jailed after he pleaded guilty to a series of burglaries across the town. David Spencer Power appeared at Liverpool Crown Court where he was sentenced to five years in prison. The 42-year-old of Cunningham Road,...

Sadness as ‘Conny’ set to close

THE impending closure of a landmark Runcorn social club has been described as ‘a great loss’ to the local community. Runcorn Conservative Club known to many as ‘The Conny Club’ - announced online recently that it will be calling last orders for the...

Council chief slams private kids’ homes charging £15k a week per child He said there ‘is a lot of profiteering going on’ and there needed to be alternative provision

SOME private children’s homes are charging Halton £15,000 a week to look after a single vulnerable child, as the council’s chief executive accused some providers of ‘profiteering’. A report to Halton’s Children and Young People and Families Policy and...

Living in the shadow of UK’s largest waste incinerator

CLARKS Terrace in Runcorn used to have a lovely claim to fame. The street was one of the primary filming locations for Two Pints of Lager and A Packet of Crisps and its residents were proud of the fact. Today, it is known for something far less...

MP suspended by party after a claim of late-night assault

RUNCORN and Helsby MP Mike Amesbury has been suspended by the Labour Party after footage emerged of him appearing to punch a man to the ground. Footage first emerged on Saturday showing the Member of Parliament involved in a late-night street...

Bridge tolls could face a hike of 20%

NEXT year could see a rise in the level of toll charges on the Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee bridges. The Mersey Gateway Crossings Board (MGCB) has submitted recommendations to Halton Borough Council’s Executive Board, suggesting an approximate 20%...

DRUGS BOSS ARRESTED IN HIS PANTS JAILED

BODYWORN cameras captured the moment an EncroChat dealer named “nakedotter” was arrested in underwear. Anthony Davies, of Lessingham Road, Widnes, operated at the top of the chain supplying substantial amounts of class A and class B drugs. The...

Mum given suspended sentence for ‘out of control’ dogs

APREGNANT woman sprinted down the street in her dressing gown after her XL Bullies broke free and began to wreak havoc. Jessica Campbell’s partner was savaged on the arm as the couple attempted to regain control of her dogs Reggie and Rui. Reggie...

Tributes paid to man who died while flying home

AN OFF-DUTY paramedic has spoken about what happened before a dadof-two died while flying home with his two sons. Chris Neill, of Runcorn, was flying back to Liverpool John Lennon Airport from Burgas, Bulgaria, on Monday, September 16, when he began...