Charges against a police officer accused of rape and false imprisonment have been dropped.
25.04.2023 - 11:09 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
It was 4.15am and two men arrived in a black BMW outside the Co-op in Ellenbrook, Worsley. They were joined by another in a Transit van stolen hours earlier from Burtonwood, Cheshire.
They then attempted to steal money from a cash machine inside the Co-op on Morston Close. The attempt failed - but that incident on March 16th 2022 was their second strike. Two days earlier, they had escaped with £21,420 in an identical attack at a Co-op in LIncolnshire.
It was the start of a five-month crime spree from March to July 2022 which saw them strike 19 times across England and Wales. Using a lockup garage in Greater Manchester as a 'stable' where they would keep their stolen cars, the raids saw the crew steal £580,000 in total.
The four-man gang - who also hit two stores in one night in their spree - employed meticulous planning and when required ruthless violence. In one, in Warrington, they rammed into a police patrol car being driven by two female officers before hurling bricks at them.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
For all of their raids, the method was the same. They started by stealing a Transit van on the night near the target location, before attaching to a tow bar of the vehicle a builder's strap which was wrapped around standing cash machines in the stores. The machines were then dragged out of the shops and as they broke with the force cassettes of cash rifled.
The gang would then flee the scene in one of three stolen cars - two BMWs and a Golf R-type, which had been taken via a house burglary in Worsley. The van would be abandoned in situ.
They used a whizzer cutting tool to slice through shutters at the stores. In the days before, they carried out a recce by buying
Charges against a police officer accused of rape and false imprisonment have been dropped.
This was the dramatic moment a police chase came to a sudden end before the driver fled the scene. Greater Manchester Police began a 'lengthy' investigation to track down Michael Turner after he made off from his car on a narrow country road near Bolton.
Rita Ora had viewers in awe as she 'slayed' during an interval performance at the first semi-final of the of Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on BBC One. The pop superstar wowed with a selection of her greatest hits as she took to the stage in Liverpool, the host city in the UK on behalf of Ukraine.
A gang of burglars targeted a Salford rugby club and Asian families during a three month crime spree. But they were caught when police surrounded their getaway vehicle on the M56.
A TikTok star has been found to have 'racially abused' a police officer after being pulled over for drinking in her car. Priya Sahi - known as Queen Bee filmed and uploaded her arrest to her social media following of over 100,000 users.
A cafe on Manchester's famous Curry Mile found to be operating as an illegal shisha bar has been ordered to hand over more than £170,000 and fined.
Royal fans have said Princess Charlotte is their 'kind of girl' after they spotted a completely relatable moment during a public engagement with her family. The Prince and Princess of Wales rounded off the Coronation weekend by heading to help renovate a Scout hut site alongside their three children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
We're heading towards the final of the I'm A Celebrity ...Get Me Out Of Here! all-stars spin-off, in a bid to be crowned the first I’m A Celebrity Legend, on Friday. And fans were declaring their winner following emotional scenes.
A man has told of the moment he rushed to help a stabbing victim following a horrifying knife attack in Tameside.
Voters in West Lancashire, have had their say in the 2023 local elections.
Two people have been rushed to hospital following a crash after a car burst into flames in Westhoughton.
One of the most renowned buildings in Didsbury has now been transformed into luxury rental apartments after undergoing an extensive three-year redevelopment. The old Didsbury police station on Wilmslow Road has been given a new lease of life after a Manchester based property developer took over the abandoned site.
Helen Flanagan has wowed her fans and followers as she shared her very own 'empowering' bikini moment before getting a little bit 'tipsy' and heading out on a girl's night out. The former Coronation Street star recently jetted off for a whistlestop work trip in Tenerife and has now shown off the results of her modelling work.
A police officer has been referred to Lancashire Constabulary's Professional Standards Department after a clip of him calling a civilian a 'f***ing biff' began circulating online.
A man has been jailed for 22 months for helping convicted murderer Thomas Cashman after he fatally shot nine-year-old Olivia Pratt Korbel.
An ATM was blown up by a gang at a local convenience store last night.
A cash machine was blown up by gang who struck at a covenience store. Three men attacked the ATM at the Co-op in Castleton, Rochdale last night and escaped with a "substantial" amount.
Gemma Atkinson was branded a 'dream woman' in a brilliant video created by two of her friends as they apologised to her partner Gorka Marquez. The Hits Radio host and her Strictly Come Dancing star fiance got to enjoy the company of their friends Sam Cornforth and Fraser Knox.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will soon issue its first wave of Cost of Living payment for 2023.
Boxing legends and celebs are set to take part in a charity football match as part of the bid to build a statue commemorating a legendary Manchester fighter denied a title due to a 'colour ban.'