DNA which was found on a cap left at the scene of the second kidnapping is matched to another man, who has a long history of violence and armed robbery. People are scared of him', Police release CCTV images of man they want to speak to after young girl sexually assaulted, Officers were called to reports of a girl being sexually assaulted near Lees Valley yesterday (April 29), A child-killer, a Strangeways protester and an armed robbery gang: locked up in April. Sign up for our daily newsletter to get the day's biggest stories sent direct to your inbox. Cregan was a known drug dealer, who began by dealing marijuana as a teenager and by the age of twenty-two, had graduated to dealing hard drugs like cocaine. A team led by Gang Specialist, Detective Sergeant Julie Connor, suspect that the kidnapping is the work of an organised crime group. The victim tells police: "They took me to an address with an empty room and a chair in it. The Daily Star Sunday understands two families from Clayton and known villains from nearby Salford are planning retribution. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Leon Atkinson, 43, from Atherton, convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. "We shook hands and agreed to speak on the phone if we had any problems.". On another occasion a young girl was being bullied by a man at a club called Chickabits. The shocking scene, caught in CCTV, was no war torn country - but a quiet street in East Manchester on a bright, sunny afternoon in 2018. 'We estimate Atkinson has been head of an organised crime group for the last ten years', Sign up for our daily newsletter to get the day's biggest stories sent direct to your inbox. More than 150 of those have subsequently been charged for a range of drug, firearms and money-laundering offences. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. After learning about Dale Cregan, read about Gary Ridgeway, one of the worst serial killers in American history. Quite often organised crime takes place in the shadows or the back streets, she says. The first episode of 'The Detectives: fighting organised crime' aired on Tuesday night, and focuses on the horrific kidnapping and torture of two men in November and December 2018. Distributors Adam Marsden, 37, and Nathan Powell, 31, sourced and supplied over six stone (40kg) of cocaine between them. Tension is at breaking point. Wade Cox was convicted of murder and given a 36 year sentence. The court heard that the criminals involved in the handover used the password 'Man City' for the meeting. Get your need-to-know They included 88,000 violent crimes and 47 murders. atkinson family manchester gangsters. I need the police quick.". Inside the property, the victim's child is heard to say: "Did Daddy die? Through tracking Coxs phone, and cross referencing with CCTV, the unit finds he changed his clothes shortly before the attack to those similar to the gunman. Marsden was sentenced to nine years and eight months while Ghafar received a jail term of eight years and eight months. It was discovered after law enforcement agencies cracked the "secret" Encrochat network used by criminals to message each other. . Atkinson was identified as the ringleader when he sent the photograph, taken in his garden during England's first coronavirus lockdown in 2020, to a leading member of another drugs gang. Gang violence had broken out in a place where young families lived, she said. Giving evidence under cross-examination from prosecutor Nicholas Clarke QC, Atkinson said David Short had smacked him in the mouth "for looking at him". At the handover Nevin sold six kilograms of cocaine to a criminal who used the Encro handle 'Festivetape.' Atkinson and three others were found not guilty of the murder of Mark Short. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Two males were seen to pick up the money, before making their way towards a Mercedes. After months on the run, Cregan lured Pc Nicola Hughes, 23, and Pc Fiona Bone, 32, with a bogus burglary report before he opened fire on the unarmed and unsuspecting officers, then using his "calling card" by throwing a hand grenade at the stricken victims. The Shorts and Atkinsons war began more than a decade ago when Frank Atkinson allegedly threatened to kill Davids brother John only to be shot a few weeks later. Liverpool man Richard Caswell conspired with the Cox crime family to steal 30kg of cocaine from a house on Croxdale Road West in Liverpool. Historic goal masks hidden Erling Haaland improvement for Man City. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Filmed in Manchester, with unprecedented access to police ops, the series followed the Major Incident Team (MIT) for two years as they tackle the growing rivalry amongst drug-dealing gangs. He said he had known both David Short and Cregan for "a very long time". The convicted drug dealer, jailed in 2016 after police found heroin and cocaine stuffed between his buttocks during a police raid, was a one-time associate of cop killer Dale Cregan. Atkinson, 43, had moved from the Tameside area to Atherton, but, his criminal career was interrupted in July 2020 when he was in a first raft of 34 people charged locally after the encrypted phone network was infiltrated by police. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. The killer of an eight-year-old girl, a Strangeways protester and an armed robbery gang are among the serious criminals who were locked up in Greater Manchester in April. This is a dangerous gang who have killed someone already.. When police went to re-arrest him, he could not be found, having moved his family out of his home and into a hotel in an attempt to lay low. But the ultimate goal is to get them.". He had also developed an unhealthy obsession with knives. ". This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. He retaliated by slapping her, and this infuriated Atkinson, who texted her son Leon, demanding that they seek revenge on the Short family. DCI Hopkinson stressed that it was rare for gang violence to cross over into ordinary lives. The bounty has been on offer since the 34-year-old was placed behind bars in . To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Leon Atkinson and David Short shook hands at the end of the talks . Don't miss a thing! We had another fight after that. Luke, known as Tank to his friends, took five bullets but was killed instantly by the first, which zig-zagged through his chest and severed an artery. Police learned about the meetings near the Manchester City ground after reading messages sent on the EncroChat network, which was used by the criminals involved. He intended to kill both Mark and his father David, but David happened to be in the bathroom at the time of the shooting. Something went wrong, please try again later. You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk, Hundreds arrested as crime chat network cracked, Police appeal follows girl being sexually assaulted in Lees, Delight for Warrington residents with lottery cash win, McDonalds slashes menu prices by nearly 50 per cent, but youll need to be quick, Child killer Thomas Cashman's chilling desperate threats to love rival to hide his secret, Bury Pride 2023 photos show town celebrating "all forms of love", Bury schoolgirls run London Mini Marathon in memory of dad, Russia launches pre-dawn missile attack on Ukraine, Chaos at port as thousands rush to leave Sudan. Cregan denies the Short murders and the attempted murder of the three others injured in the pub attack along with causing an explosion and the attempted murder of Sharon Hark in a separate attack minutes after the murder of David Short. The Story Of Dale Cregan, The Deranged One-Eyed Killer - All That's READ MORE:Liverpool man's role in 1m cocaine heist shocks the underworld. It is alleged that Cregan and four others acted on the orders of Leon Atkinson, 35, to shoot a rival family in a pub in Droylsden, Manchester, last May. Drug dealer joked that his customer was 'fuming' over 'Man City password', Get the latest crime reports and stories from Liverpool Echo straight to your inbox. At a pub in Greater Manchester, the matriarch of the Atkinson family, Theresa Atkinson, was celebrating a Greater Manchester win, when she hit Raymond Young, a member of the Short family. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. These people are very dangerous individuals and they have to be caught.. Powell, of Cheney Close, Openshaw, admitted the same offences and is due to be sentenced on Thursday. But when you see a gunman burst out of a house, into a busy residential street and shooting, in broad daylight with people sitting in their front gardens, children playing, the sun shining, at teatime, that is horrendous. Get the latest updates from across Greater Manchester direct to your inbox with the free MEN newsletter, You can sign up very simply by following the instructions here. He was known for only having one eye, although the circumstances surrounding his injury remain unclear. After a ten week court case at Manchester Crown Court, in 2019, Jack West, Connor Cornforth and Ben Dodd were convicted of assisting an offender and sentenced to between 2.5 and 3.5 years. When Manchester was known as . May bank holiday Monday opening times for Aldi, ASDA, Tesco, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons and Sainsbury's, Supermarket opening and closing hours for early sping bank holiday Monday, May 1, Man City's next six Premier League fixtures compared with Arsenal ahead of West Ham clash. Ahmed was also jailed for six years after being found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property and being concerned in an arrangement which facilitates the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property. Charlie Atkinson, who drove Coxs phone away and provided him with an alibi, was given eight years for assisting an indictable offence. This wont be let go. Dale Cregan trial: Father of Cregan co-accused Leon Atkinson was "It's just absolutely awful that there were children playing in the street while this happened. TWO little girls, one dressed in a princess dress, flee in terror as three men in balaclavas run out of a house and shots ring out across a residential street. Theres a lot more gangs in Manchester than there used to be and theyre more organised than they were in the 90s, explains DS Julie Connor. Cregan, who is also a convicted drug-dealer, lost his left eye in unknown circumstances years ago. Dale Cregan was found guilty of four counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder, and subsequently sentenced to life in prison. Police tracked down Leon Atkinson after he posted the photograph on a secret messaging app, Leon Atkinson pleaded guilty to a range of drugs offences. 9 (63 ratings) Try for $0. "We estimate Atkinson has been head of an organised crime group for the last ten years. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. We cannot reveal their names for legal reasons but they are being backed by heavies in Liverpool and a gangland figure in Nottingham, said to owe David a favour after he spared him in a bare- knuckle fight. Manchester United took a big step towards securing Champions League football for next season after notching a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday. They warned us they were going to kill daddy," a young child asks his mum. Mr Langhorn described how Michael Nevin, who worked as a courier for the Cox gang, was involved in this process. May bank holiday Monday opening times for Aldi, ASDA, Tesco, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons and Sainsbury's, Supermarket opening and closing hours for early sping bank holiday Monday, May 1, Man City's next six Premier League fixtures compared with Arsenal ahead of West Ham clash. 'It was crazy': Residents wake to 'almighty bang' and sirens following 'serious' crash on main road, One person was taken to hospital following the five-vehicle crash on Sunday morning (April 30), "My house looked like it had been burgled after my marriage broke down - now I help other hoarders clear out their clutter", Janine McDonald's house became cluttered after she lost her job and her marriage broke down, forcing her to live on just 800 a month, Coronation Concert will feature Union Jack shaped stage that will extend out to audience, Around 20,000 members of the public are expected to attend the event next Sunday (May 7). Smiling, having a few beers in the garden during the first lockdown. The Detectives: Inside brutal Manchester turf war with dad - The Sun Leon Atkinson, 35, was accused of plotting revenge on the Short family after a man slapped his mother Theresa during a boozy pub row. The killer of an eight-year-old girl, a Strangeways protester and an armed robbery gang are among the serious criminals who were locked up in Greater Manchester in April. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The man in the red Armani T-shirt is Leon Atkinson, a target criminal for GMP and close friend of cop killer Dale Cregan. Nevin joked that the customer had been left 'fuming.'. But a jury cleared him off all charges. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? They beat me for two or three minutes, stopped, threw water at me and then pointed a gun to my head. There were little girls running around playing in their princess dresses, she told the Manchester Evening News. She says that when Bostock was brought into police custody, he had been threatening each member of staff who dealt with him. Manchester City currently find themselves one point clear of Arsenal in the Premier League table, with Pep Guardiola's side also having a game in hand on the Gunners. Using the handles 'Carrothorn' and 'Maidenbear' Atkinson messaged the Cox clan to negotiate buying from them half of 1m worth of cocaine they had stolen from an infamous Liverpool crime gang. It is alleged that Cregan and four others acted on the orders of Leon Atkinson, 35, to shoot a rival family in a pub in Droylsden, Manchester, last May. Well over 200 people have been detained by GMP since the launch of Operation Venetic by the National Crime Agency in July 2020. "Generally if we catch people its those lower down. Read about our approach to external linking. Now you can see why this war is not over.. He is arrested and taken into custody for questioning after armed police raid a house in the Fallowfield area. When they arrived, Cregan shot up their bodies using the same Glock pistol he used to murder David Short, and then proceeded to throw grenades at their remains. He gathered his gun and, wearing a balaclava, burst into the Cotton Tree pub two weeks later, where Mark Short was having a drink. Some of the individuals sentenced here are some of the higher-level organised criminals that operate in Greater Manchester, and again demonstrate the unprecedented damage we as law enforcement are being able to inflict on multi-million-pound gangs as a result of EncroChat. On a hot sunny day in June 2018, just before 5pm, drug dealer Luke Graham and his associate Anton Verigota dropped some crack and heroin at a house in Birch Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne, and drove away in a silver van. Police catch druglord after he sends grinning mugshot to gangsters Inside the 'mini Dutch pancake house' hidden on a quaint Greater Manchester Square, Papa Dutch started life as a family lockdown project before gaining a loyal following for its authentic mini Dutch pancakes, 'He hasn't got away with it like he thought he probably had' remorseless paedophile's past comes back to haunt him, Paul Betts has been sentenced to five years in prison, Police release CCTV images of man they want to speak to after young girl sexually assaulted, Officers were called to reports of a girl being sexually assaulted near Lees Valley yesterday (April 29), A child-killer, a Strangeways protester and an armed robbery gang: locked up in April. CCTV footage of the raid on Croxdale Road West in Liverpool. Dale Cregan in court, surrounded by police officers. He had a gun though. Something went wrong, please try again later. Greater Manchester Police and the North West Regional Crime Unit later arrested the main participants in the conspiracy. The four men have pleaded guilty to drug offences and possessing criminal property. On August 10, he went to David Shorts home in Clayton and attacked him shooting him nine times with a Glock before throwing a grenade and blowing up his body. Simon Atkinson is a British architect, currently the Mike Hogg Centennial Professor in Community and Regional Planning at University of Texas at Austin and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Casemiro was back to his best for Man Utd in their win against Aston Villa in the Premier League and Erik ten Hag has given his verdict on the holding midfielder. Atkinson told the court the peace did not last long and that he had been involved in trouble before with David Short, who he said had punched him 'for looking at me'. 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Then, check out the story of the, The Story Of Dale Cregan, The Deranged One-Eyed Killer. Gangland war expected in Manchester over Dale Cregan killings But he denied orchestrating the murder at the Cotton Tree pub, saying he was with his family in Prestatyn at the time. Det Insp Roger Smethurst said: "This was an extremely sophisticated drugs gang that effectively distributed mass quantities of cocaine across the North West. You want to persuade people to do the right thing but you've got to be sure for themselves that they will be safe. Five months after the first kidnap and after several weeks on the run, Darren Berkeley handed himself into police. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Birch Street, in Ashton-Under-Lyne, where the murder took place in broad daylight, Luke Graham was shot dead on June 13 2018, Police arrive on the scene after the shooting, DS Julie Connor says gang violence has got worse since the 90s, Wade Cox was suspected of being in same gang as Dale Cregan, Cregan killed a father and son before murdering the two female officers, Cregan's victims Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes were lured with a 999 call, Wade Cox was arrested and questioned for the murder, Jordan 'Charlie' Atkinson was jailed for eight years, Connor Cornforth took phones away to help with alibis, Jack West was found guilty of assisting an offender, Manchester cops reveal brutal kidnapping in BBC2's The Detectives: Fighting Organised Crime, The Detectives: Inside brutal Manchester turf war with dad shot 5 times on a quiet street as kids of 4 played nearby, Striking train drivers earning 60,000 accused of 'cultural vandalism' by 'targeting' Eurovision and FA Cup, One man dead and seven men and women injured as knifeman goes on bloody rampage near nightclub in Bodmin, Girl, 4, 'assaulted by drunk man' in Tesco as cops appeal to find hero who stepped in to help, Explosion rocks London street as flat above chicken shop blows up in suspected gas blast leaving three injured, Keir Starmer faces awkward questions in Commons over secret talks to poach Sue Gray, WHSmith shoppers stunned at eye-watering 15 price tag for a bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs - three weeks after Easter, ISIS terror leader Abu Hussein al-Qurashi killed by Turkish 'intelligence operation' in Syria, Erdogan says, Over 99% of thefts do not end in a charge - even when victims track stolen phone, shocking stats reveal, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).