A KFC thief and a controlling drug addict were just two of the offenders jailed in our region over the last week.

The courts also dealt with a yob who spat at cops, and a stalker who bombarded a stranger.

Prison sentences are handed out to the worst offenders each week and Manchester Evening News reporters are in court to cover the most serious cases.

READ MORE: Friends share tributes to 25-year-old murdered in horrific street attack

Here are some of the criminals locked up in Greater Manchester in the past week.

'Desperate' thief who broke into KFC because he was 'hungry'

Daniel Sawdyke

A 'desperate' thief broke into a KFC and stole a charity box containing £7 in coppers because he was 'hungry'.

Daniel Sawdyke, 29, forced his way into a branch of the fast food restaurant in Hulme before pilfering the sum.

A judge at Manchester Crown Court described the crime as a 'mean offence, one which was frankly blatant and arrogant'.

"Essentially it was very stupid, he apologises," Sawdyke's barrister Ellen Shaw said.

"He was hungry and he hadn't had anything to eat."

Drug addict Sawdyke, who has a 'terrible' criminal record, was locked up for 16 months after he was also caught with a knife on three occasions.

Sawdyke, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to one count of burglary and three counts of possessing a bladed article.

Controlling thug who demanded girlfriend to become sex worker to fund his cocaine habit

Ashley Barrett

A controlling thug demanded his girlfriend work as a call girl to partly fund his cocaine habit.

Ashley Barrett, 33, repeatedly beat and humiliated his former partner so frequently during their toxic year-long relationship, she said the attacks became a 'blur'.

The woman became a sex worker when Barrett commanded she raise money to fund his drug addiction, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

She said she only agreed to do it 'for a peaceful life'.

Whenever she did not make money, Barrett assaulted her, calling her a 'fat s***' and a 'dirty prostitute' and saying he hoped she would get cancer.

He also made a threat to have her 'chopped up'.

In a statement, the woman said she had felt 'frightened, depressed and embarrassed by what I have done'.

Barrett, of no fixed address, was jailed for 31 months after pleading guilty to engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour.

He was in breach of a 22-week suspended sentence imposed on him last year for a previous attack on the victim.

Son who left mum scarred for life after accidentally slashing her across the face

Tyrell Thornton

A son was branded a danger to the public after he left his mum scarred for life having accidentally slashed her across the face during a ferocious knife attack on her friend.

Tyrell Thornton, who has since been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, has been jailed for five years after he stabbed a friend of his mother 13 times.

The 21-year-old knifed the male victim in the back, chest, arm and thigh after finding him in his mother's bedroom in Oldham.

During the stabbing, Thornton shouted at the man: "If I am not allowed to be here, then neither are you."

He waved a kitchen knife at the victim.

Thornton's mum was accidentally slashed across the face as she tried to stop her son. She was left scarred for life.

Thornton - who had been banned from contacting his mother due to previous bust ups - fled the property.

The male victim was rushed to hospital in a critical condition and had to undergo emergency surgery for a collapsed lung.

Thornton later handed himself into police. He told officers he had 'concerns' about the way the male victim was treating his mother, claiming he was 'violent'.

Thornton, of Kingswood Road, Manchester, admitted two charges of inflicting grievous bodily harm. He was branded a danger to the public by a judge.

Rapist who pretended to be taxi driver

Ernesto Lusadisu

A mum preyed on by a bakery worker pretending to be a taxi driver was 'abducted' and then raped in his flat.

Ernesto Lusadisu has been locked up for 12 years for the appalling attack.

Lusadisu targeted the woman, who was slumped on a step on the pavement after a night out in the Northern Quarter.

The victim, a mum who said she rarely went out drinking, was found to have cocaine in her system.

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She feared she'd been spiked, because she is 'frightened' of drugs and had never knowingly used any before.

Lusadisu, 35, pretended to be a taxi driver, offering her a lift home and portraying himself as a 'Good Samaritan'.

"You were nothing of the sort, you were cynically and deliberately taking advantage of her for your own advantage," a judge told him.

Lusadisu, of Sawley Road, Miles Platting, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault after a trial, and still continues to deny his crimes.

Balaclava-clad thugs who drove onto police car during chase

Curtis Coburn, bottom right, and Jordan Begley, top right

A pair who rammed a police car and drove onto the vehicle have been jailed in ‘one of the worst cases of dangerous driving’ a judge has ever seen.

Curtis Coburn, 23, was behind the wheel of a stolen Land Rover Discovery in Taunton Road, Sale, just after midday on October 19, when it was spotted by officers driving at speed.

In the passenger seat was 33-year-old Jordan Begley, of no fixed abode, who recorded the pursuit on social media, in which the pair got up to speeds of 84mph, overtaking cars on the wrong side of the road and travelling through several red lights.

The police vehicle was rammed before the pursuit reached Dartford Road, Urmston, where the Land Rover was reversed into the car, going onto its bonnet, before Begley and Coburn ‘jumped out and ran off’ both wearing balaclavas.

Coburn was found on a railway line and had to be recovered by the fire service with Begley also later arrested.

Begley was sentenced to 15 months concurrently for aggravated vehicle taking and aiding and abetting dangerous driving, as well as four months concurrently for possession of cocaine.

Coburn was sentenced to 15 months concurrently for aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving and one month concurrently for possession of cannabis.

Gunman who pointed handgun at couple while they ate KFC in their car

Haci Omer Altintas

A couple were robbed at gunpoint as they ate KFC in their car.

Haci Omer Altintas pointed a handgun at his victim's face, with his finger on the trigger.

The victim was robbed of his VW Golf and wallet during the terrifying ordeal.

Altintas, now 19, fled the country and has finally faced justice three years later.

The firearm has never been recovered, so prosecutors could not prove whether it was real.

But a judge said of the victims: "They were not to know it was anything other than a real firearm."

Altintas fled the country after the robbery, committed on November 6, 2018, and was only arrested in October this year.

The male victim said his ordeal would stay with him for the rest of his life, while his girlfriend said she was left terrified and fearing she'd be killed.

Altintas, of Wyndale Road, Oldham, was jailed for four-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to robbery and possessing an imitation firearm.

Driver who ploughed car into pedestrians at Blackpool's North Pier

A man ploughed a car into innocent bystanders during a drug-fuelled rampage at Blackpool's North Pier.

Adam Clarke, of Stockport, drove a rented Peugeot into a group of pedestrians in revenge for passers-by stepping in while he was attacking his girlfriend.

In footage of the incident, the car can be seen accelerating towards a group of people, hitting two of them, while others run terrified and screaming.

Clarke, 30, of Arnfield Road, Adswood, was jailed for more than six years for the chilling assault, which saw people injured and left others fearing for their lives.

One woman suffered a broken heel and hand when she was flung over the bonnet of the car at 4.30am on July 24 2021.

Another woman was pinned against metal railings by the vehicle, causing cuts and bruises. The railings collapsed, taking the brunt of the impact and preventing more serious injury to the woman, Preston Crown Court heard.

He then used the car to "stalk and terrorise" the group before speeding away from the police at speeds of 110mph on the promenade - a 30mph zone.

Clarke pleaded guilty to GBH with intent, attempted GBH with intent, assault by beating and dangerous driving.

He was sentenced to five years and four months for the GBH on Kimberley Butterworth, four years to run concurrently for the attempted GBH of Emma Morris, two months to run consecutively for the assault by beating of Gemma Maddox and Rebecca Butterworth, and 10 months consecutive for dangerous driving.

Clarke was also disqualified from driving for seven years and one month.

Yob who spat at cops as they tried to arrest his machete-wielding brother

A drunk yob jumped on cops and spat at them in a bid to stop them arresting his machete-wielding brother.

Connor Lees, 25, was 'bouncing around' when police arrived at an home in Oldham to arrest his brother Darren Lees, 30, (pictured) who was armed with a 20-inch machete.

Connor Lees was trying to help his brother Darren Lees (pictured) escape

Both men have now been jailed.

Prosecutor Claire Brocklebank told Minshull Street Crown Court police went to a house on Bankfield Drive following reports of a disturbance at 3.30pm on September 23 last year.

Officers wanted to speak to Connor Lees and his brother Darren.

Once outside the property, cops were met by the occupant of the house and Connor, who was described by officers as 'very obstructive'.

Officers said Connor was 'bouncing around and jumping up and down' and refusing to allow police inside the property.

He repeatedly told officers: "You can't take me because of my mental health - you have to speak to my mental health worker."

Once police were inside, Connor demanded officers leave and punched himself in the head.

Officers eventually located Darren Lees in an upstairs bedroom armed with a 20-inch machete. He ran downstairs and a police officer was injured as they attempted to arrest him.

Connor Lees, of Drymoss, Oldham, was jailed for six months after he admitted one charge of affray and failing to attend an earlier hearing.

In April, his brother Darren was jailed for 31 months after he pleaded guilty to affray; assault occasioning actual bodily harm; and two offences of racially aggravated harassment.

Stalker who bombarded stranger with sinister notes, texts and voicemails

Gareth Kelly

A student was stalked by a complete stranger who bombarded her with increasingly sexual and sinister handwritten notes, texts and voicemails.

'Dangerous' Gareth Kelly, 29, posted a handwritten note through her door, after she moved into a terraced street in Salford.

In a note addressed to the 'girl in the upstairs window', Kelly wrote: "Hey, this might be a bit weird and I’m sorry if it is, but I live opposite you and I think your (sic) beautiful and fit, and I was wondering if I could have your number please."

She replied to the note by text, thinking it was from a fellow student who was introducing themselves, as other students who lived nearby had been doing.

Then over the course of a week, Kelly bombarded her with threatening and disturbing messages.

A judge said he'd made her life 'intolerable'.

After receiving a text that said: "‘F*** this. Get ya knickers off n ring me xxx", she blocked his number without replying.

Then Kelly started to leave numerous voicemail messages, complaining that she'd blocked his number and accusing her of 'playing games'.

Kelly has several previous sexual convictions, including for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy and girls aged 14 and 15.

The judge declared him a 'dangerous' offender and imposed an extended sentence, comprising of three years in prison and a further three years on licence.

Boyfriend who battered man with plank of wood for 'flirting' with his girlfriend

Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson

A 'jealous and possessive' boyfriend unleashed a vicious attack on a man he wrongly accused of flirting with his girlfriend at a house party in Rochdale.

Thomas Nelson, 21, from Rochdale was drunk and high on cannabis and cocaine when he followed Aaron Butler outside the party and battered him with a plank of wood after knocking him unconscious.

Nelson, of of Shephard Court, Milnrow Road, became enraged at Mr Butler for trying to dance with his girlfriend Chloe Calderbank, a court heard.

During the attack, Nelson punched Mr Butler to the ground and while Mr Butler was unconscious and bleeding, Nelson grabbed a plank of wood and repeatedly hit him with it.

Miss Calderbank tried to help the victim during the shocking attack, the court heard.

Later as Mr Butler was being rushed to hospital, Nelson, who had fled from the scene, emerged from a nearby bush and was heard angrily exclaiming: ''I should have finished him off - I should have killed him.''

The victim is now scarred for life after sustaining two serious cuts to his head and his face which required 15 stitches.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Nelson admitted causing grievous bodily harm and having an offensive weapon.

He was jailed for 21 months.

Hapless thief who couldn't stop leaving evidence at the scene

Daniel Newhouse

A hapless thief who kept leaving a trail of evidence for police at the scene has been jailed.

Daniel Newhouse is a career criminal with 21 convictions for 41 offences, Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

The 31-year-old has struggled with drug addiction including the anxiety medication Diazepam, the court was told.

Over a ten-month period he began stealing catalytic converters to repay drug debts, prosecutor David Lees said.

Newhouse, of Waterton Lane in Mossley, was sent out in a white Transit van armed with tools including an electric saw, a jack, torch, chisel and gloves to target vehicles throughout Greater Manchester and Lancashire.

But the court heard Newhouse left evidence for police at almost every crime scene.

Newhouse wept as he was sentenced to 12 months in prison for the theft offences and a further five for breaching his suspended sentence.

Drug dealers who led police on terrifying chase through village armed with machete

Bradley Jones, left, and Darien Kenworthy

Two drug dealers led police on a terrifying chase through a Rochdale village armed with a machete.

Bradley Jones, 22, and Darien Kenworthy, 24, refused to stop for officers after being caught in a stolen Ford Fiesta in Newhey.

Driver Jones sped off before crashing and fleeing the car along with his accomplice near Rochdale town centre on November 8.

Within the Fiesta police found a freezer bag containing what was believed to be a cannabis bush, a black Nokia phone and a navy blue rucksack containing numerous clear snap bags.

A large machete was also found.

Inside a blue container, police found 35 wraps of a white substance, later confirmed to be heroin, and 21 wraps of brown substance, later confirmed to be heroin, the court heard.

Kenworthy, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine; possession with intent to supply heroin; possession of a bladed article; and handling stolen goods.

Jones, of Beaconsfield Road, Rochdale, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine; possession with intent to supply heroin; possession of a bladed article; handling stolen goods; driving while disqualified; and driving without insurance.

Jones was sentenced to two years six months on the drugs charges plus six months for breaching a suspended sentence.

He is also disqualified from driving for two years.

Kenworthy was sentenced to two years six months for the drugs charges plus 20 weeks for the bladed article as it was his second conviction for such an offence triggering a minimum term.

Two Spice dealers jailed after £50k worth of the drug found in raids

Scott Lavis (left) and Jason Joyce (right) have been jailed

Two Spice dealers have been jailed after £50,000 worth of the drug was found in raids.

Warrants were carried out at houses in Salford and Stalybridge in July 2020.

Officers found a huge quantity of Spice - worth around £50,000 at street value.

They also found mobile founds inside the houses, police said.

A forensic analysis of the phones found messages from Scott Lavis, 30, and Jason Joyce, 26, which implicated them in the supply of selling drugs.

Both have now been jailed at Manchester Crown Court for their roles in supplying Spice.

Lavis, of Mottram Road, Stalybridge, was sentenced to two years and one month in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply a class b drugs and possession of a class B drug.

Joyce, of Burton Walk, Salford, was sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply a class B drug.

Paedophile snared by undercover cops pestering ‘girl, 13,’ for naked photos

Cameron Smith, currently of HMP Leeds, appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court where he was jailed for four years

A pervert was caught by undercover police officers trying to pester a 13-year-old girl for naked photos.

Cameron Smith, 36, was jailed after he was snared attempting to message a teenager online.

Smith, of Rochdale, wrote: "I'm looking for friendship maybe swap some pics see if it leads to a relationship or sex".

The paedophile made increasingly sexual comments to the fake child profile, set up by undercover officers.

Using the display name 'Lotus Greenacre', Smith continuously asked for naked photos to be sent to him before sending a picture of his penis.

Smith admitted attempting to sexually communicate with a child, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, attempting to incite a child into sexual activity and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The pervert, who was also caught trying to message two teenage girls online in 2017, was jailed for four years.

Controlling thug who stabbed long-term girlfriend and then blamed her

Curtis Regan
Curtis Regan

A violent thug who was recently jailed for stabbing a man in the stomach will have to spend longer in prison after being convicted of assaulting his girlfriend.

Earlier this month, Curtis Regan, 24, was sentenced to four years imprisonment for his part in a 'brutal' attack on a man in his own home.

Regan - who had brought the serrated eight-inch knife and carried out the stabbing and the assault - was heard to say he had 'been dreaming of killing someone' during the two-hour ordeal in July 2020.

While on bail, in October 2021, Regan subjected his girlfriend to a number of assaults over the course of a few days.

The court heard that he threatened to kill her, at knife-point, on multiple occasions.

One time, he stabbed her in the palm of her hand and said: "Look what you've done now. Look what you've made me do."

Regan, of Mossfield Close, Bury, then told the victim to stop crying and hit her on the back of the neck with the knife, prosecution barrister Denise Fitzpatrick said.

Regan pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault, criminal damage and breach of a restraining order.

The Honorary Recorder of Bolton, Judge Martin Walsh sentenced Regan to 18 months imprisonment.

The sentence will run prior to the four year term imposed last month.

'Predatory' man who hid inside woman's home before attacking and raping her

Adam Howard, 29, has been jailed for 12 years after being convicted of two counts of rape

A 'predatory' man hid inside the home of a woman before attacking and raping her.

Adam Howard, 29, left his victim covered in bruises after he punched and sexually assaulted her.

She discovered her injuries after waking up the following day and went to hospital for treatment.

After the victim reported the sexual assault, Howard, of Shaw Road, Oldham, was arrested.

When questioned by detectives, he denied any wrongdoing.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Howard was jailed for 12 years after being found guilty of two counts of rape.

He will serve a further four years on licence.

First class student in jail for terror offences after being radicalised online

Wissam Ziad

A first class university student became 'radicalised' and began supporting Islamic State after being 'sucked in' by online propaganda.

Wissam Ziad, from Levenshulme, shared terrorist material which glorified and promoted the terrorist organisation, also known as Daesh.

He used social media platforms including Telegram, Discord and Tam Tam to share videos and documents within a network of fellow extremists.

Ziad, 20, had done 'exceptionally well' at school, and got a first during his first year at Manchester Metropolitan University where he studied mechanical engineering.

But now he's starting a jail sentence for terror offences.

His barrister said he began research online and went down a 'rabbit hole'.

Manchester Crown Court heard that Ziad committed the offences when he was 17 and 18.

He has been jailed for three years and five months, and given an extra 12 months on licence.

Drug dealer stabbed man in grocery store in front of horrified shoppers

Mahdi Husseini


Shoppers were disrupted by a knife-wielding drug dealer in Levenshulme.

Mahdi Husseini, 28, chased his 19-year-old victim into the Madina superstore, armed with a knife and a baseball bat.

He pursued the man around the store, as shoppers and staff minded their own business.

Manchester Crown Court heard that the victim's 'bulky' clothes and rucksack might have saved him from being more seriously hurt.

Now Husseini has been jailed for five years and two months for the attack and other offences.

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