themanchestereveningnews--2020-08-09--21 of the most notorious criminals jailed in the UK in July

Courts across the UK hear some harrowing cases as criminal are brought to justice each month .
Notorious criminals locked up last month include rapist grime star Solo 45 and the killers of newly-wed police officer Andrew Harper .
Other offenders locked up in July include a London mother who was on course to become the UK ’ s first female homegrown suicide bomber , and the former X Factor contestant who pleaded guilty to 31 sex offences .
These are some of the shocking court cases that were widely reported , across the country , in July .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for plotting to blow up a London cathedral .
Safiyya Shaikha , who was on course to become the UK ’ s first female homegrown suicide bomber , will spend a minimum of 14 years in jail for plotting a terror attack on St Paul ’ s Cathedral .
The 37-year-old mother from west London extensively researched how to cause maximum carnage at the place of worship and visitor attraction .
A court heard how she had said she wanted ' a lot to die ' before being killed herself so she could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans were unveiled when she sought help from a bomb-making expert who was in fact an undercover officer .
The court heard Shaikh suffered a 'truly traumatic childhood ' , and had her daughter at a young age .
She converted to Islam in 2007 when she was impressed by the kindness of a local Muslim family - but her view of the religion became increasingly extremist , and she stopped attending mosques .
Heroin user Shaikh , born Michelle Ramsden , admitted preparation of terrorist acts and dissemination of terrorist publications on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never expressed regret or remorse for her actions , and had planned to leave a bomb at the London landmark before detonating her suicide vest on an Underground train moments later .
A knifeman asked ‘ when are you going to bleed to death ’ after stabbing his mother 17 times in the head and body .
Bartosz Pokorski attacked his mum at their home in Blackpool in a bid for attention after he accused her of trying to put him in a psychiatric hospital .
He hoped the world would 'take notice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother , Preston Crown Court heard .
The court heard how on January 11 , the 23-year-old called his mum into his bedroom to look at some photographs before attacking her with a kitchen knife .
He was telling her to 'just die ' as he stabbed her repeatedly and threw her on the floor , asking her when she was going to 'bleed to death ' .
Mrs Pokorski played dead and managed to escape when her son went to the bathroom .
She was found outside their flat inside the building @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought she was dead .
Mrs Pokorski spent a month in hospital receiving treatment for her injuries which included a punctured lung .
The court heard Pokorski had previously suffered depression but had never been violent , and there was no evidence to suggest or confirm he has a psychiatric disorder .
He pleaded guilty to attempted murder and will serve eight years in custody and five years on licence .
A jihadist plotted a gun and knife rampage at busy London tourist sites including Madame Tussauds and the gay Pride parade .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ after a jury found him guilty of terror offences .
The 29-year-old former Uber driver from Luton , who was said to be driven by 'dreams of martyrdom ' , was arrested three days before the Pride parade in summer 2019 after he unknowingly revealed his plans to undercover police officers .
Four covert officers , posing as like-minded extremists , befriended and monitored Chowdhury after he was freed from HMP Belmarsh when jurors cleared him in December 2018 of slashing police with a sword outside the Queen ’ s London home while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a week of his release he had begun posting extremist messages online .
The court heard how he prepared for his potential attack by lifting weights , practising stabbing andrehearsing beheading techniques as well as booking shooting range training and trying to acquire a real gun .
He also had a terror document on his phone which included instructions on how to kill people with knives .
The judge handed Chowdhury a life sentence , with a minimum term of 25 years , for the charge of engaging in conduct in preparation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentence of seven years for one count of collecting information likely to be useful to someone preparing an act of terrorism and three years for disseminating terrorist publications , both to be served concurrently .
Aaron McKenzie was jailed for killing his heavily pregnant girlfriend and their baby .
A judge at the Old Bailey described his crime as 'the most vicious and deliberate killing ' as he handed him a life sentence .
The court heard how the 26-year-old broke into Kelly Fauvrelle ’ s bedroom as she slept and stabbed her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivered by Caesarean section but died in hospital four days later .
McKenzie , from Peckham in south London , initially denied killing his pregnant partner , claiming a man named Mike was responsible , but it took a jury less than three hours to find him guilty following a trial .
The court heard how McKenzie broke into his partner 's room at her family 's home on June 29 last year before launching a 'ferocious attack ' which left her with at least 21 stab wounds .
The relationship between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after which Miss Fauvrelle told him she would not speak to him unless it was about the baby , and that he needed professional help .
She had also told his mother that their relationship was 'toxic ' but she would not deny him access to their child .
The judge sentenced McKenzie to life in prison with a minimum term of 35 years for the murder of Miss Fauvrelle , as well as handing him a 20-year term for the manslaughter of his son and three years for possession of a knife @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a thumbs up the judge as he was sent down .
A prowling sex beast , who targeted children and the elderly , was locked up for 15 years .
Jason Bursk , 51 , from Bury , would peep through windows and try numerous front and back doors in the early hours until he found one that was open .
Police believe he would deliberately look through windows and into gardens to look for toys - to find where children lived .
A court heard how Bursk sexually abused two children and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offending came to light after his final attack in the early hours of November 15 last year .
Bursk ’ s DNA was recovered from a window of the house after he pressed his head against a window to see inside .
He then tried the door of another house in the same street , and finally a third - where he got in through an insecure back door .
He spent 32 minutes inside the property , where he sexually assaulted a child as she slept and attempted to rape her .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ her and called her a 'brat ' before he was disturbed by the young girl 's sister , who awoke in the bed next to her .
Officers tracked him down after releasing CCTV images of Bursk in the property after the attack .
He claimed to not remember anything because he had been drinking but later pleaded guilty to his crimes .
The teen killers of PC Andrew Harper were jailed for a total of 42 years .
Henry Long , 19 , who drove the vehicle that dragged the brave police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of murder , but jailed for 16 years for manslaughter last month .
Passengers Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers , both 18 , were also found guilty of manslaughter and were each given a 13 year sentence .
The 28-year-old newlywed officer had attempted to apprehend the thieves when he was killed on August 15 last year .
Pc Harper , a Thames Valley officer , became entangled in a tow rope attached to their Seat Toledo after finding the thieves towing the £10,000 Honda quad bike .
Lissie Harper , the widow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sentencing and read her victim impact statement to the court herself .
Breaking into tears , part of her statement read : `` My husband was brutally killed four weeks after our wedding day .
`` Should I speak again of how we were robbed of our future or the plans stolen from us ?
`` Four weeks was all I had with my husband – four weeks to be called his wife . ''
The judge described the killers as 'young , unintelligent but professional criminals ' and told them he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has shown remorse ' .
A man stabbed his disabled great-uncle to death in an attack of 'extraordinary violence ' , a court heard .
Eighty-year-old Desmond Wooding – known affectionately as 'scooter granddad ' because of his mobility device – was found fatally injured with 11 knife wounds at his bungalow on June 24 last year .
Adam Mason was convicted of murder after a trial ending in March and has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years .
The 33-year-old , who had downed at least 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all-day drinking session before the attack on June 23 , claimed he knew nothing of the killing .
But Mason was seen on CCTV walking his dog near the victim ’ s home in Vines Land , Droitwich , Worcestershire , just minutes before the stabbing .
He was then heard by a neighbour exchanging angry words with Mr Wooding on his doorstep .
A jury convicted Mason after also hearing how the victim ’ s DNA was found on his dog ’ s lead , and how he rang a relative to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his clothing .
The court heard how immediately after the stabbing he walked 'calmly ' back to the pub to await a lift .
Mason later went on a pre-arranged holiday abroad , and was arrested off a flight at Birmingham Airport when he returned home .
A man was sentenced to life in prison for murder following a confrontation over a spilled drink .
Momodoulamin Saine , 28 , was convicted of murdering Asim Khan , 21 , following a trial at Newport Crown Court .
Mr Khan , from Grangetown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Street in Cardiff city centre at about 4.50am on July 21 last year .
He was described by police as a young man 'with great potential who was much loved by his family ' .
South Wales Police Detective Chief Inspector Mark O ’ Shea said Saine was ' a violent , dangerous individual who took a knife onto the streets of Cardiff ' .
“ Because of his own annoyance over something so trivial as a spilt drink , felt it necessary to engage in two violent encounters resulting in Asim ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saine was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 24 years in prison .
Anthony Gee stabbed his daughter ’ s boyfriend on a busy street in Ellesmere Port .
The 45-year-old admitted plunging a knife into the 34-year-old ’ s stomach following an argument about stolen money .
The attack was witnessed by a taxi driver who was stationary at traffic lights .
He quickly put the victim inside his cab and drove to an ambulance station nearby .
Police were alerted and officers descended on the area along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was taken to Aintree Hospital .
The court heard how shortly before the attack Gee sent a text message to a family member saying he was going to 'jail today ' in reference to the victim .
He was sentenced to nine years in jail after pleading guilty to wounding with intent .
A right-wing football hooligan was jailed for an attack on Guardian columnist Owen Jones .
James Healy , 40 , admitted assaulting Mr Jones outside of a pub in August last year , but denied being motivated by Mr Jones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claiming he did not know who he was .
But a judge found the unprovoked attack could only be motivated by Mr Jones ’ s media profile as a left-wing polemicist .
Mr Jones suffered cuts and swelling to his back and head , and bruises all down his body in the incident outside the Lexington pub on the Pentonville Road in Islington , north London , on August 17 .
Following Healy ’ s arrest , a search of his home found a number of items connected to far-right ideology , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white supremacist groups .
The Chelsea FC fan – who has a string of convictions for football-related violence – had argued he 'had the hump ' because the victim had bumped into him and spilled his drink .
Healy was given a two-year , eight-month prison sentence for affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm .
A grime artist repeatedly raped and held four women against their will .
Andy Anokye , 33 , who performed under the stage name Solo 45 , was jailed for 24 years for his crimes .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a two-year period at Bristol Crown Court last month .
The musician , who was part of the grime collective Boy Better Know , derived sexual pleasure from torturing the women by water-boarding , interrogating , assaulting and raping them .
He claimed the acts were part of consensual role play , or a game he played called 'Catch me , Rape me ' , and said he told women he would 'terrorise ' them .
Police began investigating Anokye , who is from London but had a harbourside apartment in Bristol @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she had been raped by him .
After his arrest , officers discovered harrowing footage filmed by Anokye on his mobile phone that revealed he had abused multiple women .
Graphic video clips showing Anokye interrogating the women about previous sexual partners , slapping them , insulting them and raping them were played to the jury .
The trial heard he forced one woman to lie in a bath of freezing cold water , held a shotgun to the head of another woman .
and made one sit with a bottle of water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His abuse included holding a cloth covered in bleach to women ’ s faces , with one woman telling jurors he had forced a mobile phone down her throat .
The judge imposed an extended sentence , meaning Anokye will serve 24 years in prison and five on licence , and ordered he must sign the sex offenders register for life .
A man was handed a life sentence for the 'brutal ' murder of a former RAF servicewoman .
Brian Manship , 38 , lured mother-of-two Sarah Hassall to his flat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stabbing her 22 times in an unprovoked attack .
Ms Hassall , also 38 , was found wrapped up in a curtain after concerned neighbours called the police and forced entry to the flat while Manship managed to escape by jumping out of a first-floor window .
Firearms officers found him hours later , hiding in undergrowth near his flat in Pontypridd , South Wales .
He was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison at Swansea Crown Court having pleaded guilty to murder in January .
Ms Hassall had previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Royal Engineers for 14 years , and was living in Wales having grown up in Chelmsford , Essex , having left the army in 2010 to raise her two young boys , Owain and Evan .
South Wales Police said she had met Manship in Pontypridd town centre in the early hours of Sunday , October 6 last year before she was 'lured ' to his flat and 'brutally murdered ' .
Chief Inspector Mark O ’ Shea described Manship as a 'danger to society and to women in particular ' .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her ex-husband after she lost custody of a child .
Victoria Breeden , 39 , tried to persuade three different men to murder Rob Parkes between 2014 and 2019 .
She was convicted of three counts of soliciting his murder and was jailed for nine years and six months .
Breeden , from Cambridgeshire , met Mr Parkes at university in 1999 and they married in 2004 , before separating four years later .
Mr Parkes was granted custody of a child in 2014 following proceedings in the family courts .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her ex-husband dead so she could regain custody of the child .
The court heard how she tried to persuade three different men - her then-neighbour , an ex-boyfriend and a friend - to murder him .
She was caught out when a conversation with one of the men was recorded on a mobile phone .
Two men who killed an inspirational young footballer and expectant father after a 'misplaced joke ' were jailed for launching a 'violent , drunken ' attack on their victim .
Matlock Town FC midfielder Jordan Sinnott died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and brain damage in the assault in the centre of Retford , Nottinghamshire , in the early hours of January 25 .
Mr Sinnott ’ s partner , Kelly Bossons found out she was 12 weeks pregnant with his child a week before her partner ’ s funeral .
Cameron Matthews , 22 , was jailed for eight years and three months after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and admitted throwing the fatal punches .
Kai Denovan , 23 , who instigated the attack , was found guilty of manslaughter after a trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was Denovan who made the 'joke ' , and then threw the first punch during an earlier incident in a pub , when he took exception to Mr Sinnott ’ s response , the court heard .
After Mr Sinnott and his friends had walked away from further trouble , out of the pub and up the street , Denovan 'pointed them out ' , and reignited the earlier violence .
Mr Sinnott 's mother , Mel Tait , addressed his killers in court during their sentencing , and told them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have a life.
” A third man , Nicholson , 22 , of Beechways , Retford , admitted affray in connection with the street brawl , and was jailed for 14 months .
A 'pure evil ' former X-Factor contestant was “ calm and calculated ” as he launched sex attacks on nine women over a 22-year period .
Serial rapist Phillip Blackwell had taped some of his victims ’ eyes and used a camcorder to film himself attacking young women after launching his first assault in 1997 .
Warwick Crown Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five young vulnerable women who were walking alone in Birmingham , Coventry and Nuneaton .
The sentencing judge described Blackwell as 'monstrous ' – adding : “ Murderers aside , I can think of no more dangerous an individual that I have crossed in my 35 years in criminal law ” .
Following on from his attacks in the late 1990s in the Midlands , the defendant then carried out a string of sexual offences on another four women in the Launceston area of Cornwall between 2005 and 2019 .
Blackwell pleaded guilty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , attempted rape , indecent assault , assault by penetration , voyeurism and false imprisonment .
The court heard how some of Blackwell ’ s attacks were carried out on women who were unconscious and he 'plied victims with alcohol in order to get compliance ' .
He also threatened his victims in order to prevent them from telling the police .
Victim personal statements of some of the women were read to the court , with one woman describing him as 'pure evil ' .
As well as being jailed for life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the musician was put on the sex offenders ’ register for life and ordered not to directly or indirectly contact any of his victims .
Blackwell ’ s X Factor audition was broadcast as part of the 2008 series .
He failed to reach the finals but later appeared on the live tour .
A psychologist was jailed for at least 32 years after killing a fitness fanatic with a barbell for the sake of a Rolex watch .
Christopher McDonald had been on life licence for public protection when he killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , known as Yankee , was attacked by McDonald with an exercise weight at his home in Ealing , west London , in April 2017 .
His body was found the next day partially covered by bedding at a 'contorted and unnatural angle ' and his room had been ransacked .
All that remained in the father-of-one ’ s bedroom was an empty Rolex box with co-defendant Aliysa Ellis ’ s fingerprint inside it , a court was told .
A post-mortem examination revealed that Mr Tong , who was of 'muscular build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his head and body , broken ribs and a ruptured liver from 'blunt impacts ' .
Following a trial at the Old Bailey , McDonald , 35 , was found guilty of murder and conspiracy to rob .
He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 32 years .
His co-defendant , Aliysa Ellis , a bipolar friend of Mr Tong , was found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob .

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Courts across the UK hear some harrowing cases as criminal are brought to justice each month.
Notorious criminals locked up last month include rapist grime star Solo 45 and the killers of newly-wed police officer Andrew Harper.
Other offenders locked up in July include a London mother who was on course to become the UK’s first female homegrown suicide bomber, and the former X Factor contestant who pleaded guilty to 31 sex offences.
These are some of the shocking court cases that were widely reported, across the country, in July.
Safiyya Shaikh
(Image: Met Police)
A Muslim convert was handed a life sentence for plotting to blow up a London cathedral.
Safiyya Shaikha, who was on course to become the UK’s first female homegrown suicide bomber, will spend a minimum of 14 years in jail for plotting a terror attack on St Paul’s Cathedral.
The 37-year-old mother from west London extensively researched how to cause maximum carnage at the place of worship and visitor attraction.
A court heard how she had said she wanted 'a lot to die' before being killed herself so she could reach paradise.
Shaikh’s murderous plans were unveiled when she sought help from a bomb-making expert who was in fact an undercover officer.
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The court heard Shaikh suffered a 'truly traumatic childhood', and had her daughter at a young age.
She converted to Islam in 2007 when she was impressed by the kindness of a local Muslim family - but her view of the religion became increasingly extremist, and she stopped attending mosques.
Heroin user Shaikh, born Michelle Ramsden, admitted preparation of terrorist acts and dissemination of terrorist publications on the internet.
Police said she had never expressed regret or remorse for her actions, and had planned to leave a bomb at the London landmark before detonating her suicide vest on an Underground train moments later.
Bartosz Pokorski
(Image: Lancashire Police)
A knifeman asked ‘when are you going to bleed to death’ after stabbing his mother 17 times in the head and body.
Bartosz Pokorski attacked his mum at their home in Blackpool in a bid for attention after he accused her of trying to put him in a psychiatric hospital.
He hoped the world would 'take notice of him' if he killed his mother, Preston Crown Court heard.
The court heard how on January 11, the 23-year-old called his mum into his bedroom to look at some photographs before attacking her with a kitchen knife.
He was telling her to 'just die' as he stabbed her repeatedly and threw her on the floor, asking her when she was going to 'bleed to death'.
Mrs Pokorski played dead and managed to escape when her son went to the bathroom.
She was found outside their flat inside the building so seriously injured the officer at first thought she was dead.
Mrs Pokorski spent a month in hospital receiving treatment for her injuries which included a punctured lung.
The court heard Pokorski had previously suffered depression but had never been violent, and there was no evidence to suggest or confirm he has a psychiatric disorder.
He pleaded guilty to attempted murder and will serve eight years in custody and five years on licence.
Mohiussunnath Chowdhury
(Image: Metropolitan Police)
A jihadist plotted a gun and knife rampage at busy London tourist sites including Madame Tussauds and the gay Pride parade.
Mohiussunnath Chowdhury was handed a life sentence after a jury found him guilty of terror offences.
The 29-year-old former Uber driver from Luton, who was said to be driven by 'dreams of martyrdom', was arrested three days before the Pride parade in summer 2019 after he unknowingly revealed his plans to undercover police officers.
Four covert officers, posing as like-minded extremists, befriended and monitored Chowdhury after he was freed from HMP Belmarsh when jurors cleared him in December 2018 of slashing police with a sword outside the Queen’s London home while shouting “Allahu Akbar”.
Within a week of his release he had begun posting extremist messages online.
The court heard how he prepared for his potential attack by lifting weights, practising stabbing andrehearsing beheading techniques as well as booking shooting range training and trying to acquire a real gun.
He also had a terror document on his phone which included instructions on how to kill people with knives.
The judge handed Chowdhury a life sentence, with a minimum term of 25 years, for the charge of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts.
He also received a sentence of seven years for one count of collecting information likely to be useful to someone preparing an act of terrorism and three years for disseminating terrorist publications, both to be served concurrently.
Aaron McKenzie
(Image: Met Police)
Aaron McKenzie was jailed for killing his heavily pregnant girlfriend and their baby.
A judge at the Old Bailey described his crime as 'the most vicious and deliberate killing' as he handed him a life sentence.
The court heard how the 26-year-old broke into Kelly Fauvrelle’s bedroom as she slept and stabbed her 21 times.
Their son Riley was delivered by Caesarean section but died in hospital four days later.
McKenzie, from Peckham in south London, initially denied killing his pregnant partner, claiming a man named Mike was responsible, but it took a jury less than three hours to find him guilty following a trial.
The court heard how McKenzie broke into his partner's room at her family's home on June 29 last year before launching a 'ferocious attack' which left her with at least 21 stab wounds.
The relationship between the pair had ended early last year, after which Miss Fauvrelle told him she would not speak to him unless it was about the baby, and that he needed professional help.
She had also told his mother that their relationship was 'toxic' but she would not deny him access to their child.
The judge sentenced McKenzie to life in prison with a minimum term of 35 years for the murder of Miss Fauvrelle, as well as handing him a 20-year term for the manslaughter of his son and three years for possession of a knife, to run concurrently.
McKenzie gave a thumbs up the judge as he was sent down.
Jason Bursk
(Image: GMP)
A prowling sex beast, who targeted children and the elderly, was locked up for 15 years.
Jason Bursk, 51, from Bury, would peep through windows and try numerous front and back doors in the early hours until he found one that was open.
Police believe he would deliberately look through windows and into gardens to look for toys - to find where children lived.
A court heard how Bursk sexually abused two children and a woman in her 70s.
His offending came to light after his final attack in the early hours of November 15 last year.
Bursk’s DNA was recovered from a window of the house after he pressed his head against a window to see inside.
He then tried the door of another house in the same street, and finally a third - where he got in through an insecure back door.
He spent 32 minutes inside the property, where he sexually assaulted a child as she slept and attempted to rape her.
After assaulting the child, Bursk bit her and called her a 'brat' before he was disturbed by the young girl's sister, who awoke in the bed next to her.
Officers tracked him down after releasing CCTV images of Bursk in the property after the attack.
He claimed to not remember anything because he had been drinking but later pleaded guilty to his crimes.
Henry Long, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers
(Image: PA)
The teen killers of PC Andrew Harper were jailed for a total of 42 years.
Henry Long, 19, who drove the vehicle that dragged the brave police officer to his death, was cleared of murder, but jailed for 16 years for manslaughter last month.
Passengers Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18, were also found guilty of manslaughter and were each given a 13 year sentence.
The 28-year-old newlywed officer had attempted to apprehend the thieves when he was killed on August 15 last year.
Pc Harper, a Thames Valley officer, became entangled in a tow rope attached to their Seat Toledo after finding the thieves towing the £10,000 Honda quad bike.
Lissie Harper, the widow of Pc Andrew Harper, was at the sentencing and read her victim impact statement to the court herself.
Breaking into tears, part of her statement read: "My husband was brutally killed four weeks after our wedding day.
"Should I speak again of how we were robbed of our future or the plans stolen from us?
"Four weeks was all I had with my husband – four weeks to be called his wife."
The judge described the killers as 'young, unintelligent but professional criminals' and told them he 'rejected the contention that any of you has shown remorse'.
Adam Mason
(Image: West Mercia Police)
A man stabbed his disabled great-uncle to death in an attack of 'extraordinary violence', a court heard.
Eighty-year-old Desmond Wooding – known affectionately as 'scooter granddad' because of his mobility device – was found fatally injured with 11 knife wounds at his bungalow on June 24 last year.
Adam Mason was convicted of murder after a trial ending in March and has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years.
The 33-year-old, who had downed at least 12 pints at a nearby pub during an all-day drinking session before the attack on June 23, claimed he knew nothing of the killing.
But Mason was seen on CCTV walking his dog near the victim’s home in Vines Land, Droitwich, Worcestershire, just minutes before the stabbing.
He was then heard by a neighbour exchanging angry words with Mr Wooding on his doorstep.
A jury convicted Mason after also hearing how the victim’s DNA was found on his dog’s lead, and how he rang a relative to help him dispose of the weapon and his clothing.
The court heard how immediately after the stabbing he walked 'calmly' back to the pub to await a lift.
Mason later went on a pre-arranged holiday abroad, and was arrested off a flight at Birmingham Airport when he returned home.
Momodoulamin Saine
(Image: South Wales Police)
A man was sentenced to life in prison for murder following a confrontation over a spilled drink.
Momodoulamin Saine, 28, was convicted of murdering Asim Khan, 21, following a trial at Newport Crown Court.
Mr Khan, from Grangetown, died after being stabbed on St Mary Street in Cardiff city centre at about 4.50am on July 21 last year.
He was described by police as a young man 'with great potential who was much loved by his family'.
South Wales Police Detective Chief Inspector Mark O’Shea said Saine was 'a violent, dangerous individual who took a knife onto the streets of Cardiff'.
“Because of his own annoyance over something so trivial as a spilt drink, felt it necessary to engage in two violent encounters resulting in Asim’s murder,” he said.
Saine was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 24 years in prison.
Anthony Gee
(Image: Cheshire Police)
Anthony Gee stabbed his daughter’s boyfriend on a busy street in Ellesmere Port.
The 45-year-old admitted plunging a knife into the 34-year-old’s stomach following an argument about stolen money.
The attack was witnessed by a taxi driver who was stationary at traffic lights.
He quickly put the victim inside his cab and drove to an ambulance station nearby.
Police were alerted and officers descended on the area along with the air ambulance and the victim was taken to Aintree Hospital.
The court heard how shortly before the attack Gee sent a text message to a family member saying he was going to 'jail today' in reference to the victim.
He was sentenced to nine years in jail after pleading guilty to wounding with intent.
James Healy
A right-wing football hooligan was jailed for an attack on Guardian columnist Owen Jones.
James Healy, 40, admitted assaulting Mr Jones outside of a pub in August last year, but denied being motivated by Mr Jones’s sexuality or political campaigning – claiming he did not know who he was.
But a judge found the unprovoked attack could only be motivated by Mr Jones’s media profile as a left-wing polemicist.
(Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)
Mr Jones suffered cuts and swelling to his back and head, and bruises all down his body in the incident outside the Lexington pub on the Pentonville Road in Islington, north London, on August 17.
Following Healy’s arrest, a search of his home found a number of items connected to far-right ideology, including a collection of pin badges linked to white supremacist groups.
The Chelsea FC fan – who has a string of convictions for football-related violence – had argued he 'had the hump' because the victim had bumped into him and spilled his drink.
Healy was given a two-year, eight-month prison sentence for affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Andy Anokye
(Image: Avon and Somerset Police)
A grime artist repeatedly raped and held four women against their will.
Andy Anokye, 33, who performed under the stage name Solo 45, was jailed for 24 years for his crimes.
He was found guilty of 30 charges relating to a two-year period at Bristol Crown Court last month.
The musician, who was part of the grime collective Boy Better Know, derived sexual pleasure from torturing the women by water-boarding, interrogating, assaulting and raping them.
He claimed the acts were part of consensual role play, or a game he played called 'Catch me, Rape me', and said he told women he would 'terrorise' them.
Police began investigating Anokye, who is from London but had a harbourside apartment in Bristol, in 2017 after a woman complained she had been raped by him.
After his arrest, officers discovered harrowing footage filmed by Anokye on his mobile phone that revealed he had abused multiple women.
Graphic video clips showing Anokye interrogating the women about previous sexual partners, slapping them, insulting them and raping them were played to the jury.
The trial heard he forced one woman to lie in a bath of freezing cold water, held a shotgun to the head of another woman. and made one sit with a bottle of water tied to her finger with a shoelace.
His abuse included holding a cloth covered in bleach to women’s faces, with one woman telling jurors he had forced a mobile phone down her throat.
The judge imposed an extended sentence, meaning Anokye will serve 24 years in prison and five on licence, and ordered he must sign the sex offenders register for life.
Brian Manship
(Image: South Wales Police)
A man was handed a life sentence for the 'brutal' murder of a former RAF servicewoman.
Brian Manship, 38, lured mother-of-two Sarah Hassall to his flat after they met in a pub before stabbing her 22 times in an unprovoked attack.
Ms Hassall, also 38, was found wrapped up in a curtain after concerned neighbours called the police and forced entry to the flat while Manship managed to escape by jumping out of a first-floor window.
Firearms officers found him hours later, hiding in undergrowth near his flat in Pontypridd, South Wales.
He was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison at Swansea Crown Court having pleaded guilty to murder in January.
Ms Hassall had previously served with both the RAF and the Royal Engineers for 14 years, and was living in Wales having grown up in Chelmsford, Essex, having left the army in 2010 to raise her two young boys, Owain and Evan.
South Wales Police said she had met Manship in Pontypridd town centre in the early hours of Sunday, October 6 last year before she was 'lured' to his flat and 'brutally murdered'.
Chief Inspector Mark O’Shea described Manship as a 'danger to society and to women in particular'.
Victoria Breeden
(Image: Cambridgeshire Constabulary)
A mother was jailed for soliciting the murder of her ex-husband after she lost custody of a child.
Victoria Breeden, 39, tried to persuade three different men to murder Rob Parkes between 2014 and 2019.
She was convicted of three counts of soliciting his murder and was jailed for nine years and six months.
Breeden, from Cambridgeshire, met Mr Parkes at university in 1999 and they married in 2004, before separating four years later.
Mr Parkes was granted custody of a child in 2014 following proceedings in the family courts.
A judge told the court that Breeden wanted her ex-husband dead so she could regain custody of the child.
The court heard how she tried to persuade three different men - her then-neighbour, an ex-boyfriend and a friend - to murder him.
She was caught out when a conversation with one of the men was recorded on a mobile phone.
Cameron Matthews, Kai Denovan and Sean Nicholson
(Image: PA)
Two men who killed an inspirational young footballer and expectant father after a 'misplaced joke' were jailed for launching a 'violent, drunken' attack on their victim.
Matlock Town FC midfielder Jordan Sinnott died in hospital after suffering a fractured skull and brain damage in the assault in the centre of Retford, Nottinghamshire, in the early hours of January 25.
Mr Sinnott’s partner, Kelly Bossons found out she was 12 weeks pregnant with his child a week before her partner’s funeral.
Cameron Matthews, 22, was jailed for eight years and three months after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and admitted throwing the fatal punches.
Kai Denovan, 23, who instigated the attack, was found guilty of manslaughter after a trial and was handed an 11-year jail term.
It was Denovan who made the 'joke', and then threw the first punch during an earlier incident in a pub, when he took exception to Mr Sinnott’s response, the court heard.
After Mr Sinnott and his friends had walked away from further trouble, out of the pub and up the street, Denovan 'pointed them out', and reignited the earlier violence.
Mr Sinnott's mother, Mel Tait, addressed his killers in court during their sentencing, and told them: “You don’t deserve to have a life.”
A third man, Nicholson, 22, of Beechways, Retford, admitted affray in connection with the street brawl, and was jailed for 14 months.
Phillip Blackwell
(Image: Warwickshire Police)
A 'pure evil' former X-Factor contestant was “calm and calculated” as he launched sex attacks on nine women over a 22-year period.
Serial rapist Phillip Blackwell had taped some of his victims’ eyes and used a camcorder to film himself attacking young women after launching his first assault in 1997.
Warwick Crown Court heard how the 56-year-old 'carefully targeted' five young vulnerable women who were walking alone in Birmingham, Coventry and Nuneaton.
The sentencing judge described Blackwell as 'monstrous' – adding: “Murderers aside, I can think of no more dangerous an individual that I have crossed in my 35 years in criminal law”.
Following on from his attacks in the late 1990s in the Midlands, the defendant then carried out a string of sexual offences on another four women in the Launceston area of Cornwall between 2005 and 2019.
Blackwell pleaded guilty to 31 sex offences, including rape, attempted rape, indecent assault, assault by penetration, voyeurism and false imprisonment.
The court heard how some of Blackwell’s attacks were carried out on women who were unconscious and he 'plied victims with alcohol in order to get compliance'.
He also threatened his victims in order to prevent them from telling the police.
Victim personal statements of some of the women were read to the court, with one woman describing him as 'pure evil'.
As well as being jailed for life with a minimum term of nine years, the musician was put on the sex offenders’ register for life and ordered not to directly or indirectly contact any of his victims.
Blackwell’s X Factor audition was broadcast as part of the 2008 series. He failed to reach the finals but later appeared on the live tour.
Christopher McDonald and Aliysa Ellis
(Image: Met Police)
A psychologist was jailed for at least 32 years after killing a fitness fanatic with a barbell for the sake of a Rolex watch.
Christopher McDonald had been on life licence for public protection when he killed Paul Tong.
Mr Tong, 54, known as Yankee, was attacked by McDonald with an exercise weight at his home in Ealing, west London, in April 2017.
His body was found the next day partially covered by bedding at a 'contorted and unnatural angle' and his room had been ransacked.
All that remained in the father-of-one’s bedroom was an empty Rolex box with co-defendant Aliysa Ellis’s fingerprint inside it, a court was told.
A post-mortem examination revealed that Mr Tong, who was of 'muscular build', had cuts and bruises on his head and body, broken ribs and a ruptured liver from 'blunt impacts'.
Following a trial at the Old Bailey, McDonald, 35, was found guilty of murder and conspiracy to rob.
He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 32 years.
His co-defendant, Aliysa Ellis, a bipolar friend of Mr Tong, was found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob.
Ellis, 31, was jailed for 13 years.


themanchestereveningnews--2020-08-09--Solskjaer fires warning to Man Utd duo Rashford and Martial

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has warned Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial against self interest as the two forwards battle to end the season as Manchester United 's top goal scorer .
The two strikers have been crucial to United 's success this season and will aim to continue their recent form in the new look Europa League competition which will be played over one-legged ties in Germany .
United booked their place in the last eight with a comfortable win against LASK , with Martial scoring off the bench to seal the second-leg win .
In doing so , the Frenchman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United 's leading goal scorer for the season [ 23 ] .
It was suggested on the match commentary that Rashford would n't be pleased with remaining on the bench while his teammate took the lead in the scoring charts , but the England international stressed on Twitter that no such rivalry was present .
He wrote : `` Tony wins , I win , we all win .
That ’ s my guy . ''
Competition between Liverpool 's star forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane spilled over on to the pitch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avoid such confrontation between his striking duo .
`` There ’ s no battle between them , '' he told reporters .
`` You see how Anthony and Marcus play together — they are always willing to give each other the gift of an open goal .
`` For me , there can never be a battle between players within a team .
We have one common cause : to win .
`` If I ever sense players playing for themselves , their own accolades and personal awards , I won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s simple .
`` I don ’ t want egos .
It can ’ t be about one player thinking he is going to score more goals than someone else .
If you win as a team , it doesn ’ t matter if you have scored 15 goals or 30 .
It only matters that you have contributed .
`` Ruud van Nistelrooy was very focused on his goals .
He ’ d come off miserable after a 4-0 win if he hadn ’ t scored .
But he was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take a shot when he should have passed . ''

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has warned Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial against self interest as the two forwards battle to end the season as Manchester United's top goal scorer.
The two strikers have been crucial to United's success this season and will aim to continue their recent form in the new look Europa League competition which will be played over one-legged ties in Germany.
United booked their place in the last eight with a comfortable win against LASK, with Martial scoring off the bench to seal the second-leg win. In doing so, the Frenchman overtook Rashford [22] to become United's leading goal scorer for the season [23].
It was suggested on the match commentary that Rashford wouldn't be pleased with remaining on the bench while his teammate took the lead in the scoring charts, but the England international stressed on Twitter that no such rivalry was present. He wrote: "Tony wins, I win, we all win. That’s my guy."
Competition between Liverpool's star forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane spilled over on to the pitch last season and Solskjaer is eager to avoid such confrontation between his striking duo.
"There’s no battle between them," he told reporters. "You see how Anthony and Marcus play together — they are always willing to give each other the gift of an open goal.
"For me, there can never be a battle between players within a team. We have one common cause: to win.
"If I ever sense players playing for themselves, their own accolades and personal awards, I won’t have them in the team. It’s simple.
"I don’t want egos. It can’t be about one player thinking he is going to score more goals than someone else. If you win as a team, it doesn’t matter if you have scored 15 goals or 30. It only matters that you have contributed.
"Ruud van Nistelrooy was very focused on his goals. He’d come off miserable after a 4-0 win if he hadn’t scored. But he was a team player. You never saw Ruud take a shot when he should have passed."


themanchestereveningnews--2020-08-09--'Young people are the big thing' - what's really happening with Manchester's Covid infection rate

During the height of the lockdown , Manchester ’ s leaders and officials were braced .
With a population that includes some of the most impoverished neighbourhoods in the country , among the highest levels of underlying health conditions such as asthma , a large BAME community , lots of people in insecure , low-paid work and many areas of dense housing , the city was primed for the toll to be high .
Like everywhere , of course , there have been many lives lost , there are many grieving and many still suffering from the after-effects of contracting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so , Manchester did not go through a London-style outbreak early on and the figures suggest it fared comparatively well next to places with similar vulnerabilities .
The city ’ s mortality rate remains below the English average and well below the north west average .
Until a fortnight ago , meanwhile , the rolling average for cases in the city since mid-March had been solidly mid-table for the ten boroughs , pretty much bang on the Greater Manchester average .
Its cumulative infection rate - in other words the number of cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - stands at 621 , around the average for the north west .
So by no means cheerful , but not what some had feared .
Some of that may have been down to the city deciding in the early days to test people on discharge from hospital before they were returned to their care home - despite government telling them not to - as well as a coordinated approach to infection control , more community testing than ministers had advised and a daily ring-around of nearly 100 care homes in the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Those in the town hall hope rates in the city may have been dampened by strategy at least as much as luck .
But times have moved on and the virus ’ s journey has changed .
In the third week in July , Manchester ’ s infection rates began to climb rapidly , taking it to second place out of Greater Manchester ’ s ten boroughs , doubling in a fortnight , at one point overtaking Rochdale and nudging it into the zone where ministers start to pay attention .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the percentage of tests that come back showing people have Covid - has also been inching up , a pattern insiders note is not good news , as they would like to see the increased testing of recent weeks come back with a growing percentage of negatives .
Rather than tearing through care homes and hospitals , the coronavirus is now circulating within the community as a whole , dispersed into all corners of the city .
During the week of July 19 , there were 80 cases recorded in the whole of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Public Health England , across roughly ten neighbourhoods .
( PHE doesn ’ t map cases where there ’ s fewer than two in an area . )
The following week that had nearly risen to 139 , spread across at least 17 neighbourhoods .
Last night ’ s data , for the week to August 2 , maps out 185 cases across at least 30 neighbourhoods , with no obvious pattern .
It ’ s now getting easier to count the places that haven ’ t recorded infections in the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t .
They are spread right across the city : from Heaton Park in the north , to Merseybank in the south , Piccadilly and Ardwick in the centre and Abbey Hey in the east .
There were 16 cases in Moss Side West in those seven days - the highest , followed by 11 in Crumpsall South .
Of all the major trends officials think are going on , there is a takeaway headline : people under 40 .
As elsewhere in Greater Manchester , hospital admissions and deaths remain low , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an issue among older people .
That includes care homes , where stricter testing and infection control is currently seeing 6pc of establishments reporting cases this week , compared to well over 50pc at the peak .
Instead , there is a fear that a whole section of younger people have simply tuned out .
Whether that ’ s groups of people mixing in homes , or drinkers not bothering with social distancing - and bars themselves in many cases not imposing safety measures - or staff having to work in pubs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this age bracket that the virus is now multiplying .
“ Younger people is the big thing , ” says one worried senior figure .
“ The people who have just looked at the news and thought ‘ oh , it ’ s older people ’ .
“ But that ’ s what ’ s dangerous .
If it ’ s high now among the under 40s , does it start spreading among older people as we get into the autumn ?
” While Manchester is currently subject to stricter lockdown rules - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - due to rising infection rates , council insiders believe this may yet be a warning to other cities of trends to come .
“ I think it ’ s a story the country will have to grapple with as to how high you can let the infection rates among under-40s get before people get really poorly.
” The message from government in the past week has undoubtedly been confused .
As one man stood outside a shop in Manchester this afternoon was overheard saying to his friends : “ I played football @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a contact sport .
`` But I can ’ t go and sit in my sister ’ s garden .
How does that make sense ?
” In the absence of clear and logical messaging from Westminster , local leaders are trying to clarify the approach into two strands , both in the city and outlying boroughs .
Manchester council leader Sir Richard Leese said this week that the advice as a whole is simple .
Stripping out the caveats , you can ’ t currently have social visitors .
Given that realistically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knock on front doors and ask who is in your house and why , the second strand relates to enforcement around businesses .
Bars in Manchester , as anyone who has been for a drink in recent weeks knows , are hugely varied in their approach to safety measures .
Many are taking no contact details at all , providing no sanitiser and effectively carrying on as usual .
Others are Fort Covid : your temperature taken , number recorded and hands cleansed before you ’ re allowed to sit down .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even before the new restrictions were announced last week .
Minutes from Greater Manchester ’ s emergency Covid meeting of July 29 show there were concerns areas here would need to go further than the government was indicating .
“ The main issue around track and trace in licensed premises does need to be addressed and GM should consider doing more that the national guidance around enforcement or encouragement to do better , ” they agreed .
“ Further discussions will be held at the Senior Gold Command to agree a more targeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are taking the approach more seriously than others , with a suggestion that messaging be sent to major breweries across GM.
” This weekend , we can expect that message to be stepped up .
On Wednesday Sir Richard referred to ‘ high profile ’ and ‘ visible ’ enforcement measures being on their way .
Aside from the age profile , there is also a continued risk among BAME communities .
The neighbourhood map shows the virus spread across all sorts of demographics and ethnicities , but nonetheless Manchester has been trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affected to target their messages .
There have recently been higher rates among North African and Portuguese African communities , for example .
( The national track and trace system simply sent these cases through as ‘ African ’ , however , a vague term that meant little to those on the ground .
Local track and trace investigations were needed both in Manchester and Salford to distinguish that in fact there were two quite distinct groups affected , separately . )
Equally , ahead of - and during - Eid , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community leaders about safety messaging .
Immediately after last weekend , sources both in Manchester and elsewhere said that seemed to have worked well .
But , as elsewhere , there remains a concern about multi-generational and sometimes overcrowded households , particularly in the south Asian community .
Either way , the city is now concentrating on stepping up clear advice to everyone in Manchester over the summer , ahead of the days really drawing in .
Leaders here do n't want to see the economy closed down and they certainly do n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running in the wrong direction .
`` The wide geographical spread of new confirmed cases is evidence that the rate of community transmission is increasing - this means more people are contracting the virus in their local neighbourhood and in people ’ s homes , '' says the city 's public health director , David Regan .
`` So it remains crucially important that people continue to follow the public health safety measures designed to keep us safe .
`` Targeted engagement work has already begun in local areas where transmission rates are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still have a role to play to limit the spread of the virus - particularly amongst young people where infection rates are growing .
`` For example , in parts of north Manchester the numbers have gone up marginally , so socially-distanced , outdoor engagement events will take place over the weekend explaining the new restrictions and what they mean . ''
He notes that the numbers have not sky-rocketed but climbed , now at an average of 24 cases a day across the city , compared to 17 a day over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the local neighbourhoods are still relatively small , but they want to stop them from rising further .
Local outbreaks have been expected , meanwhile , so the city 's own local track and trace system has been responding where there has been a cluster of cases in an office or a restaurant , court , bar or similar venue .
Data from last week shows local infection control departments have been dealing with a rise in those as well as broader community infections .
The graph for cases dealt with by localised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has climbed steadily since mid-June , which you might expect .
But Manchester itself has dealt with the biggest single weekly number of such cases so far , tackling 20 in the week to July 27 .
That included two workplace outbreaks , one in the city centre and one in north east Manchester , where the infection was said to have been spread among staff rather than customers .
So the virus is permeating all areas of life .
As the city 's public health department tries to keep a lid on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We are all used to the mantras - wash our hands , keep our distance , don ’ t visit other people ’ s homes - but these simple things remain essential in our fight to slow the pandemic , '' adds David Regan .
`` And it ’ s important if you do have symptoms , stay at home and book a test . ''
The latest statistics - which haven ’ t yet been completed by Public Health England - suggest Manchester ’ s rate may just now be flattening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Officials will be obsessing over spreadsheets in the coming days for evidence of whether the new measures are working .
But the patterns spotted by leaders here so far could yet prove a lesson for others , not least those sitting in Whitehall .

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During the height of the lockdown, Manchester’s leaders and officials were braced.
With a population that includes some of the most impoverished neighbourhoods in the country, among the highest levels of underlying health conditions such as asthma, a large BAME community, lots of people in insecure, low-paid work and many areas of dense housing, the city was primed for the toll to be high.
Like everywhere, of course, there have been many lives lost, there are many grieving and many still suffering from the after-effects of contracting the disease during those months. Even so, Manchester did not go through a London-style outbreak early on and the figures suggest it fared comparatively well next to places with similar vulnerabilities.
Sign up to the free MEN email newsletter 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
The city’s mortality rate remains below the English average and well below the north west average.
Until a fortnight ago, meanwhile, the rolling average for cases in the city since mid-March had been solidly mid-table for the ten boroughs, pretty much bang on the Greater Manchester average.
Its cumulative infection rate - in other words the number of cases recorded per 100,000 people since the start - stands at 621, around the average for the north west.
So by no means cheerful, but not what some had feared.
Some of that may have been down to the city deciding in the early days to test people on discharge from hospital before they were returned to their care home - despite government telling them not to - as well as a coordinated approach to infection control, more community testing than ministers had advised and a daily ring-around of nearly 100 care homes in the city at a time when PPE was short. Those in the town hall hope rates in the city may have been dampened by strategy at least as much as luck.
But times have moved on and the virus’s journey has changed.
In the third week in July, Manchester’s infection rates began to climb rapidly, taking it to second place out of Greater Manchester’s ten boroughs, doubling in a fortnight, at one point overtaking Rochdale and nudging it into the zone where ministers start to pay attention.
(Image: PA)
While still low, its positivity rate - the percentage of tests that come back showing people have Covid - has also been inching up, a pattern insiders note is not good news, as they would like to see the increased testing of recent weeks come back with a growing percentage of negatives.
Rather than tearing through care homes and hospitals, the coronavirus is now circulating within the community as a whole, dispersed into all corners of the city.
During the week of July 19, there were 80 cases recorded in the whole of the city, according to data published by Public Health England, across roughly ten neighbourhoods. (PHE doesn’t map cases where there’s fewer than two in an area.)
The following week that had nearly risen to 139, spread across at least 17 neighbourhoods.
Last night’s data, for the week to August 2, maps out 185 cases across at least 30 neighbourhoods, with no obvious pattern. It’s now getting easier to count the places that haven’t recorded infections in the last seven days than those that haven’t.
(Image: ABNM Photography)
They are spread right across the city: from Heaton Park in the north, to Merseybank in the south, Piccadilly and Ardwick in the centre and Abbey Hey in the east. There were 16 cases in Moss Side West in those seven days - the highest, followed by 11 in Crumpsall South.
Of all the major trends officials think are going on, there is a takeaway headline: people under 40. As elsewhere in Greater Manchester, hospital admissions and deaths remain low, an indicator that this is now less of an issue among older people. That includes care homes, where stricter testing and infection control is currently seeing 6pc of establishments reporting cases this week, compared to well over 50pc at the peak.
Instead, there is a fear that a whole section of younger people have simply tuned out.
Whether that’s groups of people mixing in homes, or drinkers not bothering with social distancing - and bars themselves in many cases not imposing safety measures - or staff having to work in pubs without sufficient protection, it is among this age bracket that the virus is now multiplying.
(Image: Humphrey Nemar/ dailystar)
“Younger people is the big thing,” says one worried senior figure. “The people who have just looked at the news and thought ‘oh, it’s older people’.
“But that’s what’s dangerous. If it’s high now among the under 40s, does it start spreading among older people as we get into the autumn?”
While Manchester is currently subject to stricter lockdown rules - as is the whole of Greater Manchester - due to rising infection rates, council insiders believe this may yet be a warning to other cities of trends to come.
“I think it’s a story the country will have to grapple with as to how high you can let the infection rates among under-40s get before people get really poorly.”
The message from government in the past week has undoubtedly been confused. As one man stood outside a shop in Manchester this afternoon was overheard saying to his friends: “I played football with 12 people on Monday night, a contact sport.
(Image: Getty Images)
"But I can’t go and sit in my sister’s garden. How does that make sense?”
In the absence of clear and logical messaging from Westminster, local leaders are trying to clarify the approach into two strands, both in the city and outlying boroughs.
Manchester council leader Sir Richard Leese said this week that the advice as a whole is simple. Stripping out the caveats, you can’t currently have social visitors.
Given that realistically Greater Manchester Police are not going to knock on front doors and ask who is in your house and why, the second strand relates to enforcement around businesses.
Bars in Manchester, as anyone who has been for a drink in recent weeks knows, are hugely varied in their approach to safety measures. Many are taking no contact details at all, providing no sanitiser and effectively carrying on as usual. Others are Fort Covid: your temperature taken, number recorded and hands cleansed before you’re allowed to sit down.
(Image: Joel Goodman)
This inconsistency was on the radar of leaders even before the new restrictions were announced last week.
Minutes from Greater Manchester’s emergency Covid meeting of July 29 show there were concerns areas here would need to go further than the government was indicating.
“The main issue around track and trace in licensed premises does need to be addressed and GM should consider doing more that the national guidance around enforcement or encouragement to do better,” they agreed.
“Further discussions will be held at the Senior Gold Command to agree a more targeted multiagency approach. Some license premises chains are taking the approach more seriously than others, with a suggestion that messaging be sent to major breweries across GM.”
This weekend, we can expect that message to be stepped up. On Wednesday Sir Richard referred to ‘high profile’ and ‘visible’ enforcement measures being on their way.
Aside from the age profile, there is also a continued risk among BAME communities.
The neighbourhood map shows the virus spread across all sorts of demographics and ethnicities, but nonetheless Manchester has been trying to use newly-acquired data on exact communities affected to target their messages.
There have recently been higher rates among North African and Portuguese African communities, for example. (The national track and trace system simply sent these cases through as ‘African’, however, a vague term that meant little to those on the ground. Local track and trace investigations were needed both in Manchester and Salford to distinguish that in fact there were two quite distinct groups affected, separately.)
Equally, ahead of - and during - Eid, the council was talking in detail to Muslim community leaders about safety messaging. Immediately after last weekend, sources both in Manchester and elsewhere said that seemed to have worked well. But, as elsewhere, there remains a concern about multi-generational and sometimes overcrowded households, particularly in the south Asian community.
Either way, the city is now concentrating on stepping up clear advice to everyone in Manchester over the summer, ahead of the days really drawing in.
(Image: Manchester council)
Leaders here don't want to see the economy closed down and they certainly don't want to see the public health graphs running in the wrong direction.
"The wide geographical spread of new confirmed cases is evidence that the rate of community transmission is increasing - this means more people are contracting the virus in their local neighbourhood and in people’s homes," says the city's public health director, David Regan.
"So it remains crucially important that people continue to follow the public health safety measures designed to keep us safe.
"Targeted engagement work has already begun in local areas where transmission rates are rising to remind people that we all still have a role to play to limit the spread of the virus - particularly amongst young people where infection rates are growing.
"For example, in parts of north Manchester the numbers have gone up marginally, so socially-distanced, outdoor engagement events will take place over the weekend explaining the new restrictions and what they mean."
He notes that the numbers have not sky-rocketed but climbed, now at an average of 24 cases a day across the city, compared to 17 a day over the previous month. So the numbers in the local neighbourhoods are still relatively small, but they want to stop them from rising further.
Local outbreaks have been expected, meanwhile, so the city's own local track and trace system has been responding where there has been a cluster of cases in an office or a restaurant, court, bar or similar venue.
Data from last week shows local infection control departments have been dealing with a rise in those as well as broader community infections. The graph for cases dealt with by localised track and trace system across Greater Manchester has climbed steadily since mid-June, which you might expect.
But Manchester itself has dealt with the biggest single weekly number of such cases so far, tackling 20 in the week to July 27.
That included two workplace outbreaks, one in the city centre and one in north east Manchester, where the infection was said to have been spread among staff rather than customers.
(Image: Getty Images)
So the virus is permeating all areas of life. As the city's public health department tries to keep a lid on it, the messages bear repeating.
"We are all used to the mantras - wash our hands, keep our distance, don’t visit other people’s homes - but these simple things remain essential in our fight to slow the pandemic," adds David Regan.
"And it’s important if you do have symptoms, stay at home and book a test."
The latest statistics - which haven’t yet been completed by Public Health England - suggest Manchester’s rate may just now be flattening out, or even starting to fall.
Officials will be obsessing over spreadsheets in the coming days for evidence of whether the new measures are working.
But the patterns spotted by leaders here so far could yet prove a lesson for others, not least those sitting in Whitehall.


themanchestereveningnews--2020-08-09--Man City evening headlines as Koulibaly claim made

Good evening , Manchester City fans .
Here are your evening headlines for Sunday , August 9. believes Yaya Toure 's 2013/14 campaign , in which the club clinched the Premier League title , betters Kevin De Bruyne ’ s display this year .
Despite equalling Thierry Henry ’ s record assists haul of 20 in a single season , Lescott believes De Bruyne is not yet at the level his ex-teammate Toure performed to as City snatched the title from Liverpool ’ s grasp in 2014 .
That year , Toure netted 20 league goals , which undoubtedly swayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two exceptional City midfielders .
Speaking to BT Sport , the former City defender did have plenty of praise for De Bruyne , stating it will not be long before he is considered in the same bracket as Premier League legends Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard .
For Lescott ’ s quotes , read the here .
Former Manchester City defender has been left unimpressed by Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly , who a number of top clubs , including Manchester City , are chasing .
Richards described Koulibaly ’ s performance against Barcelona @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Champions League , as similar to that of former City defender Eliaquim Mangala .
He likened the pair in sharing similarities due to the fact that both were highly-rated in Europe .
However , once Mangala arrived in English football , his performance level dropped , something Richards predicts would be repeated if Koulibaly were to join Pep Guardiola 's side this summer .
Senegalese international is 29 years old and has attracted interest from the majority of European heavyweights over the past few seasons .
Richards is not sold , though , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reported £80 million .
Guardiola to right wrongs of last Champions League campaign Manchester City have been drawn against French side Lyon in the quarter-finals of this season ’ s Champions League .
, however , will not be taking any chances despite suggestions this tie poses a much easier task than facing Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo , who the Ligue 1 side eliminated this week .
Guardiola ’ s City were outclassed and beaten by OL in the 2018/19 Champions League group stage , in a game which and Tanguy Ndombele @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Pep will ensure his team are up to the test , mentally and physically .
OL have played just twice competitively since the suspension of the Ligue 1 season back in March but fared well against Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus in those contests .
Guardiola will need to drum into his players that complacency is not an option , seeing as Rudi Garcia ’ s French side dispatched of a flat-footed and out-of-sorts Juventus in the previous round .

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Good evening, Manchester City fans. Here are your evening headlines for Sunday, August 9.
Former City defender makes De Bruyne claim
Joleon Lescott believes Yaya Toure's 2013/14 campaign, in which the club clinched the Premier League title, betters Kevin De Bruyne’s display this year.
Despite equalling Thierry Henry’s record assists haul of 20 in a single season, Lescott believes De Bruyne is not yet at the level his ex-teammate Toure performed to as City snatched the title from Liverpool’s grasp in 2014.
That year, Toure netted 20 league goals, which undoubtedly swayed Lescott’s judgement in comparing the two exceptional City midfielders.
Speaking to BT Sport, the former City defender did have plenty of praise for De Bruyne, stating it will not be long before he is considered in the same bracket as Premier League legends Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.
For Lescott’s quotes, read the full article here.
Koulibaly compared to City flop
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has been left unimpressed by Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, who a number of top clubs, including Manchester City, are chasing.
Richards described Koulibaly’s performance against Barcelona, as Napoli crashed out of the Champions League, as similar to that of former City defender Eliaquim Mangala.
He likened the pair in sharing similarities due to the fact that both were highly-rated in Europe.
However, once Mangala arrived in English football, his performance level dropped, something Richards predicts would be repeated if Koulibaly were to join Pep Guardiola's side this summer.
Senegalese international Koulibaly is 29 years old and has attracted interest from the majority of European heavyweights over the past few seasons.
Richards is not sold, though, and suggests his price-tag should be “£20m less than the reported £80 million.
Sign up to our free MCFC email newsletter Man City are Premier League champions! Get all the reaction plus daily news and analysis direct to your inbox with our free MCFC newsletter Sign up here - it only takes a few seconds.
Guardiola to right wrongs of last Champions League campaign
Manchester City have been drawn against French side Lyon in the quarter-finals of this season’s Champions League.
Guardiola , however, will not be taking any chances despite suggestions this tie poses a much easier task than facing Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo, who the Ligue 1 side eliminated this week.
Guardiola’s City were outclassed and beaten by OL in the 2018/19 Champions League group stage, in a game which Houssem Aouar and Tanguy Ndombele dazzled.
Aouar remains an OL player and Pep will ensure his team are up to the test, mentally and physically.
OL have played just twice competitively since the suspension of the Ligue 1 season back in March but fared well against Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus in those contests.
Guardiola will need to drum into his players that complacency is not an option, seeing as Rudi Garcia’s French side dispatched of a flat-footed and out-of-sorts Juventus in the previous round.


themanchestereveningnews--2020-08-09--Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Manchester United press conference RECAP

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is addressed the press ahead of Monday 's Europa League fixture against Copenhagen .
United booked their @ @ @ @ @ of the competition with a 6-1 aggregate victory against LASK last week and travelled to @ @ @ @ @ The remainder of the competition will be played over one-legged ties .
United will meet @ @ @ @ @ Sevilla in the semi-final should they defeat Copenhagen in Cologne .
United have played Copenhagen @ @ @ @ @ , winning at Old Trafford in the 2006/07 Champions League group stage but lost the @ @ @ @ @ Copenhagen have failed to score in their last four games against English opposition .
Solskjaer @ @ @ @ @ Williams for his pre-match press conference .
The United boss gave updates on the future @ @ @ @ @ de Gea and Sergio Romero ahead of next season .
Recap the updates from Solskjaer @ @ @ @ @

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is addressed the press ahead of Monday's Europa League fixture against Copenhagen.
United booked their place in the last eight of the competition with a 6-1 aggregate victory against LASK last week and travelled to Germany early on Sunday.
The remainder of the competition will be played over one-legged ties. United will meet the winner of Wolves and Sevilla in the semi-final should they defeat Copenhagen in Cologne.
United have played Copenhagen only twice in their history, winning at Old Trafford in the 2006/07 Champions League group stage but lost the reverse fixture in Denmark. Copenhagen have failed to score in their last four games against English opposition.
Solskjaer was joined by defender Brandon Williams for his pre-match press conference.
The United boss gave updates on the future of Dean Henderson, David de Gea and Sergio Romero ahead of next season.
Recap the updates from Solskjaer's press conference below.


themanchestereveningnews--2020-08-09--Brandon Williams names threat to his development at Man United

Brandon Williams believes the threat of being demoted back to Manchester United 's U-23 team keeps him motivated to stay in the first-team .
Williams , 19 , is the latest United academy graduate to make a mark in the senior side , making 34 appearances in all competitions this season .
The defender will start United 's Europa League quarter-final clash against Copenhagen after Luke Shaw was ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury .
Williams ' impressive performances in recent months saw the youngster handed another new contract , extending his stay at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an extra year .
Despite his growing importance in the first-team , Williams believes he could easily be dropped from the first-team squad if he does not maintain his performance levels .
`` It 's not a case of that , '' he said at the pre-match press conference when asked if he knew his spot in the senior squad on the back of a particular performance this season .
`` At any time , I can drop down into the U23s .
I could pick up an injury or anything .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm doing and I 'm going to keep on working hard .
Keep on improving on what I need to improve on and play as many games as I can . ''
When pressed on whether he honestly believes he could be demoted , Williams doubled down on his stance .
`` Yeah , it 's down to myself and keeping fit .
I need to be ready to play every game .
`` We 've got games coming up and it 's a one-off game tomorrow so we need to win .
@

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Brandon Williams believes the threat of being demoted back to Manchester United 's U-23 team keeps him motivated to stay in the first-team.
Williams, 19, is the latest United academy graduate to make a mark in the senior side, making 34 appearances in all competitions this season.
The defender will start United's Europa League quarter-final clash against Copenhagen after Luke Shaw was ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.
Williams' impressive performances in recent months saw the youngster handed another new contract, extending his stay at Old Trafford until 2024 with the option of an extra year.
Despite his growing importance in the first-team, Williams believes he could easily be dropped from the first-team squad if he does not maintain his performance levels.
"It's not a case of that," he said at the pre-match press conference when asked if he knew his spot in the senior squad on the back of a particular performance this season.
"At any time, I can drop down into the U23s. I could pick up an injury or anything.
"I'm focused on what I'm doing and I'm going to keep on working hard. Keep on improving on what I need to improve on and play as many games as I can."
When pressed on whether he honestly believes he could be demoted, Williams doubled down on his stance.
"Yeah, it's down to myself and keeping fit. I need to be ready to play every game.
"We've got games coming up and it's a one-off game tomorrow so we need to win."


themanchestereveningnews--2020-08-09--Inside Blackpool's boom as corona kills the foreign holiday

The prospect of a holiday abroad was a small beacon of hope for many families amid the Groundhog Day-like misery and pressure of the lockdown .
But with the government advising against all but essential foreign travel at the moment , Blackpool is enjoying a boom on a scale similar to the Victorian era , when competition from foreign beach resorts was non-existent .
The town has seen footfall surge by ten times in the last two months , and Compare the Market has it as the third most searched for destination in the country , behind the capital and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen a surge in demand for UK accommodation , also ranks it as the country 's third most popular beach destination in terms of how it garners searches on its site from holidaymakers .
`` We had a bumper time last weekend , '' Alan Cavill , director of communication and regeneration at Blackpool Council , says .
`` The sun was shining and we 're expecting a similar situation this weekend with the weather .
`` All the attractions were full - although most were operating at reduced capacity . ''
Crucially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the resort , in spite of July 4 's re-openings .
The latest figures published of the rolling seven-day rate of new cases of coronavirus infections for every local authority in England show in Blackpool , there were eight up to August 2 , a fall of three on the previous week .
David Weston , chief executive of the Bed and Breakfast Association , says as Boris Johnson made his announcement on easing lockdown measures , which allowed bookings to resume , Blackpool 's B & B owners witnessed a 'flurry of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he describes as a 'limited window to pull summer back ' , the association 's members are calling for an extra Bank Holiday to be added in October , to extend the summer season .
Social distancing rules could have played havoc with breakfast times in B & Bs .
But , keen to welcome back customers and stay Covid-safe , owners have work hard to meet the challenge , Weston says .
`` People are getting around it in different ways , '' he explains .
`` If there is a limited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they will offer breakfast in people 's rooms or staggered breakfast times .
`` The impact of Covid was huge and it was important for B & Bs to reopen when they did otherwise they would have lost 50 to 60 per cent of their turnover during summer .
`` There already had been many lost bookings as a result of the uncertainty and not knowing what was happening . ''
Speaking of the weeks since the re-opening , he added : `` It seems to have gone smoothly .
Blackpool is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it is one of the places that people are starting to visit again . ''
Unlike other UK tourist towns , which have complained about feeling overwhelmed by visitors , Blackpool is n't turning it 's nose up at people from other places coming there to spend .
Describing himself as 'delighted ' by the staycation boost , Blackpool North MP Paul Maynard , says : `` I 'm not surprised that people are returning to Blackpool - and I hope they will see its changed for the better .
`` Any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they bring money to the local economy which impacts on the jobs and stakes so many people have in our visitor economy .
`` Who knows when the appetite is going to diminish .
People can have just as good a time on the Lancashire coast . ''
Since 2015 , visitor numbers in Blackpool have grown from 17 million people a year to 18.2 million - and the overall value to the economy is worth more than £1.58 billion .
Strictly Come Dancing - which celebrates the town 's ballroom culture with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the resurgence which was building before the pandemic put foreign travel out of reach .
Blackpool now accounts for more than 40 per cent of the value of the Lancashire 's visitor economy .
And thousands of people depend on hospitality for their livelihoods - there are 25,400 full-time tourism and hospitality jobs in the resort .
The town wants visitors to appreciate it has more than old fashioned donkey rides and fish and chips and arcades to offer - that there 's culture , and comedy , and a regenerated promenade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sea .
The Grundy Art Gallery , in the centre of town , recently reopened as lockdown restrictions were eased .
Sea defences have been revamped in recent years and the Blackpool Tower and Winter Gardens is currently undergoing a major refurbishment , which will see the Conservative Party conference return in 2022 .
Blackpool Pleasure Beach reopened with restrictions in place on July 4 , and is also witnessing a renaissance in the age of corona .
It has introduced more frequent and enhanced deep cleaning across the park , rides and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the park , and places for hand washing with soap and water .
Staff members are equipped with personal protective equipment and are temperature checked daily before they start work , and with numbers limited , visitors are advised to pre-book an electronic ticket to avoid disappointment .
The management of the Pleasure Beach says they were able to reopen 'respectfully and carefully ' - and that they have a comprehensive range of procedures and protocols in place to welcome guests safely .
The annual Blackpool Illuminations Switch On concert , scheduled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a crowd of 20,000 people , has been modified , due to social distancing restrictions .
But it will be streamed in association with MTV on Friday September 4 - the first time in more than 70 decades its not gone ahead in its usual way .
The illuminations season has been extended to January 2021 , for the first time ever , as a result of Covid .
something the town 's MP had lobbied for .
`` Normally we have the Illuminations to help prolong the season .
This year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer .
People do n't need to drive here for a day trip , they can stay for a few days or longer , '' Paul Maynard says .
Attracting longer stays would be a big boost to Blackpool 's growing confidence - and Alan Cavill , of Blackpool Council , admits while it 'does feel busier - we 're not seeing long stays yet ' .
But with so many B & Bs and hotels in the town , there is plenty of capacity to welcome visitors , even as restrictions mean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We are trying to do as much to give a sense of normality as we can , '' Mr Cavill explains .
`` We 're doing everything we can to help businesses by creating more space and putting more tables and chairs outside , '' he says .
At the Central Pier , which was hit by a devastating fire last month , officials are looking at putting a ride on the promenade in front of it .
`` We 're doing what we can to help , '' he adds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people feel safe when they are here and observe what they are supposed to .
It 's sometimes hard when people have been in a position when they 've been rigidly observing the rules and they feel they can let go in Blackpool . ''
There has been 'one or two problems with queues , but nothing we ca n't handle ' , he says .
`` Blackpool always bounces back - we 've been around for a long time , we have adapted to change , '' Mr Cavill adds .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to get to Spain has been a big filip for British seaside resorts . ''
While number of shows and events have been postponed or re-scheduled , the 2020 season at Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been extended to December 13 at weekends .
While staff remain positive for the season ahead , the hope is that in interest in staycations - and in Blackpool - will continue way beyond 2020 .

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The prospect of a holiday abroad was a small beacon of hope for many families amid the Groundhog Day-like misery and pressure of the lockdown.
But with the government advising against all but essential foreign travel at the moment, Blackpool is enjoying a boom on a scale similar to the Victorian era, when competition from foreign beach resorts was non-existent.
The town has seen footfall surge by ten times in the last two months, and Compare the Market has it as the third most searched for destination in the country, behind the capital and Cornwall.
Meanwhile Booking.com, which has seen a surge in demand for UK accommodation, also ranks it as the country's third most popular beach destination in terms of how it garners searches on its site from holidaymakers.
"We had a bumper time last weekend," Alan Cavill, director of communication and regeneration at Blackpool Council, says. "The sun was shining and we're expecting a similar situation this weekend with the weather.
"All the attractions were full - although most were operating at reduced capacity."
Sign up to the free MEN email newsletter 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
(Image: PA)
Crucially, infection rates are relatively low in the resort, in spite of July 4's re-openings.
The latest figures published of the rolling seven-day rate of new cases of coronavirus infections for every local authority in England show in Blackpool, there were eight up to August 2, a fall of three on the previous week.
David Weston, chief executive of the Bed and Breakfast Association, says as Boris Johnson made his announcement on easing lockdown measures, which allowed bookings to resume, Blackpool's B&B owners witnessed a 'flurry of bookings'.
Now, with what he describes as a 'limited window to pull summer back', the association's members are calling for an extra Bank Holiday to be added in October, to extend the summer season.
Social distancing rules could have played havoc with breakfast times in B&Bs.
But, keen to welcome back customers and stay Covid-safe, owners have work hard to meet the challenge, Weston says.
"People are getting around it in different ways," he explains. "If there is a limited space in the B&B, they will offer breakfast in people's rooms or staggered breakfast times.
"The impact of Covid was huge and it was important for B&Bs to reopen when they did otherwise they would have lost 50 to 60 per cent of their turnover during summer.
"There already had been many lost bookings as a result of the uncertainty and not knowing what was happening."
Speaking of the weeks since the re-opening, he added: "It seems to have gone smoothly. Blackpool is the B&B capital of the UK and it is one of the places that people are starting to visit again."
Unlike other UK tourist towns, which have complained about feeling overwhelmed by visitors, Blackpool isn't turning it's nose up at people from other places coming there to spend.
Describing himself as 'delighted' by the staycation boost, Blackpool North MP Paul Maynard, says: "I'm not surprised that people are returning to Blackpool - and I hope they will see its changed for the better.
"Any visitor to Blackpool's always welcome as they bring money to the local economy which impacts on the jobs and stakes so many people have in our visitor economy.
"Who knows when the appetite is going to diminish. People can have just as good a time on the Lancashire coast."
(Image: BBC)
Since 2015, visitor numbers in Blackpool have grown from 17 million people a year to 18.2 million - and the overall value to the economy is worth more than £1.58 billion.
Strictly Come Dancing - which celebrates the town's ballroom culture with Blackpool week - has played its part in the resurgence which was building before the pandemic put foreign travel out of reach.
Blackpool now accounts for more than 40 per cent of the value of the Lancashire's visitor economy. And thousands of people depend on hospitality for their livelihoods - there are 25,400 full-time tourism and hospitality jobs in the resort.
The town wants visitors to appreciate it has more than old fashioned donkey rides and fish and chips and arcades to offer - that there's culture, and comedy, and a regenerated promenade that looks out across the blustery Irish sea.
The Grundy Art Gallery, in the centre of town, recently reopened as lockdown restrictions were eased.
(Image: Getty Images)
Sea defences have been revamped in recent years and the Blackpool Tower and Winter Gardens is currently undergoing a major refurbishment, which will see the Conservative Party conference return in 2022.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach reopened with restrictions in place on July 4, and is also witnessing a renaissance in the age of corona.
It has introduced more frequent and enhanced deep cleaning across the park, rides and attractions, with hand sanitisation facilities dotted around the park, and places for hand washing with soap and water.
Staff members are equipped with personal protective equipment and are temperature checked daily before they start work, and with numbers limited, visitors are advised to pre-book an electronic ticket to avoid disappointment.
The management of the Pleasure Beach says they were able to reopen 'respectfully and carefully' - and that they have a comprehensive range of procedures and protocols in place to welcome guests safely.
(Image: Getty Images)
The annual Blackpool Illuminations Switch On concert, scheduled to take place next month in front of a crowd of 20,000 people, has been modified, due to social distancing restrictions.
But it will be streamed in association with MTV on Friday September 4 - the first time in more than 70 decades its not gone ahead in its usual way.
(Image: Daily Record)
The illuminations season has been extended to January 2021, for the first time ever, as a result of Covid. something the town's MP had lobbied for.
"Normally we have the Illuminations to help prolong the season. This year, the Illuminations will go on even longer. People don't need to drive here for a day trip, they can stay for a few days or longer," Paul Maynard says.
(Image: PA)
Attracting longer stays would be a big boost to Blackpool's growing confidence - and Alan Cavill, of Blackpool Council, admits while it 'does feel busier - we're not seeing long stays yet'.
But with so many B&Bs and hotels in the town, there is plenty of capacity to welcome visitors, even as restrictions mean they can't let all their rooms.
"We are trying to do as much to give a sense of normality as we can," Mr Cavill explains.
"We're doing everything we can to help businesses by creating more space and putting more tables and chairs outside," he says.
At the Central Pier, which was hit by a devastating fire last month, officials are looking at putting a ride on the promenade in front of it.
"We're doing what we can to help," he adds.
"The challenge is making sure people feel safe when they are here and observe what they are supposed to. It's sometimes hard when people have been in a position when they've been rigidly observing the rules and they feel they can let go in Blackpool."
There has been 'one or two problems with queues, but nothing we can't handle', he says.
(Image: PA)
"Blackpool always bounces back - we've been around for a long time, we have adapted to change," Mr Cavill adds.
"Most things are open... not being able to get to Spain has been a big filip for British seaside resorts."
While number of shows and events have been postponed or re-scheduled, the 2020 season at Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been extended to December 13 at weekends.
While staff remain positive for the season ahead, the hope is that in interest in staycations - and in Blackpool - will continue way beyond 2020.