News
Woman ordered to pay man who abused her £35,000 and let him live in her home
‘The court thing was just harrowing. I can’t put into words how awful it was, I was completely out of my depth. It just broke me.’
A woman has been ordered by the courts to pay her abuser £35,000 in damages and to let him live in her home because of a family will.
Kirsty Easthope, 52, from York suffered abuse at the hands of her mother’s partner, Arthur Hepple, for decades. Now she must pay Hepple £35k in damages after losing a costly legal battle against the serial sex offender after he was released from prison.
The 84-year-old Hepple was given a suspended prison sentence in 2014 and put on the sex offenders’ register for abusing Kirsty. He was then jailed for another sex attack on a woman and her teenage daughter in 2017.
Family Handout
Kirsty’s mum, Irma Barnett, had written the will before Hepple started abusing her daughter and before she was diagnosed with dementia. In it, she wanted Hepple to live in the family home in North Yorkshire, and spend the rest of his life there.
Hepple started to attack Mrs Easthope in 2003, Mrs Barnett died in 2013. Mrs Easthope inherited the property from her mother but no longer lives there. She said she had been left ‘absolutely devastated’ by the ruling.
Mrs Easthope told ITV News: “I thought I’d be free of [Hepple] when he went to prison but he’s back and a judge has ruled that and it’s atrocious.
“I’ll never understand how he could have done what he did in the first place, but to continue to persecute me… I just want to be free of my perpetrator, but now the judge has put him back in my life again.”
After leaving prison in 2018 he insisted on being allowed to live in the bungalow he had shared with Mrs Barnett and her daughter. The court found in his favour, and ordered Mrs Easthope to pay Hepple £35,000 to cover the losses he had incurred while having to live elsewhere along with legal costs, which could bring her total bill to £100,000.
Mrs Easthope said: “The court thing was just harrowing. I can’t put into words how awful it was, I was completely out of my depth. It just broke me.”
In a statement, Hepple’s lawyers said Mrs Easthope could face further legal action if she refuses to comply with the order, saying: “Mr Hepple has an unconditional lifetime right to occupy the property under the terms of his late partner’s will.
“Mrs Easthope unlawfully excluded him and refused to allow him back into occupation. Her actions left Mr Hepple with no alternative but to issue a civil claim against her requiring her, amongst other things, to allow him back into the property.
“To date, she is still to allow Mr Hepple back into the property and to pay the damages. It is possible that the matter may have to go back to Leeds High Court for enforcement and a decision on costs, which will be substantial.”
In a written ruling, the judge at Leeds County Court said that Mrs Easthope was ‘bound’ by the will left by her mother, Irma Barnett. The order stipulated that Mrs Easthope must cover the ‘claimant’s losses’ of £35,248.75 and pay him £22.20 a day until he is allowed back into the property.
Mrs Easthope’s friend, Christina Hall, has started a Go Fund Me page to help her with legal costs. At the time of writing it has raised nearly £7,000.
News
Family ‘devastated beyond belief’ after dad shot dead in Manchester
‘He was his mother’s son, her pride and joy’
The family of a dad who was shot dead in East Manchester in a targeted attack have paid tribute to him.
Zikel Bobmanuel, 32, was pronounced dead at the scene on Welland street, in Openshaw, at around 2pm on Saturday March 25th. Police believe the dad, whose youngest is six-weeks-old, was deliberately targeted.
A 33-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder while Greater Manchester Police officers are looking for a second man who is thought to have gotten away in a vehicle.
In a tribute to their loved one, Zikel’s family said: “Zikel was many things to many people, he was a good friend, a hard-working colleague, part of a large extended family, but ultimately, he was his mother’s son, her pride and joy.
“He held the heart of his girlfriend in his hand and was a hands-on father to his beloved children — the youngest just six-weeks-old.
“Zikel was happy and fulfilled, he was working hard to provide for his family and was never more content than when he was spending time with them. It is difficult to comprehend that Zikel has died under such tragic circumstances and the shock is profound.
“We are devastated beyond belief and find it hard to comprehend life without him. We would like to thank everybody for their kind words and the comfort their support has given us, and respectfully ask for some privacy at this difficult time.”
Detective Superintendent Simon Hurst, said: “Our thoughts are with Zikel’s loved ones at this heart-breaking time. As our investigation continues, specially trained colleagues are supporting them.
“Since yesterday afternoon, we continue to build an in-depth timeline of events leading up to Zikel’s death and we are following a number of positive lines of enquiry. Although we currently have one man in custody, work is ongoing to ensure that those involved are brought to justice.
“I would like to thank members of the public that have already shared information with us. Any information, regardless of how small, may be the key to receiving answers for Zikel’s family.
“Whilst officers are gathering evidence from the scene and the surrounding area, anyone with information, CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage is asked to contact police via 101 quoting incident 1771 25/3/2023.”
Details can be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Always dial 999 in an emergency.
News
First yellow Bee Network buses hit the streets of Greater Manchester
It will mark the biggest change to transport in Greater Manchester for almost 40 years
Greater Manchester’s first new yellow bee network buses have now taken to the streets.
They hit the road on Friday March 24th, six months before the Bee Network will finally launch. The first publicly controlled buses will be rolled out in Bolton, Wigan and parts of Bury and Salford from September, with the whole network to be franchised by 2025.
The move will mean fares, routes and standards will be controlled by local leaders rather than private bus companies — who will have to bid for contracts to run services. Operators will also be penalised if buses are regularly late or don’t show up.
When franchising is introduced in September, there will be 50 brand new electric Bee Network buses, alongside new ‘Euro VI’ vehicles and dozens more co-branded buses from the existing fleet, including Vantage buses.
A further 50 electric buses will also be introduced onto the network in March 2024, when the second part of franchising starts. The reveal of the new yellow co-branded bus comes as an order is placed for a further 170 electric buses that will operate in and around Stockport by 2024.
The buses will be jointly funded by Stagecoach and local and national government. Stagecoach’s £37.2m investment will be match-funded by £35.7m from Greater Manchester’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) fund, and a local contribution of £12.5m.
The whole fleet of electric buses will be fully accessible, with wheelchair bays, hearing induction loops, audio and visual announcement systems and anti-slip flooring.
Welcoming the early introduction of Bee Network buses, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, said: “Today is a significant day on our journey towards the Bee Network — marking six months until we start to bring buses back under public control for the first time in decades.
“To get ready for the change – and I hope, start to build some excitement – we’re working with Diamond and other operators to introduce co-branded Bee Network buses onto those services that will be amongst the first to come back under local control.
“I am also delighted to announce that by working closely with Stagecoach we will have another 170 brilliant new buses running on our network from next year, with a brand new, world-class electric bus depot.
“This is very much the start of our journey that will ultimately deliver a greener, integrated and more inclusive transport system that will transform how people travel around our city-region.”
Fares will continue to be capped at the same price across Greater Manchester, but could increase above the £2 adult single ticket agreed last September. And a daily cap on buses, trams and rental bikes will be introduced meaning passengers can tap-in and tap-out on all three for a fixed price each day.
Greater Manchester has been awarded £7.5 in Levelling-Up funds to buy land for a leading, state-of-the-art electronic bus depot.
A potential site at Central Park would hold 250 electric buses and provide new, highly skilled jobs now and in the future, supporting ongoing regeneration and helping deliver on Greater Manchester’s ambition for a zero-emission bus fleet by 2032.
TfGM is also looking to take control of existing bus depots by buying or leasing them, before refurbishing and transforming them into modern, high-tech, sustainable facilities.
Transport Commissioner, Vernon Everitt, said: “This preparation of the bus fleet for franchised operation in six months’ time marks a further significant step towards the integrated Bee Network and transformation of public transport and active travel in our growing city-region.
“From September we’ll also have dozens of new, state-of-the-art buses serving passengers in Wigan, Bolton and parts of Salford and Bury.
“These will be the first of many across Greater Manchester that will, alongside the new lower fares – which are already increasing ridership – and improvements to travel information, improve bus travel for everyone who lives and works here.
“All buses will be operating under franchised arrangements by January 2025, which will for the first time enable effective planning of the network alongside Metrolink and active travel facilities. Under the recently announced Trailblazer deal, we will then work towards integration of local rail services into the Bee Network by 2030.”
Other than the colour, buses will remain in operation as they are, with no further changes to take place until September. Until then passengers should continue to contact their operator in the usual way.
News
Two men seriously injured in double stabbing at petrol station
The two men had suffered serious but not life threatening injuries that were consistent with knife wounds
Two men have suffered serious injuries in a double stabbing in Salford on Sunday evening.
Greater Manchester Police were called to the incident at around 7pm on March 26th following the attack on Cromwell Road near the Texaco garage. Officers in attendance established that an altercation had taken place and two men had suffered serious but not life threatening injuries that were consistent with knife wounds.
No arrests have been made at this time and an investigation has been launched to understand the circumstances of this incident. It is believed the men were victims of street robbery.
A Section 60 Order was put in place last night until 8am this morning to give officers extra powers to stop and search individuals. Inspector Stephen Corless of GMP’s Salford District said: “We have authorised stop-and-search powers in the area in response to the incident this evening.
“While an investigation continues at pace to understand the circumstances behind this incident, we are determined to do whatever is in our power to prevent any further incidents like this taking place in Salford.
“That is why heightened stop-and-search powers have been introduced in the Broughton area of Salford to allow officers to prevent anyone found carrying weapons to be free to walk our streets. I would urge members of the public who saw anything suspicious or witnessed the incident to come forward and report information to us immediately.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 5187 quoting log number 2545 26/3/23. You can also make a report via the LiveChat function on GMP’s website: www.gmp.police.uk. Alternatively, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Family ‘devastated beyond belief’ after dad shot dead in Manchester
Snoop Dogg loves watching Coronation Street and wants a role on it
First yellow Bee Network buses hit the streets of Greater Manchester
Two men seriously injured in double stabbing at petrol station
Laughing gas to be banned in crackdown on anti-social behaviour
