A murderer who avoided justice for more than 30 years before walking into a police station to confess is among those locked up in Greater Manchester this week. Robert Lloyd, jailed in March but subject to reporting restrictions until now, was one of four men who forced their way into Michael McDermott's home in November 1994 and killed him. No-one was charged until October last year, when Lloyd confessed after walking into Ashton police station. He was jailed for life.
Drug smuggling gang jailed over £13.8m cannabis plot
A drug smuggling gang were part of a plot to import cannabis worth £13.8 million into the UK. Two men from Greater Manchester have been jailed, with a woman from Wythenshawe facing a sentencing hearing next month. Drugs packed into 22 suitcases were found at Birmingham Airport in August 2024, with the group arrested by Border Force officers after arriving on the same flight from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Bradley Lloyd, 27, from Wythenshawe, and Lewis Ross, 35, from Rupert Street, Bolton, have been jailed.
Murderer confessed after 32 years
Robert Lloyd, 53, was one of four men who forced their way into Michael McDermott's home in November 1994 before he was attacked and killed. Mr McDermott, 26, was stabbed and hit with a baseball bat as his brother's partner hid upstairs with her children at a house in Ashville Terrace, Moston. He suffered three stab wounds and a large blunt force trauma wound to his head. The gang were seeking vigilante justice after Lloyd's aunt had been burgled, but neither Mr McDermott nor his brother were responsible for the burglary.
No-one was charged until October last year, when Lloyd confessed after walking into Ashton police station. Mr McDermott's family said they were 'grateful' to Lloyd for admitting what he had done, and asked the judge to impose a punishment reflecting the 'devastating effect' his murder had on the family. Lloyd was jailed for life, to serve a minimum of 17 years, at a hearing on March 20 after pleading guilty to murder. Reporting restrictions were in place for almost a year as his case progressed, while an investigation was launched following his confession.
Man jailed for sexual offences against child
Oliver Bromilow, 27, from Bolton, sent sexually explicit messages and images to a child he thought was 12, police said. He was jailed following an investigation by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU). Bromilow was arrested at his home address of Wigan Road, Bolton, and later charged. At Bolton Crown Court, he was jailed for four years and four months after pleading guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child; attempting to cause/incite a child aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to cause a child aged under 13 to watch an image of sexual activity.
Dealers recruited children in Salford
Harvey Duffy, 20, and Cameron Caswell, 23, recruited vulnerable children to peddle drugs on the streets of Salford, detectives said. They also used the home of a drug addict as a 'base of operations' - a practice known as 'cuckooing'. Police said a court heard GMP officers investigated a drugs 'line' active in the Little Hulton area. Mobile phones were seized from children, with messages revealing Duffy to be a 'key contact'. The force said Duffy 'directed and exercised control' over the children, with nearly 1,000 communications recorded across a three-month period.
At Manchester Crown Court, Duffy, of Egerton Road, Walkden, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine and was sentenced to three years and four months at a young offenders' institute. Caswell, of Chatley Road, Eccles, was sentenced to six years and 10 months after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition, as well as being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis.
Man jailed for rape after conning his way inside
Lee Reszka, 35, of Longridge, Knutsford, tricked his way into a woman's home then raped her. He called at the victim's home pretending to be looking for a mutual friend, but already knew the person was not at the address. While at the property in Congleton, the victim allowed him to use the toilet, but instead of leaving he attempted to rape her. In a struggle she got away, but he then orally raped her before leaving. A piece of clothing worn by the victim was forensically tested and DNA found on it matched Reszka. He was found guilty of rape and attempted rape on Friday following a five-day trial at Liverpool Crown Court, and sentenced to nine years in prison.
Drug mule caught with £50k cannabis
Jacob Eales, 28, of Lancaster, was stopped by Border Force officers at Manchester Airport in July this year. On being asked what was in his suitcase, he claimed he didn't pack it himself, but stated there were cigarettes inside. Officers discovered 16-and-a-half kilos of cannabis. In a police interview, he claimed: "It was given to me, I was just bringing it back. I ran out of money. I needed it." Eales pleaded guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug and was jailed for 22 months.
Wythenshawe man jailed for child sex offences
James Eisen, 53, from Wythenshawe, abused a teenage girl and took indecent images of her. He admitted four child sex offences at Bradford Crown Court. Eisen, of Hall Lane, Baguley, admitted two counts of taking an indecent photograph of a child and two counts of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15. He was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years and ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Predator jailed for abusing girl in Stockport
Peter Garns, 69, of no fixed abode, was found guilty by a jury of seven counts of indecent assault and one count of unlawful sexual intercourse. Police said the charges related to the same girl over a three-year period in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Detectives said Garns groomed her by giving her cigarettes and putting credit onto her mobile phone. At Bolton Crown Court, he was jailed for sixteen-and-a-half years.
Drug dealer said he felt 'relief' on arrest
James Arthur, 50, claimed he got involved in October 2025 after struggling with addiction and his mental health, saying he was offered a car and £250 per week by criminal bosses to flog cocaine. Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard he never received the money, and when he told those above him he wanted to stop, they made threats to his family. On April 29 this year, officers attended his address in Failsworth due to an unrelated matter. Arthur opened the front door, and officers saw wraps of white powder on the coffee table. A search found two mobile phones, bags containing white powder, lists of names and numbers, cannabis, cash, drug paraphernalia and a pallet knife with white powder residue. In total, 3.24kg cocaine was found, worth between £109,280 and £225,260. Arthur, of George Street, was jailed for 44 months after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine and possession of cannabis.
