Wirral's independent local news website
This is the birkenhead.news weekly round-up of police activity in and around Wirral during the previous seven days.
A New Brighton man has been sentenced for sexual activity with a child.
Christopher Smith, 41, of New Brighton appeared on Friday 17 February at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to engaging in sexual activity with a child, making indecent photographs of a child, distributing indecent photographs of a child and taking indecent photographs of a child.
His offending came to light when police from Devon and Cornwall were investigating a man in that area and took electronic devices from him. It was found that this man had been in communication with Smith and had been sent sexual images of children by him.
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Detectives have arrested two people in connection with the fatal shooting of 53-year-old Jacqueline Rutter in Wirral last October.
A 21-year-old man from Liverpool and a 23-year-old woman from New Brighton have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in police custody.
Three other men previously arrested, aged 25, 44 and 52, remain on conditional bail.
During the Merseyside Police day of action in Wirral on Wednesday 8 February as part of Operation Vermont, 18 people were arrested for a variety of offences as police continue our efforts to reassure the public on community issues and proactively target criminals.
As well as the arrests, police also carried out 37 stop searches, open land searches, executed three warrants, searched three properties, seized quantities of Class A and B drugs and seized three vehicles.
The activity follows serious incidents of organised crime in areas including Wallasey, Beechwood and Woodchurch.
A 29-year-old man from Oxton was arrested on 9 February by officers engaged in Operation Vermont, after being seen involved in a drugs transaction.
The man was arrested for Possession with Intent to Supply Class A drugs, after a quantity of suspected cocaine, heroin and cash was found on his person.
Later during a search of an associated address by officers, a larger quantity of suspected cocaine and heroin was also seized. The male was taken into police custody and questioned by detectives.
A man has been jailed for four years in prison for historic sexual offences with a child.
Iain Lloyd, 33 years, of New Ferry, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday 10 February after pleading not guilty to the offences.
Lloyd was convicted in December following a trial, and has been sentenced to four years in jail after being found guilty of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 14 years. He will also be on the sex offender register for life.
Following a recent court case, a rogue builder who had fraudulently obtained over £4,000 from a customer for a bathroom suite that he failed to install, has been ordered to undertake 100 hours of community service without pay.
The prosecution against David Turner was brought by Wirral Trading Standards.
In February 2020, the customer engaged the services of a builder to fit a bathroom suite for £4,500. The customer paid the full amount upfront, but the accused failed to purchase the suite as requested and subsequently declined to issue a refund.
A Misuse of Drugs Act Warrant was executed by Operation Remove officers in the Clywd Street area of New Brighton.
Upon gaining entry to the property, Merseyside Police officers located a cannabis farm with in excess of 20 plants. The investigation is currently ongoing.
If you spot any signs that cannabis is being grown near where you live and work, you can inform Merseyside Police, so that they can continue to take action.
Operation Remove officers from Merseyside Police arrested four adult males for drug supply offences in Birkenhead.
After one male was stopped, searched and arrested for Possession of a Controlled Drug, officers attended a related address to carry out a search.
During the search, a further three males were detained by officers whilst attempting to make off from the rear of the property, in possession of a quantity of drugs.
Merseyside Police has arrested two men on suspicion of affray and vehicle crime following an incident in Moreton on Thursday 16 February.
At around 9.30pm, officers were called to reports that a man had been on Carr Lane when a stolen car pulled up and the occupants approached him, reportedly in possession of weapons.
Officers, assisted by the Merseyside Police Dog Unit and National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter searched the area and located two men in a rear garden on Millhouse Lane.
Merseyside Police’s Commissioner and Chief Constable will host a special public meeting next week at which the police’s budget will be set for the year ahead.
Balancing Merseyside Police’s budget is one of the Police Commissioner, Emily Spurrell’s most critical roles. She sets and approves the budget after presenting her proposals to the body which scrutinises her work, the Police and Crime Panel.
At a meeting earlier this month, Panel members endorsed Emily’s plan to help protect Merseyside Police in the year ahead in the face of spiralling inflation and rising costs.
Some images and information used with kind permission from Wirral Police/Merseyside Police.
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