Here at Confidential we get a constant stream of reports, releases and updates from Greater Manchester Police. This is a small selection of the reports received so far this week, not all of them.
Some do make for depressing reading but it's worth remembering that Greater Manchester has a population of 2.6m and that recent figures show crime rates have fallen across both the region and the country.
Friday 29 August: 16-year-old arrested for stabbing boy in Crumpsall
A boy has been arrested after a teenager was stabbed in north Manchester.
At 7.45pm on Tuesday 26 August 2014, police were called following reports a 16-year-old boy had been stabbed in around Herristone Road in Crumpsall. They found the boy with injuries to his abdomen and arm.
He was taken to hospital for treatment and remains in a stable condition in hospital.
A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of section 18 assault and he remains in police custody for questioning.
Anyone with information should phone police on 0161 856 3925 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Wednesday 27 August: Employee skims £100k from Stockport packaging company
Irene White, 71, has been jailed for nine months for defrauding the Stockport company she worked for out of over £100k.
White had worked at Macpac Limited in Stockport since 1989 and had been promoted to the position of Finance Manager.
Her duties included pension contributions, producing monthly financial & nominal accounts and purchase ledger administration.
In October 2013, a supplier noticed they had not been paid £4,000 but when records were checked, it showed they had. White was told and she said she had made a mistake. When questioned further, White said she had borrowed the money to help a friend.
She was asked to tell her manager but refused. When the issue was raised, she was suspended pending the outcome of an investigation.
Following further inquiries, it was established a total of £62,470.58 had been transferred in 49 separate transactions to White's personal bank account between October 2009 and her suspension, in December 2013.
It was discovered White disguised these payments through the abuse of the credit note facility and BACS payments.
White stole over £100k from Macpac
The company would receive a credit note from a supplier for goods not received or that were faulty. These notes should have been posted onto their computerised accounts system which would have then automatically deducted them from outstanding invoices as well as managing how much and when to make payments.
Instead, White would hide or destroy those credit notes and ask the Directors, who were unaware of the credit notes, to authorise full payment of the given invoice.
She would then manipulate the computerised weekly list of bulk payments to pay the supplier the invoice minus the credit note and then pay the difference to herself via a BACS payment.
Following this discovery, police were called.
White admitted writing cheques in the company name to herself as well as creating fraudulent invoices.
In total, she had taken £109,138.31
Police Constable Katherine Hingston said: "White had worked at the company for over 20 years and was in a position of trust. As she looked after the financial side of the company, she saw this as an ideal way to hoodwink her colleagues.
"Over time, her bosses had offered her pay rises but she refused these, claiming she would have to pay tax. However, she was found out and now has to pay with a jail sentence."
Tuesday 26 August: Eccles man jailed for life after stabbing girlfriend to death
Liam King, 26, has been sentenced to life in prison after stabbing his girlfriend, Rebecca Ayres, 24, eleven times at a home they shared on Holt Street, Eccles, following a row on Wednesday 5 March.
She was found dead the following day.
Liam KingOn the day she was killed Miss Ayres had been at the Dutton Arms pub with her father to watch football when Liam King entered and shouted abuse at her before leaving again.
Ayres explained to her father that she and King had split up hours earlier, but did not understand why King was acting so aggressively towards her.
After the game, Ayres and her father walked to an address on Holt Street, where Rebecca met a friend. Her friend told her that should King become aggressive when she returned home, Rebecca was to come back to her house for refuge.
Tragically, that was the last time Rebecca was seen alive by anyone other than King.
King admitted during interview that later that night he became involved in a domestic argument with Rebecca at the house they shared. He then stabbed her several times in the chest and arms as she tried to defend herself.
He admitted that he left Rebecca struggling for breath on the floor and when he returned shortly afterwards she had died.
He then spent the night at the address and only fled when he heard Ayres’ father knocking on the door the next morning.
King was arrested later that day.
Senior Investigating Officer Duncan Thorpe said: “Liam King’s actions have left a three-year-old little boy without a mother, parents without a daughter and a family and group of friends without a young woman that lived life with a smile on her face and brought joy to those she knew.
“The Police investigation revealed that Liam King was very controlling and abusive towards Rebecca.
“This is another terrible reminder of how important it is that the victims of domestic abuse, or their friends and family members if they suspect someone is a victim, should come forward and report it to the Police."
