Sunday 17 November: Americandy pays for Wonka stonker
Kirkcrown Ltd, trading as Americandy, has been found guilty of possessing counterfeit goods and ordered to pay nearly £7000 for selling fake Wonka bars containing misleading 'golden tickets'.
Manchester Council's trading standards service took the company to court after receiving a complaint from a lady who had bought a £3 Wonka bar for her grandson from an Americandy store on the Corn Exchange.
The packaging claimed there were only five of the tickets in existence, but on closer inspection found that the fake ticket contained no contact information or any means of collecting the prize.
The fake Wonka bars have been cropping up all over the country in recent months. Authorities say that the fake bars probably contain cheap supermarket chocolate repackaged by travelling salesman for profit.
Nestle, who own the trademark for Wonka, confirmed that they did not produce any of the bars. Trading standards officers seized 600 of the bars from stores on the Corn Exchange and Piccadilly and are currently chuffed at now not having to do any Christmas shopping.
You wonka
Saturday 16 November: Same bookie robbed twice in ten minutes
Police are appealing for witnesses after the same bookmakers in Crumpsall was robbed twice in quick succession, by two different groups.
At around 6.50pm on Wednesday 6 November, three men, one with a sledgehammer, tried to rob a Nisa mini-market on Newcliffe Road in Blackley. They escaped empty handed in a silver Vauxhall Vectra.
Twenty minutes later the three men then went into a Coral bookmakers on Landsdowne Road, Crumpsall, threatened staff and left with a small amount of cash in the same Vectra.
Around ten minutes later at 7.20pm, two men entered the same bookmakers carrying a crowbar and threatened staff once again, leaving with a small amount of change. Can’t have been much left.
Detective Sergeant Steven Harris said: "At this stage we believe the three men with the sledgehammer who attempted to rob the mini-market are the same three men who then attempted to rob Corals on the first occasion.
"We don't think the two men who subsequently went into Coral bookmakers are connected in any way."
Anyone with information should call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
