Justice Served: Full Rundown of Criminals Behind Bars in Greater Manchester This Week

Several serious offenders have been locked up in Greater Manchester this week, facing justice for a range of heinous crimes, from drug dealing and firearms offenses to making death threats and violent theft. These cases highlight the persistent efforts of law enforcement and the courts to address criminal activity across the region.

Among those jailed is **Lewis Hanson**, a 20-year-old drug dealer who started selling cannabis and cocaine at just 14. Hanson was shot in the elbow by a police firearms officer during his arrest in Whitefield, Bury, as he attempted to sell a modified Retay 17 blank firing pistol, a weapon similar in design to a Glock 17. A judge described his operation as 'frankly terrifying' for someone of his age. Hanson, of Parr Lane, Bury, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including being concerned in the supply of a class B drug, conspiracy to sell a prohibited weapon, possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate, possession of a class A drug with intent to supply, and possession of a class B drug with intent to supply. He received a total sentence of 82 months, just under seven years, in a young offender institution.

**Gabriel Levy**, a 21-year-old, was sentenced to 28 months in prison for making death threats to two mosques in Manchester. His actions came just days after a terror attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Synagogue in Crumpsall, where two men were killed on October 2, 2025. On October 4, 2025, Levy made an anonymous call to the Al-Sunnah Mosque in Cheetham Hill, stating, "I'm going to come to your mosque and kill you." Later that same day, he called the Iqra Mosque in Longsight and told a staff member, "I am going to kill you Muslim." Levy, who is Jewish, admitted to being angry after watching news coverage of the synagogue attack. He pleaded guilty to making threats to kill and was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court.

**Kade Cox**, a 20-year-old prolific and violent thief, received a 10-year jail sentence following a brutal machete gang attack on a biker. Cox and two masked accomplices were captured on CCTV forcing a biker to crash into a wall on Melrose Avenue, Sale, on April 17 of last year. As the victim fell, the group launched a violent assault, repeatedly hitting him with a machete before stealing his electric bike and fleeing. The biker sustained severe injuries, including a laceration to his thumb and facial cuts. Cox, identified through extensive CCTV analysis, was also implicated in three other thefts or attempted thefts of motorbikes and electric bikes between April and July 2025. He pleaded guilty to robbery, burglary with intent to steal, and two additional counts of burglary.

**Amin Akhoondi**, a 22-year-old banned driver with a "shocking" criminal record, was jailed for 16 months for an "appalling example" of dangerous driving. Akhoondi led police on a high-speed chase, reaching speeds of 128mph on the M56 motorway and 98mph on urban roads with 30mph limits in Wythenshawe. His attempt to evade capture ended with him smashing the Volkswagen Golf he was driving into a steel barrier at Manchester Airport's Terminal Two. Akhoondi suffered a significant spinal injury in the crash and spent ten days in hospital. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, and driving without insurance.

Finally, **Patrick Hartley**, a 40-year-old 'cowboy builder' from Bacup, Rossendale, was jailed for three years and nine months for fraudulent activity that left £1 million worth of damage to homes across Greater Manchester and Lancashire. Hartley consistently 'overpromised and underdelivered,' taking customers' money and leaving work unfinished, particularly concerning roofing. Over a 30-month period starting in 2020, he defrauded 13 families, forcing them to incur further debt to rectify his shoddy work. His actions caused significant strain on the affected families.