Appearing before His Honour Judge Gilbart QC and represented by instructed Counsel Mr Richard Vardon. Ursula Nevin was released after receiving a Community Order of 75 hours unpaid work.

Miss Nevin declined to speak to the press but has provided the following statement.

” I am very sorry about the events of the last ten days. The last week has been a traumatic experience for myself, one that I just want to forget. I just want to go home now and see my children.

I want to extend my thanks to Adele Duffy of Mitchells Solicitors for all her hard work. Thank You.”

Peter Flanagan, 59, was arrested on suspicion of murdering John Bennell, 27, last month.

Mr Bennell died from a knife wound to the chest after four masked men broke into Mr Flanagan’s home in Ethel Avenue, Pendlebury, Salford. Mr Flanagan had been due to answer bail on Monday but the Crown Prosecution Service has decided Mr Flanagan acted in self-defence and did not break the law.

Experts believe the decision has strengthened the rights of homeowners to protect themselves against intruders.”

Steve Robson, Manchester Evening News, July 23, 2011

Figures show that with 20,000 less victims of crime when compared to last year, more arrests, more people being put before the courts and hundreds of years of jail time for offenders, Greater Manchester Police is waging war against criminals.
…
GMP officers also seized more than £2.5m in cash from criminals in the last 12 months alone, and through Proceeds of Crime Act Legislation (POCA) offenders were ordered to pay back more than £3.1m, showing criminals will go to prison penniless.”

Roy McEvoy, Manchester Evening News, 14 Jul 2011

HEADLINE FIGURES Between April 2010 to March 2011:

• Incidents of crime fell from 247,574 to 227,709 when compared with April 2009 to March 2010.
• 1,752 fewer victims of domestic burglary.
• 1,142 fewer victims of robbery (4,879 crimes compared to 6,021 between April 2009 and March 2010).
• 7,480 fewer victims of vehicle crime (24,317 crimes compared to 31,797 between April 2009 and March 2010).
• 10,378 fewer victims of serious acquisitive crime (47,623 crimes compared to 57,997 between April 2009 and March 2010).
• 677 fewer victims of hate crime (3,711 crimes compared to 4,388 between April 2009 and March 2010).
• 483 fewer victims of serious violent crime (2,273 crimes compared to 2,756 between April 2009 and March 2010).
• The number of arrests have increased from 95,696 to 97,097.
• Sanction detection rates have increased from 61,169 to 62,528.
• The number of people charged or summonsed to appear before court has increased from 39,735 to 41,381.
• 78 restraints order where suspected criminals have had their assets frozen.
• 343 Confiscation Orders where criminals have been ordered by a court to pay back a total of £3.174m (of which GMP receives 18 percent, representing £571,320 directly recouped by the Force)
• 272 incidents where GMP officers have seized £1,000 or more in cash suspected to be involved in criminality. In total, £2.576m was seized.
• 168 Forfeiture Orders granted, totalling £1.7m. Of this, GMP gets 50 percent, which means £850,000 directly recouped by the Force.

That raised legal eyebrows. “I didn’t know the supreme court had the power to stay a ruling ahead of an appeal” one criminal lawyer told me. I immediately asked the court’s spokesman whether it did.

There was no reply until Tuesday, when the spokesman – not the court – admitted that it was “questionable whether it would be open to the court to grant this relief”

It turned out that one or more unnamed judges, sitting in private, had dismissed the police application for a stay. Whether this was because the court had no power to suspend the judgment pending an appeal scheduled for 25 July or whether it was because the court did not want to pre-empt the government’s fast-track legislation was far from clear.”

Joshua Rozenberg, The Guardian, 6 July 2011

“Ministers hope urgent legislation will pass through the House of Commons on Thursday and the House of Lords next Tuesday to restore the ability for officers to bail suspects while continuing their investigations.