The Manchester Evening News has looked back on the cases before our region’s courts this week
Top: Paul Sharpe, Mohammed Faiyaz Iqbal and Rezart Balesi
Bottom: Refail Balesi, Joshua Balesi and Fatos Vrenezi(Image: GMP/M.E.N.)
A convicted murderer who went on to kidnap a girl at knifepoint before sexually assaulting her is amongst those starting a lengthy jail term this week.
56-year-old Paul Sharpe put the girl in a headlock and bundled her into his car on Bradgate Road, in Altrincham, before plying her with alcohol and sexually assaulting her. He has been jailed for life.
Also locked up this week was a drugs gang who operated out of a Bistro in Bury, and a man who engaged in an elaborate mobile fraud from the confines of his van.
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Prison terms are handed out to the worst offenders. And each day Manchester Evening News reporters are on hand to cover the most serious cases.
Here is a roundup of the cases heard before our region’s courts this week:
Mohammed Faiyaz Iqbal
Mohammed Faiyaz Iqbal(Image: City of London Police)
Mohammed Faiyaz Iqbal, 43, was arrested whilst sitting in his van in the car park of the Trafford Centre, after his sophisticated mobile fraud against thousands was uncovered.
In his van were multiple phones, and an SMS ‘blaster’ system hidden within purpose-built wooden compartments.
The equipment included power sources, Wi-Fi components and aerials installed into the roof of the vehicle. The devices were turned on and actively being used in conjunction with applications on mobile phones.
The messages sent by Iqbal impersonated legitimate organisations, including Royal Mail, and were designed to trick recipients into providing payment and personal details, a scam known as “smishing”.
Examination of Iqbal’s mobile phones revealed 7,859 compromised payment card details. Further searches at his home address uncovered additional compromised banking material and three counterfeit UK driving licences, which were being used to set up impersonation bank accounts to launder criminal proceeds.
He was arrested on May 24 2024 outside the shopping complex. The equipment in his van acted as a rogue mobile antenna, bypassing telecommunications network security and broadcasting SMS messages directly to nearby devices.
Iqbal was charged with one count of fraud by false representation; one count of possession of articles for use in fraud; one count of acquiring and possessing criminal property; one count of possession of false identity documents; and one count of unauthorised use of wireless telegraphy apparatus.
Iqbal, of Maple Crescent, Preston, was jailed for three years and eight months.
Read the full story here: Man targeting Trafford Centre visitors from his van is arrested in car park
Rezart Balesi, Refail Balesi, Joshua Balesi, Fatos Vrenezi, Imanuel Lumaj, Lorenzo Canovi, Fjoraldo Lukaj, Antonino Precaj
Rezart Balesi (left), Refail Balesi (middle) and Joshua Balesi (right)(Image: North West Regional Organised Crime Unit)
A restaurant boss who used his ‘Bistro’ as a hub for a cocaine dealing racket has been told to feel ‘eternal shame’.
Rezart Balesi, 44, his brother Refail Balesi, 39, and his son Joshua Balesi, 22, were involved in a ‘commercial and profitable’ drugs enterprise, which saw customers order cocaine through WhatsApp or social media. Members of the group reported to head of the family, and owner of the Village Bistro in Bury, Rezart Balesi.
Whilst he did not control the drugs line, he did occasionally deliver cocaine, Manchester Crown Court heard.
His brother, Refail Balesi, and his son, Joshua Balesi, acted as ‘trusted controllers’ of the drugs line.
Five others, namely Fatos Vrenezi, 53, Immanuel Lumaj, 30, Fjoraldo Lukaj 30, and Lorenzo Canovi, 48, were employed as street drug dealers, whilst Antonino Precaj, 33, was separately involved in the production and supply of cannabis.
Megi Zaimi, wife of Konstantinos Vaso, who was also a regular controller of the drugs line and remains at large, was involved in collecting cash and dealing with street dealers. Zaimi, 31, of Mandon Close, Radcliffe was handed a suspended jail term on August 7 for conspiracy to supply cocaine on one occasion.
The court heard the running of the drugs line spanned across an almost two-year period from May 2024 to March 2026. Through the use of cell site and surveillance, police established communications between the group as the phone line was passed to different members, with orders given for different deals.
The group would then message back to confirm the deals had taken place.
Some of the group had more involvement in the drugs racket than others, with some doing more deals on certain occasions, or controlling the drugs line for longer periods.
Sentences
- Rezart Balesi, 44, of Caldy Drive, Ramsbottom, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was jailed for seven years and six months.
- Refail Balesi, 39, of Links View Court, Whitefield pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was jailed for five years and three months.
- Joshua Balesi, 22, of Hazelwood Drive, Bury pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and production of cannabis was jailed for four years.
- Fatos Vrenezi, 53, of Sunny Bank Road, Bury pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs was jailed for four years.
- Imanuel Lumaj, 30, of Heathway, Dagenham pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs was jailed for three years and nine months
- Lorenzo Canovi, 48, of Lune Close, Whitefield pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs was jailed for 37 months,
- Fjoraldo Lukaj, 31, of Albert Avenue, Hull pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs was jailed for three years and six months.
- Antonino Precaj, 33, of Capstan Ride, Enfield pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce cannabis and was jailed for 27 months.
Read the full story here: Inside the despicable Bury bistro where they served far more than soup and sandwiches
Paul Sharpe
Paul Sharpe, 56, from Stockport(Image: GMP)
A convicted murderer who kidnapped a girl at knifepoint before sexually assaulting her has been jailed for life. Paul Sharpe held his 15-year-old victim hostage during a grim eight-hour ordeal, as he drove from one car park to another.
The 56-year-old put the girl in a headlock and bundled her into his car on Bradgate Road, in Altrincham, at around 7.30pm on May 18 – claiming that her father owed him money. He drove to a car park at Manchester Airport and tied up her ankles and wrists with a neck tie.
That night, he drove to different car parks in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, and plied the girl with alcohol while sexually assaulting her. At one point, former radio DJ Sharpe masturbated while touching the girl’s feet, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
He was finally caught by police in a hotel car park in Knutsford at around 3.40am on May 19. The girl had been reported as missing by her mother, while CCTV allowed officers to identify Sharpe’s car, according to the CPS.
Read the full story here: Stockport murderer who kidnapped girl off street and sexually attacked her in horror eight-hour ordeal jailed for life
Adil Ahsan, Mohammed Aloom, Adil Rehan, Rakib Miah and Juher Kamaly
From left: Adil Ahsan, Mohammed Aloom, Adil Rehan, Rakib Miah and Juher Kamaly(Image: GMP)
Five men behind a network that flooded Oldham’s streets with crack cocaine and heroin have been locked up. Officers ran a major investigation into the ‘Tony’ and ‘Ali’ county lines, which supplied drugs across Oldham from September 2024 to March 2026.
Greater Manchester Police says the group operated a sophisticated drugs network – regularly changing drug line numbers while maintaining the same customer base, operating patterns and supply routes to evade detection. Investigators analysed mobile phones, telecommunications data and digital download to bring the operation down.
They discovered how senior members of the group directed runners on the streets and coordinated the supply of Class A drugs across Oldham. Officers recovered dedicated drugs line handsets, significant quantities of Class A drugs, cash and messages detailing the day-to-day operation of the network.
- Rakib Miah, 24, of Davies Street, Oldham, was sentenced to eight years and three months in prison
- Adil Ahsan, 24, of Eden Street, Oldham, was sentenced to eight years and three months in prison
- Mohamed Shaffial Aloom, 24, of Mitchell Street, Oldham, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison
- Adil Rehan, 24, of Redgrave Street, Oldham, was sentenced to five years and six months in prison
- Juher Kamaly, 24, of Broadway, Chadderton, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison.
Read the full story here: ‘Tony’ and ‘Ali’ had a sophisticated drugs racket – then it came crashing down