Reality TV star Kerry Katona’s ex-husband escaped jail yesterday after he admitted running a £50,000 cannabis farm from his attic to pay off his drug debts to Bolton Crown Court.

Marc Jepson, 40, paid with his life when he became locked in a bitter family fall out with Irene Hodgkiss, 63, after he split up with wife Sandra.

A former Wigan Councillor has been imprisoned for eight months for making fraudulent childcare claims.

A drug dealer, who was caught smuggling £6.5million of heroin in the back of a taxi on a journey to Manchester, has been jailed for 11 years.

A policewoman who leaked confidential details about the manhunt for Dale Cregan so she could give her sister some ‘gossip’ about the double cop killer wept as she was jailed for almost three years today.

Former Radio DJ Ray Teret has been handed a 25-year jail sentence for his involvement in a string of historic sex offences involving 11 women.

Convicted rapist Ched Evans should be allowed to return to professional football or it will undermine the UK legal system, claims a Manchester-based legal expert.

Andrew McGarry, 39, initially offered £10,000 to have someone harm his wife but increased it £50,000 when Philpott, 58, was found guilty of manslaughter after setting fire to his home, it was claimed.

The government is planning to scrap the use of police cautions where those who commit minor offences are given a formal warning across England and Wales. The new scheme will replace the use of simple cautions and will be tougher than the current system, giving victims more say.

A Rochdale lollipop lady was battered 29 times with a hammer and left for dead by her daughter’s ex-boyfriend after he accused her of ‘meddling’ with their relationship, a court heard today.

The head of a Bury-based £11million class A drugs operation that stretched throughout Europe has been jailed for 25 years.