8 posts published by Neil Wilby during September 2025| Neil Wilby Media
A senior Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer who was involved in coordinating the tactical police response to the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 will face a misconduct meeting as a result of an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation. It follows a voluntary complaint referral from GMP on 2nd September 2021. The complaints were […]| Neil Wilby Media
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has referred a man’s assault conviction to the Crown Court because new evidence significantly undermines the credibility of the complainant in the case. …| Neil Wilby Media
When a police force undertakes a major investigation under intense public, press and TV scrutiny, financial transparency isn’t a bureaucratic footnote—it’s a core duty. An obligation that isn’t just common sense—it’s embedded in policing’s own operational guidance. Cheshire Constabulary’s recent claim that it holds “no information” on the costs of Operation Duet—the investigation into potential […]| Neil Wilby Media
Paul Ponting, 55, a controversial, self-styled corruption advocate and untrained ‘legal expert’ from Ormskirk, West Lancashire, and his wife, Anna Ponting, 53 (both pictured above), have eventually, if reluctantly, paid the £1,700 costs ordered against them by the High Court in July 2025. The payment, made by bank transfer on Thursday 4th September, came two […]| Neil Wilby Media
A promotional photograph of Lancashire Constabulary’s chief constable, Sacha Hatchett, shows her standing against a corporate backdrop emblazoned with four words: Professional. Accountable. Respectful. United. On the force’s own website, the message is echoed in a sweeping pledge: “Here at Lancashire Constabulary we are committed to a nationally recognised set of behaviours and values. All […]| Neil Wilby Media
A senior judge who presided over one of the most serious murder trials in recent years in the North West has publicly criticised Shadow Justice Secretary, Robert Jenrick, over a social media post that, arguably, could have prejudiced the jury’s findings and verdict. Mr Justice Goose, one of the most experienced criminal trial judges still […]| Neil Wilby Media
Paul Ponting, 55, a self-styled corruption advocate and legal expert, based in Ormskirk, West Lancashire, and his wife, Anna Ponting, 53, are facing a second appearance at the Royal Courts of Justice after defying a High Court Order handed down in July 2025. At the conclusion of a hearing at the famous old courts in […]| Neil Wilby Media
A man’s murder conviction has been referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) under the ‘exceptional circumstances’ rule. The referral relates to the issue of causation, a point of law which was previously considered by the court, but about which there is now further legal argument. Benjamin Field […]| Neil Wilby Media
A vigil is planned in Leeds to mourn the lives of all journalists and media workers killed during the war in Gaza. The Leeds and West Yorkshire Branch of the National Union of Journalists is organising a vigil for journalists and media workers killed since the war in Gaza began. It will take place at […]| Neil Wilby Media
An email written by a Lancashire Constabulary police inspector and later exhibited in the High Court has raised serious conduct questions. An offered right of reply via the force press office, was met with silence. A requested statement from the Head of Professional Standards also went unacknowledged. Silence is not a viable option That silence […]| Neil Wilby Media
British Transport Police say that Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as ‘Tommy Robinson’, will not be charged following a violent incident as St Pancras railway station on 28th July 20…| Neil Wilby Media
This is an edited version of a contemporaneous court report produced by John Brace, who reports regularly on public authority and policing matters in his locality. Mainly, the Wirral and Liverpool …| Neil Wilby Media
At a Directions hearing in Liverpool County Court on 6th August 2025, counsel for the Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary, Mark Chester, outlined his case for committing Paul Ponting, 55, to…| Neil Wilby Media
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), which represents chief constables, and their deputies and assistants from police forces across the UK, has been formally requested to review its decision…| Neil Wilby Media
Earlier today (17th July 2025) officers from Greater Manchester Police arrested three men on suspicion of rape of a child under the age of 16. The offences are alleged to have occurred in Oldham be…| Neil Wilby Media