Issue. 37 - November 2017 www.facebook.com/LancsLocal | www.Lancashire-Local.com | www.twitter.com/@lancslocal
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Sex offender, 64, wanted
POLICE are appealing for information to trace a sex offender who is now wanted. Francis Doherty, 64, formerly of Rawtenstall, was jailed for three years in 2005 for sexual assault on a boy under 13. He is now wanted for breach of notification requirements and for recall to prison. Doherty is known to frequent Burnley, Accrington, Rossendale and Manchester. He was sighted in Manchester earlier this month and may still be in the city centre. Detective Sgt Steve Munro, of the East Sex Offender Management Unit, said: “Doherty is wanted for a breach of the notification requirements and for recall to prison. I would appeal to anyone who sees him or knows where he might be to get in touch with us.” Anyone with information should call police on 101 quoting log 0430 of October 27th.
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University dean and his partner
jailed for half a
million pound fraud
A former university dean and his lover have been jailed after being convicted of several counts of fraud. Robert Smedley, 52 and Christopher Joynson, 34, both of Frankby Road, West Kirkby, were each given five years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court today (Monday, October 30) after previously being found guilty earlier this month. Between autumn 2009 and summer 2014, the pair managed to scam Edge Hill University out of £513,000 after Smedley created a job for Joynson, without conducting the adequate background checks, claiming they were not relevant to the role. Had these checks been completed, they would have revealed Joynson had previously received two police cautions for lying on previous job applications. He had also embellished his application for the Edge Hill role of Partnership Development Officer, claiming he had work experience relevant to the position which was false. Smedley, who was the Dean of the Faculty of Education at the time, failed to declare to his employers that he was in a relationship with Joynson when he applied to work at Edge Hill. During their trial, the pair continued to protest that they were just friends. During Joynson’s employment he invoiced the university for several
hours of work that he had not completed, transferring around £200,000 into Smedley’s bank account. Finance workers at the university became suspicious when an accountant noticed a large consultancy payment being made to the same bank account as a member of staff's salary. DC David Wainwright from Lancashire’s Economic Crime Unit
said: “Smedley was a member of senior management and abused that position for personal gain. He deceived the university, in particular colleagues he had known for many years and employed Joynson, his lover, in a position that he had simply devised himself. “Joynson invoiced the university for hours and hours of work that he had not undertaken, sharing the
money with Smedley. They used the cash towards expensive home improvements including a luxury kitchen. “The financial impact on the university - the innocent victim in all this - cannot be underestimated; between the pair of them, they managed to defraud Edge Hill of over half a million pounds which could have been put to much better use.”
Man charged with murder
Detectives have charged a man with murder following a shooting in Oswaldtwistle. Police were called around 8.25pm on Wednesday (October 25) to a report a man had been shot in Barnard Close. The victim, Lee Holt, 32, from
Accrington, suffered a single shot wound to his chest. He was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital where he sadly died a short time later. After the incident a 14-year-old boy from Oswaldtwistle was arrested on suspicion of murder.
A day later a second man, aged 49 and also from Oswaldtwistle, was arrested on suspicion of murder. The 49-year-old man was released on Saturday (October 28) but following further enquiries re-arrested. Matthew Moseley, 49, of Barnard Close, Oswaldtwistle, was last night
(Monday, October 30) charged with murder. He has been remanded to appear at Blackburn Magistrates' Court this morning (Tuesday, Oct 31st). The 14-year-old boy was earlier bailed to November 22 by police.