Four men jailed for over 40 years following burglary at Collop Gate Farm in Heywood

Four men appeared at Manchester Crown Court yesterday afternoon (23 March 2022), where they were jailed after all pleading guilty to aggravated burglary and conspiracy to burgle.

The four were arrested after they targeted a storage unit at Collop Gate Farm in Heywood. Site owner, 49-year-old Peter Cordwell suffered a fatal heart attack after confronting the thieves.

Ahmad Mirza, 37, from Lincoln was sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison and Kurdistan Hamid, 40, also from Lincoln was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Saman Ali, 31 and Ali Karimi, 38, both from Blackpool were each sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Police began an investigation following the the death of businessman Mr Cordwell, who died after trying to protect a storage unit at the farm from being burgled. The storage units were rented out by Peter to a number of different businesses in the area.

 

 

The court heard how on the evening of 28 October 2020, police received a call from a security guard at the farm, who reported a group of around eight men attempting to break into one of the secure storage containers. This container was later discovered to contain around £800,000 worth of counterfeit cigarettes.

The gang removed the locked gates into the farm and drove in two vehicles. On being alerted to the break in, Peter drove to the scene in an attempt to thwart the offenders. Also in attendance was Peter's son who blocked the exit of the unit before he and the security guard were violently attacked. They sought to seek refuge in Peter's car, which was also attacked with the defendants smashing the windscreen with weapons.

Fearing for their lives, Peter drove away from the scene where he tragically suffered a heart attack and died nearby, whilst the defendants fled the scene.

Following a number of enquiries carried out by a team of detectives from GMPs Challenger and Major Incident Support Units, including telephone enquiries, ANPR checks, media appeals and identification parades, the defendants were arrested and later charged.

SIO Duncan Thorpe of the Serious Crime Division said: "This was a burglary gone wrong, which tragically concluded with an innocent man later losing his life and our thoughts are very much with Peter's loved ones today.

"The defendants formed part of a national organised crime group who would sell counterfeit cigarettes before then locating where they had been stored by the buyer and stealing them back into their possession.

"The violence they used towards the victims that evening was deplorable and shows their ruthless and dangerous mindset.

"We have been committed from day one in ensuring that these people faced justice and we will continue to crackdown on organised crime in Greater Manchester."

Peter's family did not wish to comment following the trial, but said they would like to thank both the police and the CPS for their efforts.

Mr Cordwell was well-known throughout the borough of Rochdale, known for his companies PGC Demolition and Creamy Crete, and the many properties he owned, including Collop Gate Farm.

Mr Cordwell had also been involved in a lot of community projects and charity efforts, including raising thousands for Springhill Hospice, giving premises at Ensor Mill to local charity Jolly Josh with 10 years’ worth of free rent, donating to the Save Samantha fund, supporting Rochdale In Bloom, and owning the site where local motorbike group MT Heads hosted rallies.