Key Points
- Harry Wood, aged 54 years, of Laburnum Avenue in Leigh, denies three charges of indecent assault upon a boy under 14 years old.
- The offences are described as historical and are said to have occurred from March 1985 to March 1987.
- A trial has been listed for 3 February at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester.
- Mr. Wood previously appeared at the magistrates’ court in Wigan before being remanded for appearance at Bolton Crown Court on 4 November.
- The case relates to accusations made by one male complainant under the age of 14.
- Previous articles in the Wigan Today reported Mr. Wood facing 22 individual historical charges from four female complainants, spanning dates from December 1984 to April 1991, no plea having been entered in that case.
- This article concentrates upon the pleas of not guilty and the listed date for trial; it does not substantiate the allegations.
Wigan (Manchester Mirror) November 9, 2026 – A 54-year-old Leigh man is due to stand trial next year after denying three allegations of indecently assaulting a boy under 14 in the mid-1980s.
As reported by Wigan Today, Harry Wood, of Laburnum Avenue, entered not-guilty pleas to three counts of indecent assault relating to allegations that a boy under 14 was assaulted between March 1985 and March 1987. The charges are described as historical because they concern alleged events said to have taken place around four decades ago.
A trial date has now been set for 3 February at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester. The court listing follows Wood’s earlier appearance before Wigan justices, where the allegations were first put before the magistrates’ court.
What Are the Allegations?
The three charges allege that Wood indecently assaulted a boy aged under 14 during a period between March 1985 and March 1987. Wigan Today reported that the complainant is male and was under 14 at the time of the alleged offences.
The report does not identify the complainant, and no details of the alleged circumstances beyond the charge period and age of the alleged victim have been published in the available reporting. The case remains at the pre-trial stage, with Wood having denied the allegations.
When Will the Trial Take Place?
The trial is scheduled to begin on 3 February at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester. The venue is a Crown Court, which handles indictable and either-way criminal cases, including serious sexual-offence allegations.
The fixed date follows Wood’s not-guilty pleas. No verdict, conviction, sentence or finding of guilt has been reported in connection with these three charges.
What Happened in Earlier Proceedings?
Wigan Today reported on 14 October that Wood had appeared before Wigan magistrates charged with three counts of indecently assaulting a boy under 14 between March 1985 and March 1987. At that stage, he had not entered pleas.
The magistrates granted him conditional bail until his first appearance before a Bolton Crown Court judge on 4 November. The subsequent Wigan Today report states that he has since pleaded not guilty and that a trial date has been set.
Are There Other Allegations?
Earlier coverage by Wigan Today, published on 1 August 2025, reported that Harry Wood, of Laburnum Avenue, faced 22 allegations of sexual crimes against children involving four complainants, described in that report as women. Those allegations were said to date from December 1984 to April 1991.
According to that earlier report, the alleged offences included 13 counts of indecent assault of girls under 14, three counts of gross indecency with girls under 14, three counts of unlawful intercourse with girls under 13, and two counts of rape one involving a girl under 14 and another involving a girl under 16. At that time, no pleas had been entered and Wood was due to appear again before Manchester magistrates on 30 September.
The latest report focuses on the three charges involving a boy and does not provide an update on the outcome or current status of the separate allegations reported in August 2025. It is therefore not possible, from the available reporting, to state what has happened to those other allegations.
Background of the Development
The development follows a sequence of court appearances reported by Wigan Today. In October, Wood appeared before Wigan justices on the three charges concerning an alleged male complainant, with conditional bail granted ahead of a Bolton Crown Court appearance.
He has since denied the allegations, leading to the listing of a trial at Minshull Street Crown Court. The case is one of several historical sexual-offence matters reported in connection with Wood, although the current article concerns only the three charges for which not-guilty pleas have been entered and a trial date fixed.
Historical sexual-offence cases can proceed many years after the alleged events, provided the allegations are within the applicable legal framework and evidential requirements are met. The reporting available here does not include legal submissions, prosecution evidence, defence submissions or any judicial rulings.
Prediction: What It Means for the Local Community
For residents of Leigh and the wider Wigan borough, the fixed trial date means the case is expected to move from the magistrates’ court stage into a full Crown Court trial early next year. Local readers may see further reporting if there are substantive hearings, rulings or a trial outcome, but the available information currently concerns the pleas and listing rather than evidence or findings.
For survivors of historical abuse and their families, the case may highlight that allegations from decades ago can still be examined through the criminal justice system. At the same time, the not-guilty pleas mean the allegations remain unproven, and the trial will determine whether the prosecution can establish the charges to the criminal standard.
For the defendant and anyone connected with the case, the scheduled trial creates a defined next stage in proceedings. Until the court reaches a verdict, the allegations should be treated as unproven, and reporting should distinguish clearly between an allegation, a plea and a conviction.
