Bolton Crown Court trial ends after Wigan men plead guilty 2026

Key Points

• Cocaine dealers Paul Leyland and Damien Birchall from Wigan have pleaded guilty to cocaine dealing charges prior to a scheduled Crown Court trial.
• The trial at Bolton Crown Court was canceled before it started following guilty pleas entered by both defendants to cocaine-related charges.
• Leyland, 36, from Holme Terrace, Swinley, pleaded guilty to one charge of cocaine supply.
• Birchall, 41, from Queen Street, Orrell, pleaded guilty to two charges of cocaine supply.
• The charges arose from offenses that were alleged to have occurred on November 25, 2021.
• Both defendants had already pleaded guilty to the charges of possession of crack cocaine and a knife in the previous magistrates’ court hearings.
• Diazepam supply charges, criminal property and uninsured driving charges will be put on file.
• Sentence is due on October 12.

Wigan Crime (Manchester Mirror) August 31, 2026 — uk/local/wigan/">Wigan cocaine dealers Paul Leyland and Damien Birchall are awaiting sentence after changing their pleas to guilty on cocaine-dealing allegations, resulting in the abandonment of their planned Crown Court trial.

The two men had been due to stand trial at Bolton Crown Court over allegations involving the possession of cocaine with intent to supply. However, the case did not proceed to a full trial after both defendants entered guilty pleas before the hearing could begin.

As reported by Wigan Today, Leyland, aged 36, of Holme Terrace in Swinley, and Birchall, aged 41, of Queen Street in Orrell, had initially pleaded not guilty to allegations connected with cocaine, diazepam and cash said to represent criminal proceeds.

The publication reported that the allegations dated back more than four years, with the relevant offence date listed as November 25, 2021. The case was scheduled for trial this month, but the proceedings changed direction when both defendants admitted cocaine-dealing offences.

Leyland admitted one count relating to cocaine supply. Birchall admitted two counts relating to cocaine supply, according to Wigan Today’s report.

The guilty pleas meant there was no need for a jury trial to examine the cocaine allegations. The case will now move directly to the sentencing stage, where a Crown Court judge will determine the penalties to be imposed on the two defendants.

Who are Paul Leyland and Damien Birchall?

Paul Leyland is 36 and is from Holme Terrace in Swinley, Wigan. Damien Birchall is 41 and is from Queen Street in Orrell, Wigan.

Both men appeared before Bolton Crown Court in connection with allegations of possessing controlled drugs with intent to supply. The allegations involved class A cocaine and class C diazepam, as well as cash alleged to have been criminal property.

Under the charges as outlined by Wigan Today, the prosecution case originally alleged that the defendants possessed cocaine and diazepam with intent to supply those substances. The men were also accused in relation to money said to be the proceeds of criminal conduct.

The case did not ultimately proceed on every allegation. The defendants’ guilty pleas concerned cocaine dealing, while several other matters will lie on file.

A charge being left to lie on file is not the same as an acquittal. It means the allegation is not being actively pursued to sentence at that stage, although it remains on the court record and can potentially be referred to in limited future circumstances.

No further detail about the quantity of cocaine involved, the evidence in the case, the circumstances of the police investigation, or the basis of the guilty pleas was included in the Wigan Today report.

What cocaine offences did the two Wigan men admit?

Leyland and Birchall admitted cocaine-dealing allegations after previously denying the charges, according to Wigan Today.

The report stated that both men had faced allegations of possessing class A cocaine with intent to supply. Possession with intent to supply is a more serious allegation than simple possession because it concerns an assertion that drugs were intended to be distributed or supplied to others.

Birchall admitted two cocaine-related counts. Leyland admitted a cocaine-dealing allegation. The available report does not set out the exact wording of each individual count, the quantities involved, or whether the two defendants were alleged to have acted together in every aspect of the case.

The guilty pleas were entered before the trial began. This removed the need for witnesses to give evidence and for a jury to reach verdicts on the cocaine allegations.

Wigan Today described the development as a trial being “axed” after the defendants “finally admitted” the cocaine-dealing allegations. The court will consider the admitted offending when sentence is passed.

The report does not state what sentence the prosecution will seek, whether the defendants are on bail or remand, or whether either man will advance mitigation at the sentencing hearing. Those matters may be addressed in court when the judge considers the facts of the offences and the personal circumstances of each defendant.

Which other charges will lie on file?

The allegations involving the intended supply of diazepam and the possession of criminal property are to lie on file, Wigan Today reported.

Diazepam is a class C controlled drug. The original case included allegations that Leyland and Birchall possessed both class A cocaine and class C diazepam with intent to supply. Following the guilty pleas over cocaine dealing, the diazepam-supply allegation will not be taken forward for sentencing on the information currently available.

The criminal-property allegation, which concerned cash said to represent the proceeds of crime, will also lie on file.

In addition, an allegation concerning Birchall driving an Audi A3 on the M6 at Warrington without insurance on August 7 last year is also to lie on file, according to Wigan Today.

The report does not specify the amount of cash involved in the criminal-property allegation, the amount or form of diazepam alleged to have been held, or the circumstances of the uninsured-driving matter.

The decision to leave these allegations on file follows the guilty pleas on the cocaine offences. The court can proceed to sentence on the admitted counts without conducting a trial into the other allegations.

What had Leyland and Birchall previously admitted?

Both defendants had previously admitted possessing crack cocaine and a knife at a magistrates’ court hearing, Wigan Today reported.

Crack cocaine is a form of cocaine and is a class A controlled drug. The publication did not state the dates of those earlier admissions, the location where the offences took place, or whether the possession matters will be dealt with alongside the cocaine-dealing offences at sentencing.

The knife possession admission is also significant because courts treat the possession of bladed articles as a separate criminal matter. However, the available report does not identify the type of knife, where it was found, or the specific circumstances surrounding that allegation.

No sentencing outcome has yet been reported in relation to the offences admitted by Leyland and Birchall. The final outcome will depend on the judge’s decision at the forthcoming hearing.

When will the Wigan defendants be sentenced?

Sentencing for Leyland and Birchall is scheduled to take place on October 12, according to Wigan Today.

At that hearing, the court is expected to consider the cocaine offences to which the men pleaded guilty, together with the other matters that are relevant to sentence. The judge may hear submissions from the prosecution and defence representatives before deciding the appropriate penalties.

The court will normally take account of factors including the nature and scale of the admitted offending, the defendants’ roles, relevant previous convictions if any are presented to the court, and any mitigation put forward on their behalf. None of those sentencing details were included in the report.

It is therefore not possible, based on the published information, to state what sentences Leyland and Birchall will receive. The sentencing hearing is the next formal stage in the case.

What is the background to the Wigan cocaine-dealing case?

The case concerns allegations dating from November 25, 2021, involving cocaine, diazepam and cash alleged to be criminal proceeds. Leyland and Birchall initially appeared before Bolton Crown Court and pleaded not guilty to the principal drug-dealing allegations.

A Crown Court trial was later arranged for this month. Before it began, however, both defendants changed their pleas on the cocaine allegations to guilty. Birchall admitted two cocaine-related counts and Leyland admitted one.

The change of plea brought the planned trial to an end. The outstanding allegations involving diazepam, criminal property and an uninsured-driving matter involving Birchall will lie on file, while the defendants await sentence on October 12. The pair had also previously admitted possessing crack cocaine and a knife at a magistrates’ court hearing.

How could the guilty pleas affect Wigan residents and the court process?

For Wigan residents, the guilty pleas mean the case can move to sentencing without the delay and expense of a contested Crown Court trial. A trial would ordinarily require the prosecution to present its evidence, witnesses to attend court where required, and a jury to decide whether the allegations had been proved.

For Leyland and Birchall, the immediate consequence is that their criminal liability for the admitted cocaine offences will be determined at sentencing rather than by a jury verdict. The judge will decide the outcome on October 12.

For the local criminal justice system, the development allows the court to focus on sentencing the admitted offences. It also means the allegations left on file will not be tested in a full trial on the information presently reported.

The case may remain of interest to Wigan communities because it involves local defendants, alleged class A drug supply, and a sentencing hearing that has yet to determine the final penalties. Any further reporting from the October 12 hearing may clarify the sentences imposed and the court’s reasons for reaching its decision.