Daniel O'Donoghue

May 23, 2024 | bbc.com | Scott Hesketh |Daniel O'Donoghue

'I thought: He’s going to stab me, I’m going to die'Scott Hesketh & Daniel O'Donoghue,BBC North West InvestigationsFamily photographEthan was nine when he was attacked by a pupil carrying a knifeA nine-year-old boy who made a school poster about the dangers of knife crime after being pinned down by a fellow pupil wielding a six-inch blade went on to lose one of his friends in a frenzied stabbing attack.

May 7, 2024 | yahoo.com | Daniel O'Donoghue

Chess tables costing £50,000 have been installed in parks across the North West as part of the government's levelling up investment programme. Twenty of the stone boards, which do not include chess pieces, have been placed around Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria. As a region, the north-west of England benefitted most from the £250,000 project. But community groups have questioned whether the money could have been spent more effectively.

Apr 8, 2024 | bbc.com | Daniel O'Donoghue |Scott Hesketh |William Higgens

A widow who was preyed upon by online scammers wants to help others after losing her life savings.

Mar 21, 2024 | bbc.co.uk | Scott Hesketh |Daniel O'Donoghue

Former inmates of a prison where several women have taken their own lives have condemned it as "no place for a vulnerable young woman". There have been at least 11 suicides at HMP Styal in Cheshire since 2007 - more than any other women's jail in England. The youngest, Annelise Sanderson, was 18 when she was found dead in her cell in December 2020. An investigation by BBC North West has learned of failings not only in her care but that of several other inmates.

Mar 11, 2024 | bbc.co.uk | Daniel O'Donoghue

Anti-social behaviour laws which give police powers to restrict freedom of movement are being used thousands of times a year, prompting claims of their overuse from human rights groups. Dispersal orders, which particularly impact young people, have been used about 2,000 times a year since they were introduced in their current form. Teenagers said the restrictions made them feel "not part of society". But police leaders said the orders were an "important" crime-fighting tool.