Leslie Thorley is back in jail
22:12, 27 Feb 2026
Leslie Thorley
A convicted killer who was once jailed for punching an MP in the face is back behind bars after he mugged a vulnerable man. Leslie Thorley dragged the victim into an alley next to a pub, pinned him up against a wall, took his bag and pushed him to the floor.
Following the robbery the man, in his 40s, is now said to be ‘terrified of going out on his own’. His mum told Manchester Crown Court: “He has told me that he relives what happened to him every time he wakes up.”
In 2021, Thorley was jailed after he punched High Peak MP Robert Largan in the face and threatened to murder him after the pair became involved in a tussle over the Tory politician’s £1,200 phone on a train from Glossop in Manchester. At the time Thorley was out of prison on licence for a manslaughter committed in 2013.
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The then 42-year-old was jailed for 44 months after admitting theft and battery at Minshull Street Crown Court. At the same time Thorley was also sentenced for an offence of GBH following a separate attack on a man on August 9, 2019. The court heard that during that incident, Thorley and a co-defendant attacked a couple outside their home in Glossop following a row over a bag of cannabis.
Thorley’s latest crime also took place in Glossop beside the Empire bar in High Street West at about 11.30pm on Friday, November 28 last year. Following the robbery police and an ambulance were called and and Thorley was arrested nearby. The 47-year-old, formerly of Wellington Road North, Heaton Chapel, Stockport, gave a no comment interview to officers.
Leslie Thorley, pictured after he was jailed in 2021
But yesterday (Thursday) at at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday he pleaded guilty to robbery and was jailed for five years.
Det Sgt Jesse Conquest said: “This was a terrifying attack that has had a long lasting effect on the victim. I would like to publicly thank the victim, his mum and our investigating officers for their efforts in bringing Thorley to justice.
“He knew exactly what he was doing here by targeting a vulnerable person and we are pleased that he has been taken off our streets for a considerable amount of time.”