Cole's brother charged in connection with post office raid
Cheryl Cole’s brother has been charged with robbery following a raid at a post office, police said today.
Unemployed Andrew Tweedy (aged 30) is appearing at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court in North Shields today alongside two other men and a woman.
The charges relate to a raid on a post office in Longbenton, North Tyneside, on Monday, during which two men held up the premises with a gun and a machete.
Tweedy, who now uses his father’s surname Leighton, is charged with robbery, as is Christopher Swindle (aged 23) and Christopher Finlinson (aged 22).
Tweedy’s girlfriend Emma Stanners (aged 29) – the mother of their baby son – faces a charge of money laundering, Northumbria Police said.
Five other men who were held in connection with the raid have been released on police bail.
The raiders struck at the Hailsham Avenue post office at around 4pm and escaped with the shop takings.
Tweedy has described himself in the past as “the black sheep” of his close-knit family.
His sister, a judge on 'The X Factor', said in an interview last year that she hoped fatherhood would help her elder brother change his ways.
“I haven’t actually spoken to him for a while, but he’s got a baby and I’m hoping that will be his turning point,” she said.
