Neal Keeling

Three Greater Manchester firefighters are under investigation for allowing children, including a boy recovering from cancer, to ride briefly on a fire engine during a community open day. A firefighter criticises the inquiry as excessive and part of a stricter disciplinary clampdown, noting the vehicle travelled only a short distance and posed minimal risk. The service declines to comment while the investigation is ongoing, prompting frustration among staff and talk of possible industrial action.

Serial rapist Andrew Davies, formerly known as Andrew Barlow and Andrew Longmire, died of natural causes at HMP Moorland on 28 February 2026, aged 69. He had received 13 life sentences for raping women across northern England and related offences, including attempted murder of police officers. Released in 2023 after 34 years in prison, he was recalled six weeks later for breaching licence conditions and posing an unmanageable risk; the Parole Board later assessed his risk of another serious sexual offence as very high. Victims and their families expressed mixed relief and continuing trauma, while the Prison Service said the death would be investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

Jordan Relph, 20, died after being struck by a vehicle on Glodwick Road in Oldham, Greater Manchester, at about 5:55am on 18 September 2025. Family and friends described him as kind, popular and full of energy, while his relatives launched a fundraising appeal to help cover funeral costs. Greater Manchester Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit is investigating, and a white Vauxhall was examined at the scene.

Twelve-year-old Lexi from Oldham suffered three leg fractures and required surgery after being hit by a car outside Waterhead Academy on July 11. Her stepfather, Anthony Adams, says she panicked after forgetting her school planner because she feared a full day in isolation, and argues that the school’s strict rule and allowing her to leave the premises contributed to the accident. Lexi’s parents are also questioning the school’s safeguarding and response. Headteacher James Wilson expressed sympathy and said the academy would conduct a full investigation, with the outcome expected in September.

An unidentified man remains at large after posing as an Asda manager at a Bureau de Change in Trafford Park, Manchester, on 29 July 2015. He entered the kiosk, served customers, accessed a safe using an apparently unchanged code and stole about £40,000. CCTV showed him wearing a disguise, including a possible wig, fake beard and glove. Greater Manchester Police offered a £2,000 reward, but no arrests were made and investigative leads dried up.

An employment tribunal awarded former Friars Primary School teacher Carmen Wood-Hope £370,563 after finding she was automatically unfairly dismissed for trade union activities and subjected to disability discrimination. The tribunal concluded that headteacher Michael Earnshaw acted with personal animosity and pursued a punitive performance process that contributed to her sickness absence and dismissal. It also found that damaging references obstructed her attempts to return to teaching. Wood-Hope says she has received about £240,000, while Salford City Council contests a £130,000 tax-related element; the award also covered injury to feelings, personal injury, aggravated damages and lost earnings. She says the dispute damaged her mental health and finances, including forcing her to sell her home.

Marcin Majerkiewicz was convicted of murdering 67-year-old Stuart Everett, bludgeoning him with a hammer and dismembering his body into 27 pieces. Body parts were found at six locations across Greater Manchester, although much of Everett’s body remains missing. Prosecutors said Majerkiewicz had searched for graphic horror films, including Wolf Creek 3, around the time of the murder. A Greater Manchester Police officer suggested that leaving some remains in a Salford park may have been part of a deliberate cat-and-mouse game with investigators. Majerkiewicz is due to be sentenced and faces a potential life sentence, while Everett’s family described the lasting trauma caused by the killing.

Mohammed Anwar Zeb, a 51-year-old man originally from Manchester, was shot in the back of the head at his home in Shingardar, Pakistan, on March 16, after his two guard dogs were allegedly poisoned. His sister Alaia says the killing was an execution-style murder, that there was no autopsy, and that the local investigation has made little progress. She is calling for a thorough investigation and justice, while the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office says it is supporting the family and remains in contact with Pakistani authorities.

Greater Manchester Police have discovered buried human remains near the A19 in Thirsk while searching for Rania Alayed, who was murdered by her husband Ahmed Al-Khatib in Salford in 2013. The remains have not yet been officially identified, but police strongly believe they are Rania’s. Her family has been informed, and her son Yazan said the discovery could finally allow them to give her a proper resting place. Al-Khatib was convicted in 2014 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years.

Edward Cope, a 74-year-old full-time carer, was handcuffed and placed in a police van after objecting when officers and paramedics tried to take his wife back to hospital. His wife had left Wythenshawe Hospital before formal discharge and was reported as missing, but later returned home. Greater Manchester Police said officers detained Cope to allow paramedics to assess her after attempts to engage him failed; he was later de-arrested with no further action. Cope has filed a formal complaint, alleging the response was excessive, while the hospital trust said staff followed standard procedures.

Parking chaos at Winnats Pass, Rushup Edge and other parts of Derbyshire’s Hope Valley has prompted local councillors to demand an emergency summit. Hundreds of vehicles have reportedly obstructed gritting lorries and emergency services, while police have repeatedly intervened and issued fines for dangerous or illegal parking. Councillors say unmanaged tourism, litter, waste and visitor pressure are disrupting residents’ lives and damaging fragile ecosystems. They are calling on local authorities, police, MPs and the Peak District National Park Authority to develop a coordinated plan for sustainable tourism, including improved public transport, parking and other infrastructure. They also argue that the park authority needs greater government funding to manage visitor numbers that have risen sharply since the Covid pandemic.

A couple’s Boxing Day walk near Stalybridge Country Park was disrupted when they spotted what appeared to be a human hand and body in the undergrowth. They initially feared they had found a corpse, but discovered it was a discarded sex doll alongside dumped cannabis and fly-tipped rubbish. The discovery dominated their conversation and left them unwilling to repeat the walk.

Rhys Buckley-Mellor says his XL Bully, Titan, was seized by Greater Manchester Police in May and returned four months later severely underweight, covered in sores and displaying withdrawn behaviour. Rhys and his sister say the dog needed veterinary treatment and may require part of its tail to be removed, and they have complained to GMP. The force said it takes animal welfare seriously, uses approved kennels with veterinary care, and will investigate the concerns. The case comes amid UK rules requiring registered XL Bullies to be neutered, muzzled and kept on leads in public.

Manchester United and England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo sent a message of support to 15-year-old Jake Last, a former Burnley youth goalkeeper who is preparing to have his right leg amputated at the hip after a bone cancer relapse. Jake underwent chemotherapy and extensive surgery, but the cancer returned in his hip. His father said the amputation offers a better chance of preventing further recurrence, while Jake hopes eventually to play for an amputee football team. A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help his family with treatment and rehabilitation costs.

Sixteen-year-old Kalen Waugh drowned at Ontario Basin in Salford Quays on 16 July 2022 after getting into difficulty in very cold open water while out with friends. Despite rescue attempts, his body was recovered the following morning, and an inquest in Bolton concluded that he had drowned. His mother, Vicky, described the shock and lasting grief of losing her only son, who had passed his GCSEs and secured a place to study construction at college. She hopes his death will warn other young people and parents about the dangers of swimming in open water.

Glyn Powell, the last of four people convicted over the 1992 torture and murder of 16-year-old Suzanne Capper in Greater Manchester, has been directed for release by the Parole Board. Capper was held captive, assaulted, injected with drugs and ultimately set on fire after being taken to woods near Stockport; she later died from her injuries. The other convicted killers and accomplices have already been released after serving reduced or completed sentences. The Parole Board said its decision was based on whether Powell's risk to the public could be managed in the community, while Capper's mother Elizabeth Dunbar and MP Graham Stringer have long opposed parole for those responsible.

Harry Hosker was sentenced to one year in prison and disqualified from driving for 54 months after pleading guilty to dangerous driving and related offences. Police pursued him in Culcheth after deploying a stinger that shredded all four tyres of his Volkswagen Golf, but he continued onto the M62, drove the wrong way at high speed, and later abandoned the vehicle before attempting to flee on foot. He was also convicted of using a false number plate, driving without insurance or a licence, and possessing cannabis.

Families in Beswick and nearby areas of east Manchester describe living with open heroin dealing, prostitution, discarded needles and drug paraphernalia, saying they fear for their children and have repeatedly reported the problems. Greater Manchester Police arrested 17 people in dawn raids following an eight-month undercover investigation into drug dealing between Manchester Piccadilly station and the Etihad Stadium, targeting 21 suspects in total. Police allege the dealers used large profits to fund designer clothing, jewellery and expensive hire cars, and recovered drugs, cash and weapons, including a serrated knife from a home where a one-year-old lived.

A van driver allegedly collided with Danny Eskdale's Mazda while both were traveling at about 70 mph on the M60 near Manchester, then reportedly reversed toward the Mazda on a slip road before fleeing. Eskdale, who was traveling with his partner Amanda, said the incident left him unable to work and cost £1,200 in repairs. Greater Manchester Police confirmed a minor collision and an attempted reverse maneuver, and said the green Volkswagen Caddy was uninsured, untaxed and had no registered keeper. The investigation remained ongoing with no arrests made.

Hannah Marks, who was delivered by her grandfather Kevin Bayley on a bathroom floor in 1996, gave birth to her son Henry on her mother Helen’s kitchen floor 25 years later. Both Hannah and Henry arrived 11 days early. Helen delivered the baby with guidance from ambulance staff over the phone, and Henry was born healthy, weighing 7lb 10oz. The unexpected birth occurred at a family gathering before an ambulance arrived.

Two people caught on Highways England CCTV dumping food waste, takeaway packaging and plastic bottles in an emergency area on the northbound M6 in Staffordshire were intercepted by motorway police. Officers escorted them roughly 20 miles back to the scene, making the pair complete a 40-mile round trip to collect their rubbish. Their details were passed to Environmental Health officers. Highways England released the footage during the Great British Spring Clean campaign to highlight the safety risks and costs of motorway littering.

Ninety-two-year-old Dena Murphy, who survived severe COVID-19 and feared she would die, hugged her daughter Bonnie and granddaughter Jayne for the first time in more than a year. After recovering, she returned to tending her allotment in Oldham, while mourning her brother Joseph, who died from COVID-19 in December. Murphy says the reunion was wonderful and remains eager to live fully, including pursuing a charity parachute jump and visiting Austria.

Former British Army gunner and paratrooper Darren Wright describes how undiagnosed PTSD after serving in Afghanistan contributed to alcohol and drug use, suicidal behaviour, family breakdown and involvement in a kidnapping gang. He received an 11-year sentence after a gang abducted the wrong man in a £2.5 million plot, but says prison provided the diagnosis and treatment that saved his life. Following his release in 2012, Wright established Veterans Into Logistics in Heywood to train ex-service personnel and disadvantaged people for truck-driving careers. The organisation has trained 20 people, received funding from the Veterans Foundation and Lottery sources, and aims to reduce veteran homelessness, reoffending and suicide by providing practical employment opportunities.

Jayden Hayes was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years after admitting two attempted murders in Oldham. He attacked two lone elderly women with a knife 19 days apart, seriously injuring one and cutting the other’s throat. CCTV and phone evidence linked him to the crimes, while searches showed an obsession with knife attacks and serial killers. The court heard that drug-induced psychosis and cannabis use contributed to his dangerous behavior, and that he attacked the first victim within 90 minutes of being released on bail after magistrates were allegedly given misleading information. Both victims described enduring flashbacks, nightmares and panic attacks.

Seventeen-year-old Charlie Millers died after being found unresponsive in his room at Prestwich Hospital's adolescent mental health unit. His mother, Samantha, questioned why he was left alone despite a history of severe self-harm, multiple suicide attempts and a recent self-harm incident. Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust offered condolences and said it was cooperating with the inquest, which will examine the circumstances of his death.