Manchester Evening News

I was fined £150 for feeding a pigeon

A WOMAN says has been left afraid to go out in Manchester in case she ‘breaks a law she’s never heard of’ after being slapped with a £150 fine in Piccadilly Gardens. Sam Ekins, 23, and her partner were eating outside McDonald’s on Monday, when they...

Woman jailed for false rape claims

A 31-YEAR-OLD woman has been jailed for more than four years after falsely accusing a catalogue of men of rape. Stacy Sharples, from Farnworth, Bolton, was sentenced yesterday following a ‘persistent’ pattern of offending. Between 2013 and 2019, she...

Teen denies ‘gang rape’ of girl, 13

A TEENAGER has denied ‘gang raping’ a girl in bushes near a tram stop, telling a jury he engaged in sexual activity with her but that it was ‘100 per cent’ consensual. Three boys who cannot be named are alleged to have raped the girl when they were...

DRIVER DIES IN SMASH BLAZE HORROR

A WITNESS has described the dramatic moment two young men escaped a burning car just seconds after being embroiled in a car crash that took the life of another person. A huge cordon was in place following a horrific crash along Kingsway in Burnage...

SUSPECT IS ARRESTED IN MURDER INQUIRY

A WOMAN has been charged with attempted murder after an alleged incident at a Metrolink tram stop in Manchester. Keida Finlayson, 25, of Victoria Crescent, Manchester, is due to make a first court appearance in Manchester today. Greater Manchester...

Council faces email ‘cover-up’ claims

IT was January 27, 2025 and frantic discussions were taking place in the corridors of power at Salford town hall. An email complaint against deputy mayor Jack Youd had just landed, making allegations of misconduct. The sum of the complaint, which was...

DRUG DEALER AIMED LOADED GUN AT COP

A DRUG dealer who pointed a loaded gun at a police officer following a dramatic pursuit has been jailed. Jay Conway, 33, aimed a 9mm slide action pistol at Pc Dan Clayton after he had been felled by a Taser stun gun discharge. The terrified cop took...

‘Sons of Anarchy’ feud bikers off streets

A FEUD between rival bikers in Salford has led to three members being jailed for a combined 17 years for drugs and firearms offences – with the leader of one gang coordinating the production of 3D-printed guns. A five-year-long investigation by...

TRIAL OF RAPE ACCUSED TOLD WRONG MAN CONVICTED

A MAN has gone on trial over the ‘dreadful’ alleged attack and rape of a woman more than two decades ago, in a case which led to the wrongful conviction of a man who spent 17 years behind bars, prosecutors said. Andrew Malkinson suffered ‘a most...

THREE BOYS ACCUSED OF RAPING GIRL

THREE boys ‘took it in turns’ to rape a 13-year-old girl in bushes, a jury was told. The boys were aged 12, 13 and 14 at the time, a court heard. Part of the alleged attack was was filmed on a mobile phone, a trial has been told. Footage was later...

Final curtain falls on the Embassy Club

Greatest BRITs

“NO one does it like Manchester”. That’s what we’re told minutes before the cameras start rolling inside Co-op Live – the home of the BRITs 2026. For the first time in its history the most raucous music awards ceremony has decided to head up the M1...

Lawyers warned me over risky jokes at the BRITs, says host Jack

The Manchester Evening News is published by MEN Media, a subsidiary company of Reach PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. We adhere to the Editors’ Code Of Practice as enforced by IPSO, which is contactable for...

BRIT OF A DO!

MANCHESTER’S top hotels are block-booked, the city’s fanciest restaurants are ready to roll out the red carpet and a galaxy of superstars are on their way. The BRIT Awards are coming, and the city is now in full takeover ahead of the event taking...

‘One drink killed my daughter it could happen to anyone’

KIRSTY McKie had been living out in Bali for eight years. Due to her fiance’s work in the hospitality industry, she only ever purchased alcohol from reputable suppliers and knew about the risks of illegally produced drinks. But after a night with her...

Arrests as protesters clash with riot cops

THERE were ugly scenes as Britain First marched through Manchester city centre today. Several skirmishes and fights broke out as supporters of the far-right group clashed with anti-racism campaigners and passers-by. In one incident on Bloom Street in...

Husband and 12 others are charged after wife ‘drugged and raped’

A MAN has appeared in court – alongside 12 others – accused of drugging and raping his wife over a number of years. The man in his 60s, from Stockport, appeared before Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday to deny 48 charges – including...

United fans on what they want

‘LEAVE FANS ALONE, END COST-CUTTING, AND FOCUS ON WINNING ON THE PITCH’

COUNCIL CONMAN IN £900K FRAUD

A COUNCIL worker – described as a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ – fraudulently took £900,000 from the town hall and the accounts of vulnerable benefit claimants. Richard Shaw, 47, spent cash on his ‘luxury lifestyle’ – including two BMWs, a holiday home...

Dozens of homes in ‘green gateway’ plan

The Manchester Evening News is published by MEN Media, a subsidiary company of Reach PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. We adhere to the Editors’ Code Of Practice as enforced by IPSO, which is contactable for...

‘I BELIEVED MY LIFE WAS IN DANGER’

A TEENAGER accused of murder has told a court he bought a ‘Call of Duty’ style hunting knife to protect himself from ‘being hunted.’ Abbas Hussain, 19, is accused of murdering Mohammed Isa Afzal during an incident in August last year. Also charged...

‘FERAL’ YOBS ON RAMPAGE IN TOWN

SHOCKING BEHAVIOUR OF YOUTHS WHO THINK THEY’RE ‘UNTOUCHABLE’

£900 a month to sleep next to your cooker

‘THEY WERE READY TO MURDER HUNDREDS’

TWO convicted terrorists have been handed life sentences – with minimum terms totalling 63 years – for plotting the Islamic State-inspired mass murder of Jewish people in Manchester. Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein arranged for guns and ammunition to...

I’M SORRY

SIR Jim Ratcliffe has said he is ‘sorry if his choice of language offended anyone’ following his claim that the UK has been ‘colonised by immigrants.’ The United co-owner made the comments in an interview with Sky News. The billionaire, who is founder...

PATIENT STABBED NURSE IN HOSPITAL ‘BLOODBATH’

A NURSE was millimetres away from death after a patient tried to kill her during a ‘revenge’ attack in hospital. Acheema Cherian, 57, was stabbed in the neck, head and wrist by Romon Haque at the Royal Oldham Hospital. Haque – who was withdrawing from...

FREE SNACK FROM Holland & Barrett

FREE

Emergency crews get crash course in airport rescue drill

The Manchester Evening News is published by MEN Media, a subsidiary company of Reach PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. We adhere to the Editors’ Code Of Practice as enforced by IPSO, which is contactable for...

Tragic James ‘failed by hospital’

THE chances of a popular young construction worker surviving a rare heart condition were reduced by failings in his care, a coroner has said. James Poots was just 24 when he began complaining of chest pains in 2023. Later that year he was diagnosed...

UP IN SMOKE

IN the space of a few years, vaping businesses have taken over a small Strangeways street and its Salford neighbour. But like a fruity-smelling cloud billowing from an e-cigarette user, it’s a phenomenon that might not last for too long. The...

‘CARING YOUNG MAN’ MURDER PROBE

A WOMAN was heard crying ‘please... please’ as the man at the centre of a murder investigation in Wythenshawe lay fatally injured. Tributes have been paid to Drew McCormick, who was in his 20s, after he was stabbed to death. A 19-year-old man arrested...

VICTORY!

ANDY Burnham has committed to giving 8,000 homeless children in temporary accommodation free school travel in a win for Manchester Evening News readers. After six months of campaigning, the mayor has announced his office will pay for free bus travel...

Get your skates on!

JASON Manford and Ben Nickless will be reuniting for their fifth Manchester Opera House panto season – this year in Dick Whittington. The duo return with Jason in the title role and Ben as Idle Jack, following a run of hugely successful seasons that...

‘Legend’ Alfonso created the Manchester swagger

The Manchester Evening News is published by MEN Media, a subsidiary company of Reach PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. We adhere to the Editors’ Code Of Practice as enforced by IPSO, which is contactable for...

Ex-council leader set to deny code breach, hearing told

THE former leader of Tameside council is set to deny allegations that she breached the town hall’s code of conduct, a standards hearing was told. Coun Brenda Warrington was the only councillor to show up at the hearing, which looks to put those...

Polanski: It would be wrong for me to stand in by-election

“The M.E.N. has run a campaign around temporary accommodation to get fully free travel because the experience of being in temporary accommodation will often uproot them being put somewhere else and they have to travel back,” he told an overview and...

Mum’s the word for cheeky video clips

TAKE That have revealed there are some moments in their new Netflix documentary that they may not want their mums to see. The show sees Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald – and former bandmates Jason Orange and Robbie Williams – in brand new...

TRAGIC MUM’S BENEFITS CUT IN ‘ERROR’

A MUM with a history of mental health problems took her own life after she was informed by letter her benefits were being cut. Tamara Jade Logan hanged herself after she received a letter from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) which revealed...

Stroll tells

ANDY Burnham has spoken out for the first time after his bid to become an MP again was blocked by Labour Party bosses. Mr Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, said he was disappointed by the decision but said Labour’s candidate for the Gorton and...

CORRECTIONS AND COMPLAINTS

If we have published anything that is factually inaccurate, please contact the editor at [email protected] or at Mitchell Henry House, Hollinwood Avenue, Oldham OL9 8EF and, once verified, we will correct it as soon as possible.

COLD FRONT

WINTRY weather is set to make a return next week, with snow forecast and cold health alerts issued. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a yellow alert for the North West, with healthcare services expected to be impacted and a ‘risk to...

‘YOU FAILED EVERYBODY’

A MAN was stabbed 76 times in a park by a woman with schizophrenia who had escaped from a mental health unit in Greater Manchester two days earlier. His heartbroken family have now blasted a system they say ‘failed on every level’. Roger Leadbeater,...

SCAN THE QR CODE FOR THE FULL LIST OF BRIT NOMINEES Angry residents tell town hall bosses: ‘We want our buses back’

A FORMER bus route could be reinstated following calls from residents. Since the old 84 route was withdrawn in 2017, Seymour Grove in Trafford has been covered sporadically by various bus services. Now residents have told Trafford council they want...

Star got emotional at Corrie funeral

A NEW world premiere dance work inspired by the life and music of Sinead O’Connor and a ‘monumental’ new exhibition by Ai Weiwei are among the highlights of the newlyannounced programme of works at Manchester’s Aviva Studios. A world premiere new...

Plan to save lives in Gigi’s memory

GREATER Manchester is set to trial a raft of changes in nursery and early years settings following the death of a nine-month-old baby girl. Genevieve ‘Gigi’ Meehan was killed at Tiny Toes Children’s Day Nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, in May 2022...

WHAT A WASTE OF £27M

WHEN it went live amid some fanfare in July 2019, GMP’s new £27m computer system iOPS was supposed to - belatedly - drag the force kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Instead, it brought the force to its knees. The failing organisation was...

DANGER DRIVERS SHARING SPEEDING VIDEOS ONLINE

FOUR families torn apart in the blink of an eye. Hundreds of mourners devastated by the loss of their loved ones. And the heartbroken older brother, begging for forgiveness, promising he ‘tried his best’ to stop it from happening. Last weekend’s...

Denise stars in Norton novel drama

Denise Welch WATERLOO Road and Coronation Street actress Denise Welch is among the starstudded cast to appear in an adaptation of a best-selling novel by Graham Norton. The six-part series, Forever Home, for Channel 5 will be based on the thriller...

'DAD DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE'

FOUR DEAD IN SMASH TRAGEDY

THREE teenagers and a taxi driver were killed in a ‘devastating’ crash in the early hours of yesterday morning. Three teens aged 18 and 19 and a taxi driver in his 50s died following the tragic incident in Bolton at about 12.45am in the early hours of...

Homeless men turned away from hotel on -6C night

TWO homeless men were turned away from a night in the warmth at a Holiday Inn in Manchester city centre as temperatures plummeted to -6°C, despite a booking already being paid for. Amanda Thompson, from outreach group Two Brews, had used Booking. com...

MAN ACCUSED OF GRINDR DATE KILLING

A MAN was allegedly killed during ‘high-risk sexual activity’ after meeting man on Grindr, prosecutors allege. Michael Barron, 38, met Josh Baxter, 28, on Grindr, a dating app, in January last year. After exchanging details, Manchester’s Minshull...

AM OUT OF HERE

■ Club chiefs ‘didn’t see enough progression on pitch’ ■ Frustrated fans say time was right for Amorim to go ■ Tyrone Marshall on inside story of shock departure ■ Fletcher in interim charge but Palace manager ‘wanted’

TEENAGER DIES IN SMASH HORROR

A TEENAGER who died after being struck by a car has been pictured for the first time, as his mum pays a heartbreaking tribute to her ‘special’ son. Alfie Moran was crossing Kingsway in Burnage when a driver collided with him last Friday. The...

WAKING UP IN A DEADLY DEEP FREEZE

MAGAZINE PACKED WITH PUZZLES TO TEST YOUR IQ

‘COMPLETE VIOLATION’

AT first glance they could be any pair of spectacles. But people across Manchester have been left feeling ‘violated’ after being recorded by strangers wearing Meta glasses. The new devices, by Facebook owner Meta, are created with AI technology which...

TRIBUTES TO ‘LEGEND’ IN CRASH TRAGEDY

TRIBUTES are continuing to pour in for a man who died in a New Year’s Eve horror crash. Michael Page, 48, tragically lost his life in the collision on Cadishead Way in Irlam, Salford, at around 7.15am yesterday. Mr Page, who has been named by...

HOPE FOR ANSWERS OVER MILL TRAGEDY

THEY died where it’s believed they lived and sadly spent all of their time – inside a derelict old cotton mill synonymous with Greater Manchester’s industrial past. The site today is an ugly, unassuming plot of wasteland and rubble, overgrown with...

REST IN PEACE, SON

A FAMILY have told of their heartbreak after a homeless dad sleeping rough in Manchester city centre was found dead on Boxing Day morning. Anthony Horn was pronounced dead at the scene after his body was discovered on a walkway next to a canal near...

FANATICS ‘HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT’

A TOP counter-terrorism police officer has expressed concern about Islamic State fanatics being able to post hate on Facebook with apparent impunity. Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts spoke out after two IS supporters were convicted over a plot to...

Inside city’s traffic chaos

THE run up to Christmas has resulted in all-too familiar scenes of chaos on the roads in Manchester. Scenes of gridlocked streets, honking horns and long delays have become a common sight in the city centre over the festive period. Busy routes like...

Workers left devastated by charity’s shock closure

A CHARITY which tried to tackle poverty and support those in need has gone bust – with staff told on Christmas Eve they have lost their jobs. The Hidden Treasure Trust is a ‘Christian-led’ charity predominantly operating in the Partington area of...

FANATICS PLOTTED MASS MURDER OF JEWISH PEOPLE

TWO men have been found guilty of plotting the Islamic State-inspired mass murder of Jewish people in Manchester. Walid Saadaoui, 38, of Crankwood Road, Abram, Wigan and Amar Hussein, 52, of no fixed address, denied terror charges. But yesterday they...

Santa role? Sleighed it!

IT TAKES some very special people to make Christmas come alive, not least the grown ups stepping into the suit so the big man can get on with those preparations for the big day. Paul Brighouse has stepped into the Santa role at various venues over the...

BACK BEHIND BARS FOR CHRISTMAS

Drug gang jailed as boss on run

A DOZEN motorists were found to be four times the drink-drive limit when they were stopped on the streets of Greater Manchester over Christmas last year. As the party season of 2025 hits its heights, figures released by Greater Manchester Police show...

ARENA BOMB VICTIMS TO BE PAID MILLIONS IN DAMAGES

MILLIONS of pounds is set to be paid out to victims of the Manchester Arena bombing after claims for damages were settled. Damages of just under £20m were approved by a senior judge, in relation to 16 claims made by children and claimants who lacked...

Crackdown on antisemitism

GREATER Manchester Police has announced a crackdown on antisemitism, vowing to make arrests as part of an ‘enhanced approach’ to tacking hate. In a joint statement issued with Metropolitan Police, the force is promising to ‘act decisively and make...