Police are appealing for information following an attempted murder in Ardwick that happened just before Christmas.
The “brazen attack” took place in broad daylight on Stockport Road, in the Manchester residential areal of Ardwick, at approximately 3pm on Thursday 21 December, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), and since then a specialist team of detectives have been working tirelessly to understand the full circumstances.
A firearm was discharged during the distressing incident, and a member of the public had their vehicle hit by the offenders too, police have confirmed.
But thankfully, no injuries have been reported.
In a bid to understand what happened in the events leading up to this incident, a police investigation has subsequently been launched, and investigating officers are now appealing to the Greater Manchester public for any information or footage, and are urging any potential witnesses to come forward.
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Police are appealing for information following an attempted murder in Ardwick just before Christmas / Credit: GMP
Police are particularly keen to hear from anyone who has information about a car that was used during the attack.
An image of the vehicle in question has now been released.
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According to police, the car was a blue Mercedes 4×4-style vehicle, which did not have a registration plate on the front, and was eventually found abandoned on Clee Avenue in Longsight at a later date.
GMP has also confirmed that three people have already been arrested in connection with the incident so far, and one has been charged.
#APPEAL | Police appeal for information following an attempted murder on Stockport Rd on 21/12/23.
Do you have information about a car that was used? Pictured below.
Detective Superintendent Dave Meeney, who is from GMP City of Manchester district, said the team’s investigation is “moving at pace”.
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He continued: “We’re appealing to the public who may have seen this vehicle, or the occupants, on the day of the attempted murder at around 3pm. After the incident took place on Stockport Road in Ardwick, we believe that the suspects drove to Longsight, before abandoning the vehicle on Clee Avenue.
“As is often the case, the answer to establishing the true chain of events that led to this incident and locating those responsible could lie in the community, so I ask that anyone who may have seen something suspicious in the area, or saw this vehicle, come forward and know that any information will be treated with the strictest confidence.”
Police would like to hear from anyone who was CCTV, doorbell, or dashcam footage from the Ardwick and Longsight areas, during 2:30pm to 3:30pm on Thursday 21 December.
Footage can be submitted via the dedicated Major Incident Public Portal here.
Aside from that, any details should be passed on by calling police on 0161 856 4305, or by using the LiveChat function on the GMP website, or alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
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Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.
Featured Image – GMP
News
More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”
Emily Sergeant -
29th December 2023 
