An urgent appeal for information and witnesses has been made following the rape of a teenage boy in Manchester city centre last week.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is currently investigating the rape and serious assault of a teenager.
The male victim – who is aged under 18, and has therefore not been publicly named – arranged to meet a man via social media, and was attacked in the toilets of a venue on Dantzic Street inside Printworks at around 5pm last Friday (24 April 2026).
The victim has described the suspect as an Asian male aged between 18 and 20, of slim build, with a goatee beard, black hair parted in the centre and covering his forehead, and at the time of the incident, he was said to be wearing a black puffy coat, dark jeans, white-and-black trainers, and glasses.
Police arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of rape over the weekend, but he has since been bailed pending further enquiries.
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With the investigation proceeding at pace, police are now asking for the public for their help and, in particular, appealing for potential witnesses who was in the area at the time.
“We have committed a large number of officers from across the force to the investigation and are carrying out extensive forensic and CCTV enquiries,” explained Detective Chief Inspector Chris Woodburn, from GMP’s City of Manchester CID.
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“We are appealing for anyone who was in the Printworks area at the time of the incident to come forward. This would have been a busy time of day when there would have been a lot of people around.
“We also believe there may have been a second man in or around the toilets in a licensed premises off Dantzic Street at the time of the incident, and we want to speak to him as a witness as we believe he may have vital information that could assist with our investigation.”
Can you help? Anyone with information or who was in the area at the time is urged to call GMP’s dedicated team on 0161 856 4259, on 101, or via LiveChat online quoting log 2647 of 24/4/26.
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You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
City Centre
Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
Manchester’s biggest comedy festival returns this week and you can STILL get tickets
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s most popular comedy festival is back this week, and there’s still time to get tickets if you’re up for a laugh.
That’s right – Laughterama is back in Manchester from today (2 September), and will once again be taking over the iconic Castlefield Bowl in the heart of the city centre for five days of fun.
Thousands of comedy lovers attend Laughterama each year to enjoy countless sell-out stand-up sets, and this year will be no different, as festivalgoers are in for an ‘explosive series of shows‘ from some of the hottest names on the comedy circuit.
Jack Dee, Nick Mohammed, Sara Pascoe, Fern Brady, and Chris McCausland are just some of the famous names on this year’s jam-packed lineup.
They’ll be joined by other big names like Michelle De Swarte, Stewart Lee, Nina Conti, Ivo Graham, Ellis James, and Harriett Kemsley when they all take to the Castlefield Bowl stage over the five-day festival from Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 September.
Some of the other names you can expect are BAFTA nominee Rose Matafeo, stand-up marvel Sarah Keyworth, Plebs and Friday Night Dinner star Tom Rosenthal, and podcast hero John Robbins.
It wouldn’t be Laughterama without some newcomers and breakthrough stars, of course, and on the lineup this year are viral sensation Vittorio Angelone, fast-rising talents Kiran Saggu and Jen Nolan, and BBC New Comedy Award finalist Evaldas Karosas.
Laughterama returns to Manchester later this week, and you still / Credit: Matt Eachus | Supplied
And aside from the comedy, as always, you can expect the very-best eats from Manchester’s street food scene will also be on site to tuck into, as well as an exciting selection of bars serving signature beers, cocktails, and more.
Laughterama 2026 is landing at Castlefield Bowl this week from Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 September, with tickets now on sale at £29 per person.
Emily Sergeant -
1st May 2026 
