Crime
Bury man jailed for life after being found guilty of murder at New Year’s Eve party
The victim died from a stab wound to the back.
A man has been handed a life sentence following the murder of another man at a New Year’s Eve celebration in Bury.
Antony Junior Murray, aged 25 of Tarn Drive in Bury, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week (7 August) where he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 years after being found guilty of murder.
It follows the death of 23-year-old Joe Burton on New Year’s Eve last year.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that emergency services were called to reports of a disturbance at an address on Tarn Drive at approximately 11:56pm on New Year’s Eve (31 December 2025), and upon arrival, officers discovered Joe ‘unresponsive’ at the bottom of a staircase with a significant amount of blood around him.
Despite the best efforts of paramedics, Joe was pronounced dead at 12:43am on New Year’s Day (1 January 2026).
A post-mortem examination later confirmed he had died from a single stab wound to the back.
At the scene, Murray initially denied any involvement and claimed he had returned home from a pub to find the victim unresponsive, however officers quickly identified inconsistencies in his account.
Initial enquiries – including phone and location data – showed that Murray had been at the address throughout the evening.
Joe had been in a relationship with Murray’s sister and had been invited to the address earlier that evening, and then further investigation revealed that Murray, Murray’s sister, the victim. and another individual had been at the property together, drinking and setting off fireworks to see in the New Year.
CCTV footage recovered from the scene captured the events leading up to the incident, including the fatal attack, and showed Murray assaulting Joe and placing him in a headlock, before proceeding to stab him in the back.
Following a detailed police investigation, Murray was charged with murder and was subsequently found guilty at court.
“Murray carried out a brutal attack on Joe and then attempted to mislead officers about his involvement,” explained Duncan Thorpe, who was the Senior Investigating Officer on the case.
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“Thanks to the thorough and diligent work of the investigation team, we were able to piece together the evidence and ensure he faced justice.
“While no sentence can ever make up for the loss of Joe, we hope today’s outcome brings some closure to those who knew and loved him.”
Featured Image – GMP
Crime
Police give crucial updates on human remains found close to M67 in Tameside earlier this week
Emily Sergeant
Crucial updates on the investigation into human remains found close to a Greater Manchester motorway have now been provided.
It comes after officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called out to the M67 in Tameside earlier this week shortly after 11pm on Monday (3 August) by road workers who made a discovery close to a bridge between junctions 3 and 4, while they were carrying our routine maintenance work on the motorway.
The motorway was then closed to the public for the majority of the following day (4 August) while a police investigation got underway.
Since then, a Home Office post-mortem has taken place to provide more details.
With police confirming that further enquiries are currently ‘ongoing’ and the investigation proceeding at pace, some information about the identity of the human remains has now been released.
It is now known that the body is that of a male aged between 20-28-years-old, approximately 5’5″ to 5’9″ tall and of medium build.
The ethnicity isn’t known at this stage, but it’s expected that this will be confirmed along with other details in due course.
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“We are continuing to work with specialist teams to understand the full circumstances behind how the man’s body ended up by the bridge, how he died, and to locate next-of-kin to establish an identity,” GMP said in a statement.
Featured Image – Peter McDermott / Geograph (via Wikimedia Commons)
Crime
Police order two Oldham brothels to close following reports of ‘suspicious activity’ by neighbours
Emily Sergeant
Two properties in Oldham have been ordered to close after being identified as brothels.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that closure orders were granted by Tameside Magistrates’ Court at the end of last month following enforcement action by the Oldham neighbourhood policing teams working in collaboration with GMP’s legal team.
Officers received information from residents, councillors, and partner agencies regarding ‘suspicious activity’ linked to the addresses.
Some of the concerns included men arriving throughout the day and night, staying for short periods of time before leaving again, all causing significant distress to those living nearby – subsequently leading to police investigation.
First up, on Monday 27 July, neighbourhood officers attended an address on Balfour Street in relation to a concern for welfare, but upon entering the property, they identified a brothel operating at the address, and then, on the evening after (Tuesday 28 July), officers executed a Section 8 PACE warrant at an address on Miriam Street.
48-hour closure notices were authorised for both premises at first, but now following an application to the court, three-month closure orders have been granted.
It is now a criminal offence to enter or remain in either property during the period of the closure orders.
“These two premises had a significant impact on people living nearby, with men attending the addresses throughout the day and night and loitering outside neighbouring homes while waiting to enter,” commented Amie Whitehead, Neighbourhood Inspector for Oldham South & West at GMP.
“Residents told us this behaviour was causing considerable distress within the community and affecting their quality of life.
“We’ve responded to reports, worked with partners and gathered evidence to take enforcement action, and have now secured closure orders to prevent further criminality and protect the local community.
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“I would like to thank residents who came forward with information, as community intelligence is vital in helping us identify and address this type of offending.”
Featured Image – GMP
Emily Sergeant -
10th August 2026 
