Bolton
‘Confusion’ over Bolton COVID rules with leaders unaware of bans on travel and gatherings
Advice on travel in and out of Bolton appears to have been changed without an official announcement.
Ministers are being called upon to provide clarity on Bolton’s COVID rules after it emerged that local leaders and residents were unaware of restrictions on travel and gatherings.
Published government guidance urges people to avoid all but ‘essential’ travel in areas where the Indian variant is spreading fastest – including Bolton, Bedford, Blackburn and Darwen, Burnley, Kirklees, Leicester, Hounslow, and North Tyneside.
People in these COVID hotspots are also being told to work from home where possible and avoid indoor gatherings.
Yet public officials, leaders and residents seem to have been largely unaware of the guidance – which was quietly updated online as recently as May 21 without an official announcement.
Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi confirmed to The Bolton News that she was “not told” about the new guidance and only found out on Monday (May 24) when the story broke in the MEN.
“I have only just found out about this new guidance, and it just shows the incompetence of the Government in dealing with this,” The MP stated.
“If this guidance was so important, why did no one know about it?
“I am very angry and upset on behalf of my constituents who may have booked to go away to see family, paid for rail tickets, made arrangements. Had they known about this guidance I am sure the majority would not have made plans. It leaves them in a very difficult situation because these new guidelines are advisory.”
A government spokesperson has since told the MEN: “We provided additional guidance for those living in affected areas when we became aware of the risk posed by the variant, to encourage people to take an extra cautious approach when meeting others or travelling.”
Bolton is one of the worst-affected areas in the UK for COVID cases and continue to trend upwards.
In the latest week May 14 – May 20, the region recorded 451 cases per 100,000 people. The average area in England had 12.
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon also announced last week that Bolton, Blackburn and Bedford residents would be banned from entering the country from Monday 24 May due to high rates of infection.
She said the restrictions were “hopefully temporary”.
Featured image: Philip Platt / Geograph
Bolton
Man jailed for ‘savagely’ attacking woman with a meat cleaver
Daisy Jackson
A man who attacked a woman with a meat cleaver, causing life-changing injuries, has been jailed.
Mark Nuttall has been sentenced to 21 years behind bars for the attack, which took place in his house in Farnworth, Bolton back in February.
The shocking and ‘savage’ attack saw Nuttall attempt to strangle his victim with a rope, as well as setting upon her with a knife and a meat cleaver.
She was kept inside his address for four hours, and was ‘mocked’ by Nuttall when she was bleeding heavily from her head.
He then attempted to cover his tracks and fed paramedics a false story, but the victim bravely told police officers the truth.
Mark Nuttall, 46, pleaded guilty to attempted murder in June, and was sentenced to 21 years in prison yesterday at Bolton Crown Court.
Detective Constable Jon Liversage, of Bolton CID, said: “The savagery of this assault cannot be understated – the bravery that the victim has shown throughout the investigation is inspiring and I want to thank her for assisting me throughout the investigation.
“I hope this sentence can now give her and her family some closure.
“He kept her inside the address for four hours and when he couldn’t get his own way, he attacked her with a meat cleaver, hitting her in the head four times causing life-changing injuries.
“Whilst she was bleeding heavily from her head, instead of getting her medical attention, he mocked her.
“He called the ambulance service and told them the false story but once she was in the ambulance, she told the police officers the truth and Nuttall was arrested before he could harm her any further.”
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Featured image: GMP
Bolton
Bolton man jailed for life after killing ‘vulnerable’ woman and hiding her body in his shed
Emily Sergeant
A man has been jailed for life after murdering a vulnerable woman and then proceeding to hide her body in a shed at his house in Bolton.
Christopher Barlow killed Mariann Borocz back in December 2024 after randomly meeting her at a shop and inviting her to his house, before killing her and then going on to dump her body in a locked shed in his garden.
55-year-old Mariann, who was originally from Hungary, was reported missing on Sunday 15 December having been last seen alive in the early hours of the previous day.
During the police search and investigation, CCTV showed Barlow following Mariann into a shop near his house and then back out again, and after Barlow was arrested on suspicion of assault on 23 December, officers found the keys to his shed – which is when they, sadly, discovered Mariann’s body.
Barlow was charged with murder, but the 63-year-old first denied this charge, and also denied any contact with Mariann.
The case was then handed over to Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team, led by Detective Chief Inspector Tony Platten.
A three-week trial then began at Manchester Crown Court, and when forensic evidence linked Barlow to Mariann’s body, he then when on to admit during the trial that he had invited her into his house, and found her not breathing in his kitchen about 40 minutes later.
Despite maintaining he did dot murder her, the jury returned its guilty verdict after less than a day of deliberation.
Last week, Barlow was sentenced to life in prison and must serve a minimum term of 20 years behind bars.
Detective Sergeant Fiona Manning described this as a ‘harrowing’ investigation and subsequent trial for Mariann’s family.
“Barlow befriended Mariann and she believed she could trust him,” DS Manning said, “That could not have been further from reality.”
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DS Manning then assured that GMP remains ‘steadfast’ in its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of women in Greater Manchester‘s communities, and will continue to work ‘tirelessly’ to uphold justice.
She concluded: “Women should be able to go out freely and without fear that something may happen to them.”
Featured Image – GMP
The Manc -
25th May 2021 
