Crime

Teenager arrested after Bolton mum robbed at knifepoint while holding newborn baby

The 17-year-old remains in custody.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 2nd November 2022

A teenage boy has been arrested on suspicion of robbery after threatening a young mother and baby at knifepoint.

Officers were called to reports that a vehicle had been stolen from Mytham Road in Little Lever at around 5pm yesterday.

The victim was a 24-year-old woman who was holding her 10-week-old newborn baby at the time, the Manchester Evening News reports.

Police were first called to the report of a knife-point robbery, but were later called out to a road traffic collision in relation to the stolen vehicle.

Mytham Road in Little Lever. Credit: Google Maps

The second scene, at around 7.30pm on Great Western Street, led to the arrest of a 17-year-old boy, who remains in custody.

The investigation is ongoing.

GMP detectives are now looking for more information to help with their enquiries, such as dashcam footage and eye witnesses.

Any sightings of the vehicle – a dark grey Seat Cupra with the registration XL02 DEC – across the two-hour period between the robbery and the teen’s arrest should be reported to police.

Detective Sergeant Carla Deighton from the Bolton district said, “We’re treating this incident very seriously and after a quick response from our officers we were able to track down and detain a suspect in relation to what happened.

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“I also want to reassure our local community that we have increased high-visibility patrols in the area as a result.

“We understand this incident will cause some serious concern, but we are continuing to work hard to ensure we can bring justice to the victim who was going about their daily business.

“We are now appealing to the public to help with any vital information they have that will help in our investigation and in particular anyone who may have caught the vehicle on their dashcam between 5-7:30pm.”

Anyone with any details that will help detectives in their investigation are asked to call the Neighbourhood Priority Crime Team on 0161 856 5684 quoting log 2272 of 01/11/22.

Featured image: GMP

Crime

Bolton man jailed for life after killing ‘vulnerable’ woman and hiding her body in his shed

Emily Sergeant 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.”

Read more:

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

Crime

Police appeal for witnesses after body of woman recovered from reservoir in Oldham

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

An urgent appeal for witnesses has been issued after the body of a woman was recovered from a reservoir in Oldham.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that emergency services responded to an incident at Strinesdale Reservoir, in Oldham, after receiving reports of a woman getting into difficulty in the water this past weekend. 

The incident was said to have taken place at around 4:50pm on Sunday 17 August 2025.

Sadly, despite the prompt call to emergency services, the woman lost her life and her body was subsequently recovered from the water.

Police say there are believed to be ‘no suspicious circumstances’ surrounding the woman’s death, and are instead focusing their investigations on trying to understand what happened by calling on witnesses for information. 

“We are appealing for witnesses who may have seen her as she entered the water,” GMP said in its witness appeal.

Officers are also keep to learn more about the moments prior to her entering the water, and are urging anyone with information to come forward and help with enquiries. 

Read more:

Can you help?

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting log 2357 17/08/25, or by use the LiveChat service on the GMP website at www.gmp.police.uk.  

Independent charity Crimestoppers can also be contacted, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons / Geograph

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