Detectives investigating a stabbing in Manchester city centre last week that left two men with serious injuries have released an image of a group of people they’re keen to track down.
It comes after a large police response was spotted by passers-by close to the Northern Quarter at around 6:30pm last Wednesday (16 August), and after Greater Manchester Police (GMP) subsequently confirmed that officers were responding to reports of two men having ben stabbed on Dale Street.
The victims – confirmed to be a 20-year-old man and a 30-year-old man – were taken to hospital for treatment of “serious” and “potentially life-threatening injuries” shortly after.
One man remains in a critical condition in hospital for life-threatening injuries following the “serious incident” – which GMP says is being treated as isolated – while the other man, who also sustained serious injuries, has now been released from hospital.
With an investigation now currently underway and ongoing, detectives have released an image of a group of people the want to speak to.
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#UPDATE | Detectives release an image of a group of people they are looking to locate following the stabbing of two men earlier in the week.
— Manchester City Centre Police (GMP) (@GMPCityCentre) August 20, 2023
The image released by GMP shows a number of people reportedly walking on the canal path close to Dale Street, and detectives therefore believe may have witnessed the serious incident that took place nearby.
It comes after three men, all between the ages of 17 and 30, were initially arrested on suspicion of assault following the attack.
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Two have been released with no charge, GMP has confirmed, while the third – a 21-year-old man – has been released on bail pending further enquiries.
Dale Street in Manchester city centre, where the incident took place / Credit: Google Maps
“We are looking to identify the people in this photograph, particularly the group of three and the two people on the bench next to them,” explained Detective Chief Inspector David Moores, of GMP’s Serious Crime Division of the Major Incident Team, as the image was released.
“We believe that they must have seen something and we are keen to speak to them.”
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Anyone with any information is asked to report it by calling 101 quoting log number 3244 of 16/8/2023, or doing so via the LiveChat on GMP’s website here.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Emily Sergeant -
21st August 2023 
