News
Man who attempted to murder a stranger in broad daylight in Davyhulme jailed for life
The 23-year-old will spend a minimum of two decades in prison.
Emily Sergeant -
25th January 2024 
A man who attempted to murder a stranger in broad daylight in Davyhulme has been sentenced to life behind bars.
Michael Canning has been sentenced to a minimum of 20 years imprisonment.
The 23-year-old was previously found guilty by jury on Friday 1 December 2023, and subsequently appeared at Manchester Crown Street Court yesterday (Tuesday 23 January 2024), where he was sentenced for attacking and attempting to murder someone he didn’t know during broad daylight one day last June.
The distressing incident was said to have taken place at around 5:09pm on 19 June 2023, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), and saw Canning attack the male victim with a knife.
The victim, who was a complete stranger to Canning, and was said to have simply been on his way home from work at the time of the incident, ended up sustaining more than 30 wounds during the attack.
Police say Canning fled the scene shortly after carrying out the attack, and left it to passers-by to call an ambulance for the victim – who was then taken to hospital for treatment.
An extensive police investigation followed the attack, which GMP says included “meticulous” reviews of doorbell and private CCTV footage provided by members of the public that eventually led to identifying Canning as a suspect.
Canning was arrested and charged for the attack within just days of the offence taking place.
Detective Superintendent Phill Xavier, of GMP’s Trafford District, described Canning’s actions as “ferocious”.
Following the sentencing this week, DS Xavier commented: “This was a ferocious attack on an innocent man who was simply walking home from work – a journey no longer than 15 minutes, and something he would do every day.
“After being arrested, Canning denied having anything to do with the attack.
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“At court, he claimed he did not tell the truth in his police interview, as he had not accepted what he had done, and he claimed he committed the attack because he wanted to be arrested for something. But he went out that day with a face covering, and used a convoluted route back to his home address to evade detection, so I’m pleased the jury paid attention to all the evidence and have rightly found this violent offender guilty.
“Our investigators worked hard to bring Canning to justice, and I hope today’s sentence goes some way to providing some solace to the victim and their family.”
Featured Image – GMP
