A man who senselessly attacked a Sikh leader in broad daylight in the Northern Quarter, leaving him for dead, has been jailed.
Claudio Campos, 28, of Ladybarn Lane, pleaded guilty to the assault of 62-year-old Avtar Singh and has been jailed for three years.
Avtar was taken to hospital after the assault on 23 June, where he remains to this day, receiving treatment for a life-changing brain injury.
His family described him as a ‘truly brilliant, gentle and kind human being’
Horrifying new CCTV has been released, and shows Campos calmly walking away from the victim’s lifeless body.
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Manchester Crown Court heard on 6 October that Avtar had been walking home from work along Tib Street when Campos violently punched him to the head.
He laid unconscious in the middle of the road until a passer-by called for an ambulance.
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A CCTV appeal from GMP led to the arrest of Campos, where he finally admitted the assault.
Claudio Campo has been jailed following the attack on a Sikh leader. Credit: GMP
Detective Inspector Mark Astbury, of GMPs City of Manchester CID, said: “This was a horrific attack of a much loved family member and community leader which deeply shocked the public.
“I hope today’s verdict gives Mr Singh’s family some relief that the person who has harmed their husband and father has now faced justice and will be sent to prison.
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“I would like to thank the public for their help with our investigation and our thoughts are very much with Mr Singh, we hope he is able to return home soon”.
Avtar’s family prepared the following, heartbreaking words: “When our dad came to this country over 30 years ago, he never imagined that he would be the subject of such a heinous attack which has left him bed bound and in hospital for as long as he has been.
“As a family, we are truly heartbroken and still struggle to come to terms with the reality of his future and the truth behind this crime.
“He didn’t do anything to deserve this situation where he has permanently damaged his sight and lost complete mobility down his right side.
“Although we will never get the strong powerful man, who is the light of our lives back, we are satisfied with the result given by the court today.
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“Avtar is a truly brilliant, gentle and kind human being who has spent his whole life looking after everyone around him. He is a tremendous father, a hardworking husband and the most amazing priest who has served communities for generation after generation.
Campo attacking Avtar in the Northern Quarter. Credit: GMP
“This attack hasn’t just left an ever bleeding wound on our hearts, it’s scarred an entire community who knew him to be the man he was and now isn’t.
“We are grateful for the support that people have continued to provide and the justice that Greater Manchester Police have sought for our family.
“Sadly, our fight does not end today as we continue to watch Avtar fight to gain back a quality of life that will see him through recovery. We know now that we will never feel as safe as we once thought we were walking through the city centre in Manchester, given this situation was as unprovoked as it was brutal.
“Our dad came to this country to work hard and teach others to preach kindness and move past any hatred in their hearts. It’s a true shame this person left an elderly man for dead in the middle of the street.
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“The law has fought part of our battle today but we will never be able to piece back the strength and the happiness that our dad was so amazingly built upon.”
Featured image: GMP
News
Greater Manchester officially launches five-year climate change action plan
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has officially begun its five-year climate change action plan, with the overarching goal of becoming a net-zero city region by 2038.
The comprehensive pledge put together over a number of years itself will see Manchester City Council and the nearby local authorities put into action a number of key measures that will help to reduce not only central carbon figures but, eventually, across the 10 boroughs in turn.
Over the last 15 years, emissions have been reduced by approximately 64%, saving an estimated 44,344 tonnes of carbon through cleaner building energy, street lighting and other electronics, as well as the increasingly green and over-growing Bee Network.
They have also insisted that it isn’t just about cutting down on greenhouse gases; the aim is to make the city region and the surrounding areas more sustainable, affordable and create a better standard of life.
Our five-year plan to tackle climate change launches today. 🌏
It details how we’ll continue to deliver dramatic reductions in the amount of carbon we emit (the biggest contributor to climate change). 🏙️
As per the summary on the Council website, in addition to creating more efficient homes, they’re hoping to provide more access to nature and good-quality green space, “public transport you can rely on”, and “better health and wellbeing for those who live, work, study and visit here.”
With a steadily recovering local and national economy (touch wood), they’re also hoping for an influx of new jobs, too.
Summarising the key bullet points leading up to the end of the decade, these are the next steps currently outlined by the Council:
Lower carbon emissions
Grow the use of renewable energy
Improve low-carbon travel in the city
Improve air quality
Grow the city’s natural environment and boost biodiversity
Improve resilience to flooding and extreme heat
Engage and involve our workforce and our city’s communities
Reduce waste and grow reuse, repair, sharing and recycling
Support a move to a more circular economy
Minimise the negative impact of events held in the city
Develop our knowledge of our indirect emissions and lower them
Create a green financing strategy and explore new funding models for the city
Influence the environmental practices of other organisations
As for emissions, the target is now to drop the present output by another 34%, which will prevent almost 43,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from being pumped into the atmosphere.
Having touched upon the continued expansion of the Bee Network infrastructure, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is also set to install multiple new travel links over the coming years, including both new tram stops and train stations – further
You can read the climate action plan in full HERE.
Manchester’s firework displays are ‘back with a bang’ as they return from 2026
Emily Sergeant
Council-organised firework displays in Manchester’s parks are set to return from next year, it has been confirmed.
You may remember that these once-popular events have not been held since 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic initially prevented them from taking place from 2020 onwards, and then following that, they remained paused on a trial basis while the Manchester City Council sought to ‘reprioritise funding’ to support a wider range of free community events across the city.
But now, as it seems, the door was never shut on their potential return.
An ‘improved financial position’ now means that the Council is in a position to bring firework events back, while also still continuing to support other community events.
Papers setting out the Council’s financial position show that fairer funding being introduced by the Government next year will leave the Council better off than previously anticipated, he the reason firework displays have been brought back into the mix.
The Council has admitted that ‘pressures remain’ after so many years of financial cuts, but this new funding creates the opportunity to invest in the things residents have said matter the most to them.
“Manchester prides itself on free community events and we know many people have missed Bonfire night firework spectaculars,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council.
“That’s why we are pleased to confirm they’ll be back by popular demand in 2026.
“We know that generations of Mancunians have enjoyed Council-organised displays and that free family events are a great way to bring people together… [and] now that this Government is actually investing in Councils like ours rather than the cuts we had since 2010, we can bring back Bonfire events.”
Daisy Jackson -
7th October 2022 
