The mother of Luke O’Connor, a 19-year-old undergraduate student who was stabbed to death in Fallowfield, has issued a powerful video statement through police as her son’s killer is jailed.
Shiloh Pottinger, 20, was sentenced to 15 years in jail for manslaughter on Monday 19 June.
He will serve at least 10 years of that sentence behind bars before he can be considered for release.
Manchester Crown Court heard how Luke had been travelling home from a party in the early hours of Wednesday 26 October 2022, when he came across and was stabbed multiple times by Pottinger.
Luke was left in the street, on Wilmslow Road, where he died despite CPR efforts from emergency services that were flagged down by members of the public.
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His mother Carolyn has now spoken about the devastation the O’Connor family faces in the wake of the death of their youngest son.
She said that Pottinger’s sentence ‘in no way compares to our life sentence’, and insisted that her son will not have died in vain.
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Carolyn pleaded for people not to carry knives and to speak out against those who do.
Watch Luke O’Connor’s mother pay tribute to her son:
She said in a video released through GMP: “Luke was my lively, bubbly, and beautiful little boy. He was the youngest of three boys in our family, and he was loved by so many people.
“He was a student at university and he loved the freedom of living in Manchester.
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“He’d gone to a party that night like any other student, and was simply walking home. But he never made it.
“Luke was 19 years old and he had his whole life ahead of him. He had big dreams for his future and wanted to travel the world.
“But now those dreams can no longer happen.
“The person who snatched Luke from us will serve his time in jail, but he will still be able to see his family again. His family will not have to suffer in the way that we have.
“I will never see my son again, and our family has been left with a hole in our hearts that will never be filled.
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“We cannot lose Luke for nothing, and if we can prevent this from happening to someone else, and encourage people not to carry knives and to actually think about the consequences, then his death will not be in vain.
Luke O’Connor was stabbed to death at the age of 19. Credit: GMPShiloh Pottinger has been jailed for the murder of Luke O’Connor. Credit: GMP
“Knife crime is not just gang-related violence. This is happening on our streets as some think it’s normal to carry a knife. It’s not normal. If you know someone is carrying a knife, do the right thing, and speak out or report it to the police.
“Too many young lives are being taken and it has to stop.
“If there had been no knife that night, my Luke would still be with us, and I would not be here today.”
Detective Sergeant Laura Murray of GMP’s Major Incident Team said: “Luke was just 19-years-old when he was stabbed and killed on his way home. His parents have gone through something that no parent should have to go through.
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“From the outset, the investigation team has worked tirelessly to secure the best possible outcome. I’m pleased the offender has been served a jail sentence however it will not bring Luke home to his family.
“Had Shiloh Pottinger not been carrying a knife that night, then Luke would not have died. This case shows very clearly the tragic consequences that come from carrying knives.
“Many other lives have also been ruined – those of family and friends.
“The police are working hard to tackle knife crime, but we need help. We need parents and teachers to challenge the idea that it’s acceptable to carry knives. And if you know or suspect a friend of yours is carrying a knife, you need to call out that behaviour.
“I’d now like to speak directly to anyone out there who carries a knife. Please I urge you to put it down before it’s too late. It will cost you your life.”
Featured image: GMP
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Salford man jailed after pointing loaded gun at police and members of public while on the run
Emily Sergeant
A man from Salford has been jailed for more than a decade after he pointed a loaded gun at police officers and members of the public while he was on the run.
Jay Conway, of Leicester Walk in Salford, appeared at Manchester Crown Court last week (6 March 2026) where he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm without a licence, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and assault of an emergency worker, as well as also pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs.
His sentencing comes after officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Salford Challenger team were patrolling Albert Park in plain clothes on Tuesday 20 May 2025.
They spotted a man riding an e-bike and wearing a balaclava, and attempted to detain him there and then, but despite their best efforts, he fled the area, brandishing what officers believed to be a pistol in the process.
The suspect – which was later identified as Conway – stole a bike and cycled on to Great Clowes Street, where a neighbourhood officer heading towards the incident attempted to detain him but he resisted. The officer deployed his Taser but he drew the pistol for a second time, pointing it at police and also at a member of the public.
Conway then dropped the firearm – which police later confirmed as a viable, loaded pistol – and a mobile phone, and fled for a second time.
Thanks to a ‘fast-paced and thorough’ investigation by specialist GMP teams, involving forensic analysis of the phone and CCTV which identified Conway as the suspect, he was arrested by armed officers the following day in Whalley Range.
“Nobody – a police officer or a member of the public – should be confronted by a gun,” said Detective Superintendent Simon Moyles, following Conway’s sentencing.
“These were frightening incidents and Conway is clearly a dangerous individual who is rightly serving a prison sentence. We need to commend and recognise our officers who showed immense bravery in trying to stop Conway.
“Guns have no place on our streets and the work we are doing in Salford, and across Greater Manchester, in relation to firearms incidents continues.
“If you know anyone who is using, or possesses, an illegal firearm, we urge you to get in touch with us as, for each firearm we recover, that’s potentially a life saved.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Nearly 300 new ‘social rent’ homes given go-ahead as part of £500m Wythenshawe regeneration
Emily Sergeant
Nearly 300 new homes are set to be built in Wythenshawe as part of a wider £500 million regeneration scheme.
In case you didn’t know, Placemaker Muse and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group submitted three separate planning applications for 422 new affordable homes back in December 2025, following a public consultation with locals.
Now, works on two of the three new communities can begin, with the third expected to get the green light in the coming weeks.
Brotherton House – which is a former office building – will be transformed into 216 new homes, including an extra care apartment building with 109 homes for people in later life and those living with dementia, while C2 The Birtles, also currently retail and office space, is situated next to the former market square and will be replaced with 81 one and two-bedroom apartments.
Alpha House, which is currently awaiting a planning decision, has now been demolished and will be rebuilt to provide 125 one and two-bedroom apartments – including 16 wheelchair accessible homes.
According to developers, all the homes will be ‘affordable, high-quality, and energy-efficient’, with additional outdoor and communal spaces to promote health and wellbeing.
The approval given to build these new homes forms part of the wider ‘ambitious’ plan to transform Wythenshawe over the next decade.
The wider masterplan for Wythenshawe will see up to 2,000 new homes created over the next 10 to 15 years, which will complement the wider investment currently underway in Civic – supported by £20 million of Government funding, and £11.9 million from Manchester City Council.
Nearly 300 new homes have been given the go-ahead as part of a £500m Wythenshawe regeneration scheme / Credit: Muse (Supplied)
New community facilities in the town include the Culture Hub – which is now underway – the Food Hall, currently awaiting a planning decision, new workspaces, and improvements to the outdoor spaces in Civic, all designed to create a ‘greener and more welcoming’ town centre.
“For us, this is about delivering the truly affordable homes local people have told us they need,” explained Andrea Lowman, who is the Executive Director of Development at Wythenshawe Community Housing Group.
“Every one of these homes will be for social rent, giving more families, older residents and people with additional needs the opportunity to live well in the heart of Wythenshawe.
“As the local social housing provider, we are focused not just on building new homes but on creating sustainable communities and making sure this investment strengthens the town centre for existing and future residents alike.”
Daisy Jackson -
19th June 2023 
