Manchester student Luke O’Connor, who was stabbed to death in Fallowfield when his killer reacted “violently and unpredictably” to a joke, is to be honoured with a posthumous award by his university.
The 19-year-old, who was an undergraduate student in his second year of a Business Management degree at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) before he lost his life at the hands of fellow student, Shiloh Pottinger, is to be remembered and honoured by the university at their upcoming graduation ceremonies this summer.
20-year-old Pottinger, a student at the BIMM Institute, was found to have stabbed O’Connor eight times with a “mafia stiletto” knife in Fallowfield during the early hours of the morning on Wednesday 26 October 2022.
Manchester Crown Court heard this week how “gentle giant” O’Connor had been travelling home from a party when he came across and was stabbed multiple times by Pottinger.
Shiloh Pottinger has been sentenced to 15 years in jail for manslaughter / Credit: GMP
Pottinger was said to have reacted “violently and unpredictably” to a joking remark made about his skateboard, before attacking and leaving O’Connor lying in the street on Wilmslow Road – where he later died despite the best CPR efforts from emergency services that were flagged down by members of the public.
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Pottinger was sentenced to 15 years in jail for manslaughter this week (Monday 19 June), and will serve at least 10 years of that sentence before he can be considered for release.
Following Pottinger’s sentencing this week, Luke’s mother Carolyn appeared in a harrowing video message and spoke about the devastation the O’Connor family faces in the wake of the death of their youngest son, claiming Pottinger’s sentence “in no way compares to our life sentence”.
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Carolyn insisted that her son will not have died in vain – and it appears MMU wants to help with that.
Any students affected can contact our Counselling, Mental Health and Wellbeing Service via email at [email protected] or telephone on 0161 247 3493.
Paying tribute to their former student, an MMU spokesman described O’Connor as a “bright, talented and much-loved” member of the university community, the BBC reports.
“His death was a terrible shock to everyone,” they added.
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“Our professionally trained counselling team has continued to offer support to any students and staff who are affected”.
The University says it has told the O’Connor family that they will honour Luke and intend to “recognise his work and contribution to the university” with a posthumous award at one of the upcoming graduation ceremonies next month.
The O’Connors have been invited to the ceremony to receive the award on Luke’s behalf.
Featured Image – GMP
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Premier League Darts is returning to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2027
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Premier League Darts is confirmed to be returning to Manchester next year.
Now’s your chance to see the youngest world champion in darts history, AKA Warrington’s very-own Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, show us how it’s done, as next year’s BetMGM Premier League Darts lineup has just been announced this week – with various dates confirmed across 17 different cities in the UK and Europe.
And Manchester is one of those cities, as the AO Arena has shared that they are set to host an evening next April, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
This means that we will be lucky enough to witness the biggest names in world darts all under one roof, including headliners Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries, as well as Littler.
Manchester is the only northern city to get the pleasure of hosting the event next year, as Liverpool is also on the lineup, as is Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle, while elsewhere in the UK, the stars will travel to Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and several other major locations.
BetMGM Premier League Darts is to be held on Thursday 8 April at the AO Arena in Manchester, and to avoid being disappointed, fans are advised to register for presale ticket access.
Following a successful season of events in 2026, tickets are expected to be like gold-dust, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To access the first wave of tickets, fans must become an active PDCTV Annual Member before 23:59pm on Friday 9 October. Alternatively, general sale is on Thursday 22 October 2026, but make sure not to hang about.
Featured Image – Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has claimed he wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on fans getting to drink alcohol in football stands.
It’s a ban that’s been in place in the top five tiers of men’s football since 1985, when fears over violence and hooliganism were at their height, but now the Prime Minister has raised the question of whether drinking in football stands – or ‘drinking in sight / view of the pitch’, as it’s known formally – is actually unjust, due to the fact that same rules don’t apply to fans of other sports.
“I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way,” Andy Burnham has declared this week, grabbing headlines in the process.
He continued: “I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different, and I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination.
“I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently.”
The Prime Minister’s comments have been met with mixed response.
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands / Credit: James Kirkup | Julia Nastogadka (via Unsplash)
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), for example, has very much welcomed the idea, saying that it ‘totally agrees’ the legislation is ‘outdated’ and ‘deserves to be reviewed’.
Tom Greatrex, chair of the FSA, said in a statement: “The FSA has always argued that it’s unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match – especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league.”
However, on the flip side, the UK Football Policing Unit said it would be ‘incredibly rash’ to change the rules without proper consultation.
“Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour,” it said in a statement on the matter.
The Prime Minister did state in his initial proposition though that ‘there are different ways it could be done’, hinting that it could be done ‘on a trial basis’ perhaps.
The English Football League (EFL) added that it would be ‘receptive to discussions around reviewing current legislation and permitting alcoholic drinks within view of the pitch’.
No formal details on a review have been confirmed as of yet, so fans are encouraged to stay tuned for updates in due course.
Emily Sergeant -
21st June 2023 
