A man from Oldham has been sentenced to life behind bars after being found guilty of murdering his friend.
Lee Francis Burns, of Worsley Street in Oldham, was yesterday (22 May) sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years for murdering 45-year-old Vincent McDonagh late last year, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed.
His sentencing comes after police were called to reports of a man being unconscious in the street on Abbey Hills Road in Oldham at around 11:55pm on Thursday 9 November 2023.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Vincent McDonagh – who was known as Vinny – with a “serious head injury”, but despite the best efforts of all emergency services involved, he he tragically passed away a short time later.
The court heard yesterday how the two “supposed friends” first headed out to a local pub.
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After Vinny gave Burns £20 to buys some drinks, both men decided to play some pool, and then, after half an hour of being at the pub, the pair engaged in “verbal altercation” – but this “quickly ended with a handshake”.
Abbey Hills Road in Oldham, where the tragic incident occurred last year / Credit: Google Maps
As the night went on, the pals continued drinking and subsequently left the pub “in good spirits” at around 10:50pm, but CCTV footage appeared to show the men engaging in another verbal altercation as they were walking home, which then went on to become “physical”.
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According to GMP, Burns punched Vinny in the arm, which caused him to slip and end up on the floor, and although Vinny tried to fend off Burns using his leg as a shield, the latter remained intent on “escalating the violence”, and after managing to get around his friend, Burns then followed-up with punches to knock Vinny unconscious, and finished off with further punches and stamps to the head before leaving the area and heading home.
When Burns arrived home, he apparently said to a neighbour “I think I’ve killed Vinny, I’ve stamped on his head”.
Less than six hours later, Burns was arrested on suspicion of murder after officers established his identity following “extensive CCTV research”.
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#JAILED | Lee Francis Burns has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 20 years for murdering Vinny McDonagh.
The supposed friends went out drinking before a verbal altercation became physical.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) May 22, 2024
Throughout the trial, GMP says Burns “maintained innocence” and claimed he was “acting in self-defence”.
Speaking following Burns being sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison yesterday, Detective Inspector Paul Davies, from GMP’s Serious Crime Division, explained: “Our investigation has been meticulous, and we were able to draw up a timeline of both men’s movements, securing CCTV and audio footage from local premises.
“I would like to thank the initial attending officers and the investigating team whose swift actions, hard work, and dedication ensured Burns was identified and arrested within a short space of time.
“We will continue to support Vinny’s family in every way we can, and I hope today’s result can go some way to providing closure for them.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Salford Red Devils granted another adjournment over unpaid debts
Danny Jones
Salford Red Devils have been given one more adjournment and yet another stay of execution, being given another two weeks to find the money to cover their unpaid debts.
The local rugby league side, which has been wrapped in all manner of struggles both on and off-pitch over the past year or so, reportedly needs to pay around £700,000 to HMRC alone and still owes roughly £5 million in total to various creditors.
To no surprise, regular matchgoers, neutrals and even rivals alike have expressed their continued disappointment with the club, mainly at the lack of transparency and clarity from the organisation throughout this long, drawn-out process.
This is coming from a wire fan but no club deserves to be left in the dark even longer than they already have done it’s nothing but a disgrace to the sport of rugby those owners and the court should be ashamed of themselves.
Updating fans on social media, this is all the information they have communicated at this time: “Salford Red Devils can confirm that HMRC have granted the club a two-week adjournment, providing additional time in which to secure the necessary funds.
“We would like to reassure supporters that we are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a positive resolution. Further updates will be shared as soon as possible.”
It’s worth noting that the current owners have reiterated that they inheited around £3m in existing debt before they took over the club, but assurances over their own investments have still come to nothing; meanwhile, with many still waiting on wages, players and staff alike have now left.
Having been propped up by loan players and emergency loans, the team is now closer to a skeleton crew than it is an outfit capable of competing in the premier division.
Either way, the outrage remains and is only growing stronger. One user wrote on X: “A good approach by them if they was legit would be to engage and bring in The 1873 to bridge the communication black hole (they created).
“The problem with that is if they did it would expose them for what they are… Extortionists using the club as a vehicle.”
More alarm bells were raised recently when assistant coach and Krisnan Inu – who was also director of the company set up to take over the business – withdrew himself from a key position behind the scenes.
Speaking of The 1873, the outspoken supporters trust took no time at all in issuing a response of their own, adding: “The judge presiding over today’s case has adjourned by 14 days. This adjournment has dragged the uncertainty on even longer.
“Every delay makes planning for 2026 harder and keeps the club stuck in limbo when it desperately needs clarity and direction.
“The fans, the players and the future all deserve better — The 1873.”
You can see the rest of their statement in full down below, but for now, what do you make of this seemingly neverending saga, Salfordians?
‘Christmas chaos’ on the cards as Manchester tram drivers vote on staging strike action next month
Emily Sergeant
There could be major disruption to festive travel in Greater Manchester next month, as hundreds of tram drivers are currently voting on whether to strike.
Almost 320 tram drivers are being balloted over working conditions and fears around fatigue.
The drivers – who are members of the union, Unite – all work for KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited at the Warwick Road South and Queens Road depots in Manchester – and they operate trams on all routes in Greater Manchester.
As it stands, the drivers’ shift patterns currently mean they have to work 450 hours over a 12-week period, which results in some having to work 50 hours on, followed by just two days off, then back into another 50-hour work pattern.
Drivers also have fewer rest days compared to all other operational departments, and this is said to be causing safety concerns around fatigue.
‘Christmas chaos’ is on the cards as Manchester tram drivers are currently voting on staging strike action next month / Credit: TfGM
Drivers say they concerned about operating heavy vehicles while exhausted and unable to have proper breaks, but after raising the issue with management, Unite has been told there is ‘no funding available’ to support any ‘meaningful’ improvements to working patterns.
Instead, management has asked drivers to start work earlier – which Unite says is only ‘adding insult to injury’.
The ballot is set to close on 11 November, and if drivers vote in favour of industrial action, strikes could then begin in late November, causing widespread cancellations and delays throughout the region during the busy festive shopping period – particularly coinciding with Manchester’s world-famous Christmas Markets, known for attracting millions of visitors to the city each year.
“Any strike action will cause a great deal of disruption but it is entirely the fault of Metrolink, which is not taking the issue of driver fatigue seriously,” commented Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd May 2024 
