News
Online rumours that The City pub has closed for good aren’t entirely true
Posts shared on social media over the weekend left many thinking that the pub had permanently closed, but it's still hanging in there
Over the weekend, the online rumour mill started whisperings across the city centre about the closure of one of Manchester’s oldest pubs.
The City boozer on Oldham Street, which has been a fixture in the Northern Quarter for over 200 years, was said to be shutting its doors for good on Sunday 4 September.
Many were left in disbelief that such a longstanding fixture could close so suddenly, and tributes to the pub flooded local social media platforms.
Sadly, many small businesses are being forced to close their doors right now as they struggle with increased prices across the board and we are getting increasingly used to reading heartfelt closure announcements.
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But it’s good news for The City, for now, as it appears that the pub has not closed its doors for good. Not just yet, at least.
The Manc popped over to the pub on Tuesday afternoon to try and speak with the owners, but found the pub closed up and received no answer after knocking.
However, reports in the Manchester Evening News published on Monday confirmed that, whilst there is some truth to the rumours, hope for the boozer’s survival is not completely lost.
According to a member of staff who spoke with the paper, bosses at The City have a meeting scheduled with the council later this week to determine the historic pub’s future.
With discussions of a potential refurbishment on the cards, there is the promise of a new lease of life on the horizon.
“We all have our fingers crossed,” the member of staff told the MEN.
The pub has a complex history and has held many different names over the years, most recently The City, a name that was adopted for it in the 1950s.
However, it has also been known as the Prince of Orange, Prince William of Gloucester, Peter’s Vaults, King’s Arms, Kings Arms Vaults Liquor Vaults and Top King, with historical records dating back to 1780.
Feature image – The Manc / The City Pub
News
Police search for man who threw punch at Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith boxing match
Daisy Jackson
Police are searching for man who threw his own punch at the AO Arena after Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith boxing match.
The man in question is believed to have vaulted over a barrier inside the arena just as the match itself came to an end.
He then punched a man sat behind him in the face, before making off on foot.
He left two women and a man he was with behind.
Police are now appealing to witnesses of the assault on Saturday 21 January 2023 to come forward with any information.
CCTV images of the suspect have been released by GMP.
They said in a statement: “Police are appealing for witnesses to an assault at the AO Arena on Saturday 21 January 2023 after the Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith boxing match.
“It is reported that then man (pictured) vaulted over a barrier inside the arena just as the boxing match finished, and struck a man sat behind him in the face.
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“The offender then made off on foot, leaving two women and a man he was with, behind.
“Officers believe that the suspect is possibly from the Merseyside area. If you know the man or have any information relating to the crime, please contact GMP on 101, quoting reference number INC/0075491/23.
“Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to the independent charity – Crimestoppers – on 0800 555 111.”
Featured image: GMP
News
Salford police officer sacked for ‘depraved’ relationship with vulnerable woman
Daisy Jackson
A police officer has been sacked after carrying out an ‘improper relationship’ with a crime victim.
Paul Banks, who worked as a PC in Salford, has been dismissed and barred after a Gross Misconduct Hearing on 24 and 25 January 2023.
In the hearing, a panel heard how Banks had advised a vulnerable woman to create an email account – which he then accessed to view images and videos, some of which were explicit, that she had uploaded.
He viewed the content more than 200 times and never reported them to his manager or the force’s Professional Standards Branch.
In the end, his own colleagues sensed that something was amiss and raised the alarm.
GMP has now slammed Banks’s ‘depraved behaviour’ and stressed that ‘there will never be a place in GMP for anybody who behaves like him’.
A statement also said that he ‘abused his position of trust’.
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Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Allen, head of GMP’s Professional Standards Branch, said: “Banks knew full well that his conduct was egregiously wrong.
“By cultivating an improper relationship with a vulnerable member of the public who he met in the course of his policing duties, the officer has been deservedly sacked from GMP.
“Not only has he disgraced himself, but his depraved behaviour dishonours policing and undermines the principled endeavours of his colleagues, who everyday do a valiant job catching criminals and protecting our communities.
“Indeed, it was Banks’ own colleagues who sensed something was amiss and triggered the first step in a process that rooted him out.
“The prudence of his colleagues is to be commended and I am grateful to the IOPC for conducting an investigation that left no stone unturned.
“No decent member of the police service wants to work with the likes of Banks and there will never be a place in GMP for anybody who behaves like him.
“He abused his position of trust and for that the Office of Constable has been rightly stripped from him.
“GMP is a better force without Banks and we will recruit a new officer into his post who will discharge their duties with honour and espouse the professional and compassionate values of the GMP workforce.”
Banks, who had been on restricted since the investigation began in December 2020, was dismissed without notice.
Featured image: Flickr
Georgina Pellant -
6th September 2022 
