News

Police appeal after man seriously injured in Northern Quarter stabbing

No one has been arrested.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 25th March 2025

Greater Manchester Police are appealing for witnesses after a stabbing in the Northern Quarter left a man seriously injured.

The incident occurred around 7.45pm on Thursday 20 March, on Tib Street near Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens.

Emergency services scrambled to the scene and the victim, a man in his 20s, taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Thankfully his injuries aren’t believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.

No arrests have yet been made and officers are now appealing for witnesses to assist with enquiries.

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DI Geoffrey Machent, of the City of Manchester Division, said: “At around 7.45pm on Thursday 20 March, we were called to reports of a stabbing on Tib Street.

“A man was subsequently taken to hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening or life-changing. He remains there for treatment.

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“At this time, we do not believe the incident presents any threat to the wider public or local businesses operating in the area.

“Neighbourhood officers will be deployed to provide reassurance in the locality over the coming days, including our newly formed Piccadilly Gardens team.

“We would like to appeal to the public for any information, or anyone who witnessed this incident, to please come forward.”

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If anyone has information regarding this stabbing in the Northern Quarter, contact police by calling 101, or via the Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk.

Alternatively, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Always dial 999 in an emergency.

Featured image: Google Maps

News

Former Manchester City player Joey Barton found guilty of assaulting his wife

Danny Jones Danny Jones Joey Barton guilty of assaulting his wife

Ex-footballer Joey Barton has officially been found guilty of assaulting his wife following his two-day trial in the capital this week.

Barton, who played for Manchester City, Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers and a number of other clubs, was convicted at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 25 March, following an incident back in June 2021.

The former midfielder left his wife, 37-year-old Georgia Barton (McNeil), with a bleeding nose and a bruise on her forehead following a drunken row at their home in London.

Barton is said to have grabbed and pushed her to the floor before kicking her in the head. Married in 2019, the two have four children and are thought to still be together.

joey barton far-right views
joey barton man city goals
Credit: Anything Goes With James English (screenshot via YouTube)/Marcello (via Flickr)

The 42-year-old was still employed in professional football as the manager of Bristol Rovers at the time, but he was ultimately sacked in October 2023.

His wife called 999 at the time, telling police that he had hit her, but later retracted her statement.

Born in Huyton, Merseyside, the chief magistrate Paul Goldspring recognised that the one-time England has a history of violence.

He was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence, meaning he won’t serve time unless he commits another offence and has been ordered to pay £2,138.

Speaking to Sky News shortly after, he told reporters he intends to appeal the decision.

Barton has been embroiled in various controversies ever since retiring as a player back in 2017.

Since dropping out of mainstream football, in particular, Barton has come under heavy criticism for allegations of racism, sexism and controversial right-wing politics; he even started an ‘anti-woke’ podcast called Common Sense with Joey Barton.

Back in June of last year, he was ordered to pay £35,000 in damages to settle a libel claim with presenter Jeremy Vine after a series of inflammatory comments made online.

The Radio 2 presenter sued Mr Barton earlier this year, after the former footballer wrote a series of posts suggesting Mr Vine had a sexual interest in children.

He also accused of threatening fellow former pro, Eni Aluko, after a torrent of abuse regarding her punditry online – the ex-England international even went so far as to say she no longer felt safe staying in the country.

Former Lioness and pundit Eni Aluko says she feels ‘under threat’ as she leaves the UK following Joey Barton’s abuse

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Featured Images — BT Sport/YouTube (screenshot)/@thetelf (via Flickr)

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Met Office explain ‘likely’ reason for ‘strange spiral’ seen in the sky over Greater Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones what was the strange spiral in the sky over the UK last night?

Anyone spot that strange out-of-this-world-looking spiral in the sky last night? Lots of us did here in Greater Manchester and, as it turns out, so did lots of people up and down the country.

In fact, it was sighted all over the world.

If you’re anything like us and guilty of being quick to overreact – most of us are just excitable big kids who still daydream about shooting off to a different planet – you’ll be forgiven for having quickly jumped to the conclusion that it was aliens or some other kind of fantastical phenomenon.

Come on, who wouldn’t see this and start to wonder?

However, we hate to spoil your fun but it wasn’t some kind of UFO or something from another universe – but is that what they want us to think?…

Just kidding; after countless people hopped on social media to question what on Earth (or rather not) was going on with the sky and post their own pictures of the strange spiral, one reason was quickly put forward by numerous users and news outlets.

It didn’t take long for those in the US, or who are at least privy to whatever random interstellar nonsense Elon Musk is up to at the minute, to point out that a SpaceX launch had just occurred.

On Monday, 24 March, the American aerospace company launched their Falcon 9 rocket just before 6pm GMT and the spiral-like shape, which was visible for several minutes before fading, is believed to have been caused by leftover fuel released by the rocket during the second phase of its launch.

With SpaceX having already shown off how their rockets can now return to Earth, the subsequent fuel plume, on the other hand, freezes instantly and the light transmitting through the atmosphere is the “likely” reason behind this strange spiral illusion, according to the Met Office and other experts.

So whilst it may not be as sci-fi as your imaginations were hoping for, it is still a showcase of how far we’ve come in terms of technological advancements and creating visuals that would previously feel inexplicable and probably lead to the man on the street to tell his mates, ‘I saw something last night’.

As for the reason behind this most recent launch, it is said SpaceX have been tasked with a ‘classified mission’ by the US government dubbed NROL-69 (a National Reconnaissance Office designation), believed to be in regard to a growing satellite network.

Musk’s relationship with returning President Donald Trump is one that causes concern across large sections of the political landscape and as for his continued space-age innovation, many are deeply worried about the pollution and wider environmental impact caused by several of his companies.

But to circle back: no, it wasn’t some alien portal – just rocket fuel.

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Featured Images – @ramonacomecloser (via Instagram)

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