A public appeal for information and witnesses has been issued following a series of rapes which took place across Manchester city centre.
Detectives from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team who have been leading the investigations into the horrific incidents – which are said to have occurred in the city centre between February and July 2024 – have already arrested a man in his 40s, but are now calling on the wider public for further assistance.
Mourad Malki was arrested on suspicion of rape on Sunday 21 July 2024, and later charged with 12 offences committed against three males and one female.
GMP says these offences included multiple rapes, sexual assault, and theft.
#ARREST | Detectives who have been investigating four separate rapes in the city centre dating back to February 2024, have now arrested a man in his 40s.
The suspect was arrested on Sunday 21 July 2024 and remains in police custody.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) July 21, 2024
It is believed that the 47-year-old had been primarily targeting intoxicated men, before raping them and taking their personal items.
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Malki is currently remanded in police custody awaiting trial.
Now, with the police investigation still ongoing, Detective Inspector Paul Davies, from GMP’s Major Incident Team, is appealing to the Greater Manchester public, to come forward if they witnessed anything or have any information.
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Police are appealing for information and witnesses after a series of rapes in Manchester city centre / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
“Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to those who have already come forward and provided their accounts, as they have shown unbelievable courage and bravery,” DI Davies said in his appeal.
“We are continuing to support them now and throughout the investigation.
“I would urge anyone out there who may have witnessed, been a victim of, or has any information in connection with these horrific offences to please come forward. We are here to listen to you, are committed to obtaining justice, and can assure the community that any report received will be thoroughly investigated and dealt with in a sensitive manner.
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“Myself and the team have been in communication with the community and local businesses, providing reassurance and necessary updates and we are also working with partners such as St Mary’s sexual assault referral centre, and independent male victim’s charity, We Are Survivors, to provide victims with the best possible support throughout this investigation”.
#APPEAL | Officers leading a rape investigation are appealing for witnesses and information.
Detectives from our Major Incident Team are continuing to investigate a series of rapes that occurred in the city centre between February and July 2024.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of rape or sexual assault, you are encouraged not to suffer in silence and report it to the police by either calling 101 or 999 in an emergency, reporting information and crimes on GMP’s website www.gmp.police.uk, or alternatively, reporting information anonymously to Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.
There’s also lots of other organisations and support agencies available across Greater Manchester and nationally that can help and provide support.
You can visit GMP’s support pages to find the services available to you here.
Featured Image – GMP
News
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Emily Sergeant -
14th August 2024 
