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
Manchester’s iconic inflatable monsters are set to invade the city centre again this Halloween
Emily Sergeant
Dozens of huge inflatable monsters are set to invade Manchester next month, as Halloween returns to the city for 2024.
Yes, it’s that time of year yet again… the monsters are back.
After several years of looming over Manchester‘s most-notable rooftops and lurking around famous city centre sites, it’s been revealed that the iconic MCR Monsters will be returning for another year of spooky celebrations next month, along with loads of other terrifying tricks and treats – with something for the whole family to get involved with.
Organisers CityCo and Manchester BID are gearing up to “roll out the blood-red carpet” for its legendary and monstrous guests in a couple of weeks time.
This year’s annual Halloween in the City celebrations will kick off with a week-long colourful invasion of the MCR Monsters, before being followed by a two-day family festival across the city’s popular shopping destinations.
Halloween is returning to the city for loads of spooky celebrations next month / Credit: CityCo (via Supplied)
Crawling their way back into the city from Friday 25 October through to Halloween itself on Thursday 31 October, the epic MCR Monsters inflatable art trail – which is created by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas – will be taking over leading locations like Manchester Arndale, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Corn Exchange, and New Century, with many more sites set to be announced soon.
A brand-new monster called ‘The Leech’ will be heading to town to join to celebrations this year, alongside some other spookily-similar faces from years’ past.
Buildings across the city will also be turning a ghoulish green once the night falls, while you can also expect to see thousands of little pumpkin lanterns adorning the city’s streets once again.
There’ll be something for all the family to / Credit: CityCo (via Supplied)
Some of the other fan-favourite events on the jam-packed Halloween in the City lineup confirmed to be returning this year are the ‘Monsters Rock! Music Festival’, with spooky live bands and DJs, as well as gruesome games and competitions, the popular ‘Team Trick v Team Treat’ fancy dress challenge, and the hair-raising monster procession ‘Rock! Party Procession’ – which will feature giant puppet monsters, stilt walkers, and a live band marching their way through Manchester Arndale and on Market Street.
Thousands of families are expected to come into the city centre dressed in their scariest costumes over Halloween weekend on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October.
Jane Sharrocks, who is the Chair of Manchester BID, said Manchester is set to transform into the “ultimate Halloween playground” this year, and that organisers are planning 2024 to be the “most thrilling year yet”.
“As the first UK city to host these incredible creatures, Manchester has become the ultimate Halloween destination,” Jane added.
Halloween in the City officially returns to Manchester on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October, with the monsters descending from Friday 25 October and the pumpkins potentially even earlier, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled.
Featured Image – CityCo (via Supplied)
News
‘Life-changing’ scheme helps house hundreds of Greater Manchester’s homeless people
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of homeless people in Manchester have now been helped “get back on their feet” thanks to a successful pilot housing scheme.
Greater Manchester’s ‘Housing First’ pilot scheme was rolled out in 2019.
The scheme is all about recognising that “a good home has to be the first step to a good life”, according to Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), and since it was first introduced, it has primarily been helping people with chronic and long-standing experiences of homelessness into homes of their own, without preconditions.
Ongoing personalised wraparound support to manage issues, ranging from mental health problems to substance misuse, is also a key part of what the scheme’s all about.
Since 2019, the scheme then has helped a total of 413 people find “good, safe homes”, GMCA has revealed.
Around 75% of those housed have also sustained their tenancies too, with some even going on to form part of Housing First’s co-production panel – sharing their experiences, and making sure that the service continues to meet people’s needs.
Giving everyone a good, safe home is one of the best investments this country can make.
That’s why we want to take the lessons of our @GMHousingFirst pilot & follow @FinlandInUK by adopting it as our philosophy in Greater Manchester.
Because of the clear success of the pilot in our region, Greater Manchester and Mayor Andy Burnham are now calling on the Government to take the lessons learned from the scheme and embed them into a new approach to tackle the housing crisis nationwide.
Andy Burnham says he believes that giving everyone a good, safe home would be “one of the best investments the country could make”, as it would “take pressure off” other public services and public finances, and declared that our region is ready to follow in Finland’s footsteps by becoming the first UK city-region to adopt the ‘Housing First’ philosophy permenantly.
“The evidence is clear that it works, and when a pilot scheme gets results it shouldn’t end there – it should become the new normal,” Mr Burnham said.
A ‘life-changing’ scheme has helped house hundreds of Greater Manchester’s homeless people / Credit: Manchester City Council
“Housing First has shown that if you give people an unconditional right to safe and secure housing, backed up with personalised support, you set them up to succeed, so instead of winding it down, we should be scaling it up and turning it into a national mission.
“We’re starting that here in Greater Manchester.
“We’re bringing in new protections for renters, tackling bad landlords, and with the right powers and funding, we can deliver 75,000 new homes in this parliament.
“Our new Housing First Unit will drive this work forward, bringing together partners across our city-region with a clear goal – a healthy home for everyone in Greater Manchester by 2038.”
Emily Sergeant -
14th August 2024 
