Greater Manchester Police are offering up a £50k reward for anyone who has information that leads to the conviction of the person who killed Kennie Carter.
The 16-year-old was stabbed in the chest on Thirlmere Avenue in Stretford on 22 January 2022, and died shortly afterwards in hospital.
He was described by his family as a ‘cheeky chappy’, as they pleaded for witnesses to come forward and bring his killer to justice.
Police are now offering a monetary reward to encourage people come forward with key information, urging ‘please do the right thing’.
12 teenagers – aged between 13 and 18 – have been arrested on suspicion of murder, but all have been released under investigation whilst enquiries continue.
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#REWARD | GMP offer £50,000 reward for information that leads to the charge & conviction of those responsible Kennie Carter's murder
Kennie was killed by a single stab wound to the chest on 22/01/22
Detective Chief Inspector Alicia Smith, from GMP’s Major Investigation Team, said: “The thoughts of everyone in the investigation team remain with Kennie’s loved ones at this time. They have lived though one year without Kennie and are desperate for answers and I hope you will think of them today.
“This is a long and meticulous investigation, through which we have spoken to over 100 people, reviewed over 100 hours of CCTV and carried out dozens of warrants. We have also arrested all of the people that we wanted to speak to in connection with this incident.
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“I believe we are close to getting justice for Kennie and I am confident that there is someone out there who holds key information about this case who has not yet made themselves known to us. Please don’t assume that we already know the information you hold. What you know could be the last piece that we need.
“I understand you might be scared but I would like to stress that murder investigations are never closed. We will never stop seeking the truth and we will not stop until Kennie’s killers are safely behind bars.
“Please do the right thing – clear your conscience, come forwards and tell us what you know. I would like to thank those members of the public who have already come forwards and shared information.
“Anyone can contact us with information – no matter how insignificant it may seem – on 0161 856 9908 or 101 quoting incident 2529 of 22/01/2022. Any footage or images from the night should be submitted to our online portal here.”
Sergeant Marc Foster of GMP Stretford said: “The local community remain devastated by the death of Kennie Carter. We are continuing to support the family and are working closely with the community, providing high visibility patrols in the area. Our community has come together united against knife crime, and we will continue to support them and the investigation team to secure justice for Kennie.
“I would like to thank members of the public who have already provided us with key information. However, I would now like to address those who have not yet come forwards.
Thirlmere Avenue in Stretford, the street where Kennie Carter was fatally stabbed.
“There are people out there who know what happened that evening. Please check your conscience and do the right thing.
“It was a cowardly attack on a young teenager with his whole life in front of him.
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“The investigation is live and we are responding to any new information given. Please don’t assume we already know the information you hold. Tell us again anyway, because it might be the key to securing a charge and conviction for those responsible.”
Anyone with the following insight or information should provide a statement to GMP:
If you witnessed Kennie Carter’s murder
If you have heard key information first hand
If you have footage or images from that night
Kennie’s family said in a tribute shortly after his death: “Kennie was our youngest, our baby, our cheeky chappy with baby blue eyes. His death has left a massive hole in our lives and our family has been destroyed. We will never have the opportunity to see him growing up and having a family of his own.
“Each day when we wake the house feels empty; we can’t hear his footsteps, his voice or his music. We cannot believe how generous people have been, even people that don’t know us or Kennie directly.
“We want to ask the community to provide as much information as they can to the police so that the person responsible is brought to justice. Young lives like Kennie’s are being lost far too often and this has to stop.”
Featured image: GMP
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Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.
Featured Image – GMP
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More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”