A teenager has been jailed for life after being found guilty of murdering a man in Atherton last year, it has been confirmed.
The 17-year-old – who can now been named as Jordan Rance, following reporting restrictions against him due to his age, having been lifted by a judge – appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday 8 May), where he was sentenced to a minimum term of 21 years after being found guilty of murdering Paul Marsh last year.
The sentencing comes after Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called reports of a man being unconscious at a property on Samuel Street in the Greater Manchester town of Atherton at around 6:08pm on the evening of 17 November 2023.
Police attended the scene to find that a 49-year-old man had sustained an injury described as being “serious”.
Despite the best efforts of all emergency services who attended the scene, Mr Marsh tragically passed away a short time later.
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#JAILED | A 17-year-old boy has been jailed for a minimum term of 21 years at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.
Jordan Rance was found guilty of murder. At court, reporting restrictions against Rance due to his age were lifted.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) May 9, 2024
GMP’s Major Incident Team subsequently launched a murder investigation launched a murder investigation following the incident – which concluded with Rance, who was 16-years-old at the time, being charged with murder.
Following Rance’s sentencing yesterday, GMP has now released further details of the incident.
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The police service explained that the victim and Rance had been at the address in Atherton together, along with others, when an argument commenced between the pair that eventually escalated and Rance was witnessed to “lunge towards the victim with a knife” and stabbed him in the shoulder.
Rance and his friend immediately ran from the scene, GMP revealed, while others at the address called for an ambulance and attempted first aid.
During the sentencing yesterday, the court was shown an image of Rance holding a knife that he had taken on his phone, and this image has now also been released by GMP to the public.
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Paul Marsh, alongside the image shown to the court of Rance holding a knife, as released by GMP / Credit: GMP
Speaking following Rance’s sentencing yesterday, Detective Chief Inspector Neil Higginson, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, branded this a “tragic case”.
He continued: “A seemingly innocuous exchange has escalated and resulted in a loss of life, and our thoughts remain with Paul’s family at this time.
“We also have a young person going to prison for a long time, so this case should serve as a stark reminder that carrying a knife is illegal and you could be jailed if you’re found to be in possession of one.
“No good can come from carrying a knife and self-protection is not a reasonable excuse.”
Featured Image – GMP
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New driving test cancellation rules introduced by DVSA to reduce waiting times
Emily Sergeant
Learner drivers will now be required to give longer notice periods when they need to cancel their driving tests in a bid to reduce waiting lists.
Up until this week, anyone who had booked a driving test which they could no longer attend had to change or cancel their appointment within three full working days notice, but now, as of yesterday (8 April), the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) requires learner drivers to give 10 days’ notice.
If learners fail to provide the 10 full working days’ notice, then they will not be able to redeem their test fee back.
According to the DVSA’s new rules, only Monday to Saturday count as working days, while Sundays and public holidays do not.
But why has the change been introduced?
The short notice cancellation period for car driving tests changes today ⚠️
You'll now need to give 10 working days' notice to cancel or change your car driving test without losing your fee.
— Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (@DVSAgovuk) April 8, 2025
Well, according to the DVSA, lots of people who are not ready to take their driving test leave it until right at the last moment to change or cancel it, and although that appointment then becomes available to other learner drivers, many of them tend to go unused, given the fact it’s so close to the test date and they may not feel prepared enough.
So, the DVSA hopes that by asking learner drivers to give more notice, it should give other people more chance to use the appointment, and ultimately reduce driving test waiting times.
New driving test cancellation rules have been introduced by the DVSA to reduce waiting times / Credit: pxfuel
There are, of course, some exceptions to the rule, with some learners still being able to apply for a refund at short notice if they have an illness or injury, have suffered a bereavement, have to take a school or college exam, or have their provisional driving license stolen.
On top of this, the DVSA has confirmed that it will continue to pay out-of-pocket expenses for any car driving tests that it has to cancel with fewer than three full working days’ notice.
The DVSA is urging learner drivers to cancel their driving test if they cannot attend, rather than just not turning up.
Featured Image –
News
More than 80% of Brits think the Government is badly handling the cost of living crisis
Emily Sergeant
More than 80% of Brits think the Government is badly handling the cost of living crisis, a new survey has revealed.
It’s no surprise that the rising cost of living crisis has been one of the defining political issues of the 2020s, not just here in the UK, but right across the world, and according to the shocking findings from a new YouGov survey as we enter the second half of the decade, these financial problems show no sign of disappearing.
56% of Brits, which is a clear majority, say they have been affected by cost of living pressures in recent times, with four in 10 (40%) of those, in particular, saying they have not just had to make cuts to their usual spending, but expect to have to do so again in the future.
Even though a fifth of Brits (21%) say they have been able to maintain their usual levels of spending soon, they sadly anticipate having to make some cuts soon.
Net approval of the government's managing of the cost of living has fallen to -69, lower than the -59 when the Conservatives left office last July
To really hit home just how much the country’s been affected, the new survey found that just one in five Brits (19%) say they have been able to maintain their usual levels of spending, and expect to be able to continue to do so.
The survey also uncovered who was finding the cost of living crisis so hard to manage, with six in 10 women (60%) saying they have already had to make cuts, compared to just 51% of men, and why they are feeling the affects – with inflation rising faster than wages, on average, being the most common reason.
And when it comes to the Government’s input, responses were far from favourable.
56% of Britons say they've had to make cuts due to cost of living pressures, with 61% expecting to have to make cuts soon
Had to make cuts, expect to make more: 40% Had to make cuts, but don't expect more: 16% Not made cuts so far, but expect to: 21% Not made cuts so far and… pic.twitter.com/7V3D011P1G
As mentioned, currently eight in 10 Brits (81%) say the Government is managing the cost of living badly, which is up from an already-high 74% last November, and is also the highest number since back in August 2023.
Just one in eight (12%) believe the Government has handled the matter well, from 15% in November.
Even among Labour voters themselves, YouGov found that there was ‘little feeling’ the Government is doing a good job, as only 22% believed it’s been positively handled, compared to two-thirds (67%) who see them as having done badly on the matter.
Featured Image – Jessica Taylor / No 10 Downing Street (via Wikimedia Commons)
Emily Sergeant -
9th May 2024 
