Three men have been handed lengthy jail sentences after the attempted murder of a 16-year-old boy in Salford last March.
Aiden Broadhurst, Kyle Meighan, and Jieh Sufyaan have each been jailed for 32 years.
Each of the three men were jailed for life at Manchester Crown Court yesterday (26 February 2024) after being found guilty of attempted murder following a two-month trial, and all received the same sentences – including an additional three years each on licence.
It comes after a 16-year-old boy, who Greater Manchester Police (GMP) say cannot be named for legal reasons, was riding his motorbike through the Salford town of Eccles on the afternoon of Sunday 19 March 2023, when he was spotted by Broadhurst, Meighan, and Sufyaan and an “immediate assembly for a targeted attack” was then promptly “organised”.
#JAILED | These three men were today given jail sentences of 32 years each after they attempted to murder a 16-year-old boy in #Salford on Mother's Day last year with a gun.
GMP's Major Incident Team worked tirelessly to secure the convictions.
The court heard that the boy was riding the motorbike with his girlfriend to a local convenience store, and the pair made their way onto Station Road towards Armitage Street, with CCTV showing they were closely-followed by the suspect motorbike, which traced the route the boy had taken and pulled up alongside them.
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Seconds later, two gunshots were heard.
The 16-year-old boy sustained a single gunshot wound, which went through his arm and into his chest, and was taken to hospital for treatment shortly after – but thankfully, was discharged a couple of days later to recover at home.
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Following the distressing incident, a police investigation was subsequently launched, which was named ‘Operation Knott’.
Three men have been jailed for life after the attempted murder of a 16-year-old Salford boy / Credit: GMP
‘Operation Knott’ was primarily led by GMP’s Serious Crime Division, in conjunction with Salford district policing teams, and was said to have involved “painstaking” work to determine the events tht happened, all eventually leading to the apprehending and sentencing of the three suspects.
“We hope that today’s result will go some way to allowing the victim to heal and move on with his life,” commented GMP’s Detective Chief Inspector, Neil Higginson, following yesterday’s sentencing.
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“Every single officer who took part in this investigation is committed to keeping people who live within the local community safe, as it is simply unacceptable to have people carrying guns and using these, and we will make it our life’s work to ensure that these kinds of people are taken off the streets.
“We would also like to thank the community of Salford, as their ongoing support ensures we can tackle crime together and keep people of Manchester safe.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
Featured Image – Pxhere
News
Stockport man jailed for life after kidnapping and sexually assaulting teenage girl
Emily Sergeant
A Stockport man has been sentenced to life in prison after kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl on her way home from the library.
Paul Sharpe has been sentenced to life imprisonment with an eight-year minimum term in prison after being convicted of a number of offences when subjected a teenage girl to what police called a ‘terrifying ordeal’ that lasted several hours back in May 2026.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the victim had been studying at Sale Library before beginning her journey home with friends at around 5:50pm and contacting her parents at 6:10pm to let them know she was on her way.
Twenty minutes later, she spoke to her boyfriend on the phone and said she was approximately five minutes away from home, but that her phone battery was about to die.
This was the last contact received from the victim that evening.
While walking along Bradgate Road in Altrincham, the victim noticed a grey Ford parked nearby and a man wearing a high-visibility jacket pressing doorbells in the area.
As she walked past, Sharpe approached her from behind, placed her in a headlock and threatened to stab her if she did not get into his vehicle.
Concerned that their daughter had not returned home, the victim’s family contacted police at 9:22pm to report her missing, and officers immediately launched an investigation to locate her.
Over the next several hours, the victim was subjected to and placed in a number of terrifying situations.
Sharpe drove the victim to several locations across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, before police located and arrested him at around 3:40am on 19 May 2026.
Following his arrested, 56-year-old Sharpe was convicted of kidnap, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence, sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, threats with a bladed article, and administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, annoy or aggrieve.
“This was a terrifying ordeal for a young girl who was simply making her way home,” explained Detective Inspector Karl Perry, from GMP’s Criminal Investigation Department.
“Sharpe targeted a vulnerable victim, subjected her to hours of fear and intimidation, and went on to sexually assault her.
“The victim has shown immense courage throughout the investigation and court proceedings. Through her bravery and actions, she no doubt made it harder for Sharpe to carry out whatever acts he had planned.”
Emily Sergeant -
27th February 2024 
