Tyson Fury has made an emotional anti-knife crime plea after his cousin was “stabbed in the neck” and killed in Altrincham over the weekend.
The 34-year-old Wythenshawe-born heavyweight boxer took to Instagram on Sunday to liken the rise in knife crime to a “pandemic” and state that it “needs to stop” as he paid tribute to his late cousin, saying “RIP Rico Burton – may the lord God grant you a good place in heaven, see you soon.”
Fury’s statement continued: “This is becoming ridiculous, idiots carry knives.
“This needs to stop asap, UK government needs to bring higher sentencing for knife crime, it’s a pandemic and you don’t know how bad it is until it’s one of your own.
“Life is very precious and it can be taken away very quick – enjoy every moment.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Fury’s tribute comes after Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that at around 3am on Sunday 21 August, emergency services received multiple calls about a disturbance at Goose Green in Altrincham, and on arrival, officers found two males – a 17-year-old and a 31-year-old – with stab wounds.
GMP explained that the males were receiving first aid from members of the public, before officers and paramedics arrived at the scene, and both were taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary – but the 31-year-old man “tragically” passed away.
The 31-year-old victim has officially been named as Rico Burton, GMP confirms.
It has also been confirmed by Greater Manchester Police that a 21-year-old male was arrested at the scene, and a 20-year-old male was arrested later yesterday morning.
ADVERTISEMENT
Both remain in police custody.
Providing further comment on the attack, Detective Superintendent Ben Ewart explained: “Firstly, may I take this opportunity to pass on my sincere condolences the family and friends of Rico at the very difficult time… [and] Greater Manchester Police have launched a murder investigation and specialist officers are supporting the victim’s family.”
“This was a senseless act and both victims should have returned home this morning after enjoying a night out with friends,” he added.
DC Ewart also made an appeal for information: “I would like to appeal to anyone who was at the popular night spot of Goose Green in Altrincham overnight or who may have information in connection with this incident.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Any photographs, videos or CCTV footage would also be extremely valuable in aiding our investigations.”
Goose Green in Altrincham / Credit: Google Maps
He also urged anyone who was out with the victims or suspects, who have not yet come forward, to “please do so”, and confirmed that there are increased police patrols in the area.
“Tackling knife crime remains a priority for Greater Manchester Police,” DC Ewart concluded.
Anyone with information, CCTV, photos, or videos regarding this incident should contact Greater Manchester Police on 0161 856 7386 or 101 quoting incident 475 of 21/08/2022, and members of the public can upload photos, videos, and information via the Major incident public portal here.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – Rico Burton (via Facebook)
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 -
22nd August 2022 
