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.”
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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.
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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.
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“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)
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Manchester band Westside Cowboy release ‘thrilling’ debut album that critics are calling one of the year’s best
Emily Sergeant
One of the UK’s best rising bands have released their debut album today to glowing reviews from critics and fans alike.
Jimmy Bradbury, Reuben Haycocks, Aoife Anson O’Connell, and Paddy Murphy – better known together as Westside Cowboy – formed back in 2023 when they were students at the Royal Northern College of Music, so while they may not all be from Manchester, they definitely have the spirit of our city at the heart of everything they do.
After playing in different bands across the city throughout their student years, the four-piece joined forces to create Westside Cowboy – an indie rock collective credited with self-coining the genre of ‘Britainicana’.
Put simply, Britainicana is a cultural concept that mixes the hazy, mythic feel of American country and folk, with the sound of raw British punk, indie rock, and small-town life.
Westside Cowboy have released their debut album, It Goes On / Credit: Clementine Schniedermann (Press Shots – Supplied)
If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you’ll be pleased to know that Westside Cowboy have released their debut album, It Goes On, to the world today (21 August).
And the reception from critics, arguably, couldn’t be better.
Prior to the release of their debut album, the band had released two EPs, including So Much Country ‘Till We Get There in January earlier this year, and had started to make a name for themselves with their popular debut single ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’ in 2024.
They went onto make even further waves when they supported equally-rising American rock band Geese on their UK and Irish tour back in March – with many fans calling it one of the best support and main act combinations in some time.
Three singles from their debut album were shared with the world ahead of its release – ‘Kick Stones (The Boys)’ came first, followed by ‘Pin Up Boys’ and ‘Dobro’.
So, it’s fair to say the anticipation for album was high… and if the reviews are anything to go by (which we think they are), it looks like the band has very much delivered what they set out to achieve.
Westside Cowboy’s debut album It Goes On is now available to stream, or you can purchase a physical copy in a range of formats from their website here.
Take a listen👇
Featured Image – Press Shot (Supplied)
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UK set to be battered by storms as ‘unprecedented’ El Niño arrives this autumn
Emily Sergeant
The UK is being told to brace for a series of storms this autumn when the ‘unprecedented’ El Niño weather event arrives.
It’s already been a summer of extremes for the country, with multiple heatwaves over the past couple of months, but now it appears that autumn and winter are set to have some extremes of their own, as the Met Office is warning that this upcoming El Niño could be one of the most significant in recent memory.
El Niño is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5°C above the long-term average, which therefore impacts global rainfall patterns and average temperatures.
The natural warming of sea temperatures is forecast to reach more than 3°C in the coming months, according to the Met Office, making this year’s weather event have the potential to be ‘the largest since the 19th century’.
The UK is set to be battered by storms as ‘unprecedented’ El Niño arrives this autumn / Credit: Johannes Plenio (via Unsplash)
El Niño will create a heightened risk of drought in the tropics, southern Africa, and north eastern Australia, but over in north western Europe – including the UK – it means we are likely to experience wetter and stormier conditions.
The UK, and of course Greater Manchester, is absolutely no stranger to a storm around this time of year, but forecasters say this could be an entirely different beast.
“We should be clear that this is an unprecedented event,” warned Professor Adam Scaife, who is the Head of Long Range Forecasting at the Met Office.
“I have never seen an El Nino signal this intense in our forecasts.”
Professor Scaife concluded: “A typical El Nino leads to an equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperature rise of between one to 2°C, with 2°C being a really big event. This implies that, if the forecast is accurate, and other forecast systems show similar extreme values, then 2026 will far exceed our recent experience of El Niño and its worldwide climate influences.’
Forecasters and officials, however, have warned that it could take months of sustained rainfall before rivers, reservoirs, and groundwaters are ‘completely replenished’ – which is when a drought can officially be declared as over.
It also warned drought conditions could persist into the new year as, despite El Niño, as current forecasts do not suggest this autumn will have the amount of rainfall needed to drive recovery.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd August 2022 
