A 13-year-old girl has been involved in a random attack while walking along Stour Road in Astley this past weekend.
Her father is now appealing to the public for information after the girl was punched in the face during the unprovoked incident, which occurred early in the evening last Saturday.
She was said to have been approached by the man, who let his dog pull towards her, despite her walking into the road to avoid them, and as she carried on past and turned to go up a ginnel leading to Helston Way, he turned around and ran after her, pulling her by her hair and punching her in the face.
Just moments earlier, the girl had been on the phone to her mum, telling her she was almost home after walking the short distance from a friend’s house, and her mum could even hear the shouts from the incident.
The girl – who is a black belt in jiu jitsu – managed to fight him off however.
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A video of the incident has been widely shared on social media after the girl’s dad, who wishes to remain anonymous, managed to track down CCTV footage.
The footage shows the offender walking his black dog – thought to be a pug or a French bulldog – in the direction of Chancery Close.
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He is wearing an orange zip-up top, and what look like jogging bottoms.
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Like most parents with teenage children, the girl’s parents had only recently been allowing her some extra freedom to walk alone, and they believe it’s thanks to her martial arts training that she was able to fight the attacker off.
The girl’s father said the attack has now made them extra cautious.
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Relaying the incident, the dad-of-one said: “She’s understandably shaken and she’s been a bit subdued since it happened. It’s frightened her quite a bit. Her mum was waiting on the doorstep as she was nearly home and just after she put the phone down, my wife heard everything down the street.”
He continued: “He never said a word to her when his dog pulled towards her”
“She didn’t think anything of it, I think she had been looking at the dog more than anything. She was nearly home and the next thing he’s pulled her hair, tried to drag her to the floor and punched her in the face.
“She’s used to being punched in jiu jitsu so she fought back and managed to get away.
“She’s not badly bruised, he punched her cheek, but it’s lucky that she knows how to defend herself and she defended herself very well, using her skills to get out of the situation.”
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“She only goes out with a few close friends from school and we usually pick them up [but] it’s only since COVID we’ve said she can walk home as we can’t have them in the car. She didn’t have far to walk at all from her friends,
“But we won’t be letting her do it alone now.”
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Confirming the incident, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “Police were called to a report of assault. A girl aged 13 was walking along a ginnel linking Helston Way and Stour Road when she was assaulted by a man who was walking a dog.
“Enquiries are ongoing to trace the offender [but] no arrests have currently been made.
“Police are aware of a video purporting to show the lead up to the assault.”
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The incident happened at around 6.30pm on Saturday 28th November. The man was bald or with short hair, and is thought to have been around 40 years old.
After the assault, he ran back out of the alley in the direction of Glastonbury Road.
Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 7124 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
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Neighbourhood Festival’s return to the city centre is looking great with after revealing second wave
Danny Jones
Neighbourhood Festival’s city centre all-dayer is returning to Manchester for 2026 after a year off, and with the second wave of the lineup having just dropped, it’s looking very promising.
Following teasers over the past month or so, it didn’t take long for us to figure out that NBHD Festival was coming back, especially with the Weekender in Warrington having taken a similar hiatus in 2024.
However, when festivals like these take time out, it can be easy to worry whether or not they’ll lose momentum or come back stronger.
Judging by this follow-up batch of acts alone, there’s no doubt NBHD Fest ’26 will be another cracker.
As you can see, as well as the fast-rising grungey alternative and garage rock quartet, KEO, being announced as one of the first big hitters on the list, there are some other familiar names on the lineup.
Especially for us Mancs.
With both Bolton and Altrincham youngsters, Florentenes and The Guest List, both joining the roster, as well as the likes of Bury-born ‘rockabilly’ revivalist Elliot James Reay also featuring on there, there’s a good deal of local talent to be enjoyed as always.
That goes for the regional delegation in general, too, with the likes of Jos River heading back up this way from her base in London, and Leeds’ fittingly named indie four-piece, The North, also booking a slot.
We’ll admit there are plenty of bands and artists coming up from the capital for the all-day festival, but at least they know where the UK’s real home of music is.
For instance, we’re buzzing to see the Red Rum Club boys returning to the NBHD stage once again – they never disappoint, and there are so many other guaranteed top performers on the bill. And that was just this year’s Weekener…
It’s worth reminding, once again, that since its inception in 2016 (yes, it really has been a decade now), Neighbourhood Fest has continued to serve as a proper launchpad for the next wave of superstars, not just here in the North West but across the country.
We still remember seeing the likes of Sam Fender, Holly Humberstone, Declan McKenna, Mahalia, The Lathums and more – some for the very first time – on these city centre stages, and it’s crazy to see how big some of them have gone on to become.
Set to take over some of Manchester’s most iconic venues along the Oxford Road Corridor once again, this is, without a doubt, one of the best dates for independents on the annual live music calendar.
Hosting a total of 11 stages on Saturday, 17 October, for a full day of live music, tickets for this year’s Neighbourhood Festival are on sale now right HERE.
And if you’ve already sorted yours, why not read our review of NBHD Weekender ’26 down below to get you in the mood for the next two editions.
Major DJ forced to pull out of Parklife festival on doctor’s orders
Thomas Melia
A well-known techno and trance DJ will no longer be playing at Parklife this weekend, he’s announced, with just one day to go until his major set.
Anyone heading to Heaton Park over the weekend for Manchester-based festival, Parklife, may notice the lineup looks a little different after one distinctive DJ has pulled out due to doctor’s orders.
Marlon Hoffstadt, who also goes by the moniker ‘DJ Daddy Trance’, was expected to play out on the Matinée stage on Saturday 20 June from 6.30pm – 8pm.
The Germany-based act was taking to the decks right before Manchester’s own Morgan Seatree, who has become recognised for his material which is an ode to house music and is likely to be one of the busiest sets of the weekend.
Hoffstadt had two gigs this weekend; the first being Parklife in Manchester and the second Fête de la Musique in Paris, both of which he has since pulled out of in a newly-published social media announcement.
The Berlin-born music maker has reluctantly called off these upcoming appearances and justified his decision by saying: “As much as I hate missing shows, I need to put my recovery first”.
To much dismay, Hoffstadt received doctor’s advice who deemed him ‘currently not fit to fly’ following surgery, urging him to rest and recover.
Marlon posted today: “I’m so sad to have to share this, but unfortunately I won’t be able to play Parklife in Manchester and Fête de la Musique in Paris this weekend.
“I recently had a surgery and, following my doctor’s advice, I’m currently not fit to fly and need rest and recover.
“I know many of you made plans and were looking forward to it, and I’m so sorry to let you down.
“As much as I hate missing shows, I need to put my recovery first so I can get back to doing what I love as soon as possible.”
As much as the presence of this world-class performer will be missed, there’s still plenty of notable names set to make their mark on Parklife including Zara Larsson, Calvin Harris, Skepta and more.
The outdoor big music weekender has established itself as a rave haven with mainly dance artists and DJs making up its lineup through a variety of curated b2b sets and live performances.
If you’re after immersing yourself in some jungle music, Bradford-native Nia Archives will have you transfixed over at The Valley with her jungle-heavy tunes from 6.30pm – 7.30pm or there’s three more stages to take your pick from.
We’re sure that anyone eager to see the ‘Hands Up In The Sky’ producer live may be frustrated by this brand-new social media announcement however as Hoffstadt mentions it’s so he can “Get back to doing what I love as soon as possible”.
The Manc -
1st December 2020 
