A police officer in Manchester attacked with a knife was miraculously saved by a tin of lip balm in her pocket.
The incident happened after Greater Manchester Police officers were called to Harpurhey upon receiving reports that a man was armed with a knife and damaging cars in the area.
The officer suffered cuts whilst attempting to stop 25-year-old Mahar Mansour, only narrowly avoiding more serious injury thanks to the tin of Vaseline lip balm she had in her pocket, which took the brunt of the attack.
Her colleague was slashed eight times in his leg.
Recorder Michael Maher commended the officers for “very courageously” stopping Mansour, who had been jumping up and down on a car and kicking out at other vehicles following a row with his brother at the time.
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“Fortunately for her, her injuries would have been much more serious had the Vaseline container not took the impact of the blade,” a judge said.
Mahar Mansour has been jailed for two years after pleading guilty / Credit: Greater Manchester Police
Mahar Mansour, from Salford, sought asylum in the UK after becoming a ‘political prisoner’ in Syria, Manchester Crown Court heard.
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He has also suffered from mental health problems exacerbated by the COVID-19 lockdown.
Mansour pleaded guilty to two counts of Section 20 wounding, one count of criminal damage, and one count of possessing a knife at a trial at Manchester Crown Court.
The court heard how residents at Kingsbridge Court in Harpurhey were woken at about 4am on Saturday 15 August 2020 after Mansour started shouting, and the police were subsequently called, with the female police constable being one of the first on the scene and joined by two male colleagues.
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She knew that Mansour had a knife and drew her Taser in preparation, but although Mansour was told to keep his hands in the air, he turned his back and moved towards some steps where he reached to his chest.
“Injuries would have been much more serious had the Vaseline container not took the impact of the blade” / Credit: Vaseline
Fearing he was arming himself, the female officer fired the Taser, but it was unsuccessful and Mansour then “lunged” forward, “swinging” his arms towards her, which caused them both to fall down the steps and the officer to fall into her two colleagues.
Mansour then struck out at the other officer with the knife during a “violent struggle”, after which he was subdued.
Both officers involved in the attack were taken to hospital, but were not seriously hurt.
Mahar Mansour has now been jailed for two years.
Featured Image – GMP
UK News
Remarkable Lake District rescue of dog missing for THREE WEEKS
Daisy Jackson
A dog who was missing for almost three WEEEKS in the Lake District has, miraculously, been rescued.
Little Teddy went missing on 2 August, disappearing from his owner on Helvellyn.
Volunteers from Keswick Mountain Rescue Team spent the following weeks searching for the scrappy dog, with one eventually hearing him barking from Dry Gill.
The poor dog had got stuck in the gill in a dangerous location that required a full team of seven to bring him to safety.
Remarkably, Teddy appeared to be uninjured, though he had lost quite a bit of weight after three weeks living wild on the fell.
His rescuers gave him a small amount of food before securing him in a rucksack and carrying him back to Swirls car park.
The whole rescue took around three and a half hours, when Teddy was reunited with his very relieved owner and taken to the vets.
Teddy making his way down from HelvellynTeddy the dog was part of a rescue mission in the Lake DistrictTeddy was rescued after three weeks missingCredit: Keswick Mountain Rescue
Keswick Mountain Rescue said: “The team are absolutely delighted to share this update, as the news of this missing dog had deeply affected so many people across our local community.
“A remarkable outcome after nearly three weeks on Helvellyn, and a huge well done to everyone who kept searching and never gave up on Teddy.”
The mountain rescue team is funded entirely through donations – you can use ‘Buy me a coffee’ to make a small donation HERE, or donate the normal way HERE.
Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
The Manc -
18th June 2021 
