UPDATE: |The Mancunian Way: Tracking the weapon News

PLUS The skyscraper set to ‘push the boundaries of city-centre living’

Hello,

The gun amnesties regularly carried out by police always produce striking images of gleaming weapons, from the terrifying to the unique. But it can be difficult to comprehend the true human impact behind these stark objects.

Manchester Evening News chief reporter Neal Keeling has given a unique insight into the murder and brutal violence linked to firearms by tracking one such weapon over almost 12 years.

The .45 calibre Glock he focuses on in this eye-opening feature was responsible for the death of one man and a range of frightening shootings across Greater Manchester as it was passed around the criminal fraternity for more than a decade.

It was eventually discovered in unremarkable circumstances – wrapped up in a bag for life and stashed under a hairdresser’s bed in Moss Side.

But before that, the deadly automatic handgun had been on quite the journey. Ballistics officers say it was forensically linked to four shootings, including one fatality.

As Neal writes, the weapon’s antecedence is chilling. Following the sentencing of four people for drugs and firearms offences, the history of the gun’s use can be revealed.

It started on the morning of August 12, 2012, when Dale Cregan and Anthony Wilkinson gunned down David Short, 46, at his home in Folkestone Road East, in Clayton. The gun was one of two used to carry out the hit. Both men received life sentences after admitting the killing.

The Glock was also used in another hit in which a man was shot but survived; it was fired into a home and most recently a gunman used it in a reckless attack on a group of men which is being treated as attempted murder.

It was finally recovered with the DNA of two members of a county lines drugs gang who have now been jailed, along with two others for their involvement in the “Lex” drugs line.

You can read all about the journey of the gun here.

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Not another Night and Day

Manchester ‘needs to avoid another Night & Day’ with the proposed construction of a 44-storey tower, councillors have warned.

As Ethan Davies writes, a years-long row between the council and music venue Night & Day Cafe, on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter, exploded in late 2021 when the authority served a noise abatement notice against the bar, which was established in 1991.

The case rumbled on in the courts for years until a judge dismissed the business’ appeal against the notice in early 2024, but sided with Night & Day on how to remedy the problem.

But now – as developer Glenbrook puts forward plans for a 364-apartment tower opposite Deansgate Locks – there’s warning of a potential repeat of that saga.

“Independent music venues such as Rebellion need to be protected from being shut down due to complaints from future residents of this proposal,” an objection stated in a council planning report.

Ethan has more details here.

Revamp for Withington Hospital

Work has started on a £14.2m community diagnostic facility at Withington Community Hospital. These images show how it could look once completed.

It’s hoped the centre will provide faster and more convenient access to life-saving tests for patients suffering cancer, cardio-respiratory diseases and other illnesses.

Construction is anticipated to be completed by spring of 2026 and the centre will eventually deliver ‘much needed sleep studies and non-obstetric ultrasound services, alongside cardiology and respiratory services’.

Health reporter Helena Vesty takes up the story here.

No longer in limbo

On the other side of the city, in east Manchester, an estate once dubbed ‘embarrasing’ by locals is set for an overhaul.

The planning application for 82 homes on the site of a former Beswick boozer is a ‘significant step forward’ for the Grey Mare Lane estate, which residents believe has long been maligned.

It was left in limbo when a regeneration scheme to retrofit homes was never completed. But the 1967 estate’s future seems to look brighter after Manchester council drew up a new masterplan to redevelop the area last September.

Ethan Davies has more here.

By the canal

Staying in east Manchester for a moment, let’s take a look at the plans for the brand-spanking new venue, in that part of the city.

A canalside development designed to enhance the growing Etihad Campus and further establish Manchester as a world-class visitor destination has been proposed by Co-op Live.

As Jenna Campbell writes, the proposed space will sit on the venue’s south terrace and feature a café, bar and kitchen, alongside a merchandise store. It would also have capacity to host around 600 people and function as a standalone event space.

Read more about it here.

Death by chocolate

We mentioned yesterday that the award-winning Long Bois bakery, in Levenshulme, had complained that the price of ingredients such as chocolate are now astronomical. Well, they’re not the only ones struggling.

The boss of Get Baked – known for its towering 24-layer chocolate cake – also says he’s had to up prices to stay afloat.

“I have just had word that based on current usage, the price we pay for our chocolate is going up by almost £100,000 per year as of June,” owner Rich Myers said.

Read about it here.

Headlines

Rejected: Oldham’s request to withdraw from a ‘controversial’ Greater Manchester housing plan has been rejected by the government. A letter published on the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government website said there was ‘no justification’ for the borough to leave Places for Everyone. Details here.

Appeal: A crossing has been installed on a main road in Stockport after a heartfelt appeal from a schoolgirl. Hannah, 10, wrote to her MP last year saying a crossing was badly needed in Heaton Moor so she could safely walk to the school on her own when she starts Year 6 in September. She convinced them and now she’s got what she needs.

The perfect pint: One of the UK’s most popular pint reviewers has just awarded his highest ever score for a pint of Guinness. Schooner Scorer who posts 60 second snippets scoring the best beers across the land has given Mulligans, in Manchester, an impressive 9.2 out of 10 – his highest ever score – for their pint of perfectly poured Guinness.

Weather

Thursday: Sunny intervals. 18C.

Roads: A5145 High Lane westbound, Chorlton, closed due to electricity work from B5217 Barlow Moor Road to Cross Road until April 15.

A572 St Helens Road southbound, Leigh, closed due to roadworks from A578 Twist Lane to Bonnywell Road until June 30.

Worth a read

Fish and chips and champagne. That’s what you got if you visited Pat Phoenix at home.

The Coronation Street actress played street siren Elsie Tanner for years and was, at one time, one of the most famous faces on television.

A true Manchester celebrity, she was a regular on chat shows and had a contract to open bingo halls and – according to Corrie creator Tony Warren – butcher’s shops. “If it was there she’d open it,” he said.

I was particularly taken with this line from the great Julie Goodyear MBE, aka Bet Lynch, who appears on a documentary about her life to talk about her former co-star with gleeful mischief.

“Many many men have fallen into that cleavage and drowned. Believe me. I watched a few,” she said. “They drowned happily.”

If you’re a fan of vintage Corrie, as I am, you should take great pleasure in the quotes in this feature about the actresses’ life.