Inquest into death of Oldham hostage
An inquest will open today in Wiltshire into the death of an Oldham man held hostage for ten months before he was killed.
Oldham gang steals mobile phones from children
A gang who robbed three children in Oldham turned on themselves, with one of the offenders being stabbed.
Man attacked with stun gun in Oldham
A man was attacked with a stun gun and then bundled into his own car in Oldham.
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Family's trauma and pain over death of worker in Nigeria
In a statement, the family of Chris McManus described the overwhelming feelings of trauma and pain when they were told of his death.
"We accept that the decisions reached and taken by the authorities were the only ones possible based on the information available.
"Two years ago we lost our beloved Chris, the trauma, pain, horror and distress have been overwhelming and intense. We are living our way through the grief with the tireless support and love of our family and friends. Our thanks and love goes out to each and every one of them.
"Chris cannot be hurt any more; we and all those who loved him will always remember the way he lived and not the way he died."
Death of British worker 'would have followed rapidly'
The pathologist who carried out the post-mortem found that in addition to head wounds, Christopher McManus also suffered injuries to the left leg, the left arm and torso. One section of the report read:
Death would have followed rapidly if not immediately... There would have been nothing a medical responder, however promptly they had been on the scene, could have done to save his life.
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Oldham hostage "unlawfully killed" in Nigeria
A hostage from Oldham was killed by his captors as special forces were storming the building where he was being held, a coroner has concluded.
Christopher McManus, 28, had been working as a quantity surveyor in northern Nigeria when he was taken hostage with an Italian colleague in May 2011.
They were shot to death ten months later just minutes into a rescue attempt.
Coroner David Ridley, recording a verdict of unlawful killing, said he had 'no doubt' the hostages were killed by one of two insurgents seen fleeing the building.
The inquest heard Christopher suffered multiple bullet wounds consistent with an AK47 assault rifle.
Inquest into death of Oldham hostage
An inquest will open today in Wiltshire into the death of an Oldham man held hostage for ten months before he was killed.
Read the full storyHostages 'killed in toilet' before forces arrived
British officials had worked for months trying to track down the captured men as rumours floated that they had been taken out of the country.
Nigerian government sources said that the men were killed before the arrival of security forces.
The wife of one of the guards holding the hostages in Nigeria claimed they were taken into a toilet and shot dead during the failed rescue attempt.
Today's hearing will take place at Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner's Court in Salisbury.
Related: Hostage deaths highlight growing threat in West Africa
Homes evacuated after Oldham factory fire
Fire crews in Oldham are tackling a large fire a derelict factory.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service received reports of the blaze at the building in Chester Street, Werneth, at just after 8:30 this morning and quickly brought the fire under control.
The disused building, which is near to a number of terraced houses, was well alight and smoke could be seen for miles around.
Fire crews from Oldham, Hollins, Hyde, two from Chadderton and an aerial platform were sent to the scene.
A total of 11 houses were evacuated as a precaution – residents in five houses have been allowed to return home but those in six houses have not yet been let back in for safety reasons.
Station Manager John Varey, who was in charge of the incident, said: “There are still small isolated pickets of fire within the building but we can’t send crews in at the moment due to potentially unsafe nature of the building.
“The fire involved 100 per cent of the building – the ground and first floors and the roof were well alight when we arrived.
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Man on murder charge
A man has been charged with the murder of a mother of two from Oldham. Jabeen Younis, was discovered at her home last Friday. She died of stab wounds. 34-year-old Jahangir Nazar of Bamford Street in Chadderton will appear in court tomorrow charged with her murder.
Woman found dead in Oldham
Police are investigating after a woman was found dead in Oldham.Shortly after 10am this morning officers were called to reports of a concern for welfare at an address on Bamford Street in Oldham. They found the body of a 30-year-old woman. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death is ongoing.
– Superintendent Denise WorthWe are at the early stages of our enquiries and we have a team of detectives working to establish the circumstances that led to her death. “I want to reassure the community that a thorough investigation is now taking place and there are extra patrols in the area. “I would urge anyone who has information that can assist our enquiries to call us as soon as possible.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Oldham gang steals mobile phones from children
A gang who robbed three children in Oldham turned on themselves, with one of the offenders being stabbed.
Read the full storyMan attacked with stun gun in Oldham
A man was attacked with a stun gun and then bundled into his own car in Oldham.
Read the full storyToday's top stories
