The Mancunian Way: Tracking the weapon
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Guns or weed? Trump administration says you can't use both.
The Justice Department wants the Supreme Court to make clear that regular pot smokers, and other users of illegal drugs, cannot own guns. WASHINGTON – The Trump administration's aggressive defense of gun rights has at least one exception. The government's lawyers want the Supreme Court to make clear that regular pot smokers – and other drug users − shouldn't be allowed to own firearms. An appeals court has said a federal law making it a crime for drug users to have a gun can't be used against someone based solely on their past drug use. Limiting the law to blocking the use of guns while a person is high effectively guts the statute that reduces gun violence, the Justice Department told the Supreme Court. They're asking the justices to overturn the appeals court's decision. Trump's Justice Department has sided with gun owners in other cases The department's defense of the law is particularly notable as the Trump administration has sided with gun rights advocates in other cases – including one in which they declined to appeal a lower court's ruling against a federal law setting 21 as the minimum age to own a handgun. More: Trump DOJ wants Supreme Court to bring down hammer on gun rules But on the issue of drug use, the government is appealing four cases to the Supreme Court, asking the justices to focus on one involving a dual citizen of the United States and Pakistan who was charged with unlawfully owning a Glock pistol because he regularly smoked marijuana. The FBI had been monitoring Ali Danial Hemani because of his alleged connection to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which the government has designated a global terrorist group, according to filings. The government also alleges Hemani used and sold promethazine, an antihistamine used to treat allergies and motion sickness that can boost an opioid high, and used cocaine, although he was prosecuted based on his marijuana use. Hemani's attorneys said the government is trying to 'inflame and disparage' Hemani's character and the only facts that matter are that he was not high when the FBI found the Glock 19 in his Texas home. Hemani was charged with violating the federal law that prohibits the possession of firearms by a person who 'is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance.' More: Supreme Court sides with Biden and upholds regulations of ghost guns to make them traceable Appeals court ruled past drug use not enough to stop gun ownership The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that the law can't be applied to Hamani under the Supreme Court's landmark 2022 decision that gun prohibitions must be grounded in history that is "consistent with our tradition of gun regulation." While history and tradition support 'some limits on a presently intoxicated person's right to carry a weapon,' the appeals court said, 'they do not support disarming a sober person based solely on past substance usage.' The Justice Department said the appeals court got it wrong. Laws that existed at the time the country was founded restricted the rights of habitual drinkers, even when they were sober, they argued. 'And for about as long as legislatures have regulated drugs, they have prohibited the possession of arms by drug users and addicts – not just by persons under the influence of drugs,' they wrote. Law used in hundreds of prosecutions, including Hunter Biden's Since the federal government created its background-check system for firearms in 1998, the federal restriction on drug users has stopped more gun sales than any requirement other than the ban on felons and fugitives owning weapons, according to the filing. And it's used in hundreds of prosecutions each year, they said. (Hunter Biden, who was later pardoned by his father during President Joe Biden's final weeks in office, was convicted in 2024 of violating the law by purchasing a gun despite having a known drug addiction.) Hunter Biden trial recap Joe Biden's son guilty on all charges in historic gun case Hemani's lawyers argue that the government's interpretation of the law makes no sense when an estimated 19% of Americans have used marijuana and about 32% own a firearm. That means millions of Americans are violating the law that could put them behind bars for up to 15 years, they said in a filing. The appeals court, Hemani's lawyers said, correctly applied the Supreme Court's past decisions and 'common sense' to rule that 'history and tradition only supports a ban on carrying firearms while intoxicated.' In addition to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, two other appeals courts have issued rulings that restrict use of the federal ban: both courts ruled there should be individualized assessments of defendants' drug use to determine if their rights could be restricted. Trump administration touts program to restore gun rights The Justice Department argues that 'marginal' cases are better addressed on a case-by-case basis, through a federal program the Trump administration restarted that lets individuals petition to have their gun rights restored. The administration's championship of that program makes it less surprising that the Justice Department is vigorously defending the ban on drug users having guns, said Andrew Willinger, executive director of the Duke Center for Firearms Law, a research center. In addition, the administration has shown a broad desire to crack down on illegal drug use. 'In some sense, when those two areas are colliding – gun rights and anti-drug policies – it looks like anti-drug policies are going to win out,' he said. More: Supreme Court rules Mexico can't sue US gunmakers over cartel violence Willinger said there's a relatively strong chance the Supreme Court will get involved, which the justices tend to do when a lower court strikes down or restricts the application of a federal criminal law – especially if the government asks them to intervene. But the high court could also wait to see how other appeals courts handle similar cases and how well the Justice Department's program for restoring gun rights addresses these concerns, he said. The court could announce whether it will take up the issue this fall.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Attorney for father of Abundant Life school shooter asks to dismiss case, citing 'disregard of truth'
MADISON – The father of the Abundant Life Christian School student who shot and killed two people at the school is asking a Dane County judge to dismiss the charges against him, citing a "reckless disregard of the truth" in the complaint filed against him. Jeffrey Rupnow and his attorney, Lisa Goldman, in an Aug. 18 motion, argued that the fact his daughter, Natalie Rupnow, was able to access the family's gun safe didn't mean her father allowed her to. The motion acknowledged that Jeffrey Rupnow told his daughter the combination to the safe was his Social Security number in reverse, but argued he never gave her the numbers or any other clues. More: Father of Abundant Life school shooter will stand trial for providing guns used in attack The document also points to text messages sent by Rupnow in the days before the shooting, in which he tells friends that "my kid would shoot me" if he left the safe open, which alluded to him believing that Natalie could not access the guns inside. "There are no facts in the Complaint or elicited at the Preliminary Hearing that assert Rupnow thought or knew his daughter could access the gun safe on December 16, 2024," the document says. By alleging that Rupnow owning guns led to his daughter's actions at the school, the state is violating his Second Amendment rights to bear arms, the motion says. The motion also argues that Rupnow did not know how his daughter was planning a school shooting online with older friends. The documents says Rupnow was not allowed access to Natalie's laptop or her room, which she had deemed a "safe space." It also states that Rupnow did not know his daughter to be suicidal or a danger to others. "The State's inference that Rupnow knew (Natalie Rupnow) was suicidal and contributed to her delinquency by joining a gun club, facilitating her participation in a gun class which she passed, encouraging her to participate in Rimfire at the gun club, is an impermissible inference given nobody believed N.R. was suicidal or homicidal since October 2021," the document says. More: Mother of Abundant Life Christian School shooter dies by apparent suicide Natalie Rupnow died by suicide after opening fire inside a study hall at Abundant Life in December, killing Teacher Erin West, 42, and freshman Rubi Vergara, 14. That morning, she arrived at the school carrying a .22-caliber Sig Sauer and a Glock handgun, both of which had been purchased by Jeffrey Rupnow and stored in a gun safe at his home. In an interview with authorities cited in the criminal complaint, Jeffrey Rupnow said the day before the shooting, he had retrieved his daughter's handgun from his gun safe for cleaning. He was uncertain whether she returned it to the safe. That gun and another handgun were used in the shooting. Her father told police she must have retrieved the second gun from the safe. Documents found in Natalie Rupnow's room after her death include statements describing humanity as "filth" and saying she lived in a "population of scum." She used a racial slur before saying, "Some of you guys deserve to be dead." She believed, according to the court record, that humanity had forced her into a hole. She also appeared to idolize mass shooters, according to the complaint. She also wrote she was able to obtain the firearms she would use in the Abundant Life shooting as a result of "lies and manipulation, and my father's stupidity," according to the complaint. Other notebooks showed maps of the school, how to best damage a body with a bullet and apparent timelines for when she would begin her attack, according to the complaint. Authorities also found a cardboard model that resembled the school in her room. Rupnow is scheduled to appear in court later this month for a bail hearing, and a pre-trial conference is scheduled for late September. No hearings have yet been scheduled on the motion to dismiss. If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text "Hopeline" to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741 Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@ and on X @SchulteLaura. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lawyer for father of Abundant Life school shooter asks to dismiss case
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
I stood up to shoplifters in Tesco. It ruined my life
When Emilie Martin reported a gang of shoplifters at a Tesco in Hackney for stealing, she had no idea she would be dealing with the fallout for the next decade. Ms Martin, then 29, noticed a group of teenagers stealing sandwiches and, seeing there was no security guard, she approached the store manager and informed them of the theft. The staff member said there was nothing they could do and admitted the gang raided the east London store on a near-daily basis. What Ms Martin did not know was that the gang had overheard her. Walking outside, Ms Martin, an event manager, was surrounded by the teenagers, sprayed with a drink, and when she threatened to call the police, she was punched in the face. Last week, Matthew Barber, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, called for the public's help in tackling shoplifters. After seeing his comments, Ms Martin, now 39, felt she had to speak up and let the public know what the realities of standing up to criminals could be like. Ms Martin, who was assaulted in 2015, said she has been left with ongoing health issues and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and was constantly re-traumatised during her four-year fight to receive a small amount of compensation. Ms Martin's attackers have never been caught. She claims the Metropolitan Police showed 'little concern' and that Tesco claimed CCTV footage of the incident had been 'lost in a technical error'. She said: 'The punch left me with permanent scarring, breathing problems, and the need for two operations on my eye and nose, plus another still pending after 18 months on an NHS waiting list. 'The physical injuries were only the start. I was diagnosed with PTSD, yet NHS mental health support has been a mirage: goalposts moved, waiting lists closed, and promises broken.' Ms Martin sought compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) in 2017, but her claim was initially rejected, forcing her to go through two tribunal hearings. Six years after the assault, in June 2021, she was finally awarded £3,480. She said: 'Ten years on, I have been failed by every system meant to protect and support victims: the police, the justice system, the CICA, the NHS, and Tesco. On the night of the attack, I wasn't even offered an ice pack, let alone an apology.' Ms Martin said she understood the point Mr Barber was trying to make, and agreed that the public had a role to play in fighting the shoplifting epidemic. She said: 'The thing is, I agree with the principle of what Mr Barber is saying. I do think that apathy from society towards shoplifters is dangerous and unhealthy. 'But I also think that when people do stand up, a safety net for the victims, for those who do the right thing, has to be there and has to work.' Addressing Mr Barber in an open letter, she said: 'So, when you tell the public to intervene in shoplifting, I have to ask: do you understand what you are asking of us? 'Do you believe that, had you experienced what I have, you would still stand by those remarks? 'Where is the protection, the justice, the support for those who pay the price for acting as you suggest? 'I am not writing this to say 'don't stand up to crime.' I am writing to say: if you truly want the public to take that risk, then you must first guarantee that the police, the justice system, and victim support structures will not abandon them. 'Right now, I would not, because I know exactly what 'standing up' can cost, and I have paid that bill in full.' Mr Barber said the 'experience that Emilie suffered in London 10 years ago is horrific and has understandably lived with her ever since'. He said: 'It highlights why we need to do everything we can to reduce crime, particularly crimes such as shoplifting, which are not victimless as people sometimes think. 'Sadly, in Emilie's case, it appears that people just looked the other way and didn't try to help. A situation that I don't think anyone would want to be in.' Mr Barber added: 'It is for the police to cut crime and catch criminals, but it is for all of us to make sure we don't live in a society where people just look the other way and don't help those in distress.' 'Let down trying to do the right thing' Ms Martin said that, given her experience, she would not confront shoplifters again. She said she now suffers from chronic sinusitis as a result of the attack and has been waiting 18 months for an operation. Her PTSD, Ms Martin said, left her constantly on high alert and extremely anxious in certain situations. She said that reading reports about violent shoplifting gangs on an almost daily basis was also triggering. 'Tesco and Hackney Central are a bit of a no-go for me any more. If I see a group of teenage boys, I can't help it, I have to cross the road and get away from them. I am very nervous in supermarkets. 'If I was attacked, I don't feel as though I would be taken seriously or anything would happen.' This is only the second time Ms Martin has spoken publicly about her ordeal since it happened and she said she wanted other people who might be in similar situations to know that they were not alone. 'That is what worries me. Who knows how many people have had similar experiences and have been let down after trying to do the right thing.' A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'This was investigated thoroughly at the time and regrettably, we were unable to identify a suspect. 'The Met Police is working to support shopkeepers and tackle theft in the capital, this year solving 163 per cent more shoplifting cases than in the same period last year. 'If you see criminal activity taking place please call the police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.' Ms Martin said she wanted her case to lead to changes in the way the CICA deals with victims and for mandatory CCTV retention from large retailers like Tesco, or penalty fines, in cases involving violence. Analysis by The Telegraph has revealed that more chronic shoplifters and thieves are walking free than ever before. Almost six in 10 prolific thieves – defined as having at least 15 previous convictions – avoided prison last year, the highest proportion since Ministry of Justice records began more than a decade ago. Just 41.3 per cent received a custodial sentence, down from 46.4 per cent the previous year. Last week, Katy Bourne, the national lead for shoplifting at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, warned that there was no point in arresting shoplifters if courts keep setting them free without preventing offenders from carrying out further crimes. Sir Keir Starmer has made tackling shoplifting a priority for his Government, pledging to introduce laws that require police to investigate even if the goods stolen are worth less than £200. Ms Bourne's intervention came after police in North Wales provoked a huge public backlash when a shop owner was spoken to for putting up a sign calling shoplifters 'scumbags'. The Prime Minister later said that he personally would not refer to shoplifters using the term. A Government spokesman said: 'We understand the devastating impact of shop theft on retailers. Since Ms Martin applied for compensation in 2017, we have improved how victims apply for compensation with a better online system and improved training for staff so the process is more straight-forward. 'Our landmark Crime and Policing Bill will also end the effective immunity for theft of goods under £200 and bring in a specific offence for assaulting retail workers, while the Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy is gathering data to better target and respond to perpetrators.' Tesco has been approached for comment. Solve the daily Crossword
