Body found in search for missing man, 40, last seen climbing into park amid murder probe
MURDER PROBE Body found in search for missing man, 40, last seen climbing into park amid murder probe
COPS have tragically discovered a body in the search for a missing man.
Craig Foy, 40, was last seen near Bury Old Road in Prestwich, Manchester, on Saturday July 26.
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CCTV appeared to show Craig climbing into the park on the night he vanished.
Now, a body has sadly been found by cops and is believed to be Craig.
The force said formal identification has not yet taken place but his family had been informed.
The frantic search for Craig spanned weeks and involved teams of officers scouring Heaton Park in Prestwich after CCTV footage emerged.
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Three people were arrested on suspicion of murder as part of the investigation.
Two have been told they will face no further action and one has been released on bail, Greater Manchester Police said.
Detective Chief Inspector Jill Billington, from GMP's Serious Crime Division, said: 'The investigation remains ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to Craig's death, and to ensure that we can get the answers that his family deserve.
'We appreciate the support of the public in sharing our appeals to locate Craig and ask for his family to be given privacy, space and time to process their loss."
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Cops urged anyone with information which could help the investigation to come forward immediately.
Police can be contacted on 101 quoting log number 917-28/7/25 or via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
GMP added: "Any information can also be uploaded to our bespoke Major Incident Public Portal – that includes photos and videos.
"If anyone knows anything, then please contact us."
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Sunday World
4 days ago
- Sunday World
Top UVF chief shot dead by IRA was set up by loyalist traitor Jimmy Craig
The Sunday World has learned that 39-year-old father-of-four Marchant – second in command of the UVF's Belfast Brigade – had become aware of the extent of Craig's double-dealing with the IRA NOTORIOUS: William 'Frenchie' Marchant was second in command of the UVF's Belfast Brigade Top UVF man William 'Frenchie' Marchant was waiting to meet loyalist Jimmy Craig when he was shot dead by the IRA, the Sunday World has learned. And this week it emerged the killing on Belfast's Shankill Road is to be revisited by the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery. The agency is appealing for witnesses to the shocking mid-afternoon murder nearly 40 years ago to come forward. And it is also asking members of the public who may have witnessed anything connected to the murder of west Belfast woman, 47-year-old Teresa Carson on Belfast's Glen Road in November 1974, to make contact. Launching the double appeal for witnesses, this week Assistant Commissioner Amanda Logan said the Marchant and Carson families had asked for the commission's help in finding out what happened to their loved ones. She said: 'We have always underlined the commission's unwavering commitment to helping families find the unvarnished truth and this is at the centre of our witness appeals.' The Sunday World has learned that 39-year-old father-of-four Marchant – second in command of the UVF's Belfast Brigade – had become aware of the extent of Craig's double-dealing with the IRA. And he also strongly suspected Craig of involvement in the murder of fellow UVF man John Bingham, who was shot by the IRA inside his family home on in September 1986, just seven months before his own murder. Having arranged to meet Craig in the heart of the Shankill, Marchant planned to confront him about it. But what Marchant didn't know was that Craig had already offered his head on plate to the IRA. It was all part of Craig's own person 'insurance policy' to avoid assassination at the hands of the IRA. The IRA suspected Marchant of organising the killing of top republican Larry Marley at the door of his home in Ardoyne a few weeks before. And the IRA was determined Marchant would pay with his life. An armed IRA murder squad was ready and waiting in a house it had taken over in Andersonstown in west Belfast when it received a telephone call to alert them Marchant had shown up on the Shankill for his meeting with Craig. Within minutes the IRA gun gang were on the move to the Shankill, where they quickly identified their target. Powerfully-built and with a strong public presence, Marchant wasn't the kind of man who blended into a crowd. Around 3pm on April 28 1987, 'Frenchie' was chatting to friends when a brown Datsun Bluebird car pulled up. Using and Armalite rifle and a handgun, two IRA men opened fire, hitting him several times. He died soon after in the nearby Mater Hospital. It is believed that at the precise time Marchant was shot, Craig had delayed his appearance on the Shankill by prolonging a conversation he was having in a furniture store until after the gunmen had fled. Two years ago, a report compiled by the Ulidia Legacy & Educational Trust called The Marchant File concluded that loyalists, republicans and members of the security services were all involved in a crossfire of deadly collusion. And during a meeting between Marchant's family and senior officers at the PSNI's Brooklyn Headquarters at Knock to hand over a copy of the report, an officer voiced serious concerns about the Marchant family's safety. Speaking to the Sunday World at the time, 'Frenchie's' son Martin (53) said: 'We already knew this report would put us in danger. But despite our concerns we are determined to get to the truth. And after meeting with the police, it's clear they share our concerns. 'The police we met appear genuinely worried about us and it was obvious they realise the dangers we now face. Senior officers agreed to read the document delivered to them. And that's all we can expect at this stage,' he said. But Martin Marchant also told how he and his two brothers had given a deathbed commitment to their sister Helena, who died of cancer six years ago aged 40. 'Lena always believed there was much more to our father's murder than what we were told. And before she passed away, she begged us to find out the truth,' he said. He added: 'In publishing The Marchant File, we've delivered on our promise to our sister.' 'Frenchie' Marchant was known to have been centrally involved in the Dublin/Monaghan massacre 13 years before his death. He arranged for cars to be stolen to deliver the bombs and UVF personnel to Dublin and Monaghan. The atrocity – which claimed the lives of 33 people and injured hundreds more – was the greatest loss of life in a single day during the entire Troubles. And in loyalist terror terms, 'Frenchie' was considered a 'war hero'. Published two years ago, the 71-page Marchant File was several years in the making. CRIME KING: Jimmy Craig It alleges the PSNI and the Police Ombudsman's Office failed in their duty to fully investigate IRA collusion with criminal loyalists and members of the security services in relation to the murder. At the time, Martin Marchant told us he believed the report would blow away the belief that the police were solely involved colluding with loyalists during the Troubles. He said: 'All we ever hear about is British collusion in murder here or RUC collusion with loyalists, but I honestly believe our research shows we have uncovered collusion between the IRA and loyalist criminals. And that the police knew all about it. 'But when my father was murdered in broad daylight on the Shankill Road, innocent members of the public were standing all around him. 'We believe the report shows the cops knew what was about to happen on the Shankill Road that day.' He added: 'Automatic weapons were fired on a busy shopping street and it was only by sheer luck others didn't die along with my father.' The origins of double dealing between loyalists and republicans began in the early 1980s in Crumlin Road Prison, when, following serious rioting inside the jail, prisoners from both sides held a two-day conference which culminated in a 'Top Man Agreement'. This meant that 10 named loyalists from the UDA and the UVF and 10 named republicans from the IRA and the INLA would be totally exempt from terrorist attack by either side. But following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985, Craig – a UDA leader well-known loyalist gangster and extortionist – took steps to protect himself from both sides. Using a family connection to IRA killer Joe Haughey, he secretly set up a number of leading loyalists for murder, including UDA man William 'Bucky' McCullough and the notorious Shankill Butchers boss Lenny Murphy. But the UDA leadership was suspicious of Craig and moved him to south Belfast, where there was rich pickings to be got on the many building site rackets. Eugene Reavey – whose three brothers were shot dead by the UVF in 1976 – has said his construction company handed over £1.3 million in total to Craig. It is believed British government spooks – under pressure from other hard-pressed businessmen – were also keen to see the end of Craig. A diary kept by British Military Intelligence agent Brian Nelson – who operated inside the UDA – reveals he too was aware of Craig's collusion with the IRA and INLA. It emerged that Craig even tried to have a UDA hit team wiped out by informing the IRA of an imminent attack on one its senior men in Twinbrook. A group of heavily armed IRA men were waiting on the arrival of the loyalists, but the murder bid was aborted when Nelson tipped off the UDA killer gang that Craig had set them up. It's also believed that Craig set up John McMichael – the so-called Supreme Commander of the UDA and its flag of convenience the UFF – who was blown up by the IRA outside his Lisburn home in 1987. Ten months later Craig died in a hail of UFF bullets as he played pool in an east Belfast bar. The UDA said he was guilty of treason – and history has proved them right. NOTORIOUS: William 'Frenchie' Marchant was second in command of the UVF's Belfast Brigade News in 90 Seconds - Aug 7th
The Irish Sun
7 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Body found in search for missing man, 40, last seen climbing into park amid murder probe
Police have urged anyone with information to come forward immediately MURDER PROBE Body found in search for missing man, 40, last seen climbing into park amid murder probe COPS have tragically discovered a body in the search for a missing man. Craig Foy, 40, was last seen near Bury Old Road in Prestwich, Manchester, on Saturday July 26. Advertisement CCTV appeared to show Craig climbing into the park on the night he vanished. Now, a body has sadly been found by cops and is believed to be Craig. The force said formal identification has not yet taken place but his family had been informed. The frantic search for Craig spanned weeks and involved teams of officers scouring Heaton Park in Prestwich after CCTV footage emerged. Advertisement Three people were arrested on suspicion of murder as part of the investigation. Two have been told they will face no further action and one has been released on bail, Greater Manchester Police said. Detective Chief Inspector Jill Billington, from GMP's Serious Crime Division, said: 'The investigation remains ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to Craig's death, and to ensure that we can get the answers that his family deserve. 'We appreciate the support of the public in sharing our appeals to locate Craig and ask for his family to be given privacy, space and time to process their loss." Advertisement Cops urged anyone with information which could help the investigation to come forward immediately. Police can be contacted on 101 quoting log number 917-28/7/25 or via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. GMP added: "Any information can also be uploaded to our bespoke Major Incident Public Portal – that includes photos and videos. "If anyone knows anything, then please contact us." Advertisement
The Irish Sun
03-08-2025
- The Irish Sun
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