Manchester Pusher

Last updated

Manchester Pusher
Manchester Rochdale Canal 87 4607.JPG
A canal in Manchester city centre
Date2004 [1] / 2007 [2] to date
Location Greater Manchester, [3] including surrounding towns such as Bolton, Rochdale and Wigan [3]
CauseUnknown
Casualties
86+ [3]

The Manchester Pusher is the name given to a hypothetical serial killer, or individual, alleged to be responsible for the deaths of a number of people whose bodies have been retrieved from the waterways (principally the canals) of Greater Manchester, England, since at least 2007. [4] [5] Proponents of the theory claim that the "alarming" number of deaths to have occurred in the Rochdale, Ashton and Bridgewater Canals since the early 2000s cannot all have occurred as the result of accidents or suicides, and must have involved some element of foul play. [1] Between 2008 and 2016 alone, 60 deaths were recorded in Greater Manchester's canals. [6] [7]

Contents

Greater Manchester Police have for years attempted to dispel the myth of the 'Manchester pusher', and offered alternate explanations for the numbers of deaths, but the theory of the pusher "often returns". [2] In 2018, Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester's city centre spokesman, dismissed the theory of a 'Manchester pusher' as an urban myth, adding "It [..] will never die, and any time there's an incident or accident it comes up again. I think it causes distress to the families that have lost their loved ones". [2]

History

According to a BBC News article in 2018, the origins of the Manchester Pusher story can be traced back to a Daily Star Sunday article from January 2015, [3] in which Professor Craig Jackson, head of psychology at Birmingham City University, concluded that "It (was) extremely unlikely that such an alarming number of bodies found in the canals (could be) the result of accidents or suicides", and that it was "entirely possible" that a canal killer or 'gay slayer' was the cause for at least some of the deaths. By the time of the article's publication in 2015, Twitter users had already given the alleged canal killer the hashtag #thepusher.

Several commentators have agreed that if such an individual exists, they may be purposefully targeting young men, gay men, or men they believe to be gay, [1] [6] noting that certain towpaths along Manchester's canals have traditionally been used as gay cruising areas. [8] Greater Manchester Police however have refuted these claims, stating that there is nothing linking the deaths. [9] In 2016, Detective chief inspector (DCI) Pete Marsh was instructed to re-investigate all the deaths, searching for possible linkages amongst them. [9] Marsh reported that he "did not believe young men or those that were gay made up the majority of the deaths", adding that he believed many of the individuals may have simply been drunk and fallen in accidentally. [9]

Cyclist attack

On 10 April 2018, a 34-year-old cyclist was knocked into the Bridgewater Canal at 10:00 p.m. by an unknown assailant near Old Trafford football stadium, who proceeded to kick the cyclist back into the water as he attempted to get out. [2] The assailant subsequently sprinted away from the scene, and the cyclist was able to get back onto land. [10] The incident revived rumours of the pusher, and Greater Manchester police stated they were looking for the suspect, said to be "a white male aged between 20 and 40". [2] Andy Sutcliffe, Greater Manchester Police's Chief Inspector, stressed at the time that there was "...no evidence to suggest that this is linked to any other incidents and we've had no further reports." [10] The story made the news as far away as New Zealand. [10]

Possible explanations

David Wilson, the chair of the Manchester Water Safety Partnership, was quoted in 2018 as saying that he suspected that a significant number of the canal deaths were alcohol-related. [3] Other commentators have noted the fact that many bar owners in the city are keen to capitalise on the attractive waterside setting that the city's canals present, which poses a dangerous combination in the dark after people have consumed too many drinks. Barriers have been installed at certain points along the canal edge to prevent people from accidentally falling in. [3] [11]

Documentary

In 2016, Channel 4 released a documentary investigating the myth entitled Manchester's Serial Killer? by filmmaker Darren Lovell. [6] [10] [12] In 2018, before the documentary was aired on Channel 4, Greater Manchester Police released their own video response on their YouTube channel, in which a senior detective again rebutted the claims that the pusher was at large. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Shipman</span> English doctor and serial killer (1946–2004)

Harold Frederick Shipman, known to acquaintances as Fred Shipman, was an English doctor in general practice and serial killer. He is considered to be one of the most prolific serial killers in modern history, with an estimated 284 victims over a period of roughly 30 years. On 31 January 2000, Shipman was convicted of murdering 15 patients under his care. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order. On 13 January 2004, one day before his 58th birthday, Shipman hanged himself in his cell at HM Prison Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canal Street (Manchester)</span> Street in Manchester, England

Canal Street is a street in Manchester city centre in North West England and the centre of Manchester's gay village. The pedestrianised street, which runs along the west side of the Rochdale Canal, is lined with gay bars and restaurants. At night time, and in daytime in the warmer months, the street is filled with visitors, often including LGBT tourists from all over the world. The northern end of the street meets Minshull Street and the southern meets Princess Street; part of the street looks across the Rochdale Canal into Sackville Gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trafford Centre</span> Shopping centre and entertainment complex in Trafford, Greater Manchester

The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and entertainment complex in Urmston, Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1998 and is third largest in the United Kingdom by retail space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Belmarsh</span> Mens prison in Thamesmead, London, England

His Majesty's Prison Belmarsh is a Category A men's prison in Thamesmead, southeast London, England. The prison is used for high-profile cases, particularly those concerning national security. Within the grounds is the High Security Unit (HSU), which consists of 48 single cells. It is run by His Majesty's Prison Service. The prison has been called "Britain's Guantanamo Bay" due to the long-term detention of terrorism suspects without charge. Considered the toughest prison in the UK, Belmarsh is also notoriously known as "Hellmarsh" owing to the high number of physical and authority abuses reported by both the prison's inmates, and by human rights activists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Manchester Police</span> English territorial police force

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England.

Domenyk Lattlay-Fottfoy is an English gangster and sex offender. With his brother Desmond "Dessie" Noonan, he headed a criminal organisation or "crime firm" in Manchester, England during the 1980s and 1990s and is a member of one of Manchester's most infamous crime families.

The smiley face murder theory is a theory advanced by retired New York City detectives Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte, as well as Dr. Lee Gilbertson, a criminal justice professor and gang expert at St. Cloud State University. It alleges that 45 young men found dead in bodies of water across several Midwestern American states from the late 1990s to the 2010s did not accidentally drown, as concluded by law enforcement agencies, but were victims of one or multiple serial killers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in Manchester, England

Manchester Pride is a charity that campaigns for LGBTQ+ equality across the United Kingdom, predominantly in Greater Manchester. The Charity offers dialogue, training, research and policy analysis, advocacy and outreach activities focusing on LGBTQ+ rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Lindsay Rimer</span> 1994 British unsolved murder

Lindsay Jo Rimer was a 13-year-old British girl from Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire who disappeared on the evening of 7 November 1994. The following year, her body was found in the Rochdale Canal outside the town; she had been strangled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Islington</span> Human settlement in England

New Islington is an inner city area of Manchester, in North West England. Historically in Lancashire and part of Ancoats, it has taken a separate identity to reflect its changed status as a regeneration area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murders of Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone</span> 2012 killing of two police officers in England

On 18 September 2012, two Greater Manchester Police officers, Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone, were killed by Dale Cregan in a gun and grenade ambush while responding to a report of a burglary in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England.

Paul Massey was an English organised crime figure and Salford-based businessman. He was shot dead outside his home by Mark Fellows on 26 July 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croydon Cat Killer</span> Supposed animal killer in England

The Croydon Cat Killer is the name given to an individual alleged to have killed, dismembered and decapitated more than 400 cats and various other animals across England, beginning in 2014 in Croydon, South London. Reports of cat deaths attributed to the killer were spread across and around London, and as far north as Manchester. However, in 2018, the Metropolitan Police concluded that the mutilations had not been carried out by a human and were likely caused by wildlife predation or scavenging on cats killed in vehicle collisions, a conclusion subsequently supported by further research.

Ian Hopkins is a former senior British police officer. From October 2015 to December 2020, he was the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police.

Stephen John Port is a British serial killer and serial rapist. He has been convicted of the murder of four young men and multiple rapes and sexual assaults of several others. Port received a sentence of life imprisonment with a whole life order on 25 November 2016.

This is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community in Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Shukri Abdi</span> 2019 drowning of a child in England

Shukri Yahye-Abdi drowned in the River Irwell, England, on 27 June 2019. Aged 12, she was a refugee from Somalia who had lived in a refugee camp in Kenya until moving to England in 2017. She was with pupils from her school, Broad Oak High School, at the time of her death. Subsequent to her death, police reported there were no suspicious circumstances; however, Abdi's mother reported conflicting information and said that she had been complaining to her daughter's school about incidents of bullying for over a year.

Arooj Shah is a British Labour politician and since May 2023 is the leader of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester, a position she also previously held between 2021 and 2022. As leader she is a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and is the combined authority's portfolio lead for Equalities and Communities. She was the first Muslim woman to take charge of a council in the north of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foo Foo Lammar</span> British drag queen (1937–2003)

Francis Joseph Pearson was a British drag queen and nightclub owner known professionally as Foo Foo Lammar. The Times called him "One of the North of England's most popular female impersonators", whilst the BBC described his drag act as "legendary". Lammar, who was based in his native Manchester, worked in entertainment for over 30 years, and amassed a fortune of over £5m. He became an established name in Manchester from the 1970s onwards, and was well known in the city until his death in 2003.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Glendinning, Amy (25 August 2015). "'The Manchester Pusher is real': Author claims there is a serial killer stalking city's canals". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Halliday, Josh (15 April 2018). "'Manchester pusher' fears revived after man hurled into canal". The Guardian . Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Box, Dan (5 September 2018). "Manchester Pusher: Does a serial killer haunt the city's canals?". BBC News . Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  4. ↑ Collins, David; Wood, Vincent (11 March 2018). "Spectre of 'Manchester Pusher' lingers as 76 fall victim to death-trap canals". The Times . Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  5. ↑ Scheerhout, John (6 June 2018). "'The Manchester Pusher': Relatives of canal death victims raise claims of serial killer in TV documentary". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Killalea, Debra (19 January 2016). "Manchester's Serial Killer? Documentary examines canal deaths". news.com.au . Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Glendinning, Amy (19 January 2016). "Canal deaths in Manchester mapped". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  8. ↑ Glendinning, Amy (27 January 2014). "Proposals to close city centre gay cruising area the Undercroft 'could move problem elsewhere'". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 Glendinning, Amy (25 August 2015). "Manchester canal pusher: GMP rubbish serial killer claims saying there is nothing linking the deaths". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Cyclist's narrow escape revives fears of Manchester 'canal pusher' serial killer". The New Zealand Herald . 15 April 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  11. ↑ "Manchester canal deaths: Barriers installed to prevent future drownings". BBC News . 15 July 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Manchester's Serial Killer?". britesparkfilms.com. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  13. ↑ Scheerhout, John (6 June 2018). "Police publish 'serial killer myth' YouTube clip hours before Pusher documentary is broadcast". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 4 September 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.