The assault took place in the early hours of Saturday, October 4, 2008, when Chris left the Derby Arms pub on Bolton Street.
Whilst walking along Bolton Road he got talking to two women, near the Blockbuster Video store and Raja’s Indian Takeaway.
The two women then got into a black car with two men and as Chris continued to speak to the women, he was stabbed in the neck by one of the men.
Chris sustained life-threatening injuries from this attack but managed to make his way back to the Derby Arms Pub to seek help from the occupants, who gave him first aid and called an ambulance. He was then given life-saving treatment at hospital.
Following this incident, an investigation was launched by GMP Bury CID and two men were subsequently arrested however no one was charged with the assault.
In May 2023 a murder investigation was launched and police are now appealing to the public for information.
A mother’s appeal
Chris’ mother, Tracey McLeod said: “My son lost his life on May 30, 2023 at Fairfield Hospital when he was just 40 years old. Chris was kind-hearted and always put others before himself. He had a heart of gold, he was funny, loving, and most of all caring, and he had a fantastic personality.
“Chris touched the heart strings of everyone who met him: family, friends, colleagues, and strangers. Chris had a son he loved so very much but now his son has lost his father. Chris was a son, grandson, nephew, brother, uncle, father and brother-in-law. His greatest achievement was becoming an RAC inspector, which he was very proud of and his family was incredibly proud of him.
“Words cannot describe the pain and trauma that Chris’s death has had on our family. The pain and sadness is with us all day and night and it doesn’t go away. I am pleading as a mother for help from the public. Please help us as a family get some closure from the grief we are going through.
“Chris was brutally stabbed in the neck 15 years ago, and the people involved left my son for dead. This happened at the back of Blockbusters on Bolton Road. Please come forward with any information to help a devasted family and help my son Chris to rest in peace.”
Unprovoked attack
DI Alex Wilkinson of Greater Manchester Police said: “Chris was an innocent victim of an unprovoked and terrible attack that tragically resulted in his death. Although Chris passed away years after the incident took place, this has not lessened the impact on his family who have had to watch the person they love pass away from an act of senseless violence. Chris’s family remain at the forefront of this investigation, and we will continue supporting them with specialist officers.
“Despite the passage of time between Chris’s death and the attack on him, the investigation team remains determined to identify the person or persons responsible and bring them to justice.
“I would like to appeal to anyone with any information about the assault to do the right thing and contact police. The information you have could be the piece we need to solve this investigation and finally bring some closure to a grieving family.”
Information can be reported here: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP23N10-PO1. Alternatively, you can report via www.gp.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting the 495 4/10/2008.
