A DENTON man’s murder is at the centre of a renewed police appeal after more than 27 years.
Paul McGrath died after suffering 18 stab wounds in what the Greater Manchester force describes as a ‘frenzied and targeted attack.’
The following morning, the 34-year-old’s body was found at the foot of the stairs of his home on Holland Street West after a workman who was walking past found the door slightly open.
Now almost 30 years later, GMP’s cold case unit has issued a plea for more information that could bring justice to his family, with a £50,000 reward still on offer.
Paul, alongside some friends, had gone for a drink at Dog and Partridge pub, on Ashton Road, on the evening of Sunday, April 6, 1997 before going home on his own.
Officers believe those responsible for his death targeted him as one of his acquaintances was involved in an ongoing dispute and they were searching for an acquaintance of his when they arrived at his home just after midnight in the early hours of Monday, April 7.
Two men were arrested within two weeks of the murder before going on trial in March 1998. Both men were acquitted following a lengthy trial.
Detective Constable Matthew Sharkey, from GMP’s Cold Case Unit, said: “We know there are people out there who are able to tell us what they know and what they saw all those years ago.
“Although it was nearly 30 years ago, you can’t just forget what you saw, it will be playing on the mind of someone who knows something, and I hope their conscience will allow them to speak to us after all this time – please come and tell us the truth.
“Your information could help a grieving family know what happened to their beloved son and it is never too late to come forwards.
“All of the work we are doing is to get Vera, Paul’s mother, to finally see her son’s killer or killers brought to justice and help a family finally come to terms with the death of their loved one.”
Paul’s sister Gillian is continuing to urge people for their information, not just for her but also for her elderly mother Vera, who is 85-years-old.
She said: “I saw my mum bury her son and it was the worst thing in the world to witness.
“My mum, along with the rest of our family, goes to Paul’s grave to lay flowers on his birthday every year and we have done this for the last 27 years.
“We just wish that we knew exactly what happened to our Paul and see those who brutally killed him to be brought to justice.”
Anyone with information, which will be dealt with in the strictest confidence, is asked to contact Greater Manchester Police’s Cold Case Review Unit direct on 0161 856 5978 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.