ON SUNDAY 11 January social media in Manchester exploded.
"There is no evidence at all to suggest these deaths are linked or were suspicious."
There was a killer on the loose in Manchester. A 'serial slayer' had been stalking the city's canals since 2008 picking off victims.
What's more... he'd already 'slayed' 61 victims - read here.
Twitter screamed, Mancunians ran for the hills and the national press including The Daily Mail, The Mirror, The Metro, even The Independent, pounced on the story.
The main problem with this knee-knocking headline, however, was that it came from The Daily Star, a newspaper that mostly trades in tits, arse, tits and giant killer rats.
So now we're believing this lot?
The Daily Star - which in the past has run front page headlines including 'Monster Rats The Size Of Cows' and 'Diana's Ghost Tells Kate: You're Too Thin' - dragged in a Birmingham City University Professor and 'spree killer' expert (after 30 other more reputable University Professors turned them away, presumably) to drum up fear.
The Professor's conjecture about a 'gay slayer' on the loose was followed by the heinous suggestion that Manchester could be facing its own Colin Ireland - a serial killer who tortured gay men to death in London in the 90s and has absolutely no connection to any of the deaths in Manchester (except that some, and only some, of the 61 Manchester dead were gay).
The article states that 'in the twelve months from August 2010 a third of the deaths in UK waterways were in the Manchester area', although they provide no evidence for this and don't reveal what exactly 'the Manchester area' refers to.
However, as Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have pointed out, what the Daily Star fails to mention is that the figures 'relate to the whole of the Greater Manchester area and not just the city centre'. In other words some 1,277 square kilometres and well over 100 miles of waterway.
Canal Street
That's one thing, but the main sticking point in this story, the one that's most difficult for any individual or publication to swerve (yes even The Daily Star) is that Greater Manchester Police (that lot we're supposed to trust to protect us and solve crimes'n'that) have stated in no uncertain terms that there is absolutely 'no evidence' to suggest that these deaths are linked.
In an official statement released on Wednesday 14 January, GMP stated:
"What is very important to bear in mind in all these cases is that they have been subject to separate investigations and there is no evidence at all to suggest these deaths are linked or were suspicious.
"On some occasions, people have been charged with offences relevant to that particular investigation. Whilst in other cases, it remains uncertain how people came to be in the water, in many other cases the circumstances have been established following thorough investigations.
"These cases have then been presented at inquests before Her Majesty’s Coroners, and it is for the coroner to determine the exact cause of death. Absolutely no evidence whatsoever of foul play has been established.
"It should also be stressed that coroners do have the power to refer any deaths back to police if they suspect foul play and that has not happened."
On the accusation by the newspaper that 'in an astonishing 27 cases, police have been unable to identify even the sex of the deceased', Greater Manchester Police had this to say:
"It is also misleading and inaccurate to say 27 bodies are unidentified. That figure refers to the number of bodies whose gender had not been established at the time the intial incident was closed by the GMP call handler.
"Subsequent inquiries have then been carried out and the gender of those bodies have been established, only one of these bodies remains unidentified."
That's not to say the police are infallible. Of course they're not, Hillsborough is fresh in the mind. But if we're given the choice between the word of the police (bound by an Act of Parliament to protect us), or a Professor out to make a few bob in a tabloid newspaper which currently has on its homepage an image of US popstar and wildchild Miley Cyrus topless with only shower foam to cover her modesty - shouldn't we go with the police?
Right - the editor says he wants to do one of his guided tours down the Rochdale Canal soon, anybody up for it? He says he's seen some aliens down there Morris dancing with zombies to the music of the devil. We reckon he should call The Daily Star, earn a few quid.
The editor prepares to meet the alien Morris dancers
