Two men are charged with murder after graduate, 23, was beaten to death in the street ‘in row over a bicycle’
- David Allan died in hospital a day after he was attacked on a Wythenshawe street
- Witnesses said he got into an argument about a bicycle moments before attack
- Joseph Stott, 33, and Aiden Matthews, 30, charged with murder over the death
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
David Allan, 23, died in hospital on Friday, a day after he was the victim of a daylight attack in Wythenshawe, south Manchester
Two men have been charged with murder after a university graduate was beaten to death in the street in a ‘row over a bicycle.’
David Allan, 23, died in hospital on Friday, a day after he was the victim of a daylight attack in Wythenshawe, south Manchester.
Witnesses claimed he got into an argument outside a row of shops minutes before the attack at 6pm, before he was knocked to the ground and punched in the head.
Joseph Stott, 33, from Partington and Aiden Matthews, 30, from Wythenshawe, have been charged with murder over the assault, Greater Manchester Police said today.
Matthews is also charged with possession of an offensive weapon, they added.
Locals described hearing Mr Allan scream during the ‘senseless’ ten-minute attack on Thursday, before two men sped off and crashed into a car as they fled.
Three suspects were initially arrested, two men and a woman. A man, 39, and a woman, 42, held on suspicion of assisting an offender, were later released pending investigation.
One bystander, who did not want to be named, said: ‘I heard screaming.
Police stand at the scene in Wythenshawe following the assault on Thursday evening
Forensic officers arrive at the scene, as police say they are treating the incident as murder
‘There was blood on the pavement. It’s so senseless over something as trivial as a bike.’
Mr Allan’s family paid tribute to their ‘much-loved son’ in a statement, describing him as a ‘keen and active sportsman’ who had worked in a hospital shop until recently.
They said: ‘He recently graduated from Plymouth University and had until very recently been working at WHSmith in the Royal Infirmary despite the coronavirus outbreak, cheerfully serving key workers, patients and visitors alike.
‘David was saving his wages to take driving lessons to pursue his career goal of becoming a quantity surveyor.
‘David was a keen and active sportsman and for two years was a regular member of the university hockey team.
‘At school he loved to fence and shared this passion with children, coaching them at Birmingham University every Saturday.’
Stott and Matthews are due to appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court this morning.