The Mancunian Way: A murky past… and a deadly romance

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Don McPherson presented himself as a charming adventurer, telling anyone who would listen he was a millionaire property developer. But that was a charade.

In reality, even his own name was an invention - and he had convictions spanning continents for one deception after another. Over the years, he lied about being an orphan raised by foster parents.

He lied to the companies who employed him before he stole from them. He lied to the police, to a judge and to his adopted family here in England about his murky past.

Did he also lie when he said he didn't kill his wealthy wife for money? A judge has found - in a civil case, where the burden of proof is lower than that in a criminal case - that Ms Leeson, was killed by a heavily in debt McPherson so he could he collect the £3.5m in life insurance policies he had purchased in their names behind her back.

He booked a holiday cottage in a remote village in Denmark. There, he rendered Paula unconscious with an arm lock and drowned her in the shallow, indoor pool.

That was the 'firm view' of a High Court judge who dismissed his claims it had been an accident and said he had 'no hesitation' in saying he 'unlawfully killed' Ms Leeson.

And yet McPherson remains a free man. In this riveting read crime reporter John Scheerhout takes an in-depth look at one of Greater Manchester's most tragic and intriguing cases.

On the buses

The Bee Network is one-year-old today. And new figures have revealed a significant rise in the number of bus passengers across Greater Manchester in the 12 months since services were brought back under public control for the first time in almost 40 years.

Nearly seven million more journeys have been made on the region's buses compared with the previous year, an increase of five per cent. It’s up from 155.5 million in 2022/23, to 162.3 million during 2023/24, TfGM said.

Mayor Andy Burnham hailed the ‘pioneering’ move and said other cities were now looking to follow suit. Transport correspondent Paul Britton has more here…

Off the rails?

But there’s less good news on the trains. One of the Mayor’s other major transport projects - a new railway from Manchester to Liverpool - faces a huge hurdle.

Mr Burnham admitted his plans rely on government funding — hours after the Transport Secretary Lou Haigh, speaking during the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, said the cash isn’t there. Ethan Davies reports

‘Where do you sleep? Under the sink?’

This pokey studio flat is up for rent in Victoria Park, south Manchester for £1,000 per month. It comes with a toilet stuffed inside a glass shower cubicle and a kitchen sink splashback appearing to show nude paintings.

Estate agents say it offers tenants the chance to 'fully enjoy your own space and time without any interference.' Others though have a different take on the property.

"Where do u sleep? Under the sink?,” asked one M.E.N. reader after reading James Holt’s piece on the apartment.

‘I came to realise there’s nothing to be ashamed of’

Former Corrie star Rupert Hill remembers all too well the moment he realised alcohol was starting to take a grip over his life. Actor, writer and pub owner Rupert noticed that enjoying a glass or two here and there had started to spiral into an addiction three years ago.

And, from that day on, he vowed to learn as much as he could about alcohol addiction to break his growing dependency. After first being wary of telling people what he was going through, he says he ‘came to realise there’s nothing to be ashamed of’.

Now, his experiences of learning to live alcohol free have partly inspired his new play, Husk, which gets its world premiere at Hope Mill Theatre in Ancoats next week.

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Weather etc

Wednesday: Sunny intervals changing to overcast by lunchtime, 14C.

Trains: Due to engineering works there will be a replacement bus between Wigan Wallgate and Salford Crescent on Saturday.

Manchester headlines

Murder-suicide: A 'devoted' mother and her eight-year-old daughter who died in a suspected murder-suicide at a house in Salford have been named. Martina and Eleni were tragically found dead at a house on South Radford Street yesterday morning after emergency services were called over concerns for their welfare.

Stabbed: Harpurhey police station was cordoned off today after a man was found in the car park outside with a knife wound. It is believed he suffered the injury elsewhere then walked to the station. Read more

Dawn raids: Police carried out a series of dawn raids today and arrested seven men as part of a new probe into child sexual exploitation nearly 20 years ago. The suspects, aged between 41 and 54, were taken into custody following raids at nine addresses in Manchester, Stockport and Wilmslow. More here

Worth a read

Kerry Katona and Katie Price are starring in panto in Cheshire this Christmas. And this week lifestyle editor Dianne Bourne met the old friends for a no-holds barred chat where nothing was off the table including hot flushes, bankruptcy and OnlyFans.