A £6 set of Asda knives… 54 seconds of horror

5 comments

1. Why is ASDA shamed in the headline but then the killer not even named before the fourth paragraph? 

2. When did Harlan Coben start writing for MEN?

3. This is the problem with the attempts at making knives and bladed objects illegal, there will always be something that’s a substitute and kitchen knives will always be readily available. What’s normally not mentioned is that a kitchen knife is a lot more deadly than a machete and “zombie knives”, in their desire to look a certain way, are also less deadly. The attempted bans are not just useless but backwards.

4. Why are knives sharp pointed anyway?

5. It was a warm, sunny afternoon in Droylsden when Michelle Hodgkinson set off to meet her mum for a coffee. She walked along Burton Road, before turning onto Edge Lane, enjoying the pleasant weather and looking forward to an afternoon of shopping.
   As she strolled across a bridge at the Ashton Canal, someone – hiding in the undergrowth – was waiting. Armed with a kitchen knife bought from Asda 40 minutes earlier, the man pounced. He repeatedly stabbed her.
   Michelle, 51, lay on the pavement pleading for her life, utterly helpless. Her attacker – a now 30-year-old with complex mental health issues – was heard laughing.
   He threw the knife over a fence and walked away, having killed Michelle. Within hours he was arrested and sectioned. For the last 18 months, that man – Paul Hughes – has been locked up at a maximum security hospital.
   Following three-day ‘fact finding’ trial at Minshull Street Crown Court, a jury found he unlawfully killed Michelle. Hughes carried out the horrific killing in the throes of a mental health crisis.
   Michelle had never seen him before – they were complete strangers to one another. Hughes, then 28, had struggled with severe mental health issues, having been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
   His family tried to get him help, noticing he had become ‘withdrawn and depressed’. It was clear he was unwell, but there was nothing to suggest he was capable of such a brutal attack.
   On the morning of June 2 last year, the shocking reality of his illness would become clear. Hughes left his house at around 10.45am. He didn’t tell anyone where he was going.
   CCTV footage captured him boarding a tram at Droylsden, alighting at Velopark. He then made the five minute walk to Asda. Despite the heat, he was wearing a jumper and gloves. Striding over to the kitchenware section, he picked up a pack of kitchen knives.
   They varied in size and cost just £6. Using his bank card, he paid for the blades and walked out of the store. Hughes got on the tram and made the 15-minute journey back to Droylsden.
   His movements were captured on CCTV and played to a packed courtroom. Hughes was tracked from the Velopark tram stop to the bridge on Edge Lane. He was seen taking out the largest knife and throwing the others into a garden.
   Cameras captured him hiding under a tree, before Michelle was picked up as she turned onto the main road before being attacked. The horrific killing was caught on the dashcams of passing cars and fixed CCTV cameras.
   A passer-by screamed a Hughes to stop as Michelle shouted for help, before emergency services were called. The court heard Hughes was heard laughing ‘as if he was on drugs’. He held the blade in his right hand – a fact that would become significant in the following police investigation.
   The attack lasted 54 seconds before Hughes stood up, threw the knife over a fence and walked away. He walked home, before dropping his gloves into a grid. He was seen examining his hands, front and back.
   When the gloves were recovered, Michelle’s blood was found on the right ringer and thumb. As an air ambulance was scrambled as paramedics attempted to save Michelle, witnesses spoke of their horror.
   One person told the Manchester Evening News: “It’s terrible, you can’t comprehend it. There was blood everywhere.” That evening, police knocked on Hughes’ door on Field Street, Droylsden.
   Having been arrested, he was found unfit to be interviewed by detectives and was sectioned under the Mental Health Act. He was never deemed fit to be interviewed. He has never given his account of what happened and why.
   A decision was made to charge Hughes with offence of murder in May. On December 2, the case reached Minshull Street Crown Court.
   He didn’t attend or give evidence. “After a thorough assessment he was found to be unfit to plead and stand trial,” prosecutor Rob Hall told jurors.

   “This means he is not well enough to participate in the trial and on that charge of murder, there is no full trial. Instead, we ask you to determine whether he is the person who physically stabbed Michelle Hodgkinson to death and to determine that was unlawful.”
   Jurors found Hughes carried out the act and he was convicted of unlawfully killing Michelle. Paying tribute to her at the time of her death, Michelle’s family said: “Everyone who knows Michelle is in utter shock at the attack she endured and how horrific her last moments were.
   “Our Shelly B was the most amazing, loving, selfless and funny daughter, mother, mother-in-law, sister, auntie and most recently a nanna. It was a privilege to have been known and loved by her.
   “She loved helping people in her community and was known for volunteering as an appropriate adult, her charity work and loved creating hampers to make people smile. She would be there for anyone and the day she was taken from us, she was doing just that – walking to meet her mum to take her shopping and to go for a coffee.
   “Our family and friends are heartbroken. In one moment our world has crumbled and will never be the same. We will support each other, and we thank and appreciate the love and support shown by our family and friends. Please hold your loved ones close, tell them you love them and make memories.
   “Words cannot describe how much she will be missed. Our biggest cheerleader, our confidant, our rock – she will never be forgotten. We love you to the moon and back. We’ll do everything we can to get justice. Love you forever and always.”

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