Michelle Hodgkinson was stabbed to death in Droylsden in June 2023 by a stranger suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, an inquest heard
Michelle Hodgkinson and her daughter(Image: GMP)
The tragic timeline of events that led to a mum being stabbed to death in the street by a complete stranger, has been heard at an inquest today. Michelle Hodgkinson was killed in Droylsden in June 2023 when she was brutally and randomly attacked by Paul Hughes.
An inquest into the 51-year-old’s death heard Hughes may have been in a state of ‘paranoid psychosis’ when he stabbed Ms Hodgkinson 50 times in broad daylight on a bridge over the Ashton Canal. Stockport coroners’ court heard the ‘consensus’ among three psychiatrists who examined him was that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
In December 2024, a jury found Hughes had unlawfully killed Ms Hodgkinson, after the 31-year-old, formerly of Field Street, Droylsden, was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. He was given an indefinite hospital order.
Giving evidence at the inquest today (Monday, January 26), Det Chief Insp Danny Lee said Ms Hodgkinson did ‘absolutely nothing’ to provoke the attack as he outlined the timeline of events that led to her death. The court heard that at 10.45am on June 2, 2023, Hughes was seen on CCTV leaving his home before he caught a tram to Eastlands.
The scene in Droylsden following Michelle Hodgkinson’s death(Image: M.E.N.)
There he got off at the Velopark stop and walked into the nearby Asda at 11.08am where he bought a pack of kitchen knives. At almost exactly the same time Ms Hodgkinson was leaving work at Home Bargains, Chief Insp Lee told the inquest.
She had arranged to meet her mum for coffee at noon and was on her way home to change out of her work clothes. At 11.30am Hughes got back on a tram and made the nine minute return journey to Droylsden.
Around 15 minutes later he was caught on CCTV walking along the Ashton Canal towpath. It’s thought that moments earlier he had opened the pack of knives, selected one and discarded the remainder.
At 12.01am Ms Hodgkinson was walking over the canal bridge on Edge Lane, when Hughes emerged from the towpath and attacked her from behind. The fatal assault was witnessed by 12 people, mainly passing motorists, the inquest heard.
They described seeing Ms Hodgkinson trying to ‘fend off the attack’, which the inquest heard, was borne out by her suffering a number of ‘defensive injuries’. Police, paramedics and an air ambulance were called, but despite extensive efforts to resuscitate her, she died at the scene.
Hughes was quickly identified from CCTV, Chief Insp Lee said, and was arrested at home in the early hours of June 3. He gave no reaction when arrested and after assessment was detained under the mental health act and transferred to a secure hospital.
He has been deemed unfit to be interviewed, so police were unable to question him further. DNA evidence also links him to the attack, the inquest heard.
Proceeding.