Norman Scott was fatally stabbed in Moss Side last November. His daughter Nardia visited the spot where he died on her latest visit to the UK.
Nardia with her dad, Norman, the last time she saw him
Nardia Scott used to love visiting Manchester, because her dad would always be there to greet her.
But when she flew in from Jamaica last month, his absence was felt deeply.
Norman Scott died after being stabbed on the street in Moss Side last Autumn.
The 68-year-old suffered fatal injuries at around 5am, on November 17.
Another man, 75-year-old Sidy Fall, was also injured during the early hours incident on Great Southern Street.
Emergency crews attended, but both men were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police and forensic teams attend the scene of the incident on Great Southern Street, Moss Side(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
When Nardia’s brother phoned her to tell her the dreadful news, she thought he was calling about Norman’s upcoming Christmas visit.
“I thought he was calling about flights to Jamaica,” she says now.
“It’s like your life has been completely changed. You’re not the same person anymore and we have to try and move on like this. My brothers are not the same. I’m not the same.
“He was the best dad anyone could ask for.
“It’s not like we have lost a dad to illness. I don’t know if we will ever get over it. Now it’s a matter of living with his memory.”
In June, Nardia flew to Manchester and visited the spot where her father died.
The spoken word poet penned a piece in tribute to Norman and was keen to perform it in Moss Side, where he died.
In her moving poem ‘Beloved Father’ Nardia talks about the pain of losing her dad.
She writes: “He left unexpectedly – the line went dead not sure if her heard my last note,
“I wish the last time we spoke I told him I love him a lot more,
“I wish the last time we spoke I look at his smile a little longer,
“You broke my heart Dada you ripped it apart
“I am trying to put the pieces together but a piece of the puzzle is permanently gone
“I guess broken crayon can still color after all.”
Norman Scott during his time in Jamaica, pictured with his young nephew(Image: Nardia Scott)
Nardia told the Manchester Evening News: “It’s my third time coming to the UK but this time around I was not excited to be there.
“It was not a happy trip. I was coming over and he was not there to greet me.
“Coming to England was really painful, but at some points of the trip it was joyful.
“I got to see my brother do his first fight and perform my poem for Moss Side Talk TV.”
Nardia, 26, says Norman was a perpetually encouraging man who urged his children to ‘shoot for our dreams’.
He was keen for Nardia to pursue her dream of creating a podcast, something she hopes to do in his memory.
“I wanted to be a poet,” she says. “He was told I had a podcast and even though he didn’t really know what it was he was always saying ‘how’s it going?’”.
“He was a very fun and living person. He always made sure that all his kids were okay.
“He used to love to motivate us. He would always say: “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night”. That’s what he lived by.
“He was a very hard working person. He lived in Jamaica for 42 years and came to England and lived there for the rest of his life.”
“He was always encouraging us to shoot for our dreams. He would always support us in it.”
Norman Scott, right, with his son Kenan and wife Emma(Image: Nardia Scott)
Father of six Norman, who also had two stepchildren, had a business selling coconuts in St Catherine before moving to the UK, where he worked at the Trafford Centre cinema.
A dedicated Manchester United fan, he collected replica shirts and hats bearing the logo of his beloved team.
He was a devoted family man and would spend hours on the phone to his family in Jamaica.
When he died, Nardia discovered that Norman had been printing off hundreds of photographs of his family to make albums – something she plans to continue in his absence.
He was due to visit the Caribbean for Christmas just before his death.
His funeral was held in St Catherine as it was his wish to be buried back in Jamaica.
*Mouhamadou Fall, 23, of Milverton Road, Manchester, has been charged with two counts of murder. He is due to appear at Manchester Crown Court on October 31.