Farmer finds dead body dumped near to where machete gang attacked man

A farmer found a dead body dumped on a moor 18 miles from where a gang wielding machetes and iron bars attacked a man in the street.

The grim discovery was made while he was checking his lambs in Rishworth, Calderdale, West Yorkshire, at around 6.40am on Thursday.

A post mortem revealed the victim, believed to be in his 20s from the Moss Side area of Manchester, suffered serious head injuries after being struck with a weapon.

The death is thought to be linked to a gang revenge attack in Crumpsall, Manchester, at around 3.40am on the same day.

One witness claimed a gang armed with metal bars chased the man.

The mum-of-two, who did not want to give her name, told The Sun Online: "I was woken up by a van screeching.

"I looked out of my window and saw five or six men waving metal bars in the air, chasing after a white man.

"They were smashing the van with machetes. The driver managed to drive off but two men were hanging onto the sides."

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Police have been making door-to-door enquiries to ask if residents have heard or seen anything.

Dog walker Sam Johnson, 55, said: "There are a lot of gangs selling drugs around here.

"When there is trouble, they ring each other and descend on mass."

Detectives are checking CCTV from the nearby Turnpike By Maya bar and restaurant which overlooks the Booth Wood Reservoir in Calderdale.

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All of the suspects would have driven past it after leaving the M62, probably at Junction 22.

The old turnpike is now only used by hikers, dog walkers, and residents of the hamlet Little London, which is just 100 yards from where the body was dumped.

One resident, a retired former West Yorkshire Police officer, said: "The gang must have come off the motorway looking for somewhere quiet to dispose of the body.

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"They have made no effort to hide it, by pushing it over the wall, for example, and just left it by the old turnpike milestone.

"The farmed sorting out his flock has found it in the morning. A police lady, who lives nearby, was going to work and the farmer flagged her down.

"Poor bloke, he could be somebody’s dad and will be someone’s son."

Superintendent Rebecca Boyce, of Greater Manchester Police's City of Manchester division, said: "This is a very serious incident which has resulted in a man losing his life in what appears to be horrendous circumstances.

"Our thoughts are with his family and our specialist officers will be supporting them through this incredibly difficult time.

"I understand that this incident will cause concern within the local community, and I would like to reassure residents that we have a number of lines of enquiry which we are thoroughly investigating.

"We will also have an increased police presence in the area whilst we continue with our investigation."

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