Archive
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A chilling timeline of Joe's last hours
HERE is the timetable of events which led to the murder of schoolboy Joe Geeling and the arrest of a fellow St Gabriel's pupil Michael Hamer: Wednesday, March 1, 2006 9.15am: Joe is picked up by his mum Gwen from Booth Hall Children's Hospital where
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The day of Joe's funeral
TWO hundred white balloons, carrying the dove of peace and a prayer, were released into the air when Joe Geeling's funeral cortege stopped briefly at St Gabriel's. In emotional scenes, more than 1,000 grieving pupils and staff assembled in Bridge Road
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A life filled with happiness
IT WAS a moving tribute, that touched the hearts of a nation, not just the local community. Two weeks after their son had been killed, grief-stricken parents Tom and Gwen Geeling talked for the first time and exclusively to the Bury Times about their
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How can you make sense of this?
THE week in which Joe Geeling was killed started like any other. Children all across Bury returned to school after the half-term break on Monday, February 27 and the big news of the week was the controversial plans for school closures. Emotions were
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‘You damaged the lives of all who loved Joe...'
THE judge who jailed Michael Hamer for a minimum of 12 years said no sentence would ever make good the loss suffered by Joe's parents Tom and Gwen Geeling. Justice Richard McCombe said Joe was intensely loved by his close and devoted family and spoke
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The fake letter that lured Joe
THIS is the letter which lured Joe Geeling to his death. Written in red ink, the note was discovered in the pocket of Joe's trousers, stained with his blood. The youngster had been beaten about the head and face and stabbed 16 times. Michael Hamer
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Are there lessons to be learnt from Joe's tragic death?
MICHAEL Hamer had suffered at the hands of bullies at St Gabriel's - but speaking after the court case this week, headteacher Eddie Robinson said the matter had been dealt with effectively. Mr Robinson, headteacher at the school where both Joe Geeling
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Fantasy world of 'rejected' teenager
IMMATURE, rejected by his father and the victim of relentless bullying - Michael Hamer sought solace in a fantasy world. Aged 14 at the time of Joe's murder, Hamer had suffered years of bullying at his primary and secondary schools. Targeted by his
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Detective hits out at ‘lenient’ jail sentence
THE senior detective who led the hunt for Joe Geeling's murderer has hit out at the "lenient" prison sentence. Mr Justice Richard McCombe jailed 15-year-old Michael Hamer for a minimum of 12 years at Manchester Crown Court on Monday. He said the killing
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Chilling calls of calm killer
MICHAEL Hamer calmly chatted and lied to his mother on his mobile phone moments after savagely killing Joe Geeling. Mrs Julie Hamer made two calls to her son in the space of four minutes as he was burying his victim's body in a shallow grave in Whitehead
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Joe's killer behind bars
SCHOOLBOY killer Michael Hamer will serve a minimum of 12 years in prison for the murder of Joe Geeling. Eleven-year-old Joe was brutally battered and stabbed to death by Hamer, who had lured him to his home in Dalton Street, Bury. Manchester Crown
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Joe Geeling - Our Son
WE have been asked to make a statement explaining how the family has been affected and how we feel about what has happened. First, we need to be writing this in 25 years' time for it to be accurate. Second, we find it difficult to understand why a judge
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‘God bless him and may he rest peacefully now...’
Joe's parents Tom and Gwen, sisters Kelly and Danielle and brothers Sean and James wrote their own moving tribute after the tragedy. Their brief, but incredibly touching, statement summed up their devastation and their love for their little angel'.
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Bishop to shake off flu for Pilgrims home clash
ANDY Bishop should shake off a bout of flu in time to face Boston United on Saturday. The Shakers striker missed the midweek Johnstone's Paint Trophy exit against Tranmere through illness, but looks set to reclaim his place up front for the vital clash
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Joe’s legacy is to help others
JOE Geeling's memory lives on in a special trust fund. Shortly before his funeral, parents Tom and Gwen set up the fund to help charity organisations close to their son's heart: the Bury and District Cystic Fibrosis branch and Booth Hall Children's Hospital
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You'll be the best - Casper
CHRIS Casper believes Tom Kennedy has the tools to be the best full back in League Two. The 21-year-old defender has been in a rich vein of form of late, prompting speculation that League One Crewe Alexandra may be vying for his signature. The news
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Textile firm axes 27 staff
A TEXTILE recycling company which scooped a Queen's industry award a decade ago has made 27 staff redundant. Bosses at W. H. Tracey say the job losses were necessary to enable the company to cut costs. The business, in the Paradise Mill in John Street
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Trust agrees to more talks on ward closure
HEALTH bosses proposing to close a ward for the elderly at Fairfield Hospital have agreed to extend the consultation period by eight weeks. The controversial money-saving proposals to close the 27 beds on Ward 30 sparked a backlash from ward nurses
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£1m worth of cars are stolen so far this year
CARS worth more than one million pounds have been stolen in Bury so far this year. Police have revealed that, since January, nearly 160 high-powered and top-of-the-range vehicles have disappeared after the keys were stolen from the homes of owners.
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Town with a drink problem
AT least one-in-five adults in Bury drinks too much, according to statistics from Bury Primary Care Trust. Despite a small reduction between 2002 and 2005, figures also show that one-in-30 is a problem drinker, drinking more than twice the "sensible"
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Former mayoress Edith celebrates her 100th birthday
A FORMER mayoress of Tottington celebrated her 100th birthday on Tuesday. And friends and family joined Mrs Edith Hall at the village's Gorsey Clough home for a party to mark the big day. Mrs Hall is the widow of former Conservative councillor Mr John
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Students continue college battle
ANGRY students at Bury College are continuing to battle against the closure of counselling courses due to funding cutbacks. Budding counsellors currently on a preliminary course are disappointed that they will not be able to study the two-year counselling
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The hedge of darkness
PENSIONER William Glover is calling for Bury Council to cut down a massive hedge which leaves his home in permanent darkness. Eighty-two-year-old Mr Glover is forced to switch on his lights all day because his home in Bealey Drive, Bury, is blocked of
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Bakery raises dough with run to help children
A POPULAR bakery delivered the icing on the cake when it presented £33,000 to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. The money was raised by the Greggs Children's Cancer Research Run held in Heaton Park in May. Around 1,400 runners took part in a
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Children give a huge lift to Shirley's fundraising feats
IT was up, up and away for more than 1,000 balloons released by pupils at St Andrew's Primary School in Ramsbottom. The children, their parents, staff and members of the community bought 1,135 balloons to see whose would travel the furthest, raising
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Attention to detail for ex-army James!
AN ex-soldier is launching an offensive on the home front! And James Bateman is hoping to become a "household" name and a force to be reckoned with in Bury. His thriving Home View Professional company embraces a host of home external and internal design
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MP and wife split up
MP Ivan Lewis has vowed to "carry on regardless" despite revelations about his private life. The Labour minister (39) admits his marriage of 16 years is over, and he and his wife Juliette are getting a divorce. But he refused to comment on reports that
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Volunteers wanted for gift wrapping
BURY Society for Blind and Partially-Sighted People is searching for volunteers to provide a fundraising gift wrapping service for shoppers in the Mill Gate Centre. They are looking for people who can spare a couple of hours on any Wednesday, Thursday
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Skydive team raised £2,000
DAREDEVIL friends who jumped 13,000 feet from an aeroplane in honour of six-year-old Joshua Wilson raised £2,000 for children living with life-threatening diseases. The Jumping for Joshua skydive team was made up of 11 family members and friends of the
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Council scheme is example for others to follow
BURY Council's autism befriender scheme has been granted approved provider' status by the UK's Mentoring and Befriending Foundation. This is a national benchmark for good practice, and Bury will be used as a reference point for others. Mentoring and
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Hunt for the dirtiest, muddiest team!
A JUNIOR football team is helping to find the dirtiest side in Britain. But the competition is not about dangerous tackles and red cards, but the cleanliness of the team kit. Laundry company Surcare has signed up Bury side Brandlesholme Warriors under
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Pupils send ‘no mess’ message to dog owners
PUPILS at Emmanuel Holcombe primary school have sent out a clear message that dog fouling must not be tolerated. The Year 5 and 6 youngsters have designed new Jazzy Bins' to take the mess, which were unveiled in Nuttall Park last Thursday. The classes
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Spanish lotto scam alert
RESIDENTS are being warned to beware of a Spanish lotto win scam. The advice comes after a 77-year-old Radcliffe woman was told she had won 615,000 euros and asked to give her banking details. However, Mrs Veronica Chadwick, of Chestnut Fold, realised
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Bury Trusts win all-clear in new annual 'health check'
THE two trusts providing healthcare in Bury have both scored well in the first Annual Health Check. The health check for 2005/06 is a new performance-rating system by the Healthcare Commission assessing NHS trusts on areas such as financial management
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Richard scoops young award
BURY man Richard Morle has scooped a young professional award. Richard, who works for Brewin Dolphin Securities in their Manchester office, has won the Young Stockbroker category at the annual Manchester Young Professional Awards held at The Lowry Hotel
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Security highlighted at forum
BUSINESS crime prevention and security measures will be highlighted at a special event in Bury next Tuesday. The six towns business forum at Bury College's Business Solutions is hosting the meeting at Link House in Walmersley Road from 6pm to 8pm. Sergeant
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Firms sponsor chess congress
LOCAL firms Michael Wood Homes and Metcalfe & Co are sponsoring the 12th Bury Rapidplay Chess Congress, together with insurance company Winterthur Life. M W Homes are main sponsors of the Congress, which takes place in the Elizabethan Suite at Bury Town
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PR expert Grace is ready to clock on
AWARD-winning Ramsbottom creative agency, Clock Creative Communications has launched a public relations division. The Square Street-based business will offer a range of communications activity, including PR strategy, media relations, feature writing
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Sound of silence as pub music licence suspended
THE Cricketers Arms in Bury has become the first in the borough to fall foul of the new licensing regime. The pub in Walmersley Road had already been given a "yellow card" following complaints from neighbours about noise. But after more objections,
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Couple show that diamonds are forever
A DEVOTED Bury couple have enjoyed their very own sparkling occasion! Margaret and Percy Castle celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary surrounded by family and friends on Sunday. And both still worship at the church where they were married 60 years
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MP in bid to save Lowry
MP DAVID Chaytor is launching a last-ditch attempt to save a valuable Lowry painting for the town. He is appealing for donations from Bury residents and businesses to bid for A River Bank when it goes to auction next month. Council chiefs need the painting
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Bury match was great entertainment
I AM a Manchester United fan and my two brothers-in-law are ardent Bury fans. So Ian and Paul took me to Macclesfield's Moss Rose ground on Saturday to watch some proper' football. What a great day! Time to watch some bread and butter' football at
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Say how you would do things differently
I must take issue with Councillor Bibby, the Conservative Group Leader. I agree that the controlling group (Labour) has the responsibility to produce a budget but, if he is serious in his concerns, surely Cllr Bibby also has a responsibility to say how
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Time for action from the Tories
Anyone who believes in democracy welcomes the elections in May; this gives the electorate a chance to choose who will represent them for a four-year term of office. Councillor Bibby and his Tory group need to be honest with the electorate and tell them
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Parking bays make it diffucilt to cross safely
I THOUGHT all zebra crossings, by law, had to have zig zag markings on the road when approaching them. The zebra crossing on Silver Street - near Broad Street - has had its zig zag lines painted over. This means that motorists cannot see anyone waiting
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Blue bins: don’t let them be a negative incentive
NOW the reason has come out as to why Bury Council attached chips to the blue bins. They are capable of weighing the contents of a bin to within 500 grammes, which will allow councils to introduce a stealth tax levied on the amount of rubbish put out
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Radcliffe needs more businesses
THE council's million pound plan for Radcliffe to revamp the bus station complete with new library, art gallery (can we have the Lowry painting please?) museum and a refurbished market in my opinion is a smoke screen to build another 300 apartments to
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Still waiting on answers, please
I READ the letter from Councillors John Byrne, Trevor Holt and Mike Connolly (We should focus our efforts on the next phase for Pimhole', October 12). First of all, I was very impressed with the rapid reply, but the residents and I were expecting some
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Vast majority of people are proud of our parks
I must take issue with two recent correspondents. First of all, I have to tell Lib/Dem Bill Brison that the vast majority of people are proud of the tremendous improvement in our parks and the wonderful floral displays in the town. Also I can tell him
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Demonstration to show ward support
The Government has spent more than £5 billion on the illegal and unwinnable war for oil in Iraq, enough to pay for 50 new hospitals. The Pennine Acute Trust is threatening to close the Rehabilitation Ward 30, caring for the elderly at Fairfield hospital
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Our NHS and hospitals are now in crisis
IT is now patently clear that the NHS is in crisis and to all intent and purposes so are our local hospitals. I just wish Labour would do us all a favour and come clean and say so! Then perhaps we could get past the denials and spin and start to address
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BGS girls Empire building
A GROUP of Bury Grammar girls are "empire" building at an early age. For 20 pupils, aged 16 and 17, have set up their own company as part of a Young Enterprise competition. They launched their company, Empire, saying they wanted to raise awareness of
