Fiona Bone And Nicola Hughes: Timeline Of Murders

Fiona Bone And Nicola Hughes: Timeline Of Murders

25 May: Mark Short, a 23-year-old amateur boxer, is gunned down at the Cotton Tree pub in Market Street, Droylsden, Manchester, while celebrating at a 60th birthday party. An armed assailant bursts in shortly before 11.50pm. Three other people, believed to be related to the victim, are wounded, suffering leg and back injuries.

The gunman, who is wearing a balaclava, escapes in a Ford Focus which is found abandoned and alight in Ellison Close, Hattersley a short time later.

8 August: Two men are charged in connection with Mr Short's death. Luke Livesey, 27, from the Hattersley area, and Damien Gorman, 38, from the Glossop area, are both charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder.

10 August: A 46-year-old man is found dead following a gun attack and suspected explosion, caused by a grenade, in Folkestone Road East, Clayton, Manchester. He is named later as Mark Short's father, David, who had branded his son's murderers "cowards".

Nine minutes after that incident, police receive reports that shots have been fired at a second property, on Luke Road, Droylsden, where there was also a grenade blast. Nobody was injured in this incident.

Detectives say they want to speak to Cregan, from Droylsden, Tameside, about the incident in Clayton, and also in connection with the murder of Mark Short.

12 August: Michelle Short, the wife of David and mother of Mark, pays tribute to them in a statement released by police. She says: "They have taken my son Mark and now my loving husband Dave. They may have broken our hearts but they will never break our spirits. One way or another we shall get through this."

Mathew James, 32, from Clayton, becomes the third man to be charged with murder in relation to Mark Short.

13 August: Greater Manchester Police name a second man they would like to speak to in connection with the attacks on August 10, as 33-year-old Anthony Wilkinson from the Beswick area of Manchester.

16 August: Ryan Hadfield, 28, of Ashton-under-Lyne, becomes the fourth man to be charged with the murder of Mark Short.

17 August: Police offer a reward of £25,000 for information leading to the arrest of Cregan and Wilkinson.

25 August: Jermaine Ward, 24, is charged with the murder of David Short.

29 August: The reward for information leading to the arrest of Cregan and Wilkinson is increased to £50,000.

1 September: An image of Cregan is put up on screens before kick-off at Manchester City's Premier League home game against QPR.

2 September: Wilkinson is arrested, and later charged with the murder of David Short.

18 September: The two female constables, Fiona Bone, 32, and Nicola Hughes, 23, are killed when they are sent to investigate what appears to be a routine burglary report. Cregan allegedly attacks them with a gun and a grenade then gives himself up at nearby Hyde police station.

Greater Manchester chief constable Sir Peter Fahy says he believes Cregan has been "protected by a criminal conspiracy to harbour him", adding that the force is "fully determined" to investigate that conspiracy and bring those involved "to book".

Cregan is questioned on suspicion of the murder of the two police officers and also the murders of David and Mark Short.

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