A 12-year-old boy blew a kiss to his mother as he made his first appearance in court accused of murdering a man outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Tameside.
The slight youngster was one of four boys who appeared at Oldham Magistrates’ Court on Monday to face the charge that they murdered Bradley Moore on July 27.
The other three accused are teenagers. Two are aged 16, and one is 17.
The youngster was held on Sunday morning along with the 17-year-old for questioning on suspicion of murder. Police had earlier arrested the two 16-year-olds.
The group were formally charged on Monday.
The group were remanded in custody and will appear in the Manchester Crown Court on Monday.
Police were called shortly before 10.50pm on Wednesday to an assault, which reportedly began outside the McDonald’s on Warrington Street in the town centre of Ashton-under-Lyne.
Moore, who was in his 40s and a father-of-four, was found injured and taken to hospital where he died in the early hours of Thursday.
Detective Inspector Kevin O’Regan from GMP’s Major Incident Team said over the weekend: “This has been quite a fast moving investigation and we have now made three further arrests, bringing the total number of people we have in custody to four.
“Our investigation continues and I would urge anybody with information to please contact police, no matter how insignificant you think it may be.”