Court date set for teenagers from Wigan and Leigh over canal murder

A pair of Wigan teenagers and another from Leigh will appear before a judge next month charged with the murder of a man whose body was found in a canal.
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The boys, aged 16 and 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are accused alongside 18-year-old Leigh resident Liam Bailey of murdering Scott Anderton.

It was early on the morning of March 25 when police raced to a stretch of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal in Leigh, after receiving reports of concerns for the welfare of a man. Mr Anderton’s body was pulled from the water soon after.

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He had been stabbed repeatedly and had also suffered blunt trauma injuries.

Murder victim Scott AndertonMurder victim Scott Anderton
Murder victim Scott Anderton

Detectives immediately launched a murder inquiry, dispatching divers and forensic investigators to the waterside.

A 21-year-old man was arrested in connection with Mr Anderton’s death later that day, but he was released without charge shortly

before detectives closed in on the three teenaged suspects.

The trio had appeared at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court on Monday. They made their first Crown Court appearances the following day, during which they spoke only to confirm their names, addresses and dates of birth.

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Bailey, of Diamond Street, and the two boys are scheduled to appear before a judge at Manchester Crown Square on May 28. They are yet to enter pleas.

Mr Anderton was described by his family as their “diamond in the mud” who was “the most caring, loving, kindest person you could meet.”

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