Man arrested for manslaughter following the death of a Wigan 59-year-old

Roy Halliwell suffered a brain injury when he was pushed to the ground and banged his head on the pavement outside The George pub on Wallgate, on the afternoon of Thursday, December 22.

The Scholes 58-year-old was rushed to Salford Royal Hospital where he received specialist care in its intensive care unit.

But doctors were battling in vain to save him and, on Thursday December 29, family members took the heartbreaking decision to withdraw life support and former taxi driver Roy died later that day.

Another 58-year-old man had already been arrested on suspicion of assaulting Roy and released on bail.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that after Roy died, the man was re-arrested, now on suspicion of manslaughter, and subsequently re-remanded on bail pending further inquiries.

In the meanwhile grieving family members have launched a GoFundMe page to help with the funeral costs.

One relative, who did not wish to be identified, said that Roy was a solitary character who lived alone and had not been working lately.

He had brothers and sisters but generally kept himself to himself.

They added: “On the day of the incident he had gone out for a couple of pre-Christmas drinks in Wigan town centre as was his habit.

"What happened after that we are not really certain. There was some kind of disturbance on Wallgate and he fell to the ground and suffered an injury which meant he had to be on life support in hospital and it turned out there was nothing they could do for him.

"It’s so very sad. Roy was a quiet guy and he was certainly no trouble-maker.”

A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said: “On Thursday, December 22 2022, at around 4.45pm, police were called to a report of an assault outside a pub on Wallgate, Wigan.

“Police attended and a man in his 50s was located with a head injury.

“The man was taken to hospital where he has since, sadly, died.

“A 58-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and has been released on police bail while further investigations are carried out.”

Roy’s great-niece Abigail Sharratt is organising the fund-raising.

She wrote: “On December 22, my grandad's brother was the victim of an assault in Wigan towncentre.

"He was taken to the hospital with a serious head injury and was put on life support.

"Sadly, due to the extent of his injuries, his family had to make the difficult decision to switch off his life support and he passed away on December 29.

"It has been a traumatic time for everyone involved and I just want to take some of the burdens away by helping with the financial costs of the funeral due to the sudden and unexpected loss at this time of year.

"Many thanks for any donations.”

A goal of £750 has been set. Anyone who wishes to make contributions towards the funeral costs can visit the GoFundMe page www.gofundme.com/f/roy-halliwells-funeral-costs