Prosecutors reject Wigan man's manslaughter guilty plea

Manchester Crown Court informed wigantoday this week that prosecutors had accepted Derek Bentham’s manslaughter plea in relation to an attack he launched in Hindley town centre on September 25 and that he would be sentenced on December 20.

Lee Christy, 45, was badly injured in the incident and died several days later.

However police and the Crown Prosecution Service have since been in touch to say that the plea was in fact rejected and that Bentham, 46, of Smithwood Avenue, Hindley, will be tried for murder on March 4.

This has been further confirmed by the crown court which could not explain how the wrong information was at first released. The error was first raised by Mr Christy’s family.