Thirty-four-year-old Paul McGrath, known affectionately to some as “Maggie,” was a gentle, hardworking joiner employed by Manchester City Council. Born in Hyde and raised in Denton, he attended local schools including Russell Scott Church of England Primary and Egerton Park Comprehensive, later gaining qualifications in joinery from Tameside College of Technology.
Friends and family remember him as a decent, caring family man with no known enemies or grievances. A keen birdwatcher whose home was filled with ornithology books and magazines, he was also a passionate Manchester United supporter.
Paul lived alone at his house on Holland Street West but had a partner and was reportedly planning to settle down.
On the evening of Sunday, April 6th, 1997, Paul enjoyed a night out with friends, visiting local pubs including the Dog and Partridge on Ashton Road in Denton. He returned home alone sometime after midnight.
In the early hours of Monday, April 7th, 1997, intruders arrived at Paul’s home, apparently searching for an acquaintance of his who lived nearby on the same street. Paul, woken from sleep and still in his boxer shorts, turned off his burglar alarm and opened the door.
What followed was a savage and prolonged attack. Paul suffered eighteen stab wounds in what Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have consistently described as a frenzied assault. The violence was so intense that part of the knife blade broke off and was later recovered at the scene.
Sometime during the night, Paul was left dying at the foot of his stairs in the hallway. His body was discovered around seven thirty a.m. when a passing workman noticed the front door slightly ajar and looked inside, seeing the tragic scene.
Police quickly established that Paul had no personal involvement in any dispute. Detectives believe he was killed simply because of his friendship with someone targeted in an ongoing feud.
Within two weeks of the murder, two men—fifty-four-year-old John Andrews and twenty-nine-year-old Michael White—were arrested and charged. They stood trial at Manchester Crown Court in March 1998. Prosecutors alleged the attack stemmed from a long-running local dispute, with Andrews and White (who lodged with Andrews) confronting the wrong person.
Despite the prosecution’s case, both men were acquitted after a lengthy trial.
Paul’s father, Ronnie, passed away in 2020 without ever seeing anyone held accountable for his son’s death. His mother, Vera (now in her mid-80s), continues to visit her son’s grave each year on his birthday (September 18th), laying red and white roses in honor of his beloved Manchester United.
Greater Manchester Police’s Cold Case Unit continues to review the case. In 2020, a £50,000 reward was offered for information leading to the conviction of those responsible—a reward that remains in place today.
Nearly thirty years after that fateful night, the murder of Paul McGrath is still unresolved.
Crime Immemorial 