In the dead of night, a shattering series of explosions echoed through a Greater Manchester street.
Mistaking it for fireworks, stunned residents peered out the window. When they realized it was a shooting, some panicked, others simply went back to bed.
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A man appears to have fired at least six shots outside a house in Oldham last week. Credit: Snapchat
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Nadeeem Iqbal was one of the first people to check on the family inside Credit: PP.
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Photos show detectives inspecting the house, which appeared to have broken glass Credit: MEN Media
The shocking 1am attack on a house in Prince Edward Avenue, in the Clarksfield area of Oldham, was streamed live on Snapchat last week, with footage showing a man firing at least six shots through a window.
Defiant locals insist the terrifying incident is not typical of the street, but after a spate of gun-related crimes in Oldham, they fear the area’s culture of drugs and gang violence is spiraling out of control.
It comes amid growing concern over firearms offenses in the UK, which have risen by nine per cent nationally year-on-year and are under scrutiny following the horrific death of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool in August 2022.
Nadeeem Iqbal, a 45-year-old father of four and ward councillor, lives on Prince Edward Avenue and went out to check on his family after the attack.
He said: “It was a shocking moment. We went straight out of the house when we realized that there had been gunshots and that people were screaming and running around.
“We checked on the family and they were fine, luckily they didn’t open the door.
“The only saving grace from this is that it was a targeted and isolated incident. This is not normal for this street.
“But the police did their job and reacted quickly. There were families and children out on the street, with a lot of people upset and scared.
“There have been a number of gun incidents in Oldham in recent weeks and this needs to be tackled.
“We don’t know what’s behind this, but it’s a concern when there are guns in your community, one hundred percent.”
Terrifying moment robber fired after trying to break down door as neighbors say ‘we thought it was FIREWORKS’
Two men and a woman, all in their 30s, were later arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear. There are no reports of injuries.
A criminal complaint was filed against the 36-year-old for possessing a firearm with the intent to cause fear of violence and a fight.
A second man and woman, both in their 30s, have been released on bail after being arrested in connection with the incident.
A 59-year-old man who lives in the street told us: “I heard a bang around 1.15am and thought it was fireworks but soon realized it was gunshots. I didn’t get up, I just fell asleep again. I wasn’t afraid at all. I don’t get scared that easily.
But one mother, who did not want to be named for fear of repercussions, has a different view.
She said: “I’m absolutely gutted, this is not what you expect on your own doorstep.
“It’s so scary to think that people came to our street with guns.
“People don’t seem to understand what’s going on here – that innocent people can be caught up in gun crime. Just look at the case in Liverpool where a nine-year-old girl was shot dead in her own home.”
Hot spot of crime
Last year, Oldham was highlighted as one of the UK’s crime hotspots in a landmark report advising the government on its strategy to increase levels.
A 2022 report estimated there were 176 organized crime groups (OCGs) operating across Manchester, with almost a quarter of the groups identified said to have access to weapons. Drugs are said to remain the ‘primary type of crime’ for the vast majority of gangs.
Of the 176, 55 active organized crime groups are said to ‘affect the city of Manchester’ – accounting for 31 per cent of all known OCTs in the county.
Oldham and Salford have the second highest number of organized crime groups, with 19 and 18 respectively.
The widespread reach of these criminal networks was illustrated in a crackdown late last year, in which a Manchester gang was jailed for a multi-million pound drug ring that supplied the entire North West.
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James Mulligan was the head of the Oldham crime family Credits: GMP
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Police found a DIY meth lab in the homes of one of the gangsCredit: GMP
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Operation Lappet busted the gang last yearCredit: Greater Manchester Police
A police investigation revealed how James Mulligan, from Oldham, ran a criminal empire dealing Class A drugs, including heroin, with the help of Sheila Mason – the woman he called ‘Granny’.
Mason, who pleaded guilty to assisting the OCG and was given a community order, owned a ‘hidden house’ in Droylsden.
Inside, officers found ammunition and drug paraphernalia containing residue from substances including cocaine and levamisole – a drug used to treat parasites in animals.
Greater Manchester Police revealed another property was being fully used as a Breaking Bad-style drug lab by a gang “capable of producing hundreds of kilos of amphetamines a month”. In the living room, they confiscated PPE clothing including full protective suits and protective gloves.
The scary thing is that people think this life is normal
Frank Greenwood
Mulligan was sentenced to 11 years and seven months in prison. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs and conspiracy to possess a firearm, but was found not guilty of conspiracy to possess ammunition.
Detective Inspector Justin Bryant, from the GMP Serious Organized Crime Group, said: “This was a truly complex investigation which started with eight suspects but soon developed into the pursuit of thirteen members of the OCG, uncovering an extensive criminal network responsible for the supply of large quantities of drugs and of weapons , two trades that fuel intimidation and exploitation in Manchester and across the UK.
“This gang thought they were untouchable, they only cared about lining their pockets. The scale of the drugs they were involved in will undoubtedly contribute to serious violence and deprivation in our communities.”
In a visible place
For residents living near Prince Edward Avenue, Oldham’s drug trade is hiding in plain sight.
Maureen Hughes, 81, said: “There is a drug problem on this estate. They had to put up barriers on the lot at the end of my road because cars would drive over there and do their dodgy business.
“Now I see a guy sitting on a bench in a cemetery and people approach him. It’s a way of life now.”
In Coldhurst, another area known as one of the poorest in the city, such disruption is a way of life.
Chelsea Gardner, a 33-year-old mother of two, said: “I grew up with kids riding quad bikes and crossers so everything seems fine to me.
“Yes, it’s chaotic and noisy here, but I like it that way. I lie in bed at night and you can hear arguing and going on, but I’m used to it.
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Frank Greenwood says it’s ‘scary’ that crime has become commonplace Credit: PP.
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Motorcycles and quadricycles are a threat on the streets Credits: PP.
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Frank says community pride is lost Credit: PP.
Frank Greenwood, 73, said: “I don’t think there is anything particularly scary here, but what is scary is that people think this life is normal.
“Dealers on motorcycles come all day long and you see them stop and make an agreement with someone and ride away and children see it, or people smoking walking down the street.
“It used to be hidden behind closed doors because they would worry about the police. But not anymore.
“Kids today don’t know that life shouldn’t be like this.”
Oldham has seen several gun incidents in recent weeks and this needs to be tackled
Nadeem Iqbal
He adds: “Oldham is a dump. It’s a dumping ground for lost and found and seems to be the capital of HMOs (houses for multiple occupancy), which bring their own problems with them.
“Successive councils in this city have stripped everything bare over the years. In the 70s it was known as a country town and it was beautiful.”
The hometown of former BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw is made up of a large community of Bangladeshis and Pakistanis who first came to the UK in the 1960s to work in the city’s thriving textile industry – which once boasted the largest cotton production in the world .
But the demise of that proud industrial history – the last textile factory closed in 1998 – cost them dearly.
A report by think tank Onward to increase levels lists Oldham as a crime ‘hot spot’, with a rate well above the national average in 2021 of 85.5 crimes per 1,000 people.
In the same period, 123 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants were recorded in the city, and 29,699 crimes were committed.
Nationally, crimes involving firearms (excluding Devon and Cornwall Police) rose by nine per cent between December 2022 and December 2023, from 5,850 to 6,367, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Lawless Britain
Knife and gun crime, robbery and theft are on the rise in lawless Britain.
And the shoplifting epidemic is the worst in 20 years.
The figures show that almost 1,200 cases of shoplifting are reported every day — an increase of a third in one year.
Last year, 430,104 cases of shoplifting were reported, an increase from 315,040 in 2022 and the most since records began in 2003.
Annual crime figures from the Office for National Statistics show thefts rose by 18 per cent to 125,563 and robberies by 13 per cent to 81,094.
Gun crimes rose by nine per cent to 6,367 and knife crimes by seven per cent to 49,489.
But the homicide rate fell by six percent, to 577 compared to 616 in 2022.
Sergeant Georgia Mansfield, from GMP’s Oldham district, said extra patrols had been put in place following the incident on Prince Edward Avenue.
She told The Sun: “Our neighborhood team take reports of any crime very seriously and will do everything in their power to make an arrest, secure charges and bring a positive outcome to the crime.
“Within the Coldhurst and Clarksfield area, we have a dedicated neighborhood team made up of both warrant officers and PCSOs, who do vital work in gathering intelligence and dealing with all types of crime in the area.
“I appreciate that the recent incident involving a firearm was extremely concerning, but fortunately these particular types of incidents are rare and officers were able to quickly make arrests and secure charges.”
Oldham Council declined to comment when approached by The Sun.
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Police have launched a new wave of raids in recent monthsCredit: Greater Manchester Police
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Class A drugs are serious business in the northern cityCredit: gre
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