Teenager Charged For Stabbing, Murdering Vulnerable Man In Leigh

A 16-year-old boy was found guilty of killing a 33-year-old man, one of three teenagers who were being tried by the Manchester Crown Court.

The victim was identified as Scott Anderton who was stabbed 35 times according to a post mortem report before he was pushed into the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Leigh on Mar. 25.

The identity of the 16-year-old was not revealed for legal reasons.

A 17-year-old boy was cleared of murder on trial. However, he was found guilty of manslaughter. His name has also been withheld.

A third suspect is 18-year-old Liam Bailey of Diamond Street, Leigh. He admitted to killing Anderton.

All three boys were cleared of trying to rob Anderton, something that they had previously denied.

Anderton was, however, a curious individual. He was considered vulnerable. CCTV footage showed him carrying a plastic bag and wearing only one shoe, BBC reported.

According to Michael Brady QC, prosecuting, Anderton was targeted because he was vulnerable and alone. All of them were seen on security footage at around 4:30 a.m. The footage then showed ripples as Anderton entered the water.

In the post-mortem, Anderton was found to have stab wounds from the top of his head to his shins.

In court, the 17-year-old claimed that it was Bailey who attacked Anderton with a machete. After the attack, it was the 16-year-old who pushed the 33-year-old into the canal.

Despite all that, the 17-year-old added that Anderton still managed to swim to the other side of the canal and was gasping for air. He alleged that he went to check on the man and heard him saying “I’m dying, I’m dying.”

According to Bailey’s lawyer, the 18-year-old took a tranquilizer and had used cannabis before coming across Anderton. He batted that his client’s judgment was "impaired as a consequence".

The three teenagers are set to be sentenced on Nov. 12.