A documentary being broadcast this week will once again examine whether Manchester’s canal towpaths are being stalked by a mysterious pusher.
The Pusher, to be broadcast on Channel Four on Tuesday, will claim that In the last six years, the remains of over 60 individuals have been recovered from the canals of Greater Manchester,most are young men.
Headlines have claimed a serial killer, dubbed by locals as ‘The Pusher’, could be at large in the city. Thr film from Darren Lovell will explore the truth behind the Twitter rumours pointing to this alleged serial murderer. The film will meet the bereaved looking for answers and the experts placing pressure on authorities to open an investigation.
The claims, that there is a canal pusher on the loose, centred on allegations by Professor Craig Jackson, head of psychology at Birmingham City University, after he told a national newspaper that:
“It is extremely unlikely that such an alarming number of bodies found in the canals is the result of accidents or suicides.
‘Canals are not popular suicide spots, especially for men. They are, however, popular dumping sites. And water can be a sure way to erase DNA evidence.”
He cited a number of cases in support of his argument including that of 22-year-old Chris Brahney, from Timperley who was found dead in the Manchester Ship Canal ten days after going missing from a Stone Roses concert in Heaton Park in June 2012 after he had become separated from his friends following the gig and that of Manchester University student Souvik Pal, 18, was found in the Bridgewater Canal, three weeks after leaving a New Year’s Eve party at the Warehouse Project dance night in Trafford Park.
However Greater Manchester Police refuted the allegations. Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson, head of GMP’s Serious Crime Division, pointing out that The Freedom of Information request provided to the national newspaper by Greater Manchester Police which detailed sixty deaths in the canals and waterways of Greater Manchester since February 2008 related to the whole of the Greater Manchester area and not just the city centre area.
He also pointed out that Professor Jackson has limited access to individual case material.
1. Murderer walks alongside canal concealing stun gun.
2. Orders victim to place items of value on ground.
3. Proximity on towpaths allows easy direct contact with stun gun. Voltage prevents victim from getting out of water.