Man Jailed for Life For Rochdale Christmas Murder

The killer of a man who was stabbed and beaten to death on Christmas Eve, 2017 in the Wardle district of Rochdale has been jailed for life. Jason Byrnes, 26, of no fixed abode had earlier pleaded guilty to the murder of Mohammed Aftab at at hearing at Manchester Crown Court.

On 27 June 2018, the Recorder of Manchester, HHJ David Stockdale QC, imposed a life sentence on Byrnes, who is to serve a minimum term of 25 years. The Court found that Byrnes had arranged a rendezvous with Mohammed Aftab, whom he intended to rob late on Christmas Eve. He murdered him in a pub car park before disposing of Mr Aftab’s body at the foot of a secluded track on Dye House Lane, Rochdale. One of the striking details of the case was that, in the aftermath of the killing, Byrnes boasted of planning ‘a party of a lifetime’. Tim Storrie appeared for the Prosecution, instructed by David Harley and Keith Huntington of CPS CCU.

Read more via the BBC and the Manchester Evening News.