logo
Pictured: Boy, 16, killed on railway tracks alongside another teenager in double tragedy

Pictured: Boy, 16, killed on railway tracks alongside another teenager in double tragedy

Daily Mail​3 days ago
One of two teenage boys who were killed on railway tracks in Greater Manchester has been named and pictured for the first time.
Joshua Myers and another boy, both 16, were found dead near Poynton Station, near Stockport on July 3 in a devastating double tragedy.
Joshua, from Handforth, had recently been the subject of missing person appeals.
Cheshire Police had issued an appeal to help trace him after he went missing in May and was believed to have made his way to Devon and Cornwall 200 miles away.
The teen was found but went missing again for a day in June.
Today floral tributes and flowers for both boys were left at the station.
Cheshire Constabulary responded to the tragedy on Thursday evening but a full investigation is being carried out by British Transport Police.
The tragedy isn't being treated as suspicious, a BTP spokesperson said.
Emergency Services were called to the scene at about 10.10pm on Thursday after 999 calls reporting a 'casualty' according to police.
BTP confirmed that the families of both boys have been informed.
A file of evidence is now being prepared for a coroner ahead of inquests opening.
Both boys were sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Officers were pictured at the scene of the tragedy together with Network Rail officials.
A passenger who got off a train at the station in Poyton on Friday told Manchester Evening News the double tragedy was 'devastating'.
She said: 'It's just devastating. I have teenage children myself, including a 16-year-old boy. It brings it so close to home.'
No further details surrounding the circumstances of what police suspect happened have been revealed.
A BTP spokesperson said: 'Officers were called at around 10.10pm (on July 3rd) to reports of a casualty on the tracks near Poynton railway station.
'Officers attended with paramedics. Very sadly and despite the best efforts of paramedics two 16-year-old boys were both pronounced dead at the scene.'
Railway lines were closed while emergency services worked at the scene.
Work continued throughout the early hours of July 4, with rail services resuming by 6.15am.
A spokesperson for the force said shortly after the incident: 'Officers were called at around 10.10pm last night (3 July) to reports of a casualty on the tracks near Poynton railway station.
'Officers attended with paramedics. Very sadly and despite the best efforts of paramedics two people were both pronounced dead at the scene.
'The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file is being prepared for the coroner.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Married police officer who sent hundreds of messages to a woman who reported a crime in a bid to try to have sex with her is sacked
Married police officer who sent hundreds of messages to a woman who reported a crime in a bid to try to have sex with her is sacked

Daily Mail​

time41 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Married police officer who sent hundreds of messages to a woman who reported a crime in a bid to try to have sex with her is sacked

A constable who tried to have sex with a woman who reported a crime has been fired after an investigation into his behaviour. PC Matthew Peall, who had sent hundreds of flirty messages to a witness asking if she had a 'high sex drive' and if she was 'up for everything', was found guilty of committing gross misconduct. He badgered the care-home employee who reported the burglary of an elderly client with frequent text messages, emails and phone calls both on and off duty, which made her 'uncomfortable'. The married cop, who worked for Kent Police, allegedly told the woman in 2019 'it would just be for sex' after she highlighted that he had a wife and children, adding 'it's sex, nothing more, you know my situation', it was reported in The Independent. A panel at the Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) proved at the end of a three-day disciplinary hearing that PC Peall had breached the police professional standards of behaviour relating to honesty and integrity, authority, respect and courtesy, duties and responsibilities, and discreditable conduct. They found that 86 per cent of the messages he had sent were of a personal nature and nothing to do with the investigation. PC Peall, who is based in Canterbury, had even tried to arrange a meeting with the woman to allegedly make a statement and suggested she make sure her daughter is not at home when he visits. He had also told her that he had made his way to her house unannounced but turned back when he thought he should better confirm with her first. The witness told a jury at Southwark Crown Court last year that the pair chatted about general topics the first time she gave a statement but had mentioned an ex-partner had cheated on her. When she provided a second statement at a separate occasion, where then he allegedly sent her a text along the lines of 'I wasn't sure if that was a wink goodbye' when he left. Flirty comments were then made after a third statement and began his barrage of messages. The witness would often ignore his remarks or divert the conversation back to the investigation. Despite her best efforts, the cop went on to say he would want to use contraception because he does not want any more children 'running around'. Once, he asked her if he had overstepped the mark and told her they 'could be wicked together'. Prosecutor Zarah Dickinson said the messages were 'persistent' and 'on occasions when she did not respond, because her elderly client passed away for example, Peall attempts to re-engage her in flirtatious chat'. She said: '(She) thought that if she did not respond to his messages then he would get the message. He sends these messages when he is both on duty and off duty. '(The complainant) was in no doubt from the conversation and previous messages exchanged that he wanted to come over to have sex with her … Peall messaged (her), 'you up for everything…?' then clarifying, 'How far you're happy to go…' and 'I'm not coming over for tea am I…haha. '(The complainant) felt unable to tell Peall to stop because of her own past relationships.' He was found not guilty of abuse of position for a sexual purpose - a charge which he had denied - at the crown courts in August. After the court hearing, Kent Police said: 'The charge related to an allegation he had pursued an inappropriate relationship with a witness during the course of a burglary investigation in Canterbury between October and December 2019, investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). 'PC Peall has been suspended from duty since the allegations were first reported and disciplinary proceedings will now continue following the outcome of the criminal case.' The IOPC have since found that the woman responded to some of PC Peall's text messages but she frequently ignored his messages or diverted the conversation back to the investigation. In a statement to the IOPC she described how, as a witness who tried to assist a police investigation, she additionally had to deal with unwanted advances from PC Peall. He was dismissed without notice and will also be placed on the policing barred list. IOPC Director Emily Barry said: 'I would like to praise the courage of the woman who supported our investigation into PC Peall's behaviour. 'She wanted him to focus on the police investigation into the burglary rather than trying to form an inappropriate relationship with her. 'Our investigation found he knew he was behaving inappropriately, as there were times when he asked if she was getting his messages and if he had overstepped the line. 'There is a power imbalance between police officers acting in the course of their duties and members of the public they come into contact with through their work. 'The guidance for officers shows the responsibility lies with them to maintain a professional boundary. Officers who abuse their position for a sexual purpose have absolutely no place in policing and it's behaviour like his that damages the public's trust and confidence in police officers.'

Dozens of electric fans delivered to struggling prison to help lags cope with upcoming heatwave
Dozens of electric fans delivered to struggling prison to help lags cope with upcoming heatwave

The Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Sun

Dozens of electric fans delivered to struggling prison to help lags cope with upcoming heatwave

DOZENS of electric fans have been delivered to a struggling prison to help inmates cope with the upcoming heatwave. The £17.50 devices arrived at Victorian HMP Bedford this week — with temperatures set to reach 31C this weekend. The crumbling prison has two inmates to each cramped cell, leading to baking temperatures in hot weather. An inspection last year found filthy conditions, with calls for the jail to go into emergency measures. The Category B prison holds some 420 men and has had a series of problems, with riots in 2016. Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said conditions were 'some of the worst' he had seen. The Sun visited the site with the Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood last year and saw piles of contraband vapes and ­cigarette packs, with the smell of cannabis present. Wardens showed improvised weapons including loo brushes fitted with blades and toothbrushes melted to form spikes. A Prison Service spokesman said: 'Fans can be purchased by prisoners using their own money.' The Prison Watchdog this week warned that lags in Britain's jails are spending their sentences getting high and watching daytime TV. A menu of substances including cannabis, cocaine, and steroids is on offer, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor says. Drones used by criminal gangs are so accurate that they can deliver drugs and weapons, such as zombie knives, directly to specific windows. Inside Belmarsh: Secrets of Britain's most notorious prisoners 1

Anyone who believes in clean sport will hope Novak Djokovic sinks Jannik Sinner, writes OLIVER HOLT
Anyone who believes in clean sport will hope Novak Djokovic sinks Jannik Sinner, writes OLIVER HOLT

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Anyone who believes in clean sport will hope Novak Djokovic sinks Jannik Sinner, writes OLIVER HOLT

Jannik Sinner beat Ben Shelton in straight sets here on No 1 Court on Wednesday and progressed serenely to the Wimbledon men's singles semi-finals. He took the applause, gave an anodyne interview and autographed giant tennis balls for eager kids. Shelton played some thunderous, brilliant tennis but Sinner swatted him aside. It turned out his injured elbow was not a problem. Nor was his awkward acquaintance with anabolic steroids. Nobody mentioned the doping because that would have been impolite. So here is a quick refresher: on February 15, Sinner 'accepted' a three-month ban in a 'settlement' with the World Anti-Doping Agency after the world No 1 twice tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol in 2024. The language used suggested the Italian had made a particularly magnanimous gesture and that we ought to be terribly grateful to him for giving his consent to his ban. Remember that term 'strict liability'? No, I thought not. Falling foul of it used to be a serious thing. How quaint that idea seems now. Many had urged that Sinner, 23, be banned for much longer but instead, tennis listened to a pocketful of mumbles from expensive lawyers that centred on an interesting story about a physio, a masseur, a wash bag, a scalpel, a cut finger and a spray purchased from a Rome chemist. It put one in mind of Tyson Fury and his penchant for wild boar testicles that was his explanation for a positive test for nandrolone. Tennis accepted it, though, and now we are all agreed there could not possibly have been any intent to gain an unfair advantage. Sinner did not miss a single Grand Slam, which was nice. He was welcomed back to the sport like a returning, and wronged, hero. From that moment onwards, barely anyone mentioned the anabolic steroids. Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the future of men's tennis, you see, and no one wants to sully that any more than they have to. In May, Sinner had an audience with the Pope and made a gift to him of a tennis racquet. In June, he released a duet with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. It was called Dust and Glory, which sounds better than Doping and Glory. When he lost a close match against Alcaraz in the final of the French Open last month, it was hailed as 'a match for the ages'. The swooning over him was enough to make one feel somewhat queasy. The rush to absolution was complete. Rarely can the beatification of a Sinner have been conducted so smoothly. Let us get one thing straight: Sinner should not have been playing at the French Open and he should not be here playing Novak Djokovic, who squeezed past Flavio Cobolli in four sets, in the semi-finals of Wimbledon on Friday, either. Whatever one's view of his intentions, the brevity of Sinner's ban was an insult to clean athletes everywhere. Three-time Grand Slam winner Stanislas Wawrinka spoke for many when he posted at the time: 'I don't believe in a clean sport anymore'. Nick Kyrgios called it a 'sad day for tennis' and former British No 1 Tim Henman said 'it leaves a pretty sour taste for the sport'. They are all correct, of course. Sinner's success since the expiry of his ban and the way he has been welcomed back with open arms, cheered to the rafters wherever he goes, asks all manner of questions about whether there is any deterrent in tennis to mitigate against doping any more. A three-month ban for twice testing positive for an anabolic steroid? Maybe others will consider that that bargain is well worth the risk if they are considering doping deliberately, which Sinner was not, clearly. Tennis looks like a sport, frankly, that has given up in the battle against performance-enhancing drugs. Part of the equation is that the game is terrified of the commercial effect of the loss of the three greatest men's players of all time. Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal are gone already and Djokovic, still chasing that record 25th singles Grand Slam title, is deep into the autumn of his magnificent career. The game is betting the farm on an Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry but what a horrible irony it would be if Djokovic's tilt at that 25th slam, that would lift him above Margaret Court as the player with the most singles titles in history, were to be ended by an opponent who, if his punishment were in line with others meted out to transgressors, should still be banned. 'A majority of the players don't feel that it's fair,' Djokovic had said when the terms of Sinner's suspension were announced. 'A majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening. It appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers and whatnot.' It should be the hope of all those who believe in clean sport that Sinner loses on Centre Court on Friday. If he wins and progresses to the Wimbledon final against Alcaraz or Taylor Fritz, it will be an embarrassment for a tournament that deserves better.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store