Detectives are continuing to appeal for witnesses following the murder of 30-year-old Keith Platt in Farnworth.

Police patrolling Church Road in Farnworth at about 11.15pm on Friday found Keith seriously injured. He was taken by ambulance to Royal Bolton Hospital where medical staff were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead.

Detective Chief Inspector Pete Giles from GMP's Major Incident Team said: "This incident happened at a busy time of night, when the local pubs were closing and many people were making their way home from a night out.

"We have spoken to many witnesses, but from studying CCTV of the area, we believe there are still some people who we have not had the opportunity to speak to yet.

"These people were not involved in the incident and were simply passersby and I can understand why they may not think they would need to speak to us, but I am appealing to them to make contact as they could have vital information to help our investigation."

Keith's mother, Julie Fitzsimmons, said: "Keith's death has left a massive void in our closely-knit family and his whole circle of friends will miss him terribly."

Extra officers will be on patrol in the Farnworth area to help with the investigation and reassure the public in the coming days.

An incident room has been set up and officers are asking anybody who witnessed the incident who has not already spoken to police, to contact them on 0161 856 1722 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

  • Two men have been charged in connection with this incident.