Stephen Oake Memorial, Crumpsall, Manchester

Today I happened upon the replacement memorial stone to murdered special branch policeman Stephen Oake outside the flat in Crumpsall Lane, Crumpsall, Manchester where he was stabbed to death during a terrorist raid. Sadly the original was destroyed in March.

Persons unknown sledgehammered the stone into pieces, put them in a car and drove the length of Cheetham Hill to the police station where they threw them at cars in the station compound.

Following the vandal attack police launched an investigation. They have been unable to catch the culprits despite a £10,000 reward for information. It remains unclaimed.

Stephen Oake, 40, a father-of-three from Poynton, Macclesfield, was the first Briton killed on British soil by terrorists in the last decade. He was murdered by al Qaeda-linked terrorist Kamel Bourgass in January 2003. Bourgass was later jailed for life.

This tribute stone has lasted intact since October 2007..

I found it rather sad to see wastebins lined up next to the memorial.