Two men have denied playing roles in the suspected murder of a man in Bolton . The pair were arrested after the death of 35-year-old Michael McCann in June this year. Brought before Bolton Crown Court this week Paul Simmons, 48, pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr McCann, while Jordan Downs, 32, denied assisting an offender.
The Honorary Recorder for Bolton Judge Martin Walsh said: “Jordan Downs and Paul Simmons, there will be a trial fixed for January 13.” Mr McCann had been taken to hospital after an incident on Friday June 7 but died of his injuries around two days later. The alleged incident is said to have happened near Bromwich Street in The Haulgh (Image: Newsquest) Simmons, of Bradford Street, was charged with murdering Mr McCann while Downs, also of Bradford Street, was charged with assisting an offender in connection with the incident.
Both men appeared before the court via video link from prison as the charges were put to them. Judge Walsh agreed to extend the custody time limit for both men, who have been held on remand, until January 17 next year. The pair appeared via video-link before Bolton Crown Court (Image: Newsquest) Prosecutor Brian Tredwell agreed to this, as did Paul Treble, defending Simmons and Nick Clarke, defending Downs.
Both men had previously appeared before Bolton Crown Court for a brief preliminary hearing on Wednesday June 12. In the wake of Mr McCann’s death, a statement from his family paid tribute. The statement said: “Our family will miss our brother’s smile as it showed what true happiness looked like.
"Michael's sole purpose in life was the needs for his family. “He will now miss out on being the brother and uncle that he wanted to be. ALSO READ: Family pay tribute to 'our brother's smile' after death of man in suspected stabbing ALSO READ: 'Things only getting worse' as hundreds of criminal cases delayed ALSO READ: Victims of crime 'denied justice' amid staggering court case backlogs “We will always cherish the time we had together and the memories that we have all individually shared together.
“Although we had hoped for more than we have already, they will never be taken for granted.” A statement from Mr McCann’s cousin added: “As a family we are in total shock and deeply devastated by this terrible news. Micky was like my younger brother and our three children loved their Uncle Micky.
“We can't believe we will never get to see his cheeky smile again. We will all miss you so much. We love you Micky.
” The trial set for early next year is expected to last around 10 days..
