Alleged attacker arrested

Wednesday, 22 February 2012 16:01

Written by Editor

A man has been charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of Nellie Geraghty, 79, who fought to keep hold of her handbag containing her husband Frank’s ashes last November. (The couple are pictured, right.) She was found in an alleyway with serious head injuries and taken to Royal Oldham Hospital but died the following day. The strap of her handbag was still in Mrs Geraghty’s hand when she was found, but the bag itself was missing along with the ashes.

Mark Royle, 32, of no fixed abode but previously from the Shaw area of Oldham appeared before Oldham Magistrates Court yesterday. He had previously been charged with robbing a woman of her handbag in Rochdale on December 9th. He remains on remand ahead of a plea and case management hearing in relation to the December robbery on February 28th.

Frank’s ashes remain missing although police are still making enquiries in the hope that someone may have seen them.