Liam O’Prey, of no fixed abode, was remanded in custody and will appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. He was arrested after Rico, a promising boxer, died outside a bar in the Goose Green area of Altrincham in the early hours of Sunday morning. Greater Manchester Police said O’Prey will also be charged with assaulting a 17-year-old boy who was seriously injured and received life-saving treatment by members of the public at the scene following the alleged incident. The force said Rico’s family continues to be supported by specialist officers and is “being kept informed of progress made by Major Incident Squad detectives”. He added in a statement: “The family of the teenage victim would like to thank everyone who helped provide first aid that night – including first responders – to allow him to continue his recovery in hospital, where he remains stable with some major life changes . injuries. “A 20-year-old man who was also arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on bail pending our ongoing enquiries.” Tyson Fury’s cousin Rico Burton (pictured) died in the early hours of Sunday after allegedly being ‘stabbed in the throat’ Aerial photo shows Manchester Police at the scene of the murder of world champion boxer Tyson Fury’s cousin Rico Burton The two-time heavyweight champion (pictured) called for tougher sentences for those convicted of knife crimes as he announced the death of his cousin Rico was reportedly enjoying a night out with friends when he was allegedly stabbed in a “spontaneous” and “unplanned” attack outside the venue, Greater Manchester Police said this week. Burton had been watching the heavyweight fight in a pub before going to another in Altrinham, where violence suddenly broke out after the young boxer allegedly went outside to “straighten out”. In the wake of the alleged attack, Fury made an emotional plea for tougher sentences for knife crime, calling on the government to tackle the “pandemic”, while paying tribute to his cousin. Fury wrote on Instagram: “This has to stop. ASAP the UK government needs to introduce higher sentences for knife crime, it’s a pandemic and you don’t know how bad it is until it’s yours! “Life is very precious and can be taken away very quickly, enjoy every moment. RIP RICO BURTON. May the lord god give you a good place in heaven. See you soon.’ At a police press conference on Sunday, Superintendent Ben Ewart said the attack was “senseless”, adding that the stabbing was “spontaneous” and “unplanned”. Meanwhile, tributes have poured in for the once promising boxer, who trained in Manchester throughout his teenage years. Downing Street offered Boris Johnson sympathy for Tyson Fury after the tragedy but defended the government’s measures to curb knife crime. A spokeswoman for No 10 said: “Firstly, the Prime Minister’s thoughts are with the family. No family should ever have to go through the unimaginable grief Tyson Fury’s family is going through. “That is why we are determined to make our roads safer. This is why this government is beefing up the ranks of the police to put more officers on our streets. And we’re giving them the powers they need to get more knives off our streets. “This includes greater stop and search powers and new court orders to target known knife carriers and allow the courts to intervene earlier and impose conditions such as curfews on them. “Since 2019 we have removed over 72,000 knives through our stop and search and surrender programs.” But “more” needed to be done to “relieve families of the misery (knife crime) causes”. Asked about Tyson Fury’s call for tougher sentences for knife offenders, Downing Street said those who carried blades already faced longer sentences behind bars than 10 years ago. A spokeswoman for No 10 said: “Under this government those caught with a knife are more likely to be jailed and for longer than they were a decade ago.” At a press conference at the scene on Sunday, Supt Ewen praised first aiders at the scene and confirmed a 17-year-old boy remained in a “serious but not life-threatening condition”. He continued: “Both victims should have returned home this morning after enjoying a night out with friends. “Everything is pointing at this stage [Mr Burton] he was enjoying a night out with friends, and this happened spontaneously and unplanned – it’s a very tragic end to what should have been a good night out with friends.’ A blue tent had been erected inside a police cordon at the scene in Goose Green, Altrincham, where Mr Burton was killed Police were called after a fight outside a bar in Goose Green, Altrincham, in the early hours of Sunday morning Efort said: “Around 3 A.M. this morning, Sunday 21st August, emergency services received multiple calls about a disturbance at Goose Green in Altrincham. “On arrival we found a 17-year-old man and a 31-year-old man with stab wounds receiving first aid from members of the public before police and paramedics attended. Both men were taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary, where the 31-year-old man sadly succumbed to his injuries and died. I can confirm that the man is Rico Burton. The 17-year-old remains in hospital with serious injuries. “May I take this opportunity to firstly convey my sincere condolences to Rico’s family and friends and also to commend the members of the public who intervened and provided first aid.” Supt Ewart added: “Goose Green is a popular nightclub and would have been busy at the time and I am appealing to anyone who was there on the night of Saturday August 20 or anyone who has information about this incident including phone pictures or video , to come forward, in Particularly any friend of any of the victims or suspects who may have been with them that night and has not yet come forward. “We have increased police checks in the area and knife crime remains a priority for Greater Manchester Police, the devastating consequences of which have been demonstrated this morning.” Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 7386 quoting incident 475 of 21/08/2022, and photos and videos can be uploaded here.
