Man, 31, quizzed over murder of dad-to-be
A MAN was being questioned on suspicion of the murder of father-tobe Billy Livesley.
The 31-year-old man was arrested by police during a series of dawn raids at properties across Wigan yesterday morning.
He was held at a house in Hindley, police said.
GMP confirmed he was arrested on suspicion of murder and was being questioned in custody.
Billy, 21, from Platt Bridge, Wigan, was seriously injured during an assault outside a house on Bickershaw Lane in Abram, Wigan, on December 28.
He was taken to hospital critically ill, but died the following evening.
A post-mortem examination later confirmed he had died from a ‘significant’ head injury, police said.
Police revealed five search warrants were executed at properties in the Hindley, Bamfurlong, Ince and Platt Bridge areas of Wigan yesterday.
Det Chief Insp Stuart Wilkinson, announcing the murder arrest, said: “It has been five days since this incident took place and our investigation continues to moves at a fast pace. We have made significant strides during this time, which has resulted in five warrants being executed this morning along with the arrest of a man on suspicion of murder. He remains in custody and will be questioned by detectives later today.
“Our enquiries remain ongoing and I want to continue to urge anybody with information about the incident to please get in touch.”
Hundreds of well-wishers have visited the scene of the attack to pay their respects and lay flowers in memory of Billy, who would have turned 22 this month.
Tributes to the talented footballer have also flooded social media.
The attack took place on rough ground which acts as an unofficial car park off Bickershaw Lane in Abram. Billy’s heartbroken mum paid tribute to her ‘one in a million’ son – whose death she said had ‘destroyed an entire family.’
This is the third person arrested in connection with Billy’s death.
A 38-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He has since been released with no further action. A 57-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit attempted murder. He has been released under investigation.