John 'Benji' Stanley, a 14-year-old normally in bed by 9pm, was queuing for chips when he was shot dead in Moss Side in 1993. The killer, disguised by a balaclava, fired through the glass door of Alvino's Pattie and Dumpling Shop before entering and shooting him in the chest with a pump-action shotgun. The boy, targeted just 100 yards from his home, died shortly after in hospital.
A turning point for Moss Side
The unsolved murder marked a new low in the turf wars that had scarred Moss Side, earning the city the label 'Gunchester'. It shocked even those hardened to violence. Benji's mother, Denise, heard the shots: "I slammed the window shut and said to myself, 'Ooh, somebody's had it again'."
In death, Benji helped stem the bloodshed. Following the January 2 killing, over 500 people attended a protest demanding an end to the drug-fuelled lawlessness. Celebrities, including boxer Chris Eubank, and politicians visited the scene. Det Chief Insp Ron Astles told the Manchester Evening News: "Anyone who can cold-bloodedly murder a defenceless boy while he is lying on the floor has no place in society."
A poster for change
Benji's smiling picture became a poster for change. The media dubbed the area 'Baby Beirut' and 'Britain's Bronx'. The Bishop of Hulme said: "I am frightened, as other people are, at the way young school-leavers are turning to drugs." Det Chief Insp Paul Smith told the Independent: "We're aware that youngsters are getting hold of guns, but it's not clear whether we have large numbers of guns flooding the area."
Father Phil Sumner said: "Until there is economic regeneration here, there is no hope for the youngsters. Some 90 per cent of our young black population is unemployed." Manchester City Council unveiled a £6 million regeneration project for the estate, and a crack police squad seized weapons. Some rival gangs declared truces, but no one exposed the assassin.
'Little did I know, he was already dead'
Denise, who fostered hundreds of children, recalled washing her hair when the trigger was pulled. A friend urged her to go to the scene, and she believed her son was in trouble with a shopkeeper: "I thought, 'I'll kill him if he's been cheeky to that shopkeeper'. Little did I know, he was already dead." An officer drove her to the police station, where the truth was revealed.
In 2011, Denise said: "My boy was innocent. He was a good boy. He shouldn't have been shot dead that day. Lots of people loved him. He was a little ray of sunshine. It seems to have all gone dark now." Hundreds attended the funeral, where community leader Hartley Hanley implored: "Somebody in our community knows something. By remaining silent they are supporting evil and murder."
Vicious smears and mistaken identity
Over 10 men were arrested, but no one was charged. Police initially believed the killing stemmed from a dispute over a £900 mountain bike. In 2011, the M.E.N. reported Benji was the victim of mistaken identity, with the intended target a drug dealer. In 1994, the Independent claimed Benji was a drug gang's courier, but Supt Rob Taylor said: "I wish to stress emphatically that Greater Manchester Police has no evidence to suggest that Benji was anything other than an innocent lad."
Denise said: "They had no proof. We went to a solicitor because we wanted to sue them, but we were told we couldn't do anything because my child was dead. That story hurt. It made us feel terrible." She added: "When he was shot, the only thing found on him was enough money to buy two patties. Nothing else. No drugs."
'To be honest I don't think they will ever get them'
Denise admitted her belief the killer would be caught was fading: "To be honest I don't think they will ever get them. I'm still bitter about it, even though it doesn't do you any good being bitter all your life. I just want to know why." She appealed: "If they have a conscience, I would appeal for them to come forward. It would bring me closure."
Greater Manchester Police have not given up. In 2008, the force revealed his case was among three being scrutinised by its cold case review unit, but fresh scrutiny failed to provide a breakthrough. The identity of the killer and the motive remain a mystery.
