£50k reward in hunt for killer of 'good lad'

MUM TELLS OF ONGOING AGONY OVER MURDER OF UNITED FAN STABBED 18 TIMES AT HIS HOME IN 1997

-  NEAL KEELING

FOR his 18th birthday Paul McGrath got a smart watch. For his 21st a signet ring. Now his mother, Vera, marks September 18, the day he was born, with a visit to his grave.

For the last 27 years she has placed red and white roses at the memorial spot in recognition of his passion for Manchester United. As the season’s red and gold leaves litter the pathway in Denton Cemetery she places a hand on the shrine.

Paul was a gentle lad, he loved travelling and ornithology. A bird is carved on top of his headstone. He was such a devoted United fan that the family received a letter from Sir Alex Ferguson following his passing.

In the autumn morning sun Vera takes a seat on a bench a few feet from Paul’s grave.

“He was a good lad. He had a job and his own house and was doing well. He was loved by a lot of people. So there is no reason on this earth that this should have happened,” she says.

The popular and gentle lad met a tragic end. Paul was stabbed 18 times in the hallway of his terrace home in Denton in 1997.

He was found by a workman. Such was the ferocity of the attack that part of a blade from a knife broke off and was discovered at the scene.

The brutal murder remains unsolved. The tragedy is a constant source of heartache for the family.