David Lees: Parents of man murdered in 2006 appeal for witnesses after two people arrested

David Lees, 23, died after being deliberately run down shortly after he and his friends had argued with a group of Asian men from the Longsight area of Manchester

David Lees, 23, was killed in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, in October 2006 (PA)

The parents of a young man murdered almost a decade ago have appealed for witnesses to come forward, as it emerged that two men have been arrested on suspicion of their son’s murder.

David Lees, 23, died after being deliberately run down in Middleton Road, Prestwich, shortly after he and his friends had argued with a group of Asian men from the Longsight area of Manchester. A man wearing a hooded top was seen getting into a silver Vauxhall Vectra, which sped up to about 60 to 70 miles per hour before it drove directly at the 23-year-old, according to police. Mr Lees was thrown nearly 30 feet and suffered fatal head injuries.

That was in October 2006. Although there have been a number of convictions for perverting the course of justice in relation to the case, no one has been charged with murder due to what detectives describe as a “wall of silence.”

But in a major breakthrough, Greater Manchester Police announced on 2 March that two men, aged 30 and 34, have been arrested on suspicion of murder as a result of new information.

At least one individual from within the local community is understood to have come forward, prompting the arrests of the two men at the end of January. They have been released on bail until next month, while enquiries continue.

Commenting on the developments in the investigation of her son’s murder, Ann Lees, 57, said: “These people who were there and know who did it should come forward...please do the right thing because we’ve had near enough ten years of devastation because you can’t move on.”

Mrs Lees spoke of the impact her son’s death has had on her. “Even now, nearly a decade on, the pain I feel at the loss of David is just as keen as it was that day. The fact that his murderer has been free to live their life, having so cruelly stolen my son’s life, has only added to the mental burden I have carried ever since,” she said.

And David’s father, Don Lees, 57, told The Independent: “David was brutally murdered by cowards who used a car as a weapon to run him down from behind at 70 miles an hour. The two that have been arrested are the main suspects but we need evidence to charge them so we need people to come forward.”

The officer leading the murder investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Jamie Daniels, Greater Manchester Police, said: “Ann, Don and David’s family and friends have lived a life-sentence since the day that he was murdered and I’m determined that we will leave no stone unturned in bringing those responsible for David’s murder to justice.”

He added: “We have received new information about this case but I’m appealing to the public, and in particular the community of Longsight, to come forward and speak to us.”

A reward of £50,000 is being offered to anyone who can give police information leading to the conviction of David Lees’ killers.

DCI Daniels said: “It’s time that the wall of silence around those responsible was broken.” And the senior officer remarked: “My message to those responsible is clear; this is never going away and we will never stop.”