Radcliffe murder suspect took heroin at victim's house, court hears

Donald Patience, aged 45, was found dead and decomposing at his home on Ainsworth Road, Radcliffe, by police in August last year.

Ian Connell, aged 39, is on trial for his murder at Manchester Crown Court.

Today, Thursday, the court heard that the defence had not been provided evidence relating to the interview of Neil Flannery, who had been arrested and interviewed under caution.

Defence barrister Alexander Leach KC said that while it was the Crown's case that Connell had caused Mr Patience’s death, others had “formed the view that Neil Flannery was the most likely candidate based on previous acts of violence and efforts to seek financial gain from Donald Patience".

After a two-hour break to process the evidence and revise statements, written statements from Mr Patience’s ex-wife Kirsty Banks, ex-employee Paul Parker, Martin Glendenning, and ex-tenant Mr Flannery, were read out to the jury by prosecutor Michael Hayton KC.

The court heard that Mr Patience was known as Prentice to his friends and family.

In Ms Banks’ statements, the court heard that Mr Patience, a former actuary, had become unwell and spent time at the Priory Hospital in 2015 due to his high-pressure job.

The couple, who met at a Domino’s Pizza outlet, which he franchised in Bury, had three children together.

They sold the pizza franchise after one of the couple’s children was born with a heart condition and required "a lot of care", the court heard.

In a second statement, Ms Banks said that Mr Patience was his father’s favourite child and that he believed that he, rather than his mother, should have power of attorney over his father, also named Donald.

Following a car crash while working in 2015, Mr Patience became unable to work and was "home all the time", according to Ms Banks’ statement, with him refusing to return to work and expressing his opinion that his wife should not work either.

Mr Patience then began to drink more and "became addicted to painkillers", according to Ms Banks, before she decided to leave their property on Bamburgh Close, eventually seeking a divorce in 2018.

The couple rented out their property on Ainsworth Road and, in 2018, Mr Flannery and his partner lived there.

In July 2022, Ms Banks visited Manchester for personal reasons and went to drop her children off at Mr Patience’s now home on Ainsworth Road, but she would not let her children go in as the home "stunk of cannabis", telling Mr Patience to "sort himself out".

Donald Patience's home on Ainsworth Road (Image: Newsquest)

The home was later meant to be sold as part of the couple’s divorce, but Mr Patience would not let the estate agents put up a "for sale" sign, the court heard.

When advertised online, an offer of £150,000 was received for the home – something Ms Banks considered a good offer due to the home having drawings on walls and dog mess, as well as needing building work, but it was not sold, the court was told.

The court also heard a statement from Mr Patience’s former Domino’s employee Paul Parker, who said that he was contacted by Mr Patience in 2018 on Facebook with a message saying his car had been stolen.

After seeing his messages, Mr Parker gave Mr Patience a lift to his home on Ainsworth Road.

When he got there, Mr Parker said the house looked like "a doss house" with "crap everywhere" and "writing on the walls", with Mr Patience said to be sleeping on his sofa.

Mr Parker described Mr Patience as having "long dirty fingernails" with his dog, Layla, looking "as though she needed a bath".

Mr Parker said that Mr Patience’s brothers had become "convinced" he was "taking advantage of his father" for money, and that his father’s death around Covid time had "hit him hard".

The court also heard a statement from Martin Glendenning, who knew murder suspect Connell.

Mr Glendenning said that he would "knock around with Ian" as the pair would both take drugs, with Connell said to be "getting money on a regular basis from his boss".

In August 2023, Connell and Mr Glendenning were looking to get money to buy drugs. After Mr Glendenning suggested to Connell that he ask his boss for money, Connell told him that his boss had stopped giving money.

The final statement read to the court was that of Mr Flannery, who said he knew Mr Patience for "around five years", and had lived at the home on Ainsworth Road both with his ex-partner and on his own.

After Mr Patience began living in the home, Mr Flannery said he visited him usually once a week, but sometimes up to three times a week, with contact lessening in recent times due to "the people [Mr Patience] was hanging around with and the stuff they were doing".

Mr Flannery said he had taken heroin and drank with Connell at Mr Patience’s house last year during a depressive episode, before waking up and realising he did not want to take the drug.

Mr Flannery said that Connell was living with Mr Patience at the time, and recalled an occasion where Connell had called Mr Patience to ask for money for a taxi to his house.

He added that while Mr Patience usually appeared as though he had looked after himself and was clean shaven, he did not appear so and there were empty drinks bottles around the house.

Mr Flannery recalled that Mr Patience had lost his front door key and so only accessed the home from the back, with junk mail piling up at the front of the house.

The trial continues.