Manchester chip litter killer Stuart Aherne found hanging

Manchester chip litter killer Stuart Aherne found hanging

A man jailed for life for stabbing a woman who asked him to pick up his litter has died after being found hanging in his cell.

Aherne was a teenager when he carried out the attack

Stuart Aherne was 18 when he killed Jean Ryder, 45, in Wythenshawe, Manchester, in 2003. He was sentenced to life in prison later that year.

The 26-year-old was found at HMP Lindholme, South Yorkshire, on Saturday morning.

An investigation has begun, the Prison Service said.

Staff attempted to save Aherne but he was pronounced dead 10 minutes later.

He had stabbed Mrs Ryder, later bragging about it to a friend, because she asked him to pick up a chip wrapper he had dropped in the street in February 2003.

Lying face down

She had calmly told him to "pick it up" before he swore at her and told her she should clear it up.

His victim then bent down to pick up the litter and put it in the bin and Aherne stabbed her with a knife engraved with the word "Judge".

Jean Ryder died from a single stab wound to the back

Mrs Ryder, from Baguley, was found lying face down in the street and died in hospital.

Aherne was arrested after he told a friend what had happened while they watched the violent 1972 movie Deliverance.

He was also convicted of a separate wounding charge at Manchester Crown Court, relating to an attack a week before Mrs Ryder's death.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "As with every death in custody, the prisons and probation ombudsman will conduct a full investigation."