Browse Sections

• Education
• Special reports

Life for car-jacker who killed football fan

28/ 2/2003

A MAN has been jailed for life for running over and killing a man whose car he was stealing.

Nineteen-year-old Paul Branchflower, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to life at Manchester Crown Court after being found guilty of the murder of Glyn Ellis in Salford Quays, in August last year.

The 46-year-old had been to watch Manchester United play the Champions League qualifier against Zalaegerszeg. At 10.30pm he returned to his Ford Mondeo which was parked in a garage on St Lawrence Quay. As Glyn reversed his car out from the garage he was approached a man who got into the car and attempted to drive off. Glyn tried to stop the man but became trapped underneath the car preventing it from moving forward. The man then got out from the car and ran off.

Paramedics were called by a passer-by but Glyn was pronounced dead at the scene. A post mortem examination carried out by a Home Office pathologist later revealed that he had died from severe traumatic head injuries.

Speaking about the sentence Detective Superintendent Kevin Duffy, who led the investigation has said; "Although the person responsible for the events that led to the death of Glyn Ellis have been placed behind bars it is of very little comfort to his family who have lost a loving son and brother.

"I would like to thank all of the officers who have done a fantastic job of bringing this case to court today. I would also like to thank the media for their part that they played in this. At the time of the murder we received a lot of media coverage which I believe led to the swift arrest of this man."

At the time of his death Glyn was living in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire but was originally from Manchester.