The sister of a man brutally stabbed six times in Clifton in Salford on Tuesday morning has told how she feared he would die in the attack.
From hospital, Trisha Aimson told how her brother Bobby had undergone a punishing four hours of surgery to save his life.
“I knew instinctively when I saw where it was in Salford that it was Bobby who had been attacked,” she told SalfordOnline.com.
Updates: 15-year-old boy arrested for attempted murder after Clifton stabbing
“Nothing like this has ever happened before. It was awful. I thought I was going to lose another brother as my other brother died in December last year.”
Updates: Man, 38, fighting for life after Clifton stabbing
Police were scrambled to the scene of the violent assault at Silverdale in Clifton at around 1am on Tuesday 4 August.
They found Bobby Aimson bleeding heavily on a grassed area known locally as the black paths, with a broken leg, stab wounds to his chest and a serious head injury.
Bobby, 38, also suffered a punctured lung in the attack and was hurried to hospital on the brink of death.
After doctors stablised him and treated his emergency injuries, he went into surgery.
Reports elsewhere in the local media that he suffered a broken arm are incorrect.
Trisha, who lives in Stoke-on-Trent, raced to her brother’s side at after hearing of the attack.
“He came out of surgery at 7pm last night.
At around 8.15pm he opened his eyes and he smiled at me, I was so relieved.”
Detectives believe Bobby was surrounded by a group of people who repeatedly beat and stabbed him until he lay dying in the street.
Forensics teams carried out fingertip sweeps of the area yesterday in the hunt for more clues that would identify his attackers.
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Trisha added: “He’s still in intensive care and in a critical condition because of the head injury.
“But the doctors said he’s doing really well and are very hopeful that he’s going to make a full recovery.”
Greater Manchester Police are actively investigating the Clifton stabbing but have not linked it to any of the recent violence in Salford.
It is not thought to be linked to any shootings in Swinton, nor the murder of Paul Massey
Officers said the investigation was “fast moving” and enquiries were ongoing to identify a number of other people thought to be involved.
More arrests and charges are expected later today.
Detective Chief Inspector Clare Devlin from GMP’s Salford division said: “I am very aware that our communities in Salford are understandably extremely anxious at the moment, as they hear of numerous serious incidents that have happened in the area over the past few weeks.
“This is an isolated set of circumstances surrounding this attack and it is not being linked to the murder last week or any other incidents.
“However, this does not detract from the fact we have a man lying seriously ill in hospital after he was stabbed and clearly we are treating this incident with the utmost importance.
Officers in Salford can be contacted directly on 0161 856 5097 or call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
