Bolton man accused of murdering missing woman appears in court

Christopher Barlow, of Pedder Street, has been charged with the murder of Mariann Borocz, 55, who had been missing since Saturday December 14.

The 61-year-old appeared in Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Boxing Day (December 26).

Barlow has been remanded in custody and is now due to appear in Bolton Crown Court on Monday (December 30).

Mariann, of Hungary, had last been seen alive on Chorley Old Road.

Police conducted an extensive search for her and made several appeals to help find her.

But, tragically, a body confirmed to be hers was found at a property in Pedder Street property nine days later on Monday, December 23 and a murder investigation was launched.

Police parked outside Pedder St property (Image: Phil Taylor)

Some Pedder Street residents were questioned by police the day the body was found.

A resident said: “On Monday, two plain-clothes officers asked to see my CCTV camera footage.

“I didn’t know Mariann, but she was friends with my neighbour.

“He went to the same ESL (English as a Second Language) class as her.”

An employee at Pharmavon on nearby Avondale Street said: “The police were [in the area] at around 2pm.

“It didn’t look that serious. They were just floating about.

Forensic tent at the back of the property (Image: Phil Taylor)

“It didn’t look like a murder scene.”

A Hungarian woman, who did not want to be named, said: “This is sad news. I knew Mariann.

“Every day she’d walk on Chorley Old Road.

“She’s from my country, Hungary.  

“She was a good woman and had a daughter.”

Mariann’s family have been supported by family liaison officers.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Platten, the senior investigating officer from Greater Manchester Police’s major incident team, said: “On behalf of the entire investigation team, our condolences remain with Mariann’s family as they try to come to terms with her death.

“Our investigation is moving at pace, and we are continuing to work hard to build a full timeline of events leading up to Mariann’s death.

“As part of our investigation, we are once again appealing for additional information from the local community.

“You can speak to our officers in person or call 101 quoting incident 1670 of 23/12/2024.

“I’d also like to thank those who have spoken to us already and helped initially in sharing our appeals around Bolton.”

Source – INDIA TV