10 crimes in Warrington in the 2010s that remain unsolved

These include fires that levelled buildings to the ground, shootings and a brutal murder.

Here, we take a look back at 10 criminal cases from the past 10 years where the offenders are still at large.

Mr Smith’s fire

Warrington lost one of its most familiar and beloved buildings when Mr Smith’s was burnt to the ground in the early hours of Tuesday, April 14 2015.

Four teenagers were charged with arson after fire engulfed the iconic former nightclub and cinema, which had to be demolished due to the scale of the damage.

But the charges were later dropped after a legal review, and one year on from the devastating blaze the investigation was closed by police.

Acid attack on dad

Builder Adam Pritchard was working on Grammar School Road in Lymm when a thug threw a sandwich bag filled with acid at him.

The dad-of-three was unloading his van shortly before 9.30am on Monday, August 7 2017, when he was hit in the face, arms and legs with the corrosive substance.

He immediately ran to a wheelbarrow filled with water and washed his face – and while this quick-thinking saved him from any major facial damage, his arms and legs were severely burned.

Adam Pritchard

Three days earlier, Mr Pritchard had discovered a man looking through the back window of the house he was working on and a second male at the front of the property.

When he challenged the pair, they became aggressive and threatened to stab him.

This incident is believed to be linked to the acid attack, which was later featured on Crimewatch.

The unsolved murder

Mark Bradbury was found dead at his home on Station Road South in Padgate on the evening on Sunday, August 4, this year after suffering ‘significant’ head injuries.

Mark Bradbury

He had last been seen alive three days earlier outside his bungalow, having returned home from walking his golden retriever with his brother.

Months later, no charges have been brought over his killing.

A 39-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder in September, but he was later released on bail.

Detectives have probed the 58-year-old victim’s suspected low-level involvement in the supply of cocaine as a key lead in tracing his killer.

Shots fired in the street

The afternoon of Thursday, April 11, this year saw a man with a gun fire shots at two other males chasing him on bikes through an Orford street.

Armed police rushed to the scene on Greenwood Crescent shortly after 4.30pm after receiving reports that a firearm had been discharged near to the Greenwood pub.

Officers made a ‘thorough’ search of the area, but no offenders were traced.

Naked kitten man in bushes

A group of schoolgirls were left in tears when they discovered a naked man hiding in a bush making kitten noises in Padgate.

The young children were searching for what they believed to be kittens on Finningley Court in Padgate after hearing the noises on the afternoon of Monday, August 6 2018.

But they then found the naked man in some bushes, covering himself with only a cushion.

Police made a search of the area, off Catfoss Close, but there was no trace of the man and no arrests were made.

Restaurant burned to the ground

The Bayleaf restaurant in Longbarn was levelled after it was torched in an arson attack on Tuesday, March 28 2017.

Two teenage boys, thought to be aged between 12 and 15, were seen running away from the Indian on Harpers Road moments before the fire took hold at around 6pm.

But no offenders were traced in connection with the blaze and the arsonists remain at large.

Two stabbings in one night

The evening of Sunday, November 15 2015, saw two men stabbed less than a mile and only hours apart.

Police were first called to Longshaw Street in Dallam shortly before 7.30pm after receiving reports of windows being smashed in the area.

On arrival, officers found a 27-year-old had been stabbed in the back – also suffering a broken jaw after being attacked with a metal bar.

It is believed that the victim had attempted to stop the offenders during their vandalism.

A second stabbing was then reported outside the Maltings pub in Old Hall at around 9.30pm the same night, only around 500m away on foot from Longshaw Street.

The attacks were not believed to be linked, but no charges were brought over either incident.

Shooting in the park

One of the most shocking unsolved crimes from the past decade came only last month.

Shortly after 6.30pm on Monday, November 18, a 37-year-old man was dumped outside the main entrance of Warrington Hospital having been shot in the stomach.

Police believe the shooting happened at the entrance to Woolston Park near to Monks Sports and Social Club.

A black car dropped the victim off at the hospital, and detectives believe a black Volkswagen Golf which was torched in Peel Hall Park later that evening could be linked to the gun attack – although no arrests have yet been made.

Where is Leon Cullen?

For nearly two years now, Leon Cullen has been Warrington’s most wanted man.

Leon Cullen

He is suspected of being the head of a major cocaine ring operating in the town, members of which were jailed for 185 earlier this year – including Leon’s twin brother Anthony Cullen, who was given 27 years behind bars.

A series of dawn raids were executed in connection with the drugs gang on the morning of Wednesday, January 10 2018.

But Leon Cullen managed to avoid arrest and he remains at large, believed to have fled the country.

Stabbing on the dancefloor

A man was stabbed on the dancefloor of a town centre nightclub in the early hours of Sunday, March 24, this year.

The 22-year-old victim was in Block 1 on Bold Street in the town centre when he was involved in an altercation with a group of men.

He was then slashed across the face with a sharp implement, causing a gaping wound to his left cheek which required plastic surgery.

Despite a number of CCTV appeals by Cheshire Police, the attacker has not yet been brought to justice.

Police released CCTV footage of this man, who they wanted to speak to in connection with the stabbing