Retracing footsteps of moors mystery man...

OMRT’s Richard Beswick on Chew Track, where the man was found

A twisting, stone-strewn track that winds upwards, shrouded in a swirl of rain and mist is the path taken by an unassuming, elderly man whose tragic death has ignited nationwide debate.

With a member of Oldham Mountain Rescue team, I walked from Greenfield’s Clarence pub, where on December 11, the still-unidentified man, in a heavy brown jacket, blue jumper, white long-sleeved shirt, blue corduroy trousers and polished, black slip-on shoes, asked the landlord: “Can you tell me the way to the top of the mountain?”

CCTV footage on that day revealed the man had travelled by tube from Ealing Broadway to Euston, then to Manchester Piccadilly by Virgin Trains. How he reached the pub is still unclear but after being given directions at around 2pm he set off walking on the last journey of his life.

Now I stood in a grassy lay-by on the spot his body was discovered. It is precisely two and a half miles from the front door of the Clarence.

The man was found by a passing cyclist, lying face up, arms at his side, with his head at the higher point of the incline and his feet facing down. He had no identification. No mobile phone or credit cards -just three rain-soaked rail tickets, one for his return trip to London. He had £130 in £10 notes and a small, empty plastic bottle of thyroid tablets. It would have been dark when he sat down at this inhospitable, lonely spot.

But what compelled him to visit in the first place? A pilgrimage? Was he trying to rekindle a childhood memory? Why had he travelled more than 200 miles on a wet, cold winter’s day? Did he find what he sought, or was he in th wrong place?

Rick Beswick (29), of Oldham Mountain Rescue Team, was at the scene with police and emergency services the morning the body was discovered. A member of OMRT for nine years, Rick said: “These hills mean so many different things to people. Often they play important parts in people’s lives along the way.”

At Oldham police headquarters, unfazed by worldwide media interest, Det Sgt John Coleman and a dedicated team are inching their way though scores of leads. Some, like the DNA results of a man who went missing in Northern Ireland more than 20 years ago, end in heartbreaking disappointment.

Said Sgt Coleman: “We are very conscious that every inquiry the team makes, we enter a world filled with desperate families or friends seeking closure and answers.

“This case is remarkable because there are so few clues and no-one has come forward to give us the man’ identity. But there are new leads every day, and our investigation has led to more than 40 people contacting us about other missing people.”

If you have information that would help police, call 0161-872 5050.