A MAN was stabbed to death as he walked home from the shops.

The 39-year-old was walking along a road in Crumpsall when two men got out of a car and confronted him.

It is understood he was stabbed three times. An off-duty doctor and nurse tried to revive him but he died at North Manchester General Hospital.

The stabbing took place near shops on Middleton Road, just 150 yards from the house where hero policeman Dc Stephen Oake was murdered by Kamel Bourgass during an anti-terror raid in January 2003.

Witnesses said yesterday's victim had just left one of the shops when he was attacked.

Shock

Police taped off a large section of the road for several hours. Officers were also seen searching nearby drains and the grass verge outside Lynwood Court flats.

Nearby residents spoke of their shock. One woman, who did not want to be named, said: "The man was lying on the floor and there was a doctor and nurse who had been nearby at the time working on him. They were trying to keep his heart going.

"I was told he had been stabbed in the heart, wrist and groin and it was not a random attack. The ambulance arrived first and then the police and then everyone was moved away.

A 48-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and was being quizzed by detectives. Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 3540 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.