Lad who stood up to estate's Mr Big drug dealer and paid with his life
MEN on Sunday|March 17, 2024
Andrew Bardsley describes the petty cannabis deal feud that led to the tragic fatal stabbing of teenager Callum Riley
Lad who stood up to estate's Mr Big drug dealer and paid with his life

TONY Adams is not a man who tolerates his status being challenged. A 'big shot drug dealer, oversaw his empire with an iron fist.

But he wasn't bargaining on one of his own flipping and speaking out against him. After a teenager was stabbed to death following a row in Adams's name, one of the boy's friends felt compelled to expose him.

"I want justice for Callum, he was a mate of mine," George Davidson said. "It's only right." Callum Riley, 17, was murdered after daring to back Davidson, who had been accused of being a 'grass It was a petty feud, which ended with the tragic killing of a teenage boy and left loved ones devastated. A 'lovely lad, with a good heart, Callum was 'protective of his family' to the very end.

He was livid after learning that Adams had attacked the house where he lived with his mother, smashing the windows at the family home with a baseball bat. Callum was lured to his death by Adams, now a convicted murderer who is no longer calling the shots in Darnhill.

A FINAL GOODBYE Callum's mother, Tracy Marsland, who is battling terminal cancer, had wished her son goodbye a few hours before his death, as he headed for a night out with friends. She had no idea it would be the last time she saw him alive.

It was a feud which had bubbled under the surface for months, but rose to a deadly crescendo in the early hours of September 17, 2022.

By that time, there was no love lost between Callum and Adams.

The teenager and Adams' son Niall Conaghan previously appeared to get on. Both were the same age and had jobs as groundworkers where they had met for the first time.

They both lived on Heywood's Darnhill estate, a small place where everyone knows everyone.

Brechin Way was where Callum lived with his mum, half-brother and his girlfriend. Callum also had a girlfriend, who he had met up with in the hours before his death.

This story is from the March 17, 2024 edition of MEN on Sunday.

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This story is from the March 17, 2024 edition of MEN on Sunday.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

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