A man has been charged with the murder of a dad who was found dead at home after burglars stole his ‘beloved’ labradoodle.
Donald ‘Prentice’ Patience, 45, was discovered at his end-of-terrace house in Bury by police responding to reports of a theft on Tuesday morning.
Ian Gary Connell, 39, of Duke Street, Bolton has now been charged with murder.
He will appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court today.
Officers were called to Ainsworth Road, Radcliffe at around 10.30am on August 22 to reports of thieves trying to steal his pet.
When searching the property, police found the body of Mr Patience, who was known as ‘Prentice’ by his loved ones and originally from Scotland.
Greater Manchester Police say it has now been established that Mr Patience had been dead for several days.
His cause of death is still unknown and will be investigated further, officers say.
Two other men, aged 27 and 41, have been bailed pending further enquiries.
Mr Patience’s family described him as ‘a much-loved son, brother and father and will be sorely missed by many, affectionately known as Prentice’.
And his ex-wife Kirsty, who he shared three children with, also paid tribute to an ‘amazing father’ who ‘adored’ his kids, reports MailOnline.
She wrote on social media: ‘This breaks my heart to have to write this. As a lot of you may have already seen, this week we lost an extremely incredible man.
‘Despite whatever happened between us, Prentice was an amazing father and adored his children.
‘We are all truly heart broken at this news and we are all struggling to come to terms with his death.’
On Friday, the house remained cordoned off and forensic officers were coming in and out of the address.
Flowers have been left in Mr Prentice’s memory by the back wall of the house.
The dog has been retrieved and is currently being looked after by the relevant authority, police said.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
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