An elderly couple who were found dead in a car that was pulled from Crook Gate Reservoir in Oldham over the weekend have been named as police investigate how their vehicle entered the water
The family of a husband and wife who were tragically found dead have issued a heartbreaking tribute to the pair.
Their bodies were discovered after a car was pulled from a reservoir in Oldham over the weekend. The couple have since been named as John Saxon and Marilyn Saxon, who were both 78 years old. Greater Manchester Police officers were called Crook Gate Reservoir shortly after 10am on Saturday, Manchester Evening News reports. An investigation into how the vehicle entered the water has since been launched. The couple were travelling along from Huddersfield Road at the time of the incident.
Emergency crews were initially called to reports of a collision beside Crook Gate Reservoir and Dowry Reservoir at around 10.10am. A large scene was put in place in the area by police and paramedics.
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In a tribute, a spokesperson for their family said: “The family of John and Marilyn want to pay tribute to a kind, caring and generous husband and wife who sadly passed away following an incident at the reservoir on Saturday. The family ask for privacy during this difficult time.”
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said today: “An investigation into how their vehicle entered the water is currently ongoing. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information is asked to contact police via 101 or gmp.police.uk, quoting log 851 of 15/03/25.”
This comes after an XL Bully owner was jailed after his dog attacked a barber and left him with PTSD as well as a serious wound on his left hand. It is unclear if the victim will ever regain full control of his left hand, Nottingham Crown Court heard.
Yesterday Judge Steven Coupland handed down a 25-month prison sentence to Stephen Clay, 44, who was handling the XL Bully named Diesel at the time of the attack. The sentence covered a string of recent offences which also included assaulting four police officers. The judge also approved a destruction order for the dog, although this will not be executed until the end of the appeal period of 21 days.
Clay, who was also banned from having custody of a dog for five years, had already admitted all the offences before Tuesday’s hearing, including the main charge of being the owner of a dog which was dangerously out of control and caused injury to a person.
The offences began with twice having his partner’s XL Bully dog out in public without a muzzle. The attack itself took place on October 9, 2024, and the court was shown CCTV footage of the incident.
Jeremy Janes, prosecuting, said: “The victim was just simply walking along the high street off to work, a barber by profession. Diesel was being restrained by a chain lead but as the victim walked past, Diesel bit him on the leg, then on the hand.
“A relatively short-lived assault, but the consequences were significant.” A victim impact statement was read out by Mr Janes, in which the victim said: “The ripple effect has touched every part of my life.”
The man had skin torn on his left hand to the extent that his bone was exposed and it remains unclear whether he will regain full control of it. Diesel was put into kennels following the attack, but Mr Janes said a destruction order to put the dog down was now appropriate.
