Bolton man jailed for killing vulnerable woman and dumping body in his shed
Christopher Barlow killed Mariann Borocz in December 2024 after randomly meeting her at a shop and inviting her to his house
A man who befriended and killed a vulnerable woman has been jailed for her murder.
Christopher Barlow killed Mariann Borocz in December 2024 after randomly meeting her at a shop and inviting her to his house.
He then killed her and dumped her body in a locked shed in his garden in Bolton.
Barlow (1/1/1963), of Pedder Street, was convicted of murder on Thursday (28 August) after a three-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.
Today (29 August) he has been sentenced to life in prison and must serve a minimum term of twenty years behind bars.
What started out as a search for a missing woman turned into a murder investigation just before Christmas.
Officers made extensive efforts to locate Mariann, who was originally from Hungary, from the moment she was reported missing on Sunday 15 December.
Chief Superintendent Helen Critchley, who oversaw the searches, said: “We made extensive efforts to locate Mariann, including house-to-house enquiries, several media appeals, searching empty buildings and open areas conducted by specially trained officers, and reviewing CCTV.
“We also engaged with the Hungarian community and had our appeals translated into Hungarian.
“We never gave up hope and followed up every line of enquiry, every reported sighting but something didn’t feel quite right.
“The big breakthrough came from our neighbourhood team who saw Mariann with Barlow on CCTV outside a shop – their enquiries led them to finding a photo of Barlow outside his house on Google Maps.
“He was originally spoken to as a witness but during further house-to-house enquiries a neighbour reported hearing a scream from his house and we went back to arrest him.
“At that point we made the harrowing discovery and the murder investigation started.
"We would like to thank members of the local Bolton community who spoke to our officers, helped with our search or shared our appeals.
“Our thoughts today are with Mariann and her family and friends, who finally have justice.”
Mariann, 55, was reported missing on the Sunday having been last seen alive in the early hours of the previous day.
During the search and investigation, CCTV showed Barlow following Mariann into a shop near his house and then back out again.
After Barlow was arrested on suspicion of assault on 23 December, officers found the keys to his shed and, sadly, discovered Mariann’s body.
Barlow was charged with murder, which he denied.
He also denied any contact with Mariann but admitted during the trial that he had invited her into his house, and found her not breathing in his kitchen about 40 minutes later.
The case was handed over to the Major Incident Team, led by Detective Chief Inspector Tony Platten.
Forensic evidence linked Barlow to Mariann's body and the jury returned its guilty verdict after less than a day of deliberation.
Detective Sergeant Fiona Manning, the OIC for the case, said: “This was a harrowing investigation and subsequent trial for Mariann’s family.
“Our thoughts continue to be with Mariann’s family during this difficult time. Despite the deeply distressing nature of the trial, they consistently demonstrated dignity.
“I also felt for the officers who found Mariann – many of them had spent the previous week searching for her and then discovered her body.
“Whilst officers never know from each working day to the next what they will face, this is not an everyday occurrence, and I commend their resilience.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of women in our communities and will continue to work tirelessly to uphold justice.
“Women should be able to go out freely and without fear that something may happen to them.
“Barlow befriended Mariann and she believed she could trust him – that could not have been further from reality.”