DIE ON THE WALL

ONE of Britain's top gangland leaders has been murdered on the eve of his own fly-on-the-wall TV programme.

Desmond Noonan - who boasts that the police blame him for 25 murders - died early yesterday after being stabbed several times in the street.

The Noonans are Manchester's most notorious crime family and police now fear a gangland feud will erupt in the city.

Noonan, 46, died on his way to hospital after being attacked in the south city suburb of Chorlton, just before midnight on Friday night.

He and his brother Dominic, 39, appear in the first of Donal MacIntyre's new series of fly-on-the-wall documentaries which start on Tuesday.

In the film, entitled The Trials of Mr Lattlay Fottfoy, Desmond Noonan is seen in a pub bragging about gangland killings while sipping a bottle of beer.

He tells MacIntyre: "They (the police) reckon I am behind most of the murders in Manchester."

Then he adds: "I've got a bigger army than the police. We've got more guns than the police. Silly bastards.

"I am down for 25 murders. What a load of bollocks."

He tells the film-maker when he first meets him: "Yeah, my friends told me to whack you."

The gangster then chillingly brags of nobbling witnesses and says on camera: "The police pressurise key witnesses to tell lies about us. In the end they see sense and don't come to court.

"Some can't go to court because they haven't got the bus fare.

"Some are deranged and delusioned because they are in the back of a trunk tied up!"

He adds: "That's a joke, by the way."

MacIntyre obviously doesn't believe it is, especially when Noonan issues a warning to rival gangsters and police.

He says: "No one wants to hurt us at the end of the day. And if they did, by God there would be some fireworks."

At one point Noonan covers his face and smirks when talking about gangland killings and whether he is responsible or not.

When MacIntyre bluntly asks: "And are you?" Noonan covers his face to stop a smile before answering: "No".

His brother Dominic adds: "He's a good Catholic." And Desmond says: "I am a Catholic. I don't believe in a life for a life. I don't believe in taking life."

Then, in a sick mock apology, the convicted armed robber laughs and adds: "I'm sorry. I want to say sorry to everyone."

Most of Tuesday's documentary is devoted to Desmond's gangster brother Dominic who calls himself Fottfoy - meaning "f*** off those that f*** off you" .

The two men come from a family of 16 with every one of the 14 children - boys and girls - christened with a name beginning with the letter D.

The Noonans have been feared in Manchester for more than 20 years.

Yesterday the area where Desmond was killed was flooded with police officers. A spokesman for the Greater Manchester force said: "The victim has not been formally identified but we believe it is the body of 46-year-old Desmond Noonan from south Manchester.

"Mr Noonan was known to police and did have a number of serious convictions for criminal offences but we have not established a motive for his murder.""

The spokesman said Noonan had "a number of residential addresses" within the city, adding: "We would like anyone who saw anything suspicious to come forward, and we ask residents to look out for clothing that might have been disposed of, or any bladed instrument, in their gardens."

lMacIntyre's Underworld, The Trials of Mr Lattlay Fottfoy, is on Five at 10.55pm this Tuesday.

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