Bury Man Sentenced to Life for Mother’s Murder

Stephen Ball, a 32-year-old man from Bury, has received a life sentence for the murder of his mother, an act police described as a “drug induced violent assault”. Ball was initially arrested on Saturday, 16 September 2023, on suspicion of assault after officers responded to Suzanne Galvin’s Bury home and found her unresponsive with visible blood and extensive bruising, a court heard. Ms. Galvin died from her injuries two days later. A subsequent investigation by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) identified markings on her skin consistent with the tread of Ball’s trainers, though he denied any involvement. Ball, of Pear Avenue, was found guilty of murder at Bolton Crown Court on Friday and sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in jail. During the trial, the court was informed that a disturbance was reported at the defendant’s mother’s address just before 20:00 BST on 16 September 2023, with a man heard shouting for his mother to let him in. Shortly thereafter, Ball telephoned his grandmother, who resides in Ireland, stating that he had returned to the flat to find his mother injured and struggling to breathe. He informed her that his mother’s wrist was broken and that she had bruising to her eyes and shoulder. His grandmother asked him to place the phone near her daughter and could hear that her breathing was erratic. The court heard that Ball’s grandmother requested he call an ambulance, but he stated he was unable to, citing a lack of credit on his phone. She then asked her grandson to take his mother to the hospital, but he replied that Ms. Galvin did not want to go and would go in the morning. When police arrived at the scene after receiving the disturbance report, Ball was still present, and officers described his accounts of how Ms. Galvin sustained her injuries as “conflicting”. Following his arrest, a pair of Ball’s trainers seized by police were found to have the same tread pattern as some of the marks on his mother’s skin. Senior investigating officer Duncan Thorpe commented: “Firstly, our thoughts and prayers remain with Mary, Suzanne’s mum and Stephen’s grandmother, who has lost her daughter in the most terrible of circumstances.” He added: “This was a drug induced violent and sustained assault on a lady who was completely innocent.” Thorpe further stated: “Whatever sentence was imposed today, sadly it will not bring Suzanne back.” He affirmed that violence against women and girls remains a priority for GMP, and they would do everything in their power to ensure those who committed these offenses were brought to justice.