A knife-wielding attacker was sentenced to life imprisonment for the attempted murder of a man in Urmston.

Michael Canning stabbed a stranger who was on the way home from work close to Kingsway Park last year.

The man was rushed to hospital in a critical condition for the treatment of dozens of wounds but he was stabilised after surgery.

Canning was arrested and was charged with attempted murder following an investigation involving CCTV footage from the public.

On December 1, he was convicted of the offence by a jury, and at Manchester Crown Court this week he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years.

Detective Sergeant Phill Xavier, of GMP Trafford, said: "Firstly, I would like to extend our sympathy to the victim and his family. He and his family have been supported throughout the period since the attack by specially trained officers.

"This was a ferocious attack on an innocent man who was simply walking home from work, a journey no longer than 15 minutes and something he would do every day, except on the day of the attack, Canning was waiting for someone to hurt in an alleyway.

"After being arrested, Canning denied having anything to do with the attack. At court he claimed that he did not tell the truth in his police interview as he had not accepted what he had done. He claimed that he committed the attack because he wanted to be arrested for something.

"But Canning went out that day with a face covering, and used a convoluted route back to his home address to evade detection. I am pleased that the jury paid attention to all the evidence and have rightly found this violent offender guilty.

"Our investigators worked hard to bring Canning to justice and I hope today’s sentence goes some way to providing some solace to the victim and their family.

"GMP are taking a robust stand against knife crime and offenders - utilising covert and overt tactics to keep our communities safe. If you see something that doesn't look right, make contact with any detail on 101, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.