A 20-year-old man jailed for life more than two years ago following the brutal murder of a former Prestwich businessman, has walked free after a retrial.

John Gray was originally given a life-term in August 2002 when he was convicted of murdering father-of-three Nathaniel Jacobs, formerly of Overbrook Drive, Prestwich.

A second defendant Christopher Lambe was also jailed for life for the murder following the same trial and then in April last year, Gray's father Ian was given life for his role in the crime.

Earlier this year, the Court of Appeal ordered that John Gray should be tried again, and now he is set to be freed after the second jury at Manchester Crown Court took just over an hour to clear him of any involvement in the killing.

Gray, from Hulme, had spent two-and-a-half years in custody following the murder of 40-year-old Mr Jacobs at the recruitment agency he ran in Chester Road, Hulme.

Mr Jacobs was stabbed 17 times in the head, eye, body, arms and legs and was also beaten with a spade and stamped on.

The prosecution alleged that he was attacked by all three men because Ian Gray believed staff at the agency were ignoring them.

Mr Jacobs, who was due to get married five months later, tried to escape by running upstairs, but was chased and trapped before he was hacked to death.

The second jury accepted John Gray's evidence that he didn't play any part in the attack. He admitted being in Mr Jacob's office at the time, but said his father told him "not to get involved" when he followed the victim up the stairs.