A GANG of men who attacked and killed a young Ramsbottom father with a samurai sword have been found guilty of his murder.

Richard Meakin, 20, was found in the back garden of a home following the attack last summer.

Nathaniel Clarke-Collins, 19; John Watt and Stephen Goodwin, both 22, were convicted of murder following a trial at Manchester Crown Court.

A fourth man, Martin Nicholl, 33, was found guilty of assault yesterday.

Father-of-one Meakin was attacked by the thugs after leaving a house in Rostron Road, Ramsbottom, on August 22 last year.

He was stabbed eight times with a samurai sword which Clarke-Collins admitted giving to Watt two days earlier.

The weapon was later recovered from a gutter nearby.

Despite efforts to save him, including emergency surgery, Meakin died later that night from blood loss.

During the trial, the court heard the motive was a feud between Watt and Meakin. There had been two earlier violent incidents before the fatal confrontation.

Clarke-Collins, of Moyse Avenue, Bury; Watt, of Square Street, Ramsbottom; Goodwin, of Bright Street, Radcliffe, and Nicholl, of Hurst Street, Bury, will be sentenced tomorrow.

Detective Inspector Bill Beddows, of Bury CID, who led the investigation, said: "The attack was horrendous and the injuries were some of the worst I have seen."

Meakin's mum, Sheila, said: "Richard was no angel but he was our son and he did not deserve to die.

"Our lives will go on but they will never be the same again."

Richard had three sisters, Charlotte, 24; Gabriel, 11, and Sofia, 5, and a brother, Michael, 22. He leaves his 18-month-old daughter, Cody, and girlfriend of two years, Holly.