Luke Harden murder: Jury sworn in as trial expected to last at least 13 days
Twelve jury members have been sworn on day two of a murder trial for much loved male model Luke Harden from Bacup.
Mr Harden, 37, from Bacup, passed away after it is alleged he was attacked in the early hours of Saturday, November 1.
Officers on patrol in Newchurch Road at 12.35am came across paramedics giving CPR to Luke on the pavement. Sadly, despite their best efforts, Luke was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bhekisani Matabiswana, 26, of St James Street, Bacup, who is a black Zimbabwean national and known locally as Nick, is in the dock charged with murder, which he denies.
Tributes
Family members paid tribute to Mr Harding.
They said: “There are no words to describe how devastated we all are. We wish our Luke could see the outpouring of love from everyone who knows him.
“He is and will always be special to us all, as a son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, uncle, boyfriend and friend.
“You will be forever in our hearts and minds, and we are comforted knowing we can shut our eyes and your beautiful face will always be smiling back at us.
“Rest in peace, our gorgeous Luke, until we will meet again.”
Manchester-based Nemesis Model Agency said it was "with great sadness that they announced the untimely death of one of our favourite models Luke Harden".
In a post on Facebook, the agency added: "Luke had been a model with Nemesis since 2013 and was respected by everyone who worked with him."
The trial is expected to last up to 13 days.