The man was taken to hospital but later died A suspected burglar has been stabbed to death while apparently trying to break into a house in Greater Manchester.The man was one of four masked men trying to get into a house in Ethel Avenue, Salford on Wednesday night when a man inside tried to defend the house.
The stabbed man, 26, is believed to have been carried away by the other intruders as they fled, before being dumped in the street.
The householder, his son and son's girlfriend have been arrested.
Peter Flanagan, 57, and Neil Flanagan, 29, and a 21-year-old woman are being questioned on suspicion of murder.
Prime Minister David Cameron this week vowed to bring in stronger measures to protect homeowners defending their property.
'Shocking incident'He said: "We will put beyond doubt that homeowners and small shopkeepers who use reasonable force to defend themselves or their properties will not be prosecuted."
Ch Supt Kevin Mulligan, who heads Greater Manchester Police's Salford division, said the man suffered "at least one stab wound" during an altercation in the house involving at least one person from the address and four people breaking in.
He said he could not comment further on the injuries, or the cause of death, until a post-mortem investigation had been carried out.
He also refused to comment on whether the weapon had been taken into the property by the intruder, or if it belonged to the householder.
A 100m cordon has been put in place around the terraced house Three other men were with the stabbed man at the time of the incident, Mr Mulligan said. They have yet to be traced.
He urged them, or anyone who knows of their whereabouts, to contact Greater Manchester Police.
When asked about whether householders should be able to defend themselves, Mr Mulligan said: "Within the existing legal framework, you can use reasonable force to protect yourself - the emphasis on reasonable."
He urged people who thought they were being burgled to contact police.
"I don't see it as my position to speculate on possible legislation in the future," he added.
Police have put up a 100m cordon around the terraced house in Pendlebury, which backs on to open scrubland.
The next-door neighbour to the house, Sylvia Sharp-Cadigan, said: "I went to bed at 10 o'clock and at about 12 o'clock heard all this commotion, all voices.
"There were four police cars outside. I came down and said to the police, 'What's going on?' He said, 'There's been a break-in.' I said, 'Is anybody hurt?' and he said, 'that's all I can say'."
Mr Mulligan said: "I can reassure the community that we will thoroughly investigate what happened last night and do not believe that members of the public are at risk.
"I would urge anyone who knows something to speak to officers from the major incident team and anyone else who has other concerns can speak to my officers, who will be providing an increased presence to provide the community with reassurance."
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