The dramatic twist in the Dale Cregan court case yesterday prompted a special late edition from the Manchester Evening News.

Cregan changed his plea to guilty on the fourth day of his trial for killing police officers Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes after luring them to his home.

The MEN rushed out a 4pm edition leading on the change of plea and circulated 2,000 copies in the Clayton and Hattersley areas in East Manchester, where the killings took place.

John Scheerhout, crime reporter at the Manchester Evening News, was the only newspaper journalist present at Preston Crown Court when Cregan’s admission of guilt was made.

Writing in today’s paper, John described the moment Dale Cregan admitted the police killings.

“When the judge, Mr Justice Holroyde, told the jury there was to be a ‘step in procedure’, it became apparent that something extraordinary was about to happen,” he wrote.

“The court official asked first how the defendant pleaded to the allegation he had murdered Fiona Bone and then how he pleaded to the murder of Nicola Hughes. Cregan replied ‘guilty’ on each occasion.”

Today’s edition of the newspaper also includes a seven page special covering yesterdays developments.