Mum, 27, charged with murder of male model left for dead on pavement

A young mother, jointly accused of the murder of Luke Harden, has been pictured for the first time. Natalie Chadwick, 27, stands charged with the murder of Luke, who was discovered dying on a street. Luke, known to his friends as Duke, was a male model. He was found by police sprawled on the pavement after departing a social club in Bacup, Lancashire at around 12.35am on Saturday, November 1.

Despite the best efforts of paramedics, Mr Harden was declared dead at the scene. His cause of death remains unconfirmed, according to the Manchester Evening News. Chadwick, a mother of two, faces charges alongside Bhekisani Matabiswana, 26, locally known as Nick. The duo made their appearance via video link at Preston Crown Court yesterday, Friday, November 7.

The pair only spoke to confirm their identities. The Honorary Recorder of Preston, Judge Robert Altham, scheduled a trial date for April 2026. In the wake of Mr Harden's death, his family paid a heartfelt tribute, describing him as 'special' and 'beautiful'.

They expressed: "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."

Nemesis Model Agency, located in Manchester, has paid a heartfelt tribute to Mr Harden on its Facebook page.

The statement read: "It's with great sadness that we must announce the untimely death of one of our favourite models LUKE HARDEN.

"Luke had been a model with Nemesis since 2013 and he was loved by everyone who met him and respected everyone who worked with him."

Chadwick, from Hamerton Street, Bacup, and Matabiswana, from St James Street, Bacup, have been held in custody until their next court appearance for a plea hearing on December 15.

Detectives are still working to unravel the events leading up to Mr Harden's tragic demise and are appealing for anyone with doorbell or dash cam footage, or those who were at the Rosemount Working Men's Club on October 31, to get in touch.