The families of two murdered schoolboys say their decades-long wait for justice has been "endless torture".
John Greenwood and Gary Miller were beaten at an old colliery site and found with severe head injuries beneath a mattress. The 11-year-olds later died from their injuries, their murders prompting fear and revulsion.
The tragic attacks also sparked high-profile appeals and, in recent years, a police apology. Their families remain hopeful they will one day see justice, however.
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In order to get that, they are asking for the public's help. John and Gary were discovered by a dog walker in what is now Stadt Moers Park, Whiston, on the evening of Saturday, August 16, 1980. Both had suffered head injuries that, sadly, later claimed their lives.
The following year a man from Prescot faced a trial but was cleared of their murders at Liverpool Crown Court. No-one has been held accountable for the killings.
Of the wait for justice Debbie Turrell, John's sister and one of many family members to have battled for answers, told the ECHO: "Knowing that John and Gary's killer has not been brought to justice is an endless torture to our families. It makes you feel sick to your stomach. It makes you angry and frustrated. It's as though John and Gary's lives didn't matter because their killer was allowed to do what he did and get away with it.
"Justice would mean a huge weight being lifted from our shoulders. My mum, and Gary's dad, have both passed away but it would mean so much to my dad and Gary's mum to finally see their sons' killer behind bars. It would mean the world to both of our families and to the local community as well.
"My determination to get justice for the boys is as strong as ever. I believe that hope is a very important thing to have. There have been times when I have felt incredibly disappointed or impatient for answers but the hope of seeing justice done keeps me going."
Frustrations over the original investigation remain. In 2019 they led then Chief Constable Andy Cooke to issue an apology and state: "Having carried out a number of cold case reviews and following the reinvestigation of the murder it is fair to say that the investigation was not as thorough as it could have been, or in line with the investigation standards expected of policing today.
“On behalf of Merseyside Police I want to offer our sincere apologies to the families of John and Gary, and I would like to reassure them that we remain committed to finding the person(s) responsible.”
Those words came three years after his force launched a fresh appeal for information after the emergence, 36 years after the sickening crimes, of a new witness. Over the following years new information was handed to the police but in 2019 the Director of Public Prosecutions refused to authorise the progression of the new investigation, providing the backdrop to the apology.
Police explained at the time: "In August 2016 the families pushed to have the case reinvestigated after new evidence arising from a Facebook campaign resulted in a number of people, not spoken to as part of the original investigation, coming forward.
“As a result of this and following liaison with the families the force reinvestigated the case.
“Due to the fact that a man had previously been charged with the murders and acquitted following a trial, the force submitted a file containing the new evidence to the Director of Public Prosecutions for consideration.
“Following careful consideration the DPP made the decision not to authorise the next steps in the Merseyside Police investigation on the basis of the file submitted to him.
“The DPP acknowledges that this is a tragic case and has said that in the event that the ongoing police investigation yields sufficient compelling new evidence he would reconsider his decision.
“To that end Merseyside Police remains committed to investigating this case and ensuring that we do everything we possibly can to bring the person(s) responsible to justice."
Merseyside Police is prohibited from questioning the original suspect as part of its inquiries due to double jeopardy laws which the families argue "makes a mockery of the fair and open justice system that we pride ourselves in".
They have since embarked on a public campaign to have the laws abolished, with their petition, launched on the Government website and so far backed by more than 1,000 people, explaining: "Double jeopardy is an 800-year-old principle in common law that protects suspects of crimes from being retried, or even re-questioned, for the same crime.
"We believe this fails to consider the continuous suffering endured by victims of unsolved crimes. Police are still being prevented from re-interviewing acquitted suspects even in murder investigations."
The campaigners today urged people to sign their petition, with Debbie arguing: "I believe that abolishing the double jeopardy jaw altogether would make our justice system fairer, especially for victims of serious crimes, and their families."
*For more details on the petition, visit here.
If you can help with any of those appeals you can contact Merseyside Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or online here.
