The death of a 'lovely' grandad who was killed after a fire attack on his home is now being as murder.
George Redmond, 76 and his wife, Mary were forced to flee their house in Dorien Road, Old Swan after it was set alight in the early hours of September 1 this year.
It is understood that the pensioner fell down the stairs as he hurried out the house which resulted in serious injuries that required medical attention, the Liverpool Echo reports.
According to the devastated family, George was apparently making good progress with his rehabilitation but passed away suddenly on September 16 while in hospital.
Witnesses in the area at the time of the incident said how panicked neighbours battered on George and Mary's windows to wake them after their front door was set on fire.
A petrol can was also left on the driveway. A statement issued by the family, shortly after George's passing said: "With extreme sadness we announce the death of a lovely husband, dad and granddad, George Redmond, who died suddenly on September 16 in hospital.
"He was making great progress in his rehabilitation and was already mobile and regaining his independence so his sudden death was unexpected and utterly tragic and we as a family are absolutely struggling to come to terms with it all. We are beyond heartbroken and hope whoever is responsible for this appalling act is swiftly brought to justice.
"George leaves behind his much loved wife Mary to whom he was married for 52 amazing years and three much loved daughters, Kathryn, Karyn and Angela, as well as six grandchildren – and not forgetting Belle, his beloved cockapoo. We will love and miss him forever and hope there is a steady supply of custard creams wherever he is now.
"Rest peacefully George Redmond. 1946 – 2022." Residents in the street say they are 'absolutely certain' the attacker had gotten the wrong house and was not targeting the elderly couple as they could not think of any reason why anyone would harm the two pensioners.
One neighbour told the ECHO: "They were one of the families who sold up when they were purchasing the land for Edge Lane so they have been here for 10 or 12 years. George was quite a quiet man but he would always say hello.
"He was an avid gardener, he loved being in his garden. It was definitely mistaken identity. It's happened before in this street, someone torched my car back in 2009.
"There are certain people in this area who think they are more than what they are. They think they are gangsters."
Another said: "I used to walk the dog with George. We'd talk about the football and things like that. He was an Evertonian, he was just a very quiet fella.
"There's no way at all anybody would want to hurt George and Mary. It's absolutely terrible, it frightens you to death."
No arrests have been made in relation to the attack so far but detectives have recently issued CCTV images of a man they wish to speak with and of a white Audi spotted in the area between 3:10am and 3:20am. Police are continuing to urge anyone with any information regarding the incident to come forward.
Detective Inspector Gavin Mulcahy said: “Our thoughts and condolences continue to go out to George Redmond’s family who are devastated by this despicable crime. Our officers are determined to bring those responsible to justice.
“To that end, I want to continue to appeal to anyone who lives in this area and may have any information, be it further images or footage on CCTV, dashcam or doorbell devices. If you were in the area between 3am to 3.45am on Thursday 1 September and have not already spoken to police but saw something suspicious at the time please contact us.
“If you haven’t already come forward, please contact us with anything you know to help us bring those responsible to justice for the family of George Redmond.” Anyone with any information can also contact us via social media @MerPolCC or call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 22000649658.
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