Paul Savage, aged 30, was bludgeoned to death while on his rounds exactly 20 years ago. Two decades on a £20,000 reward has been offered in a bid to finally catch his killer
The killer moved in so swiftly they were not seen or heard. Indeed they managed to "ferociously" attack their victim, 30-year-old postman Paul Savage, without any alarm being raised. It was 7.15am on a bitterly cold morning and the dad-of-one was simply left to die in the snow. Now, exactly two decades on from the still-unsolved murder on February 4, 2003, a £20,000 reward has been offered for information that leads to a conviction and finally gives answers to Mr Savage's family, NorthWalesLive reports.
He had been part of the way through his rounds, and was in Clayton Road in the Flintshire town of Mold, when he was repeatedly clubbed around the head so violently the base of his skull was crushed. The owner of the property where Mr Savage was attacked only realised what had happened was when he went to his car a short while later. There he found the unconscious postman who had been beaten with a blunt weapon.
As Mr Savage was rushed to Wrexham Maelor Hospital the police operation to find the assailant was launched. Shortly before 11am, though, the detectives were no longer investigating a violent assault but a murder as Mr Savage died without ever regaining consciousness.
Later witnesses reported seeing two young men wearing hoodies near where Mr Savage had left his bicycle about the time the attack took place. The pair were seen heading towards Mold town centre. Immediate theories were that the postman, who had left Mold Post Office at 5.50am, had been the victim of an horrific robbery gone wrong or, less likely, an unprovoked attack.
It did not take long, though, for officers to reassess their initial thoughts over what may lay behind the killing. As they probed into the postman’s past a picture emerged that suggested it may not have been some random tragedy.
Originally from Sale in Greater Manchester the victim, they learned, could boast a lengthy criminal record stretching back some 10 years. He was jailed for nine months at Blackfriars Crown Court in October 2001 for possessing drugs with intent to supply. He had been caught with cannabis worth more than £1m.
On leaving prison he did not stay long around his old haunts and instead took his wife, Charlotte, and four-year-old daughter to Wales, settling in the village of Gwernaffield near Mold. There he had joined the Royal Mail as a casual employee and had not long been working full-time. But with such a colourful and criminal past police began to suspect he could have been killed in a gangland hit or grudge attack.
Over the next few days and weeks detectives sought the help of the public revealing more details about the deadly assault. They revealed that Mr Savage had been struck several times with an 18in (45cm) club which was believed to have been fashioned from a banister rail. Analysis revealed that paint on the heavy spindle matched that found on Mr Savage's hat.
Horrified locals did all they could to assist the police but that came to nothing. Greater Manchester Police's intelligence unit also assisted in the investigation.
That spring there appeared to be a breakthrough when five people were arrested and questioned but they were released without charge. A £25,000 reward on offer later also failed to bring the killer or killers to justice.
But as officers delved deeper into Mr Savage’s death they exposed a criminal network throughout the area. And in November an undercover operation codenamed Lion, that had been set up to investigate the murder, resulted in a series of arrests of suspected traffickers.
Welcoming the news at the time Mr Savage's mother June White, who continued to campaign for her son’s killers to be brought to justice, renewed her own pleas. Speaking to the Daily Post at the time she said: “Somebody out there knows who killed my son and what happened. I just ask what kind of mother or grandmother can harbour their son who has left a wife without a husband and a little girl without her daddy? What kind of sister, cousin, or friend can live with themselves? How can they? How can they sleep at night?
“I sometimes wonder do the people who did this to my Paul have children of their own now? How would they like to get a knock on their door saying their child had been killed? Somebody knows who murdered my son. I will never give up. I won’t.”
Fifteen years on from the horrific unsolved murder it became the focus of BBC One’s Crimewatch Roadshow Live and, not for the first time, the case was thrust back into the public consciousness. Now in support of the investigation and to help bring the case to a conclusion the charity Crimestopperhas renewed a cash reward offer of £20,000 for information that leads to the conviction of those responsible for Mr Savage’s murder.
Detective inspector Myfanwy Kirkwood, of North Wales Police, said: “We are thinking of Paul’s family today who have still not had the closure that they deserve and justice has not been brought for Paul’s death. We believe that there is someone or some people out there with vital information that would help us to bring this investigation to a positive conclusion.
“I understand that people may feel reluctant to come forward after so many years but I give reassurance that any information received will be treated confidentially and we are only interested in securing information that will assist in this investigation. No unsolved case is ever closed and anyone with any new and substantial evidence to provide is asked to come forward.”
Gary Murray from Crimestoppers added: “Every day we hear from people who tell us how difficult it is to speak up about crime – especially if it’s about people who you may be close to via family and friends. This is a terribly sad case and our charity is keen to support the police by offering up to £20,000 for information we receive anonymously that leads to a conviction.
“Remember that with Crimestoppers we never ask for or store any of your personal details such as your name or contact number. All we ask if that you tell us what you know so that we can pass that on for you and allow justice for Paul and his loving family.
“If you have information please visit here and fill in our anonymous online form or call freephone 0800 555 111 anytime. When you are ready to tell us what you know we will be here for you.”