Fresh police appeal 35 years after killing of Whitehill and Bordon couple
The double murder remains unsolved
The families of a Whitehill and Bordon couple murdered 35 years ago today (22 April) have welcomed a fresh appeal into their deaths.
Police are continuing to investigate the 'Lover's Lane' killings of Lindy Benstead and Peter Thurgood.
The pair were found dead on Chapel Common, in the village of Rake on the Hampshire-West Sussex border near Liphook, on 22 April 22, 1986.
Their bodies were found near a car Peter Thurgood had hired that day, with multiple shotgun blast wounds, executed at point-blank range.
Police say it was 'common knowledge' in Whitehill and Bordon that the 49 year old married mother of three and the 47 year old divorced bricklayer were having an affair.
They now say they believe the answer to the mystery could lie with someone in the Whitehill and Bordon area who may have information that can help provide vital leads.
Detective Superintendent Emma Heater of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team said:
“This tragic case was thoroughly investigated in 1986 and subsequently, and has since been reviewed several times.
“Many of our lines of enquiry over the years lead us to believe that the answer to the mystery of these dreadful crimes lies somewhere in the Whitehill and Bordon areas, from which the victims came.
"While we cannot rule out the possibility of an attack by a random stranger, it is still likely that someone with information from within those areas will provide vital leads.
"It is now 35 years since these tragic deaths and it may be that feelings and loyalties have shifted over the years, perhaps to a point at which someone is ready to disclose to us something they have never disclosed before."
Sussex Police's most recent full review of the case came in 2014, but new information is now being sought as part of a regular two-year reassessment.
Officers have made two arrests since the case was launched, with numerous leads being explored.
Sussex Police have said that there have been no other new developments, but officers will pursue any new information or forensic opportunities that arise.
In a joint statement, Peter's sons David and Terry Thurgood and Lindy's daughter Karen Benstead said:
"These terrible killings of our loved ones have haunted both families for 35 years now, and we remain united in our desire to support any enquiries that will help bring justice and closure for us all.
"We ask anyone who has any information they have not yet brought to the police, to come forward now. It is never too late to do the right thing."
David and Terry Thurgood added:
"When we were growing up in the Bordon and Whitehill area in the 1980s everyone knew everyone as they were only small villages. and somebody must know something.
"Now is the time to come forward to the police and help both our families put closure to this horrific crime."
Anyone who has any new information that might lead to new lines of enquiry can contact Sussex Police online or by calling 101, quoting Operation Bardwell.