Rake murders: Police issue fresh appeal, 35 years on
Officers are still investigating who caused Lindy Benstead and Peter Thurgood's deaths
Last updated 21st Apr 2021
The families of a couple murdered in West Sussex 35 years ago on Wednesday have welcomed a fresh appeal into their deaths.
Sussex Police are continuing to investigate the 'Lover's Lane' killings of Lindy Benstead and Peter Thurgood.
The pair were found dead on Chapel Common, off the then A3 at Rake, on April 22nd, 1986.
Their bodies were found with multiple shotgun blast wounds, executed at point-blank range, by a Mazda car Thurgood had hired that day.
Married mother of three Mrs Benstead, who was 49, and twice-divorced bricklayer Mr Thurgood, who was 47, were known to be having an affair at the time of the killings.
The pair lived in adjoining Whitehill and Bordon in Hampshire, closed to the West Sussex border, where police are focusing their investigations.
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 par of a regular two-year re-assessment provess.
Officers have made two arrests since the case was launched, with numerous leads being explored.
Sussex Police have said that no other new developments have taken place, but that officers will pursue any new information or forensic opportunities should they arrive.
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.