Family of Murdered Leeds Businessman Still Seeking Closure
The brother of a Leeds businessman, who was murdered 11 years ago today, says finding the killers will bring the family closure.
John Luper died of asphyxiation during a robbery at his home in Alwoodley in 2004, while his family were tied up upstairs. No one's ever been charged in connection with the 57 year old's murder. John's brother Toby Luper says bringing his killers to justice will bring the family a sense of closure. "Nothing will bring my brother back," he told us. "Nothing I can do or the police can do will bring my brother back. It caused my mother, who died 5 years to the day after my brother, constant heartache. She cried every day and I'll never forget that. "John was just one of those people in life who everybody loved. He was just so generous, gregarious, an unbelievable character. He's very greatly missed. "There's very little you can do. I don't know who those people are, I'm concerned for my own safety and the safety of my family. They could come and knock on my door - I don't know." John Luper was attacked at about 11.30pm on February 16 2004, by a group of four or five masked men as he walked his dog near his neighbour’s house. The 57 year old was dragged back to his home on Sandmoor Drive. His wife, daughter and the family’s au pair were tied up with duct tape and left in an upstairs bedroom before the suspects left the property. When they managed to free themselves, they found Mr Luper unconscious on the kitchen floor. Police were called to the scene at 1.45am on February 17, and despite attempts to resuscitate him he was pronounced dead at the scene. A post mortem examination showed he died as a result of asphyxiation. Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson, who is leading the investigation, said: “The fact that 11 years has passed since John Luper’s death has not lessened how determined we still are to get justice for his family. “We are continuing to actively investigate his murder and this includes forensic work that could help us to identify those responsible. The scientific techniques available to us are developing all the time and we remain hopeful that they will yet provide us with the evidence we need. “We are convinced that there are people out there who have the information we need to know about who was responsible. “It is likely that those answers lie within the criminal fraternity who will have been aware of the murder at the time and will have discussed it over the years. “Allegiances often change over the years and it may be that people are in a better position now to come forward and tell us what they know. I would urge anyone who has such knowledge or was perhaps on the periphery of this incident to contact us directly or call Crimestoppers anonymously. “John Luper was taken from his family in the most appalling circumstances and is understandably still very sorely missed by them. We remain fully committed to bringing those responsible to justice.” Anyone with information is asked to contact West Yorkshire Police's Homicide and Major Enquiry Team via 101. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.