John "the badge" Roberts murder - 4 years on - still unsolved
Detectives investigating the unsolved murder of a man in Gateshead are making a fresh appeal for help to catch his killer. On Sunday December 16, 2012, John 'The Badge' Roberts was found dead inside his house in Park Terrace, Winlaton. A murder investigation was launched and since then hundreds of house to house enquiries have been carried out by officers and thousands of people spoken to over the last four years. Although a number of arrests have been made in connection with the investigation, no charges have ever been brought against anyone and the investigation remains unsolved. Now, four years to the day, the detective in charge of the Investigation is making a fresh appeal for information in the hope that someone somewhere holds key information that could bring those responsible for his death to justice. Northumbria Police Detective Chief Inspector Lisa Theaker said:
"The investigation into the murder of John Roberts is not closed and it never will be, until we catch those responsible. Four years have passed and in that time a lot of things will have changed and whoever is responsible for taking John's life may be in a very different position now. Over the years they may have told someone, somewhere, about what they have done or something about his death. Living with the fact that you've killed someone places a huge burden on a person's conscious and it's got to be only a matter of time before cracks begin to show and they need to talk about what they have done. We urgently need this information so we can finally help solve this murder and get answers for John's family. We will always act on any new information or new lines of enquiry that come into police and I'd urge anyone who knows anything that might be able to help us, no matter how small or insignificant they think it might be, to contact us and pass it on - even after all of this time. John’s family have shown tremendous courage and dignity throughout this entire investigation and all of our thoughts are with them all at this difficult time of year. I want to let them know, and send a message to the wider public, that we will not stop looking until we find those responsible for John's murder and bring them to justice." Anyone who has information is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Footage of John in the Coral Bookmakers, Blaydon, on December 13 (2012) around 5pm: Reconstruction appeal -