[D]etectives investigating the murder of a County Durham man 24 years ago are renewing our appeal in the hope of finding new evidence.
The body of Paul Logan from Blackhill, Consett, was found on farmland near Shotley Bridge in the early hours of Christmas Eve, 1993.
Paul was a delivery driver for the Golden Flower Chinese restaurant and had been lured to Blue House Farm, Shotley Bridge, by his killers on the pretext of delivering a Chinese meal.
This follows a hoax call made from a telephone kiosk at the junction of Snows Green Road and Benfieldside Road, Shotley Bridge. At the time the call was made, a man was seen in the kiosk while another waited outside in a red Ford Fiesta.
When he arrived at the farmhouse just before 10pm on December 23, 1993, Paul was told by the householders that no meal had been ordered. He left the house but the householders’ suspicions were aroused later that evening when they noticed that Paul’s cream Peugeot car was still at the end of the lane leading up to their home.
Police found the car empty with the lights still on and the doors open. Officers searched the area, finding his body about 50 yards away at around 2.15am. He had suffered severe head injuries inflicted by a blunt instrument which has never been recovered.
Northumbria Police is leading the investigation and are working closely with partners in Durham Constabulary to try to find Paul’s killer.
Detective Inspector Dave English from Northumbria is now reviewing the case, re-examining old lines of enquiry, looking at new investigative techniques and renewing our appeal to track down Paul’s killer.
Detective Inspector English, from Northumbria Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said: “While we know this incident occurred in the Durham force area, Northumbria Police has been investigating this case for 23 years. We are now working together with Durham Constabulary to appeal to as many people as possible with any small pieces of information they may have in connection to Paul’s murder.
“A lot has happened over the past 23 years and people have grown up and moved. However, one group of people who can’t move on is Paul’s family who are still searching for answers as to what happened that night.
“Despite his children now being grown adults with their own families, they have grown up without really knowing their father and no child deserves that. With improved processes and technology over the last 23 years, we hope we can find new lines of enquiries to pursue and find the missing piece of the puzzle.
“Although this happened on the borders of Northumbria and Durham, enquiries have spread throughout the country. We believe there are a large number of people who know something about what happened that night and we would urge them to speak to us.
“This enquiry may be 23 years old but we are absolutely determined to catch whoever carried out this vicious attack and bring them to justice.”
Paul’s sister Dawn Logan-McCance said: “People think that because 24 years have passed, time heals all wounds and that we’ve moved on- we haven’t, our family haven’t and Paul’s kids haven’t. We live with this every day, we need closure and we need people to come forward; the smallest detail can be the key.
“We’re hoping that someone out there who knows something will come forward and we can finally get justice, not only for Paul, but for our parents who have passed on without finding out what happened.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the HMET team on 101, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
