Murder police in TV appeal

A national appeal for information will be made on BBC's Crimewatch programme to see if it will solve the mystery death of Sutton-on-the-Forest man David Williamson.

The broadcast will be made more than 12 weeks after Mr Williamson's body was discovered not far from his house.

Police struggling to crack the case have described as "shocking" the lack of information they have so far received from the public.

A Crimewatch camera crew will be at Sutton-on-the-Forest and Huby today and tomorrow. The film will feature in the programme's next episode, being shown next Wednesday.

A police spokesman said the force needed results "because there is a murderer loose".

"We are sure that there are people who can help us, who know something about this," he said.

"People would have seen something and maybe thought it is not important, but there are so many big crimes which are solved by things that people thought were not important.

"It may well be that the kind of vivid representation that Crimewatch gives by recreating what we know of this crime can make people realise that it is a serious matter and it does involve them. There is a murderer out there and everybody has a duty to make sure that he or she is taken out of circulation."

Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Boynton, the man heading the inquiry, said: "This is a very long running inquiry which has had very little information forthcoming to us, and that has been frustrating. We remain committed to it and there is an awful lot of work still being done. Hopefully appearing on Crimewatch will help us move forward."

The programme will reconstruct the night that Mr Williamson died, filming in the Star Inn, Huby, where the 57-year-old bachelor was last seen, and at Bentley's Barn, just outside Sutton-on-the-Forest, where his body was found.

He had suffered a fractured skull after being struck from behind with a blunt object.

Updated: 10:52 Wednesday, June 13, 2001