Parents' plea to find park murderer

THREE months after the mutilated body of fork lift truck driver Steve Jindu was found in a London park, his family have spoken out in a bid to make sure his murder is not forgotten.

Speaking at the family's home in West Drayton, Steve's father Salman, 50, said: "Our grief is turning to anger. We still know nothing about my son's death. The police don't seem to be getting far with their investigations.

Maybe some cases are hard to solve but they seem to have very few clues."

Officers from Barnes Serious Crime Group say the case is "a complete mystery which has been baffling from the start". Steve's body was found on 14 November in Horsenden Hill park in Greenford by a passer-by. The frenzied knife attack has shocked the tight-knit Iraqi community to which the family belongs.

Detective Chief Inspector Norman McKinlay, who heads the incident room, said: "It was a horrific attack and the family are devastated. We need to find out what he was doing in such an isolated, lonely spot at that time of evening and how he got there.

"It is very unusual to find somebody who was surrounded by family and friends but has a history that is so hard to penetrate. Somebody knows something and we are appealing to that person or persons to speak out."

Mr Jindu said: "Steve was everything to us. He was the only son we had and he was going to carry our name. We have lost so much. Nothing can change that. But people have forgotten about Steve. We need to have a stronger appeal. He wasn't a trouble maker. I can't understand why he would be slaughtered in this way."

Last Friday should have been Steve's 26th birthday. Instead his mother Vicky, 55, and two sisters spent the day visiting the grave of the "quiet and hard working" son.

Mrs Jindu said: "There must be somebody that saw something and knows what happened." Steve's last known movements were recorded at 7.40pm on Saturday 11 November, on CCTV footage from Yates Wine Lodge in Mattock Lane, West Ealing.

The film shows a well-built man wearing Gap trousers, a black Gap T-shirt, a blue denim shirt and brown boots, standing at the bar alone. The next frame shows Steve talking on his cellphone as he walked out of the door towards Ealing Broadway.

There were no further sightings of Steve. He did not cross the road to retrieve his distinctive peppermint green VW Passat which was parked opposite the wine bar.

Mr Jindu said: "It is as if he disappeared into thin air."

Police believe Steve's body may have lain undiscovered for three days.

Crucial early attempts to solve the crime were hampered by freezing temperatures, which made it near impossible to identify the exact time of his death.

DI Michael Smith said: "It was so cold at night it made the pathologist's job very tough."

A man has been arrested and released on police bail. Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 020 8247 7821 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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