Peter Miller murder: Fresh appeal after family's 35 years of torment

On Sunday 9th December 1984, Peter Miller popped into his neighbour's house to give her a hand with some repairs. According to his brother, Anthony, that act summarises Peter's nature.

"He was helpful...he'd quite often keep an eye on the neighbours' kids while they were running about in the summertime," Anthony says.

The neighbour Peter had chosen to help on the 9th was the last person who saw him alive.

Exactly 35 years after the killing, Norfolk Police have launched a fresh appeal for information on Peter's murder.

Some hours after Peter assisted his neighbour, Anthony found his brother on the floor of his home in Camden Place, Great Yarmouth. Peter, aged just 24, had been stabbed in the chest.

More than 100 officers worked on the case. They followed over 2,500 lines of enquiry and took more than 1,000 statements.

Despite this effort, the circumstances of Peter's murder are still largely a mystery. Very few details have made it to the public domain.

We know a CS aerosol can was found in Peter's house the day he died and police think the can was used either by Peter's murderer or by Peter to defend himself.

We also know a man with blonde hair was seen in Camden Place just before the murder.

The CS aerosol can found in Peter's home

"Despite [our] extensive enquiries, no specific evidence to assist the investigation was identified." Norfolk Police say in a recent statement. "Whilst a number of forensic exhibits were submitted for examination, no results have been forthcoming."

Peter Miller was 24 years old when he died

Exhibits were submitted, but the force admitted that 170 of them were destroyed or returned to the original owners in 1991 - just seven years after the murder. The missing evidence means that future forensic review opportunities may be limited.

"They have taken the opportunity away from us to give Peter justice. They have also taken my right of closure, my mum's right of closure, and the remaining members of my family," Anthony says.

Police officers hunting for evidence following Peter's death Credit: ITV Anglia

However, the police insist the missing evidence doesn't mean their investigation is flawed. It may not be, but 35 years after their hunt for Peter's killer started, it still rumbles on.

Detective Inspector Neil Stewart, Norfolk Police, says: "I remain convinced that someone knows who committed his murder, or has information which may lead to us solving this crime."

The Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team are working to develop active leads. Because significant time has passed since the murder, they hope the perpetrator's affiliations will have disappeared, and people with information will come forward.

For now, however, the murder of Peter Miller remains unsolved. His father passed away without knowing how his son died, and the surviving family remain desperate for answers.

"My life has had to adapt to what goes on here, what happens with the enquiry, "Anthony summarises. "I'd like to see it move forward. I would like to see this person caught and locked up for it"