Parents of Shane Fox make emotional plea to find their son's killer on fifth anniversary

  • Ravneet Nandra spoke to the parents of Shane Fox for ITV News Anglia

The parents of a man who was stabbed to death five years ago say their lives have been a "total nightmare" since they lost their son.

Shane Fox was 26 years old when he died from a knife wound to the chest while walking to his flat on the Hemmingwell Estate in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, in the early hours of 1 December, 2018.

Five years on, Northamptonshire Police is appealing to the public again to help them catch Mr Fox's killer.

His parents Ian and Caroline Fox hope the appeal could jog someone's memory of that night and help with the investigation.

Shane Fox was 26 years old when he died from a knife wound to the chest while walking to his flat on the Hemmingwell Estate. Credit: Family handout/Northamptonshire Police

Mr Fox said: "One day you're happy, you're carrying on as normal, everyday life, looking forward to Christmas, looking forward to holiday - but then you get that news that your son has been murdered and everything just stops."

Shane Fox's brother was also injured in the attack and has been devastated by the loss of his brother, with the pair having become increasingly close in the months before the murder.

Mrs Fox said: "It's waking up in the morning knowing he's not here.

"Every day is the same. You're missing someone at the dinner table, you're missing them coming through the door... birthdays, no Mother's Day card. Awful."

In the months following Mr Fox's death, Northamptonshire Police made four arrests in connection with the investigation, and a further two in the summer of 2022, but charges have yet to be brought against anyone.

In May 2019 independent charity Crimestoppers offered £10,000 for information leading to the conviction of his killer – a reward that in June last year was doubled to £20,000.

The force is still trying to trace a potential witness, who was captured on CCTV walking past the Well Café near Nest Farm Crescent at about 1.55am.

Det Ch Insp Adam Pendlebury of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) said it was a complex operation.

CCTV captured a potential witness walking past the Well Café near Nest Farm Crescent at about 1.55am on the night. Credit: Northamptonshire Police

"The difficulty with the investigation is around the complexity of what happened that night. It was very isolated. There was only one key witness that night that saw the offence," he said.

"There are complexities around what the offender did after the offence, the information that came through, the investigation that was conducted around then to try and explore all of those avenues.

"It's just a complex case that revolves around the forensic side of things.

"We want people to talk to us. I'm certain there is somebody out there that knows something. That there is information out there that people aren't willing to share."

Northamptonshire Police made six arrests in connection with the investigation, but charges have yet to be brought against anyone. Credit: ITV Anglia

This year will be the fifth Christmas for the Foxes without their son.

Mr Fox said: "People come in at Christmas [saying] 'You alright? Happy Christmas.'

"Whatever... How can it be a happy Christmas?"

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