New appeal as police hunt killer of two 11-year-old boys 37-years-ago

Police investigating the murder of two schoolboys in Merseyside nearly 37 years ago are appealing for more potential witnesses to come forward.

A new appeal was launched in October 2016 after Merseyside Police’s Serious Crime Review Unit was given new information into the murders of John Greenwood and Gary Miller, who were just 11 years old when they died in Whiston in 1980.

The school friends were found at 7.20pm on Saturday, 16 August 1980, by a local dog walker hidden under a mattress on the site of a disused colliery on Pottery Lane, Whiston, which had been turned into a local rubbish tip.

The area is now known as Stadt Moers Park.

Both boys were taken to Whiston Hospital. John died in the early hours of Sunday, 17 August 1980 and Gary died on Wednesday, 20 August.

Post mortems revealed that both boys had died as a result of head injuries.

Since the appeal a number of people have been spoken to by officers but detectives are keen to speak to potential witnesses who they believe could have information which is vital to the investigation.

They are specifically looking to trace two boys who, a witness has told police, were seen being assaulted by an older male outside Whiston Health Centre in July 1980. It is believed that the boys were aged between 10 and 15 at the time.

Officers also want to speak to a boy, called either ‘Duffy’ or ‘Cuffy’, who was also aged around 10-15, and was in the company of another boy at the rear of the Labour club in Whiston on the day that John and Gary were found.

In addition detectives are keen to trace anyone who attended the 28th St Helens (1stWhiston) Scout Group (latterly known as the 2nd Knowsley Scout Group) in 1980 or anyone who attended Halsnead junior school with Gary Miller and John Greenwood around the same time.

• Anyone with any information which could help with the investigation should to contact Merseyside Police on 0151 777 8652 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.