Ricky Reel: Detectives re-examine case of student whose body was found in the Thames in 1997

Detectives are reopening the investigation into the death of a student whose body was found in the Thames in 1997.

Ricky Reel was 20 when he went missing while on a night out.

The Met says the inquiry will be looked at with 'fresh eyes'.

The development has been welcomed by Ricky's mum who has spent the last 25 years campaigning for answers.

"I am glad that police offered us a meeting and listened to our concerns and know why we asked for an investigation," said Ricky Reel's mother, Sukhdev Reel.

"He [Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley] told me he read my book so all the mistakes that were made by the police he's aware of, and also we told him how we feel, and he has agreed to carry out a fresh investigation and look at all the areas as well that need to be forensically tested.

"So let's hope it's a fresh investigation and that will conclude how he could have died and who killed him," Sukhdev Reel added.

Ricky vanished after he and his friends, who were South Asian, were subjected to a racist attack by two white men.

Sukhdev Reel claims the racial line of inquiry was never properly investigated and prejudicial police attitudes hampered the investigation.

"I am begging for justice now. All I want is someone to tell me who killed my son. He was a peace-loving boy so why did someone take his life away because of his colour?" she added.

A spokesperson for the Met said: "The Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley met Ricky’s family on 11 January. The details of this meeting remain private.

"The Met’s Major Inquiries Specialist Casework team has re-examined the case and is now looking more closely at certain lines of enquiry from the original investigation.

"These lines of enquiry are being followed up with fresh eyes and the benefit of modern technology so we can explore every possible avenue in the hope of providing answers to Ricky’s family."

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