Exactly 20 years since the murder of Kate Bushell

Twenty years on from the murder of 14-year-old Kate Bushell, her family has urged anyone holding onto vital information to ‘find it within themselves’ to come forward to police.

The schoolgirl was murdered as she walked a neighbour’s dog near her home in Exwick 20 years ago today.

She was found in a field off Exwick Lane on 15 November 1997 with a brutal wound to her throat.

Last week major crime detectives launched a public appeal for information to help them catch Kate’s killer.

So far around 180 calls and messages from the UK public have been received through the police incident room and online reporting portal, almost 10 times the response to the 10th anniversary appeal.

This has generated at least 10 new lines of enquiry now being progressed by the major crime team.

Kate’s older brother Tim Bushell, 35, said the family were very grateful for the public’s help and appealed to anyone who was still withholding information to speak out.

If you have information please phone the incident room on 0800 096 1233 or report online via: www.dc.police.uk/katebushell

Information can also be passed anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers via 0800 555111 or www.crimestoppers-uk.org

The charity has offered a £10,000 reward for information received through them that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the murder.