Murder case of friends John Greenwood and Gary Miller re-opened after 36 years

​The murder case of two schoolboys has been re-opened more than 36 years after they were found beaten and dying on a rubbish dump.

John Greenwood and Gary Miller, both 11, were school friends when they were killed in Whiston, Merseyside, in August 1980.

They were found on the evening of Saturday, 16 August, hidden under a mattress on the site of an abandoned colliery.

The colliery had become a local rubbish tip, an area now known as Stadt Moers Park.

Despite being taken to hospital, John died in the early hours of the next day and Gary died the following Wednesday.

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

A man was tried for their murders in 1981, but found not guilty.

Police have now made a fresh appeal for any information about the murders.

Their request follows what they say is new information seen by the Serious Crime Review Unit during the last month.

They are asking to hear from anyone who saw the two boys on Saturday, 16 August, 1980, as they may have vital information.

They also want to hear from anyone who was at or near the rubbish tip.

Speaking on behalf of the boys’ families, John’s sister Deborah Greenwood said that their deaths had been “devastating”.

She added: “The fact that no-one has been convicted for their murders has made it so much harder.

“For 36 years, we have lived with the frustration and the fear that we could be sitting next to their killer on a bus or walking past them on the street.

“The murder of a child in a family causes so much pain to everyone, the very least we deserve is to find the evil person that did this and put them behind bars.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Richardson said: “We are particularly interested in talking to anyone who may have seen a man with three young boys, aged between 12 and 14 years, near to the church hall on Dragon Lane, Whiston, between 6.45pm and 7.20pm on Saturday, 16 August.

“Two of the boys who were seen with the man were stood on the wall of the church hall and one was in the grounds of the church hall.

“Were you one of the three boys? If so, please come forward and talk to us.”

He added: “This is a tragic case and the families of both boys quite rightly want justice.

“This was a high profile case at the time and I am sure that people in Whiston will have information which could help us identify the person or people responsible.

“We are committed to helping the families try to get the justice they deserve and we want to develop the new information which has come in to the police but we need more information to take this investigation forward.”

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