Reward of £50k offered over 1994 taxi driver murder

Nottinghamshire Police Shami wearing a blue shirt with white buttons and a white top underneath. He is sitting on a patterned arm chairNottinghamshire Police
Ethsham Ul-Haq Ghafoor was known to his friends and family as Shami

A reward of up to £50,000 has been offered for information on the murder of a taxi driver - 30 years after he was shot in his car and found with his hands tied and bound to the steering wheel.

Nottinghamshire Police, which announced on Friday it is reinvestigating the murder, said Ethsham Ul-Haq Ghafoor - known to his friends and family as Shami - was shot in the early hours of 22 November 1994.

The 26-year-old, who was expecting a baby daughter at the time, was discovered by a milkman at Lambley Lane Playing Fields in Gedling, Nottinghamshire.

Police have described the killing as an "execution", adding a team of detectives are now working to "ensure justice is finally served".

Nottinghamshire Police Family picture of two parents and a toddler sitting on the grass smiling at the cameraNottinghamshire Police
Police said Mr Ghafoor was a "soon-to-be dad, who was executed in his own taxi in a secluded area"

Police said Mr Ghafoor, of Sherwood Rise in Nottingham, was last seen in Carlton Square with three Asian men in his black and white Ford Sierra just after 02:00 GMT. His body was found at 04:30.

The weapon used in the killing has never been recovered, the force added.

Mr Ghafoor and his wife had been expecting a baby daughter at the time of his death. He also had a five-year-old son.

A number of people were arrested at the time, but no-one has ever been convicted.

BBC/Jeremy Ball Aisha Ghafoor is looking directly at the camera. Her brother is sat next to her.BBC/Jeremy Ball
Mr Ghafoor's siblings, Aisha and Harfan Ghafoor, joined a press conference on Friday on the 30th anniversary of the murder

Mr Ghafoor, who had been working on the night he was killed, was well-known among his colleagues, the force added.

Officers said the location his body was found was secluded, especially at night, and was not a place usually used for taxi pick-ups or drop-offs.

The appeal includes the reward offered by Crimestoppers, in exchange for any leads given exclusively to the charity that could lead to a conviction, and it runs until 22 February.

The charity is appealing to the public to contact them anonymously if they have any information.

'Out of his depth'

Police say major developments in forensic science have allowed items from the scene of the crime to be examined, providing detectives with new opportunities.

The force believes the answer lies within the community, and asked anyone with information, no matter how small, to come forward.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin told a press conference that Mr Ghafoor was "probably associating with some members of the criminal fraternity".

"I don't think he was involved in organised crime, but I do think he got himself involved with people who were, and probably found himself out of his depth," he said.

"This is why I think he was killed."

Nottinghamshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin at the press conference on Friday. He's sat at a tableNottinghamshire Police
ACC Griffin asked the public to "put themselves in Shami's family’s shoes"

ACC Griffin said Mr Ghafoor's family had waited "30 years for the closure they rightfully deserve".

"Shami's family can never move on with their lives without answers and you could be sitting on the very answers they require," he said.

"We know that there will be people out there that know what happened, that have that information.

"We know that loyalties change over the years, and this is exactly what we are relying on.

"We are hoping that people that felt they were not able to speak out all that time ago will feel differently now and feel able to come forward."

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