Fresh appeal in search for man over 2002 killing

A man charged with murdering his father and trying to kill his mother remains on the run 22 years after failing to appear in court.

Merseyside Police has issued a fresh appeal for help to find now 42-year-old Karl O’Hare after the death of his father John O’Hare on 11 December 2002.

Mr O’Hare, 51, and his 44-year-old wife Diane were attacked with a hammer at their home in Oxton, Wirral, by O’Hare’s brother Mark Williams – allegedly with his younger brother’s assistance.

Williams was convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and later took his own life in Ashworth secure hospital in 2014.

Diane O’Hare was left severely disabled by the attack and died of her injuries in 2019, police said.

Karl O’Hare, who had been granted bail, was due to appear at Liverpool Crown Court for a pre-trial hearing in 2003 but failed to attend.

Williams, then 25, was found to have been suffering from severe mental illness at the time of the attack.

Karl O’Hare, who police said had links to Northern Ireland and Scotland, was described as white, about 6ft (1.8m) and having a cleft lip.

He had short brown hair and a goatee when he was last seen.

Supt Matthew Moscrop said “extensive enquiries” had been ongoing ever since.

“John and Diane O’Hare are both now deceased, as is Mark Williams, so if anyone knows where Karl is, search your conscious and tell us what you know,” he said.

“People’s loyalties and circumstances can change, so if this applies to you, speak to us directly or anonymously via Crimestoppers and we will do the rest.”

At a hearing in 2004, David Turner, QC, prosecuting, said trainee chef Williams had travelled from Birmingham to his parents’ home in Birch Close before the attack unfolded.

“He savagely attacked his mother and she remains comatose even now,” he said.

“He then brutally attacked his father and documentation found at the scene shows that his state of mind requires investigation.”