Mum’s ‘brutal’ murder in her own home still a mystery 20 years on

The family of a mother who was shot in her home 20 years ago have renewed their appeals for anyone with information to come forward.

Lucy Hargreaves, 22, was asleep on the sofa when three men burst into her home in Walton, Liverpool, on 3 August 2005 and killed her.

They then set fire to the home in Lambourne Road, with Ms Hargreaves’ partner and two-year-old daughter, who were upstairs, having to escape through a window.

Police arrested 21 people as part of their investigations, but no-one has been convicted.

Two decades on, her family released a previously unshared photograph of the mother-of-three, taken at college.

They said: “Over the past 20 years, people will have talked with family and friends.

“A number of people were contacted by males using a phone that was stolen, along with a vehicle used in Lucy’s murder.

“The people who received those calls, along with others, could have information which could be crucial in achieving justice for Lucy, her parents, sister, children and all her extended family and friends.

“We appeal directly to them to please come forward.

“Now is the time.”

A comprehensive review into her murder launched by Merseyside Police two years ago is still ongoing.

Howard Rubbery, head of the Serious Case Review Unit, said: “It is now 20 years since Lucy was taken from her family in the most brutal of circumstances.

“After carrying out the killing, the offenders ignored the cries of a toddler upstairs as they poured petrol around the house and set fire to it.

“Their callous and reckless actions could have claimed the lives of two more people that night, had they not escaped the flames by jumping from a window upstairs.

“We are as determined as ever to get justice for Lucy, whose death robbed her family of a loving mother and daughter.

“As with any unsolved murder, time is no barrier to our pursuit of justice for Lucy and we appeal to anyone with any information, no matter how small it may seem, to contact us.”

Detectives are continuing to appeal for anyone with information about a gold Lexus car, believed to have been dumped shortly after the shooting on Richard Kelly Drive, Clubmoor, by a number of men who then ran in the direction of Normandale Road.

Police previously said they wanted to speak to Kevin Thomas Parle, who was believed to be living abroad, and was also wanted in connection with the murder of Liam Kelly, 16, who was shot in the early hours of 19 June 2004 in Dingle, Liverpool.