Leads In Worcester Murder Investigation Revealed On Crimewatch
An actor playing Andrew Heath at the window of his flat The last moments in the life of a man who was killed in an arson attack in Worcester in December have been reconstructed on the BBC TV programme Crimewatch.
Andrew Heath, aged 52, died in a fire at his flat in Chedworth Close, Warndon at around 4am on Wednesday 14 December. West Mercia Police is offering a reward of £10,000 for information that results in the arrest and conviction of those responsible for his death.
As part of the ongoing investigation and appeals for public help, his death was featured on Crimewatch last night, which included interviews with Andrew Heath's family and 
DCI Paul Williamson talks to Matthew Amroliwalafriends.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Williamson, who is leading the operation, was interviewed in the studio by presenter Kirsty Young and he revealed a number of lines of inquiry that have not previously been released to the public.
Detectives believe the fire was started in a wheelie bin that had been pushed into Andrew Heath's porch, up against the front door and set alight.
DCI Williamson said: "Someone may have deliberately set out to kill Andrew or it may have been to scare and upset him.
"From the positioning of the bin in his porch blocking his exit after he returned home it's clear that this has the hallmarks of a personal attack on him.
"Whoever set the fire must have known the devastating consequences their actions would have. I need to know why this happened to Andrew and get answers for Andrew's family and friends."
The investigation team is also looking into the possibility that it could have been started by someone who owed him money. Andrew lent out money to people and there may have been tension with someone who owed him money.
A group of people were seen hanging around outside Andrew's house in the early hours before the fire and raised voices heard. We need to know why they were there.
Two people seen in the area at the time of the fire need to be traced: a man walking a small black dog in the area at about 3:30am and someone on a bike who cycled past not long before the fire was reported. They could be crucial witnesses and are urged to come forward.
DCI Williamson added: "We continue to have a dedicated, 40-strong team of officers working to find Andrew's killer and part of our determination to solve the crime is raising its profile with a reconstruction on Crimewatch.
"I would like to thank all those at Crimewatch for all their efforts and I hope it will help our search for Andrew's killer.
"It's not uncommon for murder investigations to take time and I would like to thank the patience of the local community. We will persevere until we found out what happened to Andrew."
Issued: Thursday 26 January 2012
Bookmark with: