'Please help us': Heartbroken family of Doncaster murder victim appeal for information about killer

Detectives are re-examining the murder of grandmother Nora Tait, who was found bludgeoned to death in her Hexthorpe home in 2005.

Yesterday, to mark the 15th anniversary of the death, South Yorkshire Police announced a ‘fresh inquiry’ into the murder and revealed that crime scene exhibits seized at the time are to be forensically examined again in the hope that advances in technology may help detectives crack the case.

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The hope is that it may now be possible to extract DNA samples from the exhibits because of improvements in science.

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Nora was last seen on October 12, 2005 just before she bought fish and chips from a local takeaway.

She was found dead in her Stone Close Avenue home the following day, with her fish and chip dinner untouched on the dining room table.

Her purse was missing and never found.

The case’s senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Oughton said: “Nora was killed in the most horrific circumstances, and 15 years on, we are still very much committed to finding her killer, and bringing some element of closure for her family.

“We have always believed that the answers as to what happened to Nora, and who killed her, lie within the local community.”

Posting on Facebook, Nora’s daughter, Geraldine Percival said: “A loss of a loved one hurts deeply.

“The way we have lost our mother it’s unbearable the pain we have felt for the past 15 years.

“Please help us find the answers we need and to finally get closure.”

Nora’s granddaughter, Jackie Glover, said: “South Yorkshire Police, if they are still walking the streets we expect they will get life imprisonment now and made to pay compensation to the family. No justice, not forgiveness for what they have put my family though.

“Just give them life to think about it and throw away the key.

“Time for the truth, whatever that is we need to know.

“Enough is enough.”

Anyone with information should call South Yorkshire Police on 101 and quote incident 158 of October 8.

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