Rob Rinder has issued a heartfelt message to the people of Liverpool as he revisits the tragic case of Lucy Hargreaves in a new documentary. The 22-year-old mother was shot dead in her Walton home in August 2005, a crime that remains unsolved despite extensive investigations.
Rob Rinder Returns to His Roots
The television judge, who was part of the defence team during the trial, returns to Liverpool for the programme "Rob Rinder: The Crime I Can't Forget." The two-part series airs on Crime+Investigation and sees Rinder delve into the case that has haunted him for two decades.
Lucy was asleep on her sofa when three masked men broke into her home on Lambourne Road. They shot her three times with a sawn-off shotgun before dousing the area with petrol and setting it alight. The killers fled, and despite 21 arrests, no one has ever been convicted.
A Case That Resonates
Rinder described the case as "deeply moving" and said it "touched me personally." He visited Lucy's home and neighbourhood, finding the experience emotional. "To see the road she walked on and the curtains next door that haven't been changed that she would've seen, to have walked on the streets where she walked. It breathes life into somebody who is otherwise just a name," he said.
He emphasised the importance of remembering Lucy as a person, not just a victim: "That's the beginning, the middle, and the end of their story. And so you are left with this dark outline where of course all the exquisite colour disappears. And that colour includes being a mum, a friend and a loved neighbour, all of those things."
Appeal to the Public
In a direct message to Liverpool residents, Rinder urged anyone with information to contact Merseyside Police. "You have nothing to fear," he said. "All barristers, whether they're defending or prosecuting, care about the same thing as every person in our communities do. That's why juries remain so important. They care about justice. A young woman was killed, a loving mum and nobody has been successfully tried for it. So that matters. That's everything."
The documentary includes interviews with Lucy's family, who speak publicly for the first time about her murder. Rinder expressed gratitude for their trust: "I remain profoundly grateful to Lucy's family for the trust they have placed in me and the team in telling her story. While the legal process reached its conclusion at the time, the human impact of what happened continues to resonate. I hope this film contributes, in some way, to a fuller understanding of that impact."
How to Watch
"Rob Rinder: The Crime I Can't Forget" airs tonight (Monday, June 8) at 9pm on Crime+Investigation. The one-hour episode is available on Sky channel 139 and Virgin Media 133, as well as the Crime+Investigation streaming platform. The second episode will air next Monday (June 15) at 9pm.
