New appeal in Moffatt murder

Mr Moffatt, who was 73, was walking home after buying a paper in a local shop on the morning of January 26, 2001 when he was stabbed by a man in the area between Railway Road and Circular Road around 7am. He was taken to hospital but died almost two months later on March 19.

Mr Moffatt’s widow, Nan, sadly passed away last March never seeing his killer brought to justice.

Daughter Norma and son Barry are determined to keep the case in the public eye and this week appealed for information about the unprovoked stabbing.

Speaking to The Coleraine Times, Norma, who still lives in the family home at Circular Road, said: “Nothing has changed since last year, the tenth anniversary of dad’s death.

“Mum died last March 16, on the same week as dad, never getting justice. That was her wish.

“Police are still investigating and we want to make an appeal to anyone who might have information or have suspicions about who was responsible.

“The police carried out a river search [last year] but nothing came from it. Mr Crawford and his team are doing all they can.

The officer in charge of the investigation, is Detective Chief Inspector Gary Crawford, from the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch.

Police had previously considered a possible motive that Mr Moffett had been mistaken for a local paedophile. While this was still a possibility, it was also possible that it was a completely random attack.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Gary Crawford said: “Information in bringing the killer to justice is within the local community.

“The Moffatt family have suffered long enough and deserve closure to this tragic case.

“There are individuals in Coleraine who know who did this or could help police by providing information about the events of that day.

“Anyone with any information regarding Norman’s murder is asked to contact police on 0845 600 8000. Or,if someone would prefer to provide information without giving their details, they can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

So far in the police investigation hundreds of statements have been taken and 200 house-to-house enquiries conducted.

A number of area searches were carried out and four suspects were arrested. One individual was charged with Norman’s murder but the charge was later withdrawn. Police have made a number of appeals for information about the murder, including one on Crimewatch UK.