No case is ever closed. These are the words of Avon and Somerset Police on the 20th anniversary of an unsolved murder of a dad-of-two.
Just before 10pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2002 Evan Jones had enjoyed a drink at the Beaufort pub in York Road, Montpelier. An hour later he was left for dead, lying unconscious in a pool of blood, after being viciously beaten with a chain on Stokes Croft.
Twenty years later, his killer - or killers - have never been found. You can find out more about the case here.
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Avon and Somerset Police has this week released a statement on the 20th year anniversary, which said no case is ever closed and that they remain hopeful they will one day be able to provide Mr Jones’ family with the answers they deserve.
The statement said: “Our thoughts continue to be with Evan Jones’ family following his tragic murder 20 years ago. A number of reviews of the case have taken place over the years but regrettably, those responsible for this horrific crime have not yet been brought to justice.
“No case is ever closed and we remain hopeful we will one day be able to provide Mr Jones’ family with the answers they deserve. Scientific techniques are constantly advancing and in time, they could well provide new lines of enquiry which may prove to be the key to identifying the offenders and securing convictions against them.
“We’re grateful for all the information provided to us in relation to this case and continue to appeal for anyone who knows anything which might help us solve it to get in touch. No piece of information is ever too small, if know have any information please contact our Major Crime Review team via 101.”
Back in January 2007, a coroner recorded a verdict of unlawful killing on the father-of-two.
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Punched, kicked and attacked with a chain, the father-of-two was left for dead in the busy street and the weapon – believed to be a bike or a large dog chain – was never found. However, detectives were convinced of two things: that Mr Jones knew his attacker and that others must have witnessed the horror of the sustained beating.
Witnesses gave differing descriptions of the attacker, and a number said there were other people involved. Despite a massive police investigation, which included posters appealing for information printed by the Evening Post and a reconstruction on TV show Crimewatch, the attacker has never been found.
Detective Chief Inspector Hogg told the inquest in 2007: “Evan Jones had lived in Bristol for more than 10 years and had a small criminal history. He was described as quiet and easy-going and lived alone. He liked a drink, although his income support was not sufficient to pay for his drinking.
“Jones had recently mentioned to bar staff that he had been a victim of a robbery and stated he would like to live elsewhere. Stokes Croft at the time was an area with a lot of drunk people. There were a number of fights that took place in Stokes Croft.
"Our investigation focused very much on finding one individual. What we established was that there was one person involved in the initial stages of the attack, with one person joining in later when Mr Jones was on the floor.
"There was a lot of confusion at the scene – no CCTV captured the scene of the assault. We set up rooms within the local hostels and had a lot of co-operation. We had the full investigation team working on it for seven months before we started to scale it down.
"A number of people were arrested. Despite all our efforts, no new significant evidence has come to light. There are no new lines of enquiry available at this time. This case remains unsolved but open pending further lines of enquiry.”
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