Charity puts up £50,000 reward for information to solve 1994 taxi driver murder

A £50,000 Crimestoppers reward has been offered to track down the killer of a taxi driver who was shot dead in Nottinghamshire 30 years ago.

Ethsham Ul-Haq Ghafoor, aged 26 and known to his friends and family as Shami, was killed in his taxi on Tuesday November 22 1994 in what detectives described as “an execution”.

He was found by a milkman at 4.30am at Lambley Lane Playing Fields in Gedling with his hands tied and bound to the steering wheel, Nottinghamshire Police said.

At the heart of this horrific crime is a family - a family that have waited 30 years for answers, 30 years for justice, 30 years for the closure they rightfully deserve

Already the father of a five-year-old son, Mr Ghafoor was killed just five months before his daughter was born.

Commenting on a reinvestigation reviewing the murder, Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin said: “This was a dreadful murder of a young man, a soon-to-be-dad, who was executed in his own taxi in a secluded area of Nottinghamshire.

“At the heart of this horrific crime is a family – a family that have waited 30 years for answers, 30 years for justice, 30 years for the closure they rightfully deserve.

“We stand beside them and want exactly the same – to ensure those who took his life are found and put behind bars.

“I would ask the community to do the same. To put themselves in Shami’s family’s shoes.”

The senior officer said: “We know that loyalties change over the years and this is exactly what we are relying on.

“We are hoping that people that felt they were not able to speak out all that time ago will feel differently now and feel able to come forward.

“Now is the time to act, to pick up the phone, anonymously if need be, and provide us with information.

“I would like to personally thank Crimestoppers for their help and wanting to support us in ensuring justice is served.”

The last known sighting of the victim was at 2.40am in Carlton Square, where he was seen with three Asian men in his black and white Ford Sierra.

The weapon used to take his life has never been recovered but a number of items have been examined from the scene of the crime which have provided detectives with “new opportunities”.

Lydia Patsalides, East Midlands regional manager at the charity Crimestoppers, added: “This is a shocking and very sad case. Shami’s whole family have waited 30 years for justice and answers which they truly deserve. We know it can be difficult for some people to speak directly to the police which is why our charity is here for you.”