Television appeal for 1984 murder in Bath, England

September 2, 2009

An appeal for information on a 25-year-old murder case has been broadcast on national television on the BBC One show Crimewatch. Seventeen-year-old Melanie Road was murdered in the early hours of June 9, 1984 in Bath. The team responsible for investigating the murder is the Avon and Somerset Major Crime Review Team.

Road's brother Adrian took part in the appeal saying "Over the last 25 years it's been a living nightmare to know someone out there killed my sister. This person took Melanie from me". Detective Chief Inspector Mike Carter said "If there was someone acting suspiciously, at that time, we can check them against our DNA sample".

Melanie Road was both murdered and sexually assaulted as she walked home after leaving a night club. She was stabbed yards from her house on St Stephens Court in Bath. Her body was discovered on the Sunday morning by a milkman. 90 arrests have been made in connection with the murder but no one has been convicted.

Crimewatch was first broadcast on June 7, 1984 and has contributed to several convictions on unsolved murders, rapes and other crimes. Original anchor Nick Ross left the show after 23 years, in 2007. The show has featured cases such as the murder of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, Sarah Payne and former Crimewatch presenter Jill Dando which has been unsolved since Barry George was released.