Killer of law student in 1996 'still at large'

Detectives have said they are continuing to search for the killer of a law student on the 30th anniversary of her death.

The body of 20-year-old Janet Murgatroyd was found in the River Ribble at Penwortham, Preston, after she had been on a night out in 1996. It is believed she lay unconscious for hours before being swept up by the tide, causing her to drown.

A man convicted of her manslaughter was quashed on appeal in 2004. Andrew Greenwood, then 28, had been found guilty at a retrial the year before.

"My only child was brutally murdered 30 years ago - the perpetrator is still at large," said Janet's mother Mary. "Someone knows who this man is."

"I need closure, this continues to affect me and my siblings," she added.

"The killer needs putting away."

Lancashire Police said Janet, a part-time police staff member, had been the victim of a sexually motivated attack.

The University of Central Lancashire law student had been shopping with her friend Fiona Watson in Preston on 15 June 1996 before drinking in several pubs.

Fiona said Janet had been "serious about her studies, and she was serious about working hard - she wanted to achieve".

She said her friend had been "just a regular 20-year-old woman with her whole life ahead of her, and looking forward to it".

Janet was seen leaving The Adelphi pub with a man before separating from him, and was later spotted sleeping on Fishergate near Preston Railway Station.

Her mum said she could not get a taxi and had started to walk home to Penwortham.

Janet was then seen by a taxi driver in the early hours of 16 June while fleeing from a man across Penwortham Bridge.

Two witnesses described hearing the sound of a female moaning and saw a man crouched down on the river bank.

Her body was later found floating in the water.

A post-mortem examination found she had drowned and had suffered head injuries.

Anyone with information about Janet Murgatroyd's death is urged to contact Lancashire Police.

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