The family of a taxi driver murdered in Gedling 30 years ago have spoken about the “daily torture” of never finding out why their loved one was killed.
The Ghafoor family have lived without closure for three decades and are now calling on the public to help “end their agony” and ensure justice is finally served.
The family have watched as their parents have taken their anguish to the grave by never finding out why their “charming and outgoing” son was taken from them.
Ethsham Ul-Haq Ghafoor, aged 26, of Sherwood Rise, known to his friends and family as Shami, was shot dead in his taxi on Tuesday, November 22 1994.
Shami was last seen in Carlton Square at 2.40am with three Asian men in his black and white Ford Sierra.
He was found by a milkman at 4.30am at Lambley Lane Playing Fields with his hands tied and bound to the steering wheel.
Crimestoppers, a charity independent of the police, is offering up to £50,000 for any information which leads to a conviction.
Shami was described as a family man, known as a rock to his three sisters and four brothers.
Already the father of a five-year-old son, he was killed just five months before his baby daughter was born.
Now, a new team of detectives are re-investigating the crime and appealing for information on the 30th anniversary of his death.
They believe the answers to Shami’s death lie within the community.
Speaking on behalf of the family, his sister Aisha Ghafoor, 58, from Nottingham, describes how the family’s life was shattered the day they received the police visit.
Aisha was in her twenties and at university when her brother was killed.
She couldn’t even bear to attend her own graduation.
She had always planned to have her eldest brother by her side on what should have been the happiest moment of her youth.
She said: “We are the ones that are serving the life sentence. We are the ones doing the time.
“When they killed Shami that day, they killed every chance of us being a happy family again. They stole our Shami from us.
“Even after 30 years, the feelings are still raw.
“We are a close family, and this tragedy has kept us together. But it also comes with immeasurable pain and isolation.
“He was such a central figure in our family. Our mother never recovered from his loss. She never got to find out who killed her son and she never will.
“She died at the age of 85. Even right up to the last weeks of her life she would say ‘I’m not going to find out who killed my son, am I?
“Our youngest brother was also robbed of his life the day Shami died.
“He was only 17 when Shami was killed. Traumatised by the crime, he was afraid to go out and spent the rest of his short life a recluse.
“He had lost the big brother he idolised, suddenly taken in such brutal circumstances.
“Shami was also murdered five months before his baby daughter was born. He never got to meet his daughter, she never got to know him, he will never see the beautiful children she has now brought into the world nor his son’s children.”
Shami was born and raised in Nottingham and attended local schools. He was a big cricket and snooker fan and helped build a snooker table in his dad’s attic.
This became a focal point for family gatherings. Shami loved singing and would often embarrass his sisters by breaking into song.
He had joined the family taxi business, A1 Taxis, but had high aspirations of being an actor and auditioned for drama school.
The family business collapsed after Shami’s death. They couldn’t bear to continue after what had happened.
Aisha said: “He was the life and soul of every celebration. He was the kind of guy you could rely on with a charming personality.
“He was very protective and if someone needed help, he would be there. Shami may have associated himself with the wrong people at times and it might be associating with these people which cost him his life. But he was our Shami.”
The family are now calling for anyone with information, no matter how small, to please come forward.
Crimestoppers, a charity independent of the police, is putting up a £50,000 reward for any information which leads to a conviction.
The reward is available for three months.
“Silence is not an option anymore,” she said.
“Someone out there knows who murdered my brother and why he was killed.
“Over the past years we have been told by some people to ‘move on’ and ‘to get on with your own lives.’
“But my question is this – how can you move on when you don’t have closure? We can’t and we won’t until we know the truth.
“We know that closure won’t bring him back, but we need answers.
“Why someone would kill such a loving family man and rob his daughter, son, and grandchildren of ever knowing him. We owe it to them!
“I want to say to the community – please, it is never too late to come forward. It is never too late to make a difference.
“Our parents never got that closure. Please end our agony. Please, let us finally understand what happened.”
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.
“We are hoping that with the passage of time it will be easier to share what you know. We’ve been passing on information about crime whilst guaranteeing anonymity since we were established decades ago. It’s a promise we’ve always kept.
“Crimestoppers is completely independent of the police. You can make a difference by passing on what you know whilst being protected by our guarantee of anonymity. That means no police, no courts, no witness statements. Put simply, when you contact our charity online or on the phone, there’s no comeback.
“We are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. We cannot trace your call or track your IP address. No one will ever know you contacted us.
“You may think your information is insignificant, however it could make all the difference, and you could be eligible for this £50,000 reward.”
Anyone with information can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or 101 quoting incident number 0300 of the 15th November 2024.
Alternatively, information can be submitted online via the Major Incident Public Reporting Site Public Portal.
