Henry McHarron was delivering papers when a thief pounced, throwing him from his van
Claire McHarron holding a picture of her dad Henry, who was murdered 18 years ago(Image: Iain Watts)
The daughter of a van driver who was murdered while delivering newspapers in north Liverpool has made a heartfelt plea for information as she said: “We don’t want our dad to be forgotten.”
It has been 18 years since Henry McHarron was killed while carrying out newspaper deliveries on Stopgate Lane in Norris Green. The 61-year-old was thrown from his van after a thief leapt behind the wheel and sped off at around 6am on April 21 2007.
The dad-of-three, who was a part-time deliveryman for WH Smith’s news distribution, suffered serious head injuries in the fall. He was taken to Aintree Hospital, where he died two days later.
His family – wife Christina, daughters Lynne and Claire, and son Neil – issued a desperate appeal for information at the time. A 22-year-old Fazakerley man was questioned in connection with the murder, but nobody was ever charged. Now, 18 years later, the investigation into Henry’s death appears to have gone cold.
Christina died in 2022 at the age of 78, having never learned the identity of the person who killed her husband. But his children still hope their dad’s killer will one day face justice.
Claire, 47, from Kirkby, said: “As a family it was absolutely life changing. We’re not the same people that we were prior to what happened. We lost our mum in 2022. She passed away without receiving any justice for my dad’s murder. It totally ruined her life. She lost her life partner, her husband.
“It’s devastating to think that the people who did this have been out there for 18 years and they know what they have done. We did appeal when it first happened, but they obviously didn’t have a conscience.
“It’s us who were handed the life sentence. We’re a very close family so we’re lucky that we had each other that get us through it, but there’s not one day that goes by that we don’t think of him.
“There’s lots of triggers, when you see things on TV about other murders and similar things that have happened, it dredges up lots of bad memories.”
Claire described her dad as “wonderful”, adding: “He was the best dad. He was popular, he was funny, he was generous. He was just an amazing person and everybody he met really liked him. He was just great.”
Henry McHarron and his wife Christina, who died in 2022 without ever knowing who murdered her husband
She said the day her dad was murdered, the family had been getting ready for a wedding. She said: “We were all excited. My dad had gone to work because he’d go out early, about 2am and we were all supposed to get together later for the wedding.
“Then the police came, and they thought it was a road traffic collision. I just remember my mum being absolutely frantic and she didn’t know the details. She said I’m going to hospital, just follow.”
She said it was initially believed her dad had been hit by a car, but suspicions were raised when his delivery van, a white Ford Iveco, was nowhere to be found.
The van was later discovered burned to a shell in Lathom, three miles north-east of Ormskirk, the day after Henry’s family issued an appeal through Merseyside Police.
Claire said: “Me and my brother and sister came to the Merseyside Police headquarters and we did an appeal for Granada news, and the day after the van was found burned. Whoever did it must have seen the news.”
Appealing for information almost two decades on, she added: “If you can remember anything from that day, no matter how small or insignificant, it could be vital to get us some justice.
“My mum passed away without seeing justice done. But it would give us comfort to see someone held accountable. Nothing is going to bring him back. But just to have that side of the story to come to an end would be really good.
“If anyone remembers anything, just anything. Sometimes things come back to you years later. We don’t want our dad to be forgotten. He was a very special person and he deserves justice.”
Claire and Neil McHarron, daughter and son of Henry McHarron(Image: Iain Watts)
Howard Rubbery, head of Merseyside Police’s serious crime review unit, said: “A murder investigation is never closed, and 18 years is a long time for a family to go without answers. Henry’s death remains an ongoing investigation, and we would pursue any new lines of enquiry.
“There are no time barriers to coming forward with information. If you know something about Henry’s murder and haven’t yet spoken to us, then I would ask that you come forward and tell us what you know. Your information may be the vital piece of the jigsaw to allow us to finally get justice for his family.”
Anyone with information can DM @MerPolCC with crime refence 0507052107. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.