Family of 1985 festival murder victim 'need answers'

The sister of a reggae music fan who was murdered at a festival in Liverpool 40 years ago has spoken of how her family's "world was torn apart".

Jeffrey McNish, 22, had travelled from his home in south London to see his cousin's band, reggae icons Saxon Sound System, at Toxteth Caribbean Festival on 10 August, 1985.

He was beaten and stabbed three times during a mass brawl between a local group and visitors from London, believed to have been sparked by a row about admission prices.

Although one man was convicted of affray and another of perverting the course of justice in 1986, no-one has been charged with causing Mr McNish's death despite six arrests.

Now Mr McNish's sister Kimberley, who was six at the time her brother was killed, has called for anyone with information to come forward.

She said his death came only a few months after their mother also died and described how "our world was torn apart for a second time".

"Jeffrey was a loving brother who never minded me tagging along," she said.

"I remember him holding my hand when our mother died, making sure I felt safe."

According to local newspaper reports from the time, detectives faced difficulties in getting information from the Toxteth community.

Witnesses in the case were escorted into a police identity parade wearing "hoods over their faces with slits for their eyes" due to fear of reprisals.

Trouble also broke out at Liverpool Magistrates' Court during a hearing where three suspects accused of involvement in the brawl made an initial appearance in October 1985.

Punches were thrown and a window in the court building was shattered as supporters of the men clashed with police and court staff, according to reports from the time.

Kimberley has said she can still remember her brother's kindness.

"The last Christmas I spent with him was in 1984," she said.

"He surprised me with a huge Sindy House, pretending it was from Father Christmas. That was the kind of brother he was - always thoughtful, always making me feel special."

Kimberley said she remember being in the kitchen at their home in Forest Green when Jeffrey said he was going on a trip to Liverpool.

"At the time, I didn't understand that he was never coming back."

She said his death had a "lasting impact" on his family, making their father, who died in 2017, "overprotective" of his other children.

"Our family has lived with this pain and unanswered questions for decades," Kimberley said.

"We need answers, and we need closure."

Merseyside Police said it believed Mr McNish was attacked as a result of a clash between groups from Liverpool and London arising from a dispute over admission fees.

Howard Rubbery, head of Merseyside Police's Serious Crime Review Unit, said: "Although 40 years have passed since Jeffrey's death, there is no time limit on providing information.

"His sisters are still waiting for the answers they deserve.

"We know there are people who were at the festival that weekend and who know what happened. My appeal is for those individuals to come forward and tell us what they know."

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