Michelle Fiddler

🗣️ "32 years have passed and there has been no justice for Julie." Julie Finley was 23 when she disappeared from Liverpool city centre on Friday 5 August 1994. The following day her naked body was discovered in a field close to the Wheatsheaf Hotel near the A570 Rainford Bypass. She had been strangled. Since her death we have carried out extensive lines of enquiries, spoken to dozens of potential witnesses and trawled hundreds of hours of CCTV footage to catch her killer. This morning, Detective Inspector Samantha Davies appeared on @BBC Crimewatch Live appealing for anyone with information to come forward. The appeal contains a reconstruction that was filmed by the BBC back in the 1990s, which reflects the Liverpool skyline as it was then, in a bid to jog people’s memories. Detective Inspector Davies said 🗣️ “What we do know is that on Friday 5 August 1994 Julie went to her parent’s house in Dovecot where she spent time with her mum and sister. She then returned to her flat, which was off Falkner Square in Liverpool, where she spent time with her boyfriend and another friend. “She left the flat at around 10pm and headed into Liverpool city centre. At around 10.30pm she saw a friend on Grove Street and mentioned she was meeting someone at 11pm. There was later a suspected sighting of Julie on Crown Street after a woman matching her description was seen to run across the road towards a male. That male has never been identified. “The last confirmed sighting of Julie was at 11.45pm outside the former Stag’s Head pub on Pembroke Place. Her body was found the following morning some distance away in Rainford so we know she must have been taken there in a vehicle. “Witnesses at the time reported seeing a white Transit van parked in the layby off the Rainford bypass. We have not been able to identity the van or who was driving. “My appeal is to anyone who thinks they saw Julie on that evening, has information about the male she was seen with on Crown Street or knows who was driving the white van to come forward. “It may be three decades since Julie’s death but our investigation remains active and we will follow up any new lines of enquiry and consider any advances in forensic work such as DNA. “Julie’s family deserve to know that her killer has been caught and is behind bars.” 🩵 In a tribute, Julie's family said: "Julie was only 23 when she was murdered. She was my second oldest child and growing up she was the perfect daughter. She went to college and studied hairdressing. "32 years have passed and there has been no justice for Julie. Her father, my husband Albie, died without ever seeing justice. He died with a broken heart. "Julie and I had a great relationship, and I miss her every day. I always think about the life she could have had, she might have been married with her own children. "As a family we have waited far too long to find out who killed Julie." ⏩ An enhanced Crimestoppers reward of £20,000 is also being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Julie’s murder. 📺 You can catch up on the episode on BBC iPlayer now. 🚨 Have any information? Message us on social media @MerPolCC. You can also report information via our website: orlo.uk/UGnUD or by calling 101. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: orlo.uk/Kk5Vz

With very hot temperatures due to hit #Merseyside this Bank Holiday weekend, PD's Ember, Ziggy, Buddy and Ghost have come up with a few handy reminders to help you stay safe and enjoy the sunshine! 🌞 🏖️ Staying safe in the sun | The good weather will mean many of us will visit beaches, parks and outdoor areas. Remember to always keep an eye on your belongings, and young people. If you witness any anti-social behaviour, remember you can report it by sending a message to @MerPolCC reporting on our website or calling 101. ⛔️ Avoid open water | Whilst it can be tempting to take a dip in reservoirs, canals, docks and the sea, these open water sources are dangerous, even for strong swimmers. If you do find yourself in the water and you’re experiencing difficulties remember the @RNLI “float to live” advice which you can find on their website. 🪟 Lock doors and windows | In hot weather, it’s tempting to leave doors and windows open. This can be an invitation to burglars, so remember to close and lock your doors and windows before you go out, when you leave a room unattended or when you go to bed, to avoid becoming a victim of burglary. ❤️ Look after yourself | The @NHSuk has some great advice and tips for protecting yourself in the sun, which you can read on their website.

He snapped a picture of himself enjoying a mud mask…but he won’t be getting many spa days where he’s heading... Gary Burden was arrested at Liverpool Airport on 18 September 2025 as part of our response to Operation Venetic; an international operation targeting criminals using a mobile encryption service, commonly referred to as Encrochat to evade detection. Burden used the encrochat handle ‘gravedill’, other handles had him saved as Gary/Gaz B, GB, Burden and Gaz speak. He referred to some of his family members by name and was wished ‘Happy Birthday’ in May 2020 by another handle. Burden gave clues to his vehicle, which was later identified and then sent pictures of himself in a face mask and lying in bed to other handles. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply 12kg of cocaine, 24kg of heroin and 72kg of cannabis and conspiracy to conceal, disguise, convert criminal property (which represented the proceeds of drug trafficking) between January and June 2020. On Friday (30 January) he was jailed for 13 years and 4 months after pleading guilty to conspiring to supply cocaine, heroin and cannabis. Burden clearly thought he was above the law but thanks to our painstaking investigation we were able to bring him to justice and he is now behind bars for a considerable period of time.

On Monday 26 May, thousands of people lined the streets to celebrate the @LFC parade. What should have been a day of celebration for the city turned into a day of fear and anguish after Paul Doyle drove his car into a crowd, injuring more than 100 people. It is only by sheer luck that nobody was killed as a result of Doyle’s reckless actions. This video shows Doyle’s aggressive and dangerous driving before he reached Water Street, audio from his dashcam, and footage of his arrest. This has been one of the most extensive investigations in the history of the force. Over the past seven months, we have supported 134 victims, spoken to more than 1,500 witnesses, and gathered in excess of 700 statements. In the initial stages, more than 70 officers and staff were dedicated to this investigation, including colleagues from across Merseyside Police and neighbouring forces - @gmpolice, @Cumbriapolice, @LancsPolice, @cheshirepolice, and @NWPolice. We are extremely grateful for their support and collaboration. Today, Doyle has been sentenced to 21-and-a-half years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court, after pleading guilty to 31 offences on Wednesday 26 November. We know that a lot of people are still recovering from the injuries they suffered on that day and our thoughts remain with them and those that continue to be affected by the incident ❤️

🚨 Do you know who is responsible for the murder of 68-year-old Rose Johnston in #Dovecot? @CrimestoppersUK is today offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible for Rose’s murder. Rose was found dead at her home on Ancroft Road at 12.35pm on Saturday 4 October. She had been assaulted and suffered a blunt force head injury. From our enquiries detectives now know that Rose was last seen alive at her home in the early hours of Friday 3 October and they are appealing for anyone who saw her or anyone acting suspiciously in the area of Ancroft Road between 3 and 4 October to come forward. We believe that there is someone living in our communities who is the key to unlocking what happened to Rose and who was responsible. 👉 Crimestoppers is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They cannot trace your call or track your IP address. No one will ever know you contacted us. This means no police, no courts, no witness statements. You may think your information is insignificant, however it could make all the difference. You can contact Crimestoppers on their website ➡️ orlo.uk/wH1y9 or by calling 0800 555 111 - or contact us via social media @MerPolCC, via our website or by calling 101.

🚨 38 arrests 💷 Almost £120,000 seized ⚡ Four bank account freezing orders These are the results of a month-long operation targeting businesses on #Merseyside suspected of being involved in money laundering 👏 The operation, which ran throughout October, was part of a period of national #fraud intensification jointly led by the National Economic Crime Centre and the National Police Chiefs’ Council. It aimed to identify and disrupt organised crime groups and high street businesses including barber shops, vape shops, nail bars and mini markets which may be used to launder money. It also aimed to identify and disrupt immigration crime, including illegal working and the exploitation of migrant workers. During October, 21 men were arrested and charged with being concerned in the production of a controlled drug Class B (cannabis) following the discovery of an industrial-scale cannabis farm in Liverpool city centre warehouse on 4 October. In addition, we arrested individuals for possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply, possession of criminal property, possession of offensive weapons and illegal working in breach of visa requirements. We also secured account freezing orders to the value of £140,000. An account freezing order (AFO) is a court order that prevents access to funds in a bank account because authorities suspect the money is linked to criminal activity. There were also a number of multi-agency visits to premises across Merseyside involving colleagues from immigration and Trading Standards during which a quantity of counterfeit and dangerous goods were seized. We know that organised crime groups adopt a number of different methods and we remain committed to identifying and disrupting them using all powers at our disposal 💪 This month-long operation is just a snapshot of the work we do on a daily basis to achieve that aim and shows how our work is focused across the whole of Merseyside.

Peter Sullivan has been released after the Court of Appeal deemed his conviction for the 1986 murder of Diane Sindall unsafe due to DNA testing advancements. We don't underestimate the impact of the conviction on Mr Sullivan & have issued the following: orlo.uk/HRzU5

We have a dedicated page to submit information which could help detectives with the investigation of Diane’s murder. If you have information which could assist our enquiries please go to: orlo.uk/TH7EB

🎅 It's the time of the year to get your Christmas decs down from the loft 🎄 But what else do you keep up there? 👀 In this #Kirkby home, we also found £28,000 cash, suspected heroin and cannabis. A man and a woman were arrested. Full story here: orlo.uk/4prRT

Today marks seven years since Adam Ellison's murder in #Prescot. We are supporting Adam’s family in urging people to break their silence and help us to bring his killer to justice. @CrimestoppersUK - which is independent of the police and guarantees anonymity – continues to offer a reward of up to £20,000 for information they exclusively receive that leads to a murder conviction. Adam, 29, was assaulted in Market Place in the early hours of 4th November 2017 after becoming involved in an altercation with two males onboard a scrambler bike. During the incident Adam was stabbed in the neck with an unknown weapon causing him to fall to the ground. He was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after 2am. Please don’t let those who are responsible for Adam’s death continue to walk our streets. Adam’s family have not had the justice that they deserve. If you have information which could assist us, please speak up. To read more, visit ➡️ merseyside.police.uk/news/me…