Shadwell stabbing: £30,000 reward offered to solve 1987 murder

John Kennedy's killing was witnessed by as many as 60 people

A £30,000 reward to crack a 25-year-old murder case has been offered by the Metropolitan Police.

John Kennedy was stabbed in the Railway Arms pub in Shadwell, east London, in the early hours of Saturday 8 February 1997.

The 31-year-old father of two was a self-employed electrician and a keen footballer who played for a local team.

His murder was witnessed by as many as 60 people but the killer, who fled the scene, has still not been caught.

On the 25th anniversary of the killing, Det Insp Kevin Prosser appealed for someone to break the wall of silence surrounding the attack.

He said: "A large number of people who were inside the Railway Arms at the time of this murder have chosen not to speak to police about it for 25 years.

"I hope that, given the number of years that have passed, someone who was there that night may now feel that they can come forward and tell us what they saw, and crucially, who was responsible."

'Misguided loyalty'

Mr Kennedy had gone out on a pub crawl with friends the night before his death, ending up in the Railway Arms on Sutton Street at about 03:00 GMT.

Just before 06:00 he was approached by a suspect and an animated conversation took place, which escalated to Mr Kennedy being attacked and stabbed.

As he collapsed on the floor of the pub, the suspect fled the premises with another man before leaving in a vehicle.

A spokesperson for Mr Kennedy's family said: "There are many people who witnessed this murder and have not spoken out due to either misguided loyalty or code of conduct.

"John's life was taken away and the murderer should be held accountable for his death.

"Please find it in your hearts after 25 years to do the right thing and help bring the person responsible to justice."

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