Vishal Mehrotra: Witness believes suspicious car linked to murder

Vishal Mehrotra was walking home from watching the royal wedding parade in 1981 when he disappeared

A witness who saw a suspiciously parked car has said he believes that it belonged to the killer of an eight-year-old boy.

Vishal Mehrotra disappeared from London in July 1981, and was found in Rogate, West Sussex, seven months later.

Martin Evans said he spotted a parked car next to the Sussex woods where the eight-year-old's remains were found.

The car he saw was similar to a vehicle driven by a paedophile who was part of a child abuse ring, the BBC has found.

Warning: This article contains details some readers may find disturbing.

Vishal was last seen in Putney, South West London, on 29 July 1981, the day of the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. The schoolboy's remains were discovered seven months later in Alder Copse woods in West Sussex.

Mr Evans, 75, who now lives in Cornwall said he came forward after learning the BBC was reinvestigating the crime as part of a podcast series.

He said: "We saw this car parked by the side of the road and it immediately drew our attention. The car looked as though it had been parked in a hurry."

He said he made a note of the car's registration but he discarded the piece of paper whilst on holiday in Cornwall after hearing no news about any crime occurring at that location.

Seven months later a murder enquiry was launched by Sussex Police following the discovery of Vishal's remains, prompting Mr Evans to report what he had seen the year before.

Mr Evans said: "I certainly believe that had I been able to recall that registration number that was the key to the whole murder."

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The BBC has discovered, as part of its investigation, the car spotted by Mr Evans was of a similar description to that of a vehicle driven by a paedophile who was part of a child abuse ring.

Mr Evans had described the car as a bronze coloured P or R registered car, with two doors.

A victim of James Russell said he was picked up in a gold coloured Toyota, similar to the car seen by Martin Evans

Another man who had said he was a victim of paedophile James Russell told the BBC he had been picked up from his West London home in the summer of 1981 in a gold coloured Toyota Corolla Liftback car with two doors.

James Russell was tracked down in Sri Lanka by the BBC, and returned to the UK last year but died in October.

Mr Evans said: "I think I saw the car of the abductor/murderer of Vishal."

Det Supt Mark Chapman, from the Surrey and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, said: "We are committed to identifying those responsible for Vishal Mehrotra's tragic death and to delivering justice for Vishal and his family.

"Extensive and thorough police enquiries have been completed to date but we remain open to and welcome any new information, and officers will continue to follow up on any reasonable and viable lines of enquiry."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article you can visit the BBC Action Line for help.