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Postman Paul Savage had been out in the snow carrying out his daily round and was halfway through the morning mail when he was “ferociously” clubbed to the head. The attack was so violent the base of his skull was crushed and he was left to die in the snow.
More than 20 years later no-one has been brought to justice for the murder of the father-of-one and the identity of his killer remains a mystery.
His family are desperate for answers but, despite the best efforts of the police, whoever was responsible for murdering Paul has never been brought to book. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here.
Paul was just 30 years old when he was brutally attacked on February 4, 2003, on a bitterly cold morning in Mold at around 7.15am.
Having left Mold Post Office at 5.50am he was carrying out his regular duties and delivering mail and parcels.
He was discovered lying in the street outside a property in Clayton Road when a homeowner spotted him while walking to his car.
The postman was unconscious and lying in a pool of blood having sustained catastrophic head injuries inflicted by a blunt weapon – an 18in club believed to have been fashioned from a banister rail.
The 6ft 2in postman was struck by six blows from the club, fracturing his skull. A seventh blow smashed his jaw.
Paint on the heavy spindle of the club was later found to match that on Paul’s hat.
A thumbprint was later found on the weapon. But because of poor weather conditions and the weapon being found down a drain it could not be identified.
Paul was taken to Wrexham Maelor Hospital in Wrexham but at 11am he was pronounced dead.
A murder investigation was launched by North Wales Police and spoke to witnesses who reported seeing two young men wearing hoodies near to where Paul had parked his bicycle.
Shortly after the attack the pair were seen walking towards Mold town centre.
It was initially believed Paul had been the victim of a robbery or an unprovoked attack but as officers looked back into the victim’s past they discovered the murder may not have been the result of a random assault.
Paul, originally from Sale in Greater Manchester, had previously been jailed for nine months at Blackfriars Crown Court in October 2001 after he had been found with cannabis worth more than £1m. He was convicted of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs. His criminal record stretched back 10 years.
Having served his time Paul, his wife Charlotte, and then-four-year-old daughter Reagan moved to Gwernaffield near Mold where he secured a job with Royal Mail as a casual employee.
He was hoping to make a brand new start in life but the police believed his criminal past could hold the key to the reasons behind his death, whether it be a “gangland hit” or “grudge attack”.
An appeal for information was made to members of the public and Greater Manchester Police’s intelligence unit also assisted the investigation.
In the spring of 2003 five people were arrested and questioned in relation to Paul’s death but were released without charge. A reward of £25,000 was offered but led to no further information.
Investigations into Paul’s death led to the discovery of a criminal network in the area and an undercover operation codenamed Lion resulted in a series of arrests of suspected traffickers.
Welcoming the news at the time Mr Savage’s mother June White, who continued to campaign for her son’s killers to be brought to justice, renewed her own pleas. She said: “Somebody out there knows who killed my son and what happened.
“I just ask what kind of mother or grandmother can harbour their son who has left a wife without a husband and a little girl without her daddy? What kind of sister, cousin, or friend can live with themselves?
“How can they? How can they sleep at night?
“I sometimes wonder do the people who did this to my Paul have children of their own now? How would they like to get a knock on their door saying their child had been killed? Somebody knows who murdered my son. I will never give up. I won’t.”
Fifteen years on from the horrific unsolved murder it became the focus of BBC One’s Crimewatch Roadshow Live and, not for the first time, the case was thrust back into the public consciousness.
In 2022 Mrs White spoke about how the TV series Four Lives, which showed how a group of detectives caught serial killer Stephen Port, who killed four men in London, had offered her new hope.
From her Lancashire home she said: “I saw the Four Lives series about that case and thought: ‘That’s good – those mothers got justice’.
“Many times I’ve felt: ‘Wow, they’ve got somebody’ maybe 25 years after [a crime].”
When speaking about the investigation into her son’s murder she added: “I’ve been up every avenue but I won’t give up. I’m still on the case. It’s my dream to see them in court.”
Over the years Mrs White has been in contact with police and would still welcome any new information which may help officers.
A spokesman for North Wales Police said: “This week is the 23rd anniversary of Paul’s murder.
“As with every undetected murder the case remains open and we would urge anyone with information to contact the police via 101 (quoting Operation Park, Major Crime Review Team) or confidentially via Crimestoppers.”
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