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Police in Wales are continually solving crimes, but there are some cases that they are keen to be brought to a conclusion.
Often the police need the public’s help to bring offenders to justice, issuing CCTV and witness appeals to help their investigations.
We went to each of the police forces in Wales to find out some of their biggest cases that they have been appealing for information for and how people with any information can help.
Here are the details of the cases that South Wales, Gwent, and North Wales police forces desperately need your help to solve.
Aamir Siddiqi
Wales’ most wanted man, Mohammed Ali Ege, has now become one of Europe’s most wanted fugitives.
He is wanted in connection with the murder of Cardiff schoolboy Aamir Siddiqi on the doorstep of his home on April 11, 2010.
In February 2013, following a four-and-a-half-month trial at Swansea Crown Court, Ben Hope and Jason Richards were found guilty of Aamir’s murder and the attempted murder of his parents.
They were sentenced to life with a minimum of 40 years in prison each. They would later appeal the sentences but this would be rejected.
During the case it was said the killing had been a tragic case of mistaken identity and it was alleged that Hope and Richards had been paid £1,000 to carry out a “hit” on a father-of-four who lived in a neighbouring street.
Before the trial even began police had been looking for Mohammed Ali Ege, a businessman from Cardiff. He had allegedly paid the pair the money to kill a rival over a collapsed property deal.
Crimewatch and Interpol appeals were issued but Ege left the country. He is believed to have fled the UK to France on a cross-Channel ferry – wearing a wig to cover his shaven head.
His face appears on the Europol website as South Wales Police continues to work with the National Crime Agency and international law enforcement agencies to trace the 42-year-old and return him to the UK.
(Image: South Wales Police)
Detective Inspector Stuart Wales said: “He must be constantly looking over his shoulder and our determination to resolve this matter has never diminished.
“We would ask anyone who has information about his whereabouts to please get in touch – not just for us but more importantly for Aamir’s family who have always acted with such dignity throughout their 10-year ordeal.”
Mohammed Ali Ege is from the Riverside area of Cardiff. He fled to India before he could be arrested in connection with the murder and escaped from custody in India in 2017 while awaiting extradition.
Three years on his current whereabouts remain unknown.
The Europol appeal says Ege “is believed to travel extensively with the use of false documentation and may have changed his appearance”. It also lists a range of aliases he uses including Ahmed Aheris, Ahmed Ali, Kalid Ali, Muhammed Ali, Tarik Mohamed Ali, Ali Mohammed, and Tarik Ali Mohammed.
Anybody with information is urged to provide information by using the UK Police Major Incident Public Reporting Site https://mipp.police.uk/operation/62SWP17A31-PO1 or via the Europol site https://eumostwanted.eu/#/ege-mohammed-ali
Alternatively call South Wales Police on 101 quoting reference number 1700150924 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
You can read more about Aamir’s murder and the search to find Mohammed Ali Ege here.
Lorraine Ridout
Lorraine Ridout is a beloved mother, grandmother and wife and filled her family’s lives with laughter and love.
But her family’s lives changed forever on January 31, 2016, when Lorraine left her home in Gabalfa, Cardiff, for the last time and would never be seen or heard from again.
The 57-year-old gran had gone to visit a friend in a nearby street but Lorraine never made her destination and her fate has remained unknown to her family.
Despite extensive searches in the area, which involved South Wales Police, National Crime Agency, British Transport Police National Police Air Service and horse and dog units, nothing has been found.
While life has continued for Lorraine’s family, the pain of not knowing what happened to her causes constant pain and heartache.
Lorraine’s daughter Christine, 36, said all she and the family could hope for is closure.
While the police investigation remains open, it appears that all that can be done at present has been done.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark O’Shea, from South Wales Police, said: “While Lorraine’s disappearance remains unexplained, the case will never close and South Wales will always act upon any significant new information.
“We respect the family’s wishes only to have contact from us if and when there is positive news and share their hope that one day they will have answers to what has happened to Lorraine.”
Anyone with information who has yet to come forward is asked to call South Wales Police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 036372.
To read more about the search for Lorraine and her family’s desire for answers, see here.
Jamie Perkins
The family of Jamie Perkins, whose body was discovered in a lane three years ago, are desperate for information about his killer.
His body was found in a culvert along an access road known as Bog Lane in Gilfach Goch on November 1, 2017.
Several people were arrested but nobody has ever been charged with his murder.
His family issued a powerful plea a year to the day his body was discovered.
Police believe Jamie’s body could have been lying undiscovered for up to three weeks after he was last seen on CCTV in Hendreforgan on October 8 last year.
A murder investigation was launched and a £10,000 reward was issued by Crimestoppers for information.
Police later said injuries found on Jamie’s body suggested he had been assaulted.
Anyone with information is urged to call South Wales Police on 101 quoting reference number 1700397197 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A new public portal has also been developed which lets people use the internet to contact the incident room. This can be accessed here.
To read more about the search for Jamie’s killer, see here.
Kyle Vaughan
Kyle Vaughan, from Newbridge, was just 24 when his smashed-up silver Peugeot 306 was found on the A467 between Risca and Cross Keys at 11.45am on December 30, 2012. But Kyle wasn’t inside.
Despite searches and a murder investigation launched by Gwent Police, which saw eight arrests but no charges brought, Kyle has never been found.
In 2016, the former Cwmcarn High School pupil who was known to his friends as ‘Jabbers’ was presumed legally dead by a High Court judge and his parents received a presumption of death certificate.
A spokesperson from Gwent Police said: “The investigation into the disappearance of Kyle Vaughan is very much a live investigation, and investigating officers are still looking into lines of enquiry.
“Contact with Kyle’s family has decreased following the memorial for Kyle in 2016 following the family’s wishes to be left to grieve in peace.
“The investigation was originally dealt with as a missing person enquiry, however following investigations and information received, was later dealt with as a murder enquiry.
“Regarding searches, the family and friends of Kyle were advised that, for health and safety reasons, professionally trained search teams would be used, especially in more remote or difficult terrain.
“We would encourage anyone with information relating to the disappearance of Kyle to contact us by calling 101 or by sending a direct message to our Gwent Police Facebook and Twitter social media pages.”
To read more about Kyle’s disappearance and his father’s search for justice, see here.
Paul Savage
Postman Paul Savage was beaten to death in the street with a wooden post as he delivered letters.
The 30-year-old was attacked as he delivered mail in Clayton Road, Mold, at around 7.30am on February 4, 2003.
Mr Savage, who was married with one daughter, was left dying in the snow by his attackers in an incident which prompted the Royal Mail to reassure his colleagues about their safety.
The organisation also offered thousands of pounds in reward for information that led to the conviction of the killers.
Police investigated suspicions that the murder may have been related to a drugs feud involving a Manchester gang.
But, to date, no-one has been convicted despite a number of repeated appeals and investigations in 2003 and 2009.
Detective Superintendent Iestyn Davies, from North Wales Police, stressed that the investigation had not closed.
He said: “North Wales Police will continue to explore any new evidence or intelligence that may assist to bring justice to Paul’s family. We will also explore any advances in DNA evidence and to this end I have recently asked our Crime Scene Manager to conduct a further review of the forensic material gathered to establish the possibility of any fresh evidence being obtained.
“Paul’s mother June will also be visited and updated by officers from the Major Incident Team but at this time there is insufficient evidence to justify a reinvestigation.”
He added: “I’d encourage anybody who has any new information about his murder to speak to us. I understand people are sometimes reluctant to come forward years after such a serious crime, but I’d like to reassure them we are only interested in securing that vital piece of information that will help bring this investigation to a positive conclusion. There may be some who are keeping vital information linked to Paul’s death to protect others, and I am convinced that answers still rest in the community and so I’d urge those people to search their conscience and come forward and speak to us.”
Anyone with information about Paul’s murder should call North Wales Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
To read more about Paul’s murder which happened 17 years ago, see here.
Trevaline Evans
Trevaline Evans, 52, left her antiques shop in Llangollen, Denbighshire, on June 16, 1990. A note on the door said she would be back in two minutes, but she was never seen again.
One of the biggest investigations of its kind got underway in North Wales with more than 330 statements taken and 1,500 names checked.
Detectives launched a new investigation in 2001 into Mrs Evans’ disappearance, setting up a major incident room employing 10 officers to look at every statement, phone call and piece of evidence collected at the time of the original inquiry in 1990.
It was hoped new forensic techniques and fingerprinting technology would generate fresh leads in a bid to solve the suspicious disappearance.
But the inquiry was brought to a close in August last year when officers failed to find any new evidence of Mrs Evans’ whereabouts.
Her brother – record Cardiff City goal scorer Len Davies – appeared on television to appeal for information on where she was, but she remains missing to this day.
North Wales Police said the case will be subject of periodic reviewing by detectives and that there are currently no new leads.
Twenty-five years after she vanished, Trevaline Evans’ brother Leonard Davies said: “It’s always in your mind”
Anyone with information, should contact North Wales Police on 101.
