MURDER CASE OF CHRISTOPHER LAVERACK IN HULL CLOSED AFTER 28 YEARS, OFFENDER IDENTIFIED AS LATE UNCLE MELVYNN READ

In August 2012, the Humberside police concluded their long-standing investigation into the murder of nine-year-old Christopher Laverack, effectively closing the case after nearly three decades. The authorities officially named Christopher's late uncle, Melvyn Read, as the perpetrator. Read, who passed away in prison four years prior, had been serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence for sexually assaulting four young boys at the time of his death.

Evidence associated with pollen and plant material discovered with Christopher’s body sealed the case against Read. The young boy, who was babysitting his infant nephew when he was abducted, was found murdered in Hull in 1984. The case remains the longest unresolved murder inquiry in the history of Humberside police. The image of Christopher—bright-haired and freckle-faced—has been a familiar sight in Hull and East Yorkshire, due to numerous appeals for information over the years.

Detectives have stated that there is now no doubt that Read was responsible for Christopher’s murder. Detective Superintendent Ray Higgins of Humberside police, who oversaw the investigation and commissioned a leading QC for forensic review, commented: "This has been a very complex case to solve but there can be few matters more important to pursue relentlessly than the murder of a child. Had Read not died in prison, he would have been arrested for this murder following his release."

"He was an evil man and a man wholly without remorse. I am satisfied that Christopher’s family can now find some sense of closure and understanding of what happened. This case has taken many years to resolve. We all wish that the evidence required to convict had been available sooner and while Read was still alive to face trial, but unfortunately, that was not the case. No sexual offenses committed by Read during the years after the murder were initially identified.

"The small team of officers still working on this case, balancing other duties, have been determined to do all they could to find justice and refused to give up."

The breakthrough came after 28 years, thanks to advanced forensic techniques applied to materials recovered from Christopher's body, which had been found in a carpet underlay bag in Beverley Beck, near his sister’s house where he was babysitting. An ornamental brick, believed to be used in the murder, was examined by Dr. Patricia Wiltshire, an expert in pollen and plant matter, who established forensic links to a water feature in Read’s garden.

This connection, coupled with Read’s criminal history, his intimate knowledge of Beverley Beck, the absence of an alibi, and the fact that his home was just ten minutes from the scene of the babysitting, led police to confidently suspect him as the killer. The evidence was then independently assessed by Paul Watson QC, who described the case against Read as "conclusive."

Humberside police released a statement saying: "We have been in close contact with Christopher’s mother, who has expressed relief that some questions have now been answered, especially regarding the identity of her son's killer. She continues to find it too painful to speak publicly about her loss, and we ask that her privacy be respected during this difficult time."