Podcast investigates the unsolved murder case of six members of the same family…
Over twelve years ago, a fire ripped through a home in Harlow, Essex, killing a mother and her five children leaving one man still searching for answers.
Chris Burns, Controller of Local Audio Commissioning, BBC:
“This is an astonishingly sad story which is still has no resolution. I am grateful that Doctor Shakoor trusted BBC Local with his story.”
In the early hours of October 15, 2012, as flames engulfed the family home, Dr Abdul Shakoor escaped through an upstairs window in a desperate bid to save his family. His wife, Dr Sabah Usmani and their five children – Hira (12), Sohaib (11), Muneeb (9), Rayyan (6) and Maheen (3) – did not survive.
A neighbour’s car was also set alight on the same road at the same time. Essex Police believe the fires were started deliberately, and despite launching one of its largest ever investigations, Operation Shakespeare, nobody has ever faced justice.
Arrests were made, but all led to nothing. Even a £20,000 Crimestoppers reward, on the BBC’s CrimeWatch programme, failed to bring new leads that led to charges. In the five-part BBC Local podcast the production looks at claims of what went wrong in the investigation and reveals new key information that has never been made public before.
Despite arrests being made, no one has ever been charged due to a lack of evidence, leaving Dr Shakoor still wanting answers: “We have been waiting for a long time for justice; it impacts not only myself but an entire community. We really need some sort of a conclusion and some closure.”
Listen to Crime Next Door: Who Killed the Shakoors? on BBC Sounds
