Radio show to revisit 1997 cold-case murder
THE unsolved killing of a delivery driver while was on his rounds in a village near Ashbourne in 1997 is about to come back into focus, as part of a internationally-broadcast radio programme examining the crime.
Michael Pritchard was run over and killed by his own van when a thief tried to steal it in Kirk Langley. The offenders have never been caught.
Now a locally-produced radio programme, designed to be aired on Community Radio Stations across the UK and internationally, is setting out to continue the search for the killer more than 23 years after the tragedy.
Based on the Derbyshire Constabulary-developed podcast about the crime, the programme will feature Michael’s widow Hilary, detectives who worked on the original murder investigation, and former Derby Telegraph journalist Cheryl Hague.
The programme’s makers have secured a £10,000 Crimestoppers reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible that runs alongside the broadcast window for the programme.
David Higgins, series producer of “The Investigators – The Murder of Michael Pritchard”, told the News Telegraph: “I first heard about the Michael Pritchard case when I interviewed John and Sally Midgley about their True Crime Investigators podcast.
“This unresolved and terrible crime continues to impact Michael’s family to this day.
“Making a radio programme, and particularly using community radio to broadcast the story to a wider, and potentially international audience, is intended to help the police drive out the missing piece of evidence needed to bring Michael’s killer to justice.
“I also wanted to share how the case had impacted John and Sally, both as part of the investigation team and via their own investigation more than 23 years after the original incident”.
Retired detectives John and Sally Midgeley worked on the original investigation. John said: “It’s been more than 23 years since Michael Pritchard was killed.
“We wanted to appeal again to the public to help the police by giving any information that will assist them to identify those involved in Michael’s untimely death.
“We launched the podcast regarding Michael’s case in August of last year and now we have contributed to this programme to bring the investigation back into the public awareness and hope that this will bring justice for Michael, his widow, Hilary, and their family.
“They have had to live with this deeply distressing uncertainty and heavy burden for such a long time.
“We hope anyone with any information will come forward and give Hilary the peace she needs to put Michael’s memory to rest.”
Sally, who also appears in the programme, said: “John worked on the original investigation into Michael’s death and sadly the matter remains undetected. As a police officer you agonise if you have done everything you could have. It is a weight you carry around with you and it’s something John has revisited over the years. Police have partners, husbands, wives and children of their own and it’s painful to put yourself in the position of a bereaved family.
“By releasing our podcast and then being approached to contribute to this programme we feel we have done everything possible to highlight this unsolved case and encourage anyone who has information, even after all these years, to come forward.”
“There are many reasons that people have a change of heart about talking to the police. They grow older, maybe wiser, they have partners and families to look after and nurture. Friends drift apart and loyalties change. Please think of Hilary, her love of Michael, her soulmate, has never diminished.”
In September last year, Hilary told the Derby Telegraph she felt she was “just existing” – and that every single day was still an effort for her.
There are many reasons people have a change of heart about talking to the police.
Sally Midgeley