GIVE US OUR DADDY BACK
WHAT MISSING MAN’S YOUNG CHILDREN SAID AS FAMILIES AND POLICE LAUNCH APPEAL FOR HELP OVER MURDER AND SUSPECTED KIDNAP
THE young children of a Coventry dad have a simple message for the people believed to have kidnapped, tortured and then murdered him: “Give us our daddy back.”
The five simple words strike right into the heart of anyone reading them and it is hoped it will do just the same to those who know what happened to Johnny Robbins.
At a police press conference on Wednesday, October 17, his loved ones spoke of his devotion to his three children and the “absolute loss and devastation” they have felt since his disappearance.
Police have also now named two suspects they want to trace in connection with the 33-yearold’s suspected murder, and the killing of another man, Daniel Shaw.
An investigation was launched after Daniel, 28, was shot in the chest in Copland Place, Tile Hill, on March 25 this year.
As detectives looked into the death, they quickly linked the murder with the disappearance of Johnny, who was last seen on March 21.
It is believed he was kidnapped at a DIY store in Coventry, before being taken to Daniel’s home in Torrington Avenue where he was tortured and eventually murdered.
Despite the link to Daniel’s home, police say that he and Johnny did not know each other personally and are still unsure as to how they and the suspects are connected.
It was also revealed that the suspects - Ryan Hobday and Ben Whyley - may actually be dead themselves.
Among the family members who spoke out was Vicky Robbins, the sister of Johnny, who said: “Almost seven months ago our lives were shattered.
“We know he (Johnny) got in to a car with someone he trusted.
“He was violently kidnapped and taken to Torrington Avenue and violently assaulted and tortured, leading to his suspected murder.”
Vicky said her brother was a “kind, caring and beautiful person”, who was “forever joking and trying to make people laugh”.
She spoke glowingly of Johnny being a “devoted daddy to three beautiful children who loved him to the stars and back”.
Vicky described the “amazing bond” he had with his family and his children, adding: “We have a void that will never be filled. The absolute loss and devastation we feel as a family.”
Vicky described how “no words can explain” how to tell Johnny’s children - aged nine, eight and four - that “he won’t be coming home” and that he has been murdered.
“Nothing can prepare you for a traumatised nine-year-old saying why did they kill their daddy,” said Vicky.
“The only answer we can give is we don’t know. Nothing can prepare you to hear his children saying ‘he’s watching over us’ and one reply that ‘no he isn’t - he hasn’t had a funeral yet.’
“Nothing in this world can prepare you to console a mum who has lost her son, her world.”
Vicky stated that when they asked Johnny’s children what they wanted to say to whoever was responsible for his suspected murder, “their response was straightforward and heart-breaking”.
It was: “Give us our daddy back.”
Johnny’s family revealed they have been “subjected to traumatic rumours about what may have happened” to their loved one.
Vicky said that he had “friends and people he was close to” and he would have “confided in these people and they could have helped him”.
She pleaded: “I urge them to come forward with information. No matter how small they think it might be.”
Vicky said she and her family “deserve to lay [Johnny] to rest and say our goodbyes” and “his children need to know he will always watch over them”.
Daniel’s heartbroken mother, Ginnie, revealed that she is currently caring for Johnny’s two eldest children and says “every day is different”.
Jean said: “Some days are more manageable and some days are traumatic.
“It’s an emotional rollercoaster. With no answers it’s really hard.”
She says she is trying to make the children’s lives “as happy as I can”.
When asked what she would say to the people who took Johnny from her, Ginnie replied: “I would want to know why.
“Why did you have to go this far? Surely it could have been resolved another way.”
The mother and sister of Daniel also sat bravely alongside the Robbins family at the press conference.
Daniel’s sister, Blossom, read out a statement about her murdered brother, which said: “We are here today to ask for help with Daniel’s murder investigation.
“He was the kindest, most gentle person I have ever known.
“Once you were his friend you were his friend forever. He was trustworthy and that’s what made him vulnerable. He trusted everyone.”
She said that Daniel, who was “never in any kind of trouble with police”, stated a few days before his murder that he “didn’t want to stay at his flat as he was scared”.
She added: “On the night of his murder he received a call and told his mum he was going home. We never saw him again.”
Blossom also stated that Daniel would “want it to end with him so that no other family has to go through this”