Police admit they still do not know whereabouts of ‘vanished’ suspect
IT had been a hot, early summer day and many had spent it drinking while watching England’s first game of the Euros 2021.
The team won 1-0 and many were celebrating. They were on a journey which would take them all the way to the final in a memorable tournament.
But the day would take a much darker and more tragic turn on the banks of Holderness Drain. For reasons which remain unknown, Corey Dobbe and Moise Djuku met at the drain next to Harleston Close on June 13 last year.
But only Mr Djuku would walk away from that meeting as Corey lay dying on the bank after being stabbed. It has now been a year since Corey’s death, but the main suspect has yet to be arrested.
The Humberside Police officers leading the investigation are as frustrated as anyone over the lack of a breakthrough. A family is left with no justice and few answers while a suspect is at large.
Police had quickly identified the main suspect – naming Mr Djuku as the man they want to speak to – but there has been no success in tracking him down.
Officers believe Djuku, understood to be aged 22, was still in the city in the days after Corey’s death.
One former friend told Hull Live shortly after the stabbing that detectives have raided several houses of people connected to Djuku. Humberside Police arrested three people in connection with the probe, including two people on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.
In the days and weeks after the fatal stabbing, extensive investigations were carried out, with police officers assisted by the Environment Agency searching the area with a large digger at one stage.
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Curtis is the man tasked with trying to track down the main suspect in Corey’s death.
He said: “We have other people who were arrested in connection with this matter but they are lower level offences.
“At the moment, Moise is the only identified person we want to speak to.
“There were two people on the drain bank that day and we cannot speak to Corey. The only person we believe has that information we need is Moise. Corey and Moise were known to each other but there was no social connection between them.
“The structure of the investigation has not changed since day one. The number of staff involved has fluctuated and, at one point, we had 100 officers involved in this case.
“A year on and we still have a core investigation team. We have our own man hunt team tasked with finding Moise. Our evidential case is very good and, normally, we would have someone arrested and charged by this point and close to trial.
“We still have boots on the ground and continue to gather CCTV. This remains a proactive inquiry. We are not just reliant on additional information from the public, although that remains very welcome.”
DCI Curtis admits the total disappearance of Mr Djuku is puzzling. He says there is no current information on his whereabouts.
“In this day and age with the internet and social media, for someone to go under the radar is very difficult,” he said. “We believe Mr Djuku must have been helped and assisted. It is not easy just to vanish.
“Whether Moise is in the country or out of the country, we just don’t know. What we are doing is focusing on all the information coming in.”
Mr Djuku’s family have been co-operating with police but even they can shed no light on his whereabouts.
“It is an obvious line of inquiry to engage with Moise’s family and they have always co-operated with us,” DCI Curtis said. “For them, their son is missing and they have their own concerns. The reality is that Moise’s family have not seen their son for 12 months. It is also a difficult time for them too.”
The police have used every tool at their disposal to get the case widely publicised.
“As part of our manhunt inquiries we have engaged with regional, national and international police forces,” DCI Curtis said.
“We have also been on Crimewatch twice and Crimestoppers has issued a £10,000 reward for any information which leads to his arrest and that still stands. But they must go through Crimestoppers to be eligible.”
There is also the possibility that, rather than having gone into hiding, Mr Djuku may have harmed himself or come to harm.
“He is recorded as a high-risk missing person,” DCI Curtis said. “As it stands he has not been charged with anything and the reality is he is someone’s son and family member. We want to find him, not just as part of the investigation, but to know he is safe and for his own welfare.
“There is no evidence Moise has harmed himself but it cannot be ruled out.”
DCI Curtis understands Corey’s family will be growing ever annoyed that no breakthrough has been made. He understands it will be difficult for them to move on until Mr Djuku is found.
“My frustration is more for the family than myself or the team,” he said. “We have to put ourselves in their position.
“A successful investigation and prosecution can give families some closure and we have not been able to give them that yet. It must be hard for them. We have a good evidential case but it will be for the criminal justice system to ultimately decide. But we need to make that arrest first.
“Our appeal remains to locate Moise Djuku and we are continuing to appeal for anyone who sees him to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or Humberside Police on 101, quoting reference 16/60891/21.”