07/04/2011

Rio Ferdinand Appeals For Murder Witnesses

The Metropolitan Police, in conjunction The Sun newspaper, have today released a unique murder appeal from footballer Rio Ferdinand.

The video, on the Met Police's YouTube site, shows the Manchester United footballer appealing for people “to stand out from the crowd and be the best person you can be,” as he appeals for witnesses to come forward and give information into the murder of Rio McFarlane, 18.

The Sun newspaper is also offering a £10,000 reward, in addition to the reward of up to £20,000 being offered by the Met Police, for information leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the murder of Rio McFarlane.

Rio was murdered on Monday 6 September 2010 in Dragon Road south east London. At approximately 9.30pm nearby police officers heard a gunshot fired and diverted to investigate. On arrival they found Rio, 18, suffering a gunshot wound. The ambulance service attended but Rio died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Like his namesake, Rio McFarlane was a promising young footballer from Peckham. He had no involvement in crime and police believe his murder may have been a case of mistaken identity.

Rio Ferdinand, as a famous footballer and role model to young people, particularly in his home town Peckham, wanted to make the appeal to help the investigation and encourage people to come forward.

Rio Ferdinand said: "I grew up in Peckham with Rio's brother Anthony and have known the McFarlane family for many years, so I wanted to do something to help them get justice for Rio's murder. I believe that the community can make a difference but it's important for people to come forward and talk to police."

Detective Superintendent Gary Richardson from Trident said: "There are people out there who clearly know who committed this murder. Rio McFarlane was a decent young man and his life was cruelly taken away from him. Trident want people to come forward and talk.

"We also want to make it clear there are special measures that we can take to protect your identity and have used these measures in many successful cases."

(BMcN/GK)

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