LIGHTING a candle, Penny Barnes says a prayer and tries to remember the good times she shared with her beloved sister when they were growing up together.
The 72-year-old thinks of how her elder sibling, Joy Hewer, who was ten years her senior, had guided her through childhood, taking her shopping for dresses at the market and how they had dreams of visiting Switzerland together.
But these memories are tainted by the horror of how Joy met her death when she was brutally murdered in her 6th floor London flat on the evening of Tuesday October 17, 1995 – exactly 30 years ago.
In all that time, Penny has lived in angst knowing a callous killer is out there.
And most shockingly of all, she has continually looked over her shoulder – for fear that she could have known Joy’s killer.
Joy was a devout Christian and a retired primary school teacher, who spent her time volunteering at her church, St Mary’s Parish CofE.
The gentle family woman is the least likely victim of such a callous killing, but was sexually assaulted and stabbed in her Walthamstow flat at around 10.30pm.
On the afternoon of her death, Joy had volunteered at the London Healing Mission in Notting Hill until 3.30pm. She stopped by a chemist at 5.50pm before heading home.
The last anybody heard from her was when she spoke to her brother’s son briefly on the phone at around 9.30pm. He said Joy sounded perfectly normal.
A neighbour heard loud noises coming from the flat at around 10.30pm – 11pm, less than an hour before a member of the public rang 999 to report a fire coming from the home.
Firefighters discovered Joy’s body in her nightdress in the bedroom of her E17 apartment.
Two smouldering fires, deliberately started in the bedroom and another in the lounge, had to be extinguished.
A post-mortem found the devout Christian had died as a result of multiple injuries, including a number of stab wounds, and that she had been sexually assaulted.
Her family were left reeling from the savage killing, shocked that Joy had let this person into her flat at night while she was wearing her nightie. There was no sign of forced entry.
Crucially, a gut-wrenching clue showed that Joy had drank coffee with her killer, with two cups found at the scene.
Now retired nurse Penny and her daughters – Jo McCarthy, 42, and Helen Barnes, 39 – are appealing for information as they face another milestone without answers.
Doctor and mum-of-three Jo said: “We have spent the last 30 years thinking of explanations as to what could have happened but it all comes back to the fact that Joy must have known her killer.
“There is no such thing as an opportunist killing when you live on the 6th floor. The flat had an intercom and CCTV at the entrance so the person must have been allowed in.
“Joy had a spy hole on her door and a chain that she always used so she would have checked who was at her door before letting them in.
“And this was late at night so Joy was wearing her nightdress. The circle of people Joy would have let in this late at night was small, limited to a few close friends and family.”
“It then appears they have had coffee together.”
Living in fear
Over the past three decades, Joy’s family have been wracked by angst, terrified that the killer could target them too.
Penny fitted a CCTV camera to their family home in Luton, Beds, and began to live in fear of people they knew more than strangers.
Jo, who now lives in Wales, said: “We were told not to answer the door to anybody, even if we knew them, unless my mum told us that we could.
“I know my mum was living in fear and she tried her best to disguise it for us but it was difficult for her.
“Over the years this has had such an impact on us as a family. We do not know who we can trust. You just don’t know what anybody else knows.”
Specialist tutor and mum-of-three Helen said: “I was only nine when Auntie Joy died so I was drip-fed the information. When I finally knew what had happened I was convinced that I would be next.
“I was Auntie’s Joy’s favourite so my young mind thought that if they killed Joy then they would also want me.
“It did not help that Jo and I were due to visit Joy the next week in the half-term school holidays and that if this happened just one week later we would have been there.
“I had a recurring nightmare about somebody coming to our door and I was screaming not to answer. The killer not only tore our lives apart but they stole our childhood. I didn’t start to think rationally until I was around 21.”
Penny said: “The killer is a coward, not only did they kill Joy but they had to burn her too. There was so much that we could have kept from Joy that was tainted because it was destroyed in the fire or smelled of smoke.”
‘We felt incredibly let down’
The family were convinced Joy’s killer would be easy to find and feel let down by the police.
Penny, who carries Joy’s beads with her wherever she goes, said: “We’re thinking that if it was somebody Joy knew there could only be so many suspects.
”In the early days we felt incredibly let down by the police. We didn’t feel her apartment was searched thoroughly.
“They also didn’t inform us of her death properly, if it was not for a call from a lady from the council we would have found out on the 6pm news.”
Police recovered DNA from the scene, which they have only been able to analyse after advances in technology. Over the years they have been able to use this to eliminate suspects from the enquiry.
It has also proven the perpetrator is male.
Police hope CCTV footage of a man entering Joy’s block, St David’s Court, at around 10.30pm could lead to vital information, but he’s never been found.
He is white, aged 30-40, although will now be aged 60-70, with short hair. He was wearing a light-coloured jacket.
There was also a 999 phone call made to the fire brigade from a phone box at 11.18pm to report the fire. The male caller asked somebody waiting for a bus if they knew what road they were on. He has also never been located.
And the person at the bus stop has never been found either.
Could any of these hold the key to what happened to Joy?
£20,000 for answers
The Metropolitan Police Cold Case Homicide team took over the investigation in 2014 and a £20,000 reward was offered for information to catch the killer – this is still in place today.
The family also appeared on Crimewatch to appeal for information.
DC Murray Bannister now leads the investigation and is hoping this fresh appeal can provide some closure for the family before he retires next year.
He said: “A full DNA profile was recovered from the scene and we are continuing to explore all opportunities, including advancements in DNA technology.
“It may seem a long time ago, but three decades have not dulled the pain that this horrific act inflicted on her family.
“They are still fighting to get her justice, and we continue to use every means available to catch her killer.”
The killer is a coward, not only did they kill Joy but they had to burn her too
Penny
Penny said: “With advancements in technology and social media, we are hoping to reach out to different people, somebody who knows something.
“In the past somebody might not have wanted to come forward for fear of being implicated but now there is DNA they don’t need to worry about that. They can easily be eliminated and help us find peace.
“When Joy died my poor mum and dad were devastated. They were in their 70s and put on such a brave face and tried to protect all of us. But it was so hard for them.
“We were always sure we would find out who killed Joy and my mum always said she would not be going anywhere until they found out what had happened.
“Sadly this was not the case and my parents held on for 15 years for answers. My dad died in late 2010 at age 94 and my mum not long after at age 93. She said to me: ‘If I don’t make it Pen, you won’t give up will you? And I said never, I won’t give up.’
“The saddest thing is that my mum felt she had let Joy down because she couldn’t protect her when she needed her most.
“But now it is up to me to make sure we find the killer. But my daughters will take over from me and their children will take over from them.
“We will not rest until we know what happened and we will never give up.”
