Unsolved Leeds murders: The 'calculated' killing of Leonard Farrar and the clues unearthed by detectives

The case is among dozens of unsolved murders on West Yorkshire Police’s files that date all the way back to the bludgeoning of Stephen Henry Warner in his Leeds city centre shop in 1948. Other killings where nobody has been charged include those of 20-year-old Deborah Hall, young dad Adam Chadwick and pensioner Isabelle Gray.

Despite the passage of time, the family of 71-year-old Mr Farrar remain hopeful that new information could come to light and allow the police to identify his killer. It was this determination to see justice done that drove them to share new pictures in September 2020 to mark what would have been his 90th birthday.

In a statement, they said: “Leonard was taken from us in terrible circumstances and we want people to remember him and the awful fate he suffered. His murderer is still out there. We hope that by releasing these photos it might encourage someone who hasn’t felt able to get in touch with the police before to get in contact and help police with their enquiries.”

Mr Farrar had been restrained and stabbed multiple times in what police described as having been a sustained and "controlled" attack. It was thought that at least two people had been involved and they may have tortured Mr Farrar before he died.

Detective Superintendent Howard Crowther said at the time: "There is every possibility that they were in this house overnight. It was a controlled attack on Mr Farrar, it wasn't frenzied, and that is the unusual element. That is why people should feel no compunction about coming forward and giving us names."

A 24-year-old woman and two men – aged 24 and 29 – were interviewed in June 2002 in connection with the killing but were not charged.

Speaking in 2020 in support of the most recent appeal, Detective Chief Inspector Vanessa Rolfe, of Protective Services, said: “We are as determined as ever to bring his killer or killers to justice. People who may have known or suspected something about a loved one at the time may have felt a misplaced loyalty to them and not said anything. I would urge people to consider their consciences.

“Or someone may remember something that didn’t seem important at the time. Now is the time to come forward and tell us what you know. One thing that hasn’t changed is just how much Leonard’s family miss him and I am determined to get justice for them.”

Here we take a look at the details of the case and some of the key lines of enquiry that have been pursued by investigators to date. Anyone with new information can contact West Yorkshire Police via 101 or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.