Despite more than 20 years of investigations, no one has ever been brought to justice for the murder of Joey Peloe
Joey Peloe was murdered on December 28, 2004
A man fatally shot on his doorstep in a suspected revenge attack dragged himself to a police station for help. Joey Peloe was 45 when he was shot outside his Speke home after answering a knock on the door on December 28, 2004.
Despite more than 20 years of investigations, police have never been unable to pierce a wall of silence surrounding the case. Mr Peloe’s brother Jimmy previously claimed that both his family and the police knew who was behind the shooting, but they are still searching for justice despite financial rewards and numerous re-appeals.
Two men were charged with his murder in 2006, but following an appearance at Liverpool Crown Court, a judge directed the jury to find the pair not guilty after no evidence was found to connect either man with the unidentified gunman.
Mr Peloe was gunned down outside his home on Little Heath Road in Speke after answering the door, three days after Christmas. The dad-of-four managed to drag himself 100 yards down the road to Ganworth Road police station and was taken to Whiston Hospital, where he died the following day.
Mr Peloe’s family said a woman was collecting items from her car when she saw a dark-coloured vehicle outside Mr Peloe’s end-terrace home and two men talking to the dad at the door. She went indoors and then heard a “pop” sound as the gun was fired.
After his death, several potential leads were discovered, including rumours of bad blood in the community as a result of Mr Peloe’s decision to take in a female lodger after she went through a bad break-up.
A dispute had also emerged which resulted in youths throwing stones at his windows, and smashing the glass, leading to an altercation in the Noah’s Ark pub. Locals said one man was heard to say soon that Mr Peloe would “be gone by the end of the year.”
Joey Peloe, who was shot on his doorstep in Speke
Mr Peloe’s brother Jimmy, who still lives in Speke and was working at a local nursing home opposite the police station on the day of the shooting, previously told the ECHO: “Two decades down the line with no justice is a very long time…It’s always there at the back of your mind that somebody out there knows something.
“They’ve got to. It’s just a matter of taking that step forward and letting Merseyside Police know, whatever information they have got, no matter how big or small.”
Mr Peloe loved to fish and was well known in Speke as a regular pub goer who enjoyed playing pool. His sibling previously said: “My brother would do anything for anybody. He’d give someone else half of what he had if he could help him. Some people might see it differently, but it’s how I see it.”
He added: “(Joey) kept himself to himself but he could look after himself. He wouldn’t back down from anyone. It was just who he was. We didn’t know exactly what was going on with Joey, but he was having a dispute with a family at the time.
Police search the scene of the shooting in Little Heath Road, Speke, where Joey Peloe was shot
“We thought it was something and nothing, but obviously it was more serious than we knew about. When your family member is murdered, it just tears through you. Not knowing is the hardest part about it.”
Howard Rubbery, head of the force’s serious crime review unit, said: “Over two decades have passed since the fatal shooting of Joey Peloe at his home in Speke. We remain committed to getting answers for his family and the investigation remains open and is regularly reviewed.
“We know a significant amount of time has passed but we would always ask anyone who has any information and hasn’t yet spoken to police to come forward and tell us what they know.”
If you have any information, please DM @MerPolCC, call 101 or contact CrimestoppersUK anonymously via social media, by calling 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information.