South Wales Police is carrying out a forensic review of the murders of Diane Jones, 21, two-year-old Shauna Hibberd, and 13-month-old Sarah-Jane Hibberd in 1995.
Thirty years on from the murders, the Major Crime Review Unit at South Wales Police is hoping that advances in forensic technology will provide the breakthrough needed to identify who was responsible.
Diane Jones and both of her daughters died in a deliberate fire which engulfed their three-bedroom end of terrace house on the Gurnos estate on October 11, 1995.
An accelerant had been poured through the letterbox of the house. Diane and her two children were discovered in an upstairs bedroom when emergency services entered. All three died as a result of the fire.
Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Davies said:
“At the time, this tragic case which claimed the innocent lives of a mother and her two children sent shockwaves through Gurnos and has cast a shadow over the community ever since.
“Diane’s family have been left without answers for decades and have suffered immeasurably as a result.
“Officers re-examining this case are hopeful that new forensic technology and techniques which were not available previously will present opportunities to progress the investigation.
“Our hope is that we can uncover new evidence which will give us the breakthrough we need to find who was responsible.”
It is also hoped that should anybody have information which they have not previously shared, they make the decision to come forward.
DCI Davies added:
“I am quite confident that somebody out there has information, which, for whatever reason, they decided at the time to keep to themselves. Three decades have passed – that person may have different allegiances or may find themselves in different circumstances today. My message to them is that it is never too late to come forward – now is the time to offload what no doubt has weighed very heavily for many years. It is time that whoever was responsible for the deaths of Diane, Shauna and Sarah-Jane, are identified and put before the courts.”
The family of the victims are fully supporting the review and echo South Wales Police’s appeal for information.
In a statement provided to South Wales Police, Diane Jones’ sister, Mary, said:
“On October 11, 1995, my heart, my life got shattered into a million pieces.
“It has been 30 years but as a family we are still living this nightmare as if it only happened yesterday.
“We didn’t just lose a sister and our nieces, we also lost our parents. It absolutely broke their hearts and they were never the same. My father, John, took his own life in 2003, aged 52 – he couldn’t live without them. My mother, Myra, after losing her daughter, granddaughters and her husband, stood strong to fight for justice but unfortunately she got diagnosed with cancer and suddenly passed away at the age of 62. My mother used to say, ‘I hope I get to see justice before I go’, but they never got to see justice.
“I’m hoping there is somebody out there who is holding the key to what happened, and that they have it in their hearts to come forward and finally give us the answers that we need. If anyone has information my message to them is please, do the right thing, come forward so my sister can finally rest with her babies.
“As a family we will never give up fighting for justice. My mam and dad didn’t get to see justice but I’m hoping I will for them.”
Anybody with information can contact South Wales Police via 101 quoting 2200348104 or email [email protected]
