Police appeal on third anniversary of murder

Northamptonshire Police have made a new appeal for witnesses on the third anniversary of the murder of a Hungarian man in Wellingborough.

Karoly 'Charlie' Varga being was assaulted in his home in Cannon Street with a hatchet-like weapon on the afternoon of Wednesday 27 July 2011, shortly after he had let in an unidentified visitor.

76-year-old Charlie Varga had lived in the United Kingdom since the 1950s.

Northamptonshire Police are appealing for anybody who finds the murder weapon or abandoned black and grey Lonsdale training shoes to make contact with them.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Kinchin said: "Even after three years this murder remains an open investigation, and I still believe it can still be solved. The case is reviewed whenever there is an advance in forensic science, but key to solving the case would be the discovery of the murder weapon and the killer's training shoes."

The murder weapon and the key to Mr Varga's back door were taken from the scene by the killer who would have needed to dispose of the weapon, and could have hidden it anywhere in the Cannon Street area of Wellingborough, or further afield. The murderer also would have needed to dispose of his clothing, including a pair of black and grey Lonsdale training shoes.

DCI Kinchin added: "While many materials decompose over time, items such as the murder weapon and the killer's Lonsdale training shoes would be likely to survive to this day and finding these items would be a major breakthrough. If the murderer did not destroy these items, they would certainly want to hide them and so they could still be lying undiscovered.

"The murderer would probably not want to travel very far with the weapon, so it may have been pushed into a hedge, thrown into a garden, or hidden in the rubbish and undergrowth of the many alleys and overgrown areas around the street off Cannon Street and Clark Road.

"It may even be that somebody has later found the weapon in their garden and kept it, not realising its significance."

A £10,000 Crimestoppers Reward remains unclaimed for information leading to the conviction of Charlie's killer.