Police warn killer: time is running out

12:45pm Friday 9th May 2008

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By Jenny Makin »

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"IT is only a matter of time before we catch up with you."

That is the stark warning from detectives who today appealed directly to the murderer of a Hampshire grandmother to give themselves up.

Officers leading the hunt have made the plea as the four-month anniversary of the killing of Georgina Edmonds approaches this weekend.

It was on January 11 that the 77-year-old was tortured with a knife before being bludgeoned to death with a blunt instrument.

Her battered body was discovered by her son Harry and a family friend, who live in the same grounds of Kingfisher Lodge in Brambridge.

Only a small amount of property belonging to the grandmother-of-two, who had lived in her picturesque cottage on the banks of the River Itchen for 30 years, was taken.

Because her killer has so far avoided capture, his confidence may be growing and police fear he may well strike again.

Appealing to him to give himself up, Det Chief Insp Paul Barton said: "You need to know that we will not give up. It's only a matter of time before we catch up with you. This is not going to go away.

"I'm pretty sure it must be eating you up inside - the paranoia and the wondering that every knock at the door and every person walking towards you in the street could well be the police coming to arrest you.

"I ask you to give yourself up. Think about the family of Georgina Edmonds and what they are going through. Handing yourself in at this stage is a good thing for all concerned. We guarantee you will be treated fairly."

Det Chief Insp Barton also said there was a chance the continued media coverage of the brutal killing and the search for the prime suspect seen using a stolen cash card may be "massaging the ego" of the killer.

"He may well have told people down the pub that it was him in the picture - he may have joked and not been believed.

"Please, if someone has said this to you, we need to know. I would urge you to come forward not matter how unbelievable it may seem.

"Four months on we continue to make progress. We are still confident that the person or people who killed Georgina Edmonds will be caught."

To date, police have carried out 3,208 individual inquiries in relation to the murder and have seized 2,415 exhibits, including forensic samples and property.

A total of 5,388 people, including witnesses, potential suspects and persons of interest to the inquiry, called Operation Columbian, have also been identified.

Police have taken 1,232 statement and are in possession of 8,115 documents. They have also taken 634 calls from members of the public offering information.