A FORMER city mayor has issued a personal plea for a Southampton community to help find the killers of a gentle giant.

Shawn Williams died just hours after being savagely attacked by a group of thugs on the Northam estate.

But more than three weeks after launching a murder investigation detectives are no closer to finding his killers.

Former Southampton mayor, Councillor John Slade knew 6ft 5in Shawn personally after working with his dad for many years.

He said the 42-year-old’s death has had a devastating impact on his “heartbroken” family.

Daily Echo: For a video of the top stories in today's Daily Echo, click the front page.

Cllr Slade told the Daily Echo: “He was a very easy going kind of guy and a talented musician.

“I know the strains they’ve gone through.

“In cases like this you have this long wait before you get closure – they can’t even hold a funeral for him.”

Shawn, who was also known to his family as Simon, collapsed hours after discharging himself from Southampton General Hospital, where he had been taken following the brutal attack on July 3.

His body lay undiscovered for three weeks in woodland in Coxford, before being discovered by a dog walker.

A week later detectives revealed they had launched a murder hunt, but despite knocking on every single door in Northam, trawling through CCTV footage and appealing for help form the community, they have not yet made a single arrest.

Cllr Slade said he believes it is vital those responsible are bought to justice.

He said: “People who think they can perpetrate such crimes have no place in our society.

“As an ex-mayor of the city and someone who knows Shawn’s heartbroken family I appeal to all the people in the St Mary’s area to encourage anyone who has this information to speak out and make the streets safer for everybody.

“The person or persons who attacked Simon should not be allowed to freely roam our streets.

“If free they may still continue attacking innocent individuals like Simon who just happen to walk in the St Mary’s area.

“I understand that people feel they have a loyalty to their neighbourhood not to inform on friends, but in this case this type of crime has no place in a civilised society.

“And I urge whoever is shielding these people to do the right thing and tell the police their names so they can be brought to justice and the family can bring a closure to Simon’s death.”