Trevor Metcalfe (Unsolved Murder)

Early in the morning of September 16th 1989, the battered body of 25-year-old Trevor Metcalfe was found on playing fields in Dormanstown, near Middlesbrough. This was a location Trevor had no known ties to, and police were puzzled as to what led him there.

Following a family tragedy, Trevor had developed a solvent addiction, and he was attacked and killed while he was intoxicated and at his most vulnerable. His killer or killers showed him no mercy and beat him while he lay defenceless on the ground.

Over the years, there have been numerous leads, as well as several anonymous letters and calls to local police. Still, the most chilling development was a message painted on a changing block close to the murder scene, which read "Catch me if you can".

Sources for the episode can be found here

Transcript

Trevor Metcalfe

Trevor Roy Metcalfe was born on July 30th 1964 in Cleveland, a district in North Yorkshire, England. Growing up he lived in Brambles Farm, a small housing estate in east Middlesborough, with parents James, a factory worker, and Brenda, a shop assistant. Trevor had at least 4 siblings (two brothers and two sisters), some modern reporting suggests he had six siblings. Trevor experienced a typical working class upbringing and it seems a happy childhood, until at age 17, a tragic accident ripped apart his family. 

During August 1981 the UK experienced a period of sustained hot weather. On Tuesday 18th of that month Trevor, along with members of his family and extended family, took a trip to the seaside. They travelled 20 minutes to Redcar Stray, a wide stretch of open land along the seafront, known for its grassy dunes and views over the North Sea. It’s a popular spot for walking, kite flying and enjoying the coastline away from the busier parts of Redcar. Trevor and his family settled on a spot on the sand just up from Marske beach. Coastguards at South Gare had issued a report just hours before saying the sea was smooth and there was no swell, so it promised to be a great day for bathing.

While swimming with her brother and her son's girlfriend (who was soon going to be her daughter-in-law), Trevor’s mum Brenda got into difficulties. A report in the Evening Gazette from 2019 says this happened after Brenda went to assist her son’s girlfriend who was struggling in the water. 

By the time Brenda was brought ashore she was unresponsive and attempts to revive her failed. Brenda was taken to Middlesbrough General Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. The loving mother and grandmother (her eldest daughter was married and had 2 small children) was just 42 years old. 

Police went to James Metcalfe’s factory during his 2pm to 10pm shift to tell him the awful news about his wife.

Brenda was known to be quite a strong swimmer and was not far from the shore when she drowned. It is believed a freak undercurrent was responsible for her death. At least 6 other people drowned in the sea off the north east coast during the spell of hot weather. 

Brenda was described as a happy go lucky person who was always pleasant and talkative. Her absence left a huge hole in the lives of all who knew and loved her, not least that of her 17 year old son Trevor, who was left traumatised and broken. His father James later told the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette in 1998 that his son never recovered from this tragic event. 

In order to cope with the pain of losing his mum Trevor began abusing solvents. In the years following he developed a destructive addiction which saw his life spiral out of control.

At the time people with this addiction were commonly referred to as “glue sniffers”. Glue sniffing was a recognised public-health concern in the UK during the 1980s, particularly among some groups of young people who used easily available household solvents to get intoxicated. Media coverage often portrayed it as a growing youth “epidemic”, which led to heightened public anxiety and government attention. In response, schools, charities, and policymakers introduced education campaigns and harm-prevention initiatives to address the risks and reduce solvent misuse.

I certainly remember the sense of panic about glue sniffing in the late 1980s. I can vividly recall someone pointing out to me a discarded plastic bag near my home and telling me it had been used by a glue sniffer to get high. I also remember the stigma attached to people who were involved in “glue sniffing”. They were viewed as pariahs and outcasts and not afforded a lot of grace or compassion from the media or general public. This prejudice and indifference is very evident in the aftermath of what would happen to Trevor.

At 6.30am on Saturday September 16th 1989 a pensioner was out walking his dog around Dormanstown recreational ground off Trunk Road, the A1085, in Redcar. In the center of the playing fields behind McLean Avenue, which is on the opposite side of the field to Trunk Road, the dog walker came across the battered dead body of a young man. It was soon identified as being Trevor Metcalfe. He was just 25 years old. 

Home office pathologist Dr Harvey McTaggart carried out the post mortem and concluded that Trevor had died from bleeding to the brain caused by several blows to the head. Numerous injuries and bruises were located all over the body. Some were consistent with Trevor having been kicked while he lay on the ground. According to a 2022 article from Teesside Live, bruises were found on Trevor's fingers indicating he had used his hands to try to protect himself. At first police did not rule out the use of a weapon but eventually concluded the injuries had been the result of punches and kicks. No weapon had been used.

The time of death was given as between 10.30pm on Friday September 15th and 2.30am on Saturday September 16th. Just a note here, but the time the body was found by the dog walker is variously reported as 6.30am and 7.15am.

Detective Chief Inspector Doug Smith of Cleveland police said the murder was vicious and without an apparent motive. Forty detectives, soon increased to 50, were put on the case to piece together Trevor's movements over the previous day or so and to discover what had brought him to such a violent end. 

At the time of his death Trevor had no fixed abode, but in the past lived with his stepmother Patricia in Brambles Farm, Middlesbrough. The Sunday Sun reported on September 17th 1989 that Trevor had not been in contact with his family for some time. However, only a couple of years before his death Trevor had been living with his partner Susan and his young daughter in the Thorntree area of Middleborough. Trevor and Susan had met when she was 19 years old and their daughter was born in 1985.

Trevor and Susan separated in around late 1986 or early 1987. A major contributing factor was Trevor's solvent addiction which was worsening. Following Trevor’s murder Susan told the Evening Gazette that Trevor recognised that the decision to separate and move out of the family home was in the best interest of his daughter whom he loved dearly.  

As a result of his addiction Trevor could often display antisocial behavior and he was no stranger to the courts. In the past he had been in trouble for minor offences like petty theft and he had previously spent 12 months on probation for a minor public order offense. Despite this, Trevor had no history of violence. In fact he was far more likely to be in hospital himself as he was often getting injured while he was high. He had been in hospital 18 times for various ailments and injuries, 13 of these occasions were during the three months prior to his death. Each time he had discharged himself or absconded from hospital, and would then find himself back on the streets.

Trevor’s probation officer had been trying to find him permanent accommodation in a rental property but found that landlords would not take Trevor on because they viewed his use of solvents as a fire hazard. As you can see, Trevor was trapped in a vicious cycle.

The following description of Trevor was given out by police through the press to see if any members of the public recognised seeing him over the 24 hours prior to his murder. He was 5ft 3 with a slight build and an unkempt, unshaven appearance. He had dark hair and was last seen wearing a blue two tone anorak, blue jeans and black shoes. 

Through inquiries police were able to piece together a partial timeline for Friday September 15th. 

That morning he had been released from cells at Middlesbrough police station after spending the night there for a minor public order offence. Skipping forward to the evening of that day, at around 7.30pm Trevor visited the Great Mills Superstore on Skippers Lane Trading Estate in South Bank near Middlesbrough. Here he bought a brush cleaner and paint thinner. A police constable walking the beat saw Trevor near this location sniffing from a plastic bag. A blue and white can of paint solvent that Trevor had bought at Great Mills was searched for by police but has never been found.  

From South Bank Trevor got on a United bus and purchased a ticket for 25p. He travelled 2 miles and got off at the stop opposite the Magnate Pub in Birchington Avenue, Grangetown. This is three miles south west of Dormanstown where Trevor's body was found. 

The next sighting of Trevor was between 8 and 9.30pm in Ennis Square, Dormarnstown. A witness saw Trevor staggering out of a fish and shop between 9 and 9.30pm. This location is a mere 7 minute walk from the recreational ground. Police believe someone gave Trevor a lift to Dormanstown from Grangetown. One report mentions that he travelled by taxi. 

A pensioner who lived near the recreational ground said that at 11.45pm on Friday the 15th he had seen two people fighting on the grass pitch. One of the men was short and matched the description of Trevor. The other man was a lot taller. After a little while both men stopped fighting and moved to the middle of the football pitch where the fight started again. The witness said that the taller man was the aggressor and he saw him punching and kicking the smaller man. The location where the fight happened was 200 yards from where Trevor's body was found. Shortly after seeing this running fight the witness heard one man go down an alleyway at the back of his house. Having pieced this information together the police set about trying to identify the man seen fighting Trevor.

On the weekend following the murder the police drafted in extra staff and carried out an operation in which motorists and local residents were questioned to see if they remembered anything from the previous weekend. 1600 drivers were questioned by police on the Trunk Road between Middlesbrough and Redcar and 300 people who lived in the vicinity of the recreation ground filled out questionnaires. Passengers on the bus Trevor had taken from South Bank to Grangetown were also spoken with. 

It was also understood that an engagement party had been going on in a community centre situated on Charlton Road in Dormanstown on Friday evening. This was a stone's throw from where the body was found. Attendees were interviewed but I am unsure if anything useful was gleaned from the revelers. 

A week after the murder, investigators received an anonymous call from a person who claimed that he had picked Trevor up in Ennis square, Dormanstown when he fell in front of his car. This was at 11.50pm so just five minutes after the witness saw the two men fighting on the playing field. Police were desperate for the caller to get back in contact to help pinpoint exactly when Trevor died. Police also wanted clarification as they were unsure what the caller meant by saying they picked Trevor up. Did the person mean they literally physically picked him up off the road or did they give Trevor a lift somewhere in the car? 

The northern echo reported on September 27th 1989 that a man had been arrested in connection with the case and was said to be helping police in the hunt for the killer. I can find very little information on this but the man must have been released without being charged in connection with Trevor's death.

By October 1989 it became obvious that the police were frustrated with the public response to the murder. Cleveland police Detective Chief Constable Superintendent John Ferguson chastised what he called the uncaring response to Trevor's death. The police felt that during their inquiries they had come up against a wall of indifference and Trevor's death was viewed as “no great loss” by a significant proportion of the local population. Due to his solvent addiction his  life was seen as worthless and his murder inconsequential. Superintendent Ferguson intimated that this viewpoint was a sad indictment of the people of Cleveland.

At this stage of the investigation there were certain questions the police were still attempting to answer and several individuals they had been unable to trace.

The biggest puzzle was why Trevor had travelled to Dormanstown. It was not one of his known haunts and it was not thought he had ever gone there before. Had he arranged to meet someone there or was his visit unplanned and spontaneous? The Northern Echo reported on October 7th that the taxi driver was specially asked by Trevor to drop him at Dormanstown. 

There were two people in particular that the police were keen to talk with. These men had come to the attention of the police via the testimony of a taxi driver who was travelling down Redcar Trunk Road on the night of the murder. At 11.30pm he saw a man, estimated to be 5ft 4 (remember Trevor was 5ft 3) and who otherwise matched Trevor’s appearance walking alongside the road near Cowies Corner. Police believe this was Trevor. Walking towards Trevor were two casually dressed men estimated to be aged 19 and 20. One was about 5ft 1 and slim,  the other 5ft 8 and stocky. Six minutes later the taxi driver returned along the same part of the road but did not see any of the men. It was 250 yards from this location that a pensioner witnessed two men fighting on the recreational ground. 

Additionally police were also trying to identify a man wearing a trilby hat, anorak and haversack who was seen walking his dog along Trunk Road at 1.15am on September 16th. Police were keen to speak with him as he may have seen something of importance. 

Police pleaded with any other witnesses who were around that night and may have seen something to come forward. Police suspected that many people may have seen Trevor in distress but now felt guilty as they did nothing to help him due to his intoxicated state. 

The two youths seen near the murder scene on the night became a focal point of the investigation. On the day of Trevor's funeral his stepmother Patricia appealed for them to come forward. She could not understand why they hadn't already, unless of course they knew who had killed her stepson. 

Trevor's funeral service was held on October 12th at Teesside crematorium. The family of twelve mourners were led by Trevor's father James. Trevor’s two sisters, and two brothers as well as step brothers and sisters were all in attendance. A service of remembrance was held at St Hilda’s Chapel. 

In December 1989 the police held a press conference in an effort to re-publicise the case and reignite the investigation. It was stated that so far 4500 leads had been explored and 2500 people had been interviewed and 200 official statements taken. Despite this the killer or killers had not been found. What police were confident of was whoever had done this would not have kept it to themselves. They were sure there were people shielding the killer.

Investigators attempted to humanise Trevor to elicit a response from the public. No matter how provocative Trevor might be when he was under the influence no one had the right to beat him to death. He was a small man and not violent but on the contrary a vulnerable person. 

Sadly, no breakthrough followed and in April 1990 an inquest was held into Trevor's death. A verdict of unlawful killing was given by Coroner Michael Sheffield. He concluded that due to solvent abuse Trevor’s physical condition meant that it was deemed he would not have been capable of defending himself, especially against an attack as vicious as the one he sustained. Try as they might, investigators had failed to make any connection between Trevor and Dormanstown. Nevertheless, police were convinced the answers to the case lay there, and an incident that happened a little over 6 months later strengthened this argument.

In January 1991 disturbing graffiti was found daubed on the side of the changing room block that stood next to the recreational grounds where Trevor was found.  The graffiti which had been written in red paint included the phrases “Trevor deserves to die” “D/Town Headhunters rule in the north” and most chillingly “Catch me if you can”.

I am sure you are aware that the term Headhunters is often associated with gangs or organised football hooligan groups. I haven't been able to find out any further information on Dormanstown headhunters (assuming that is what the D stands for) 

Police wanted to find out who wrote the messages and why. Was it the same person or persons who had killed Trevor and why had they waited until now to paint the messages? It was believed that the messages first appeared at the end of 1990 but police were not sure of the exact date they appeared. Inquiries never uncovered the writer or writers, or ascertained if they had any connection to Trevor's murder. 

After many years of stagnation, in August 1998 a new team was created at Cleveland police to re-examine the case. Acting Detective Chief Superintendent John Kelly was in charge and went through 18 boxes of evidence, which included 20,000 documents and 2500 witness statements. As a new appeal was made in the media, the apathy at the time of Trevor's death was highlighted. It was hoped that this time the plea would trigger a better response which would see the murder finally solved.

Just days into the reopening of the case the police received an anonymous letter postmarked Cleveland which contained some new information. The letter, which was sent on August 26th 1998, was written on a foolscap piece of grey lined paper. The police kept back much of what was contained in the letter  but did publish the opening few sentences. It read:

“How saddened I am to hear on TV that you have had no help with your appeal for clues to the Trevor Metcalfe murder. My conscience is telling me that I may be able to help you or maybe not, but I am going to reveal to you what I was told some years ago”. (Just a note to add, the writer of the letter omitted the e at the end of Metcalfe).

The information then given by the writer was new to the investigative team, though it has never been released. Police urged the writer to get back in contact but they never did. On the back of the renewed appeal police received at least 26 telephone calls, many from people wishing to remain anonymous, but the letter and its contents did not lead to the case being solved.

Over a decade later in 2010 an anonymous call was made to Crimestoppers concerning Trevor's case. A new lead was put forward and while the information given by the caller was not made public, police said the details were very interesting. The information was brand new to investigators and it was viewed as an opportunity to finally take the case forward. The police encouraged the caller to get back in contact but as far as I am aware, they never did.

A few months after this development Trevor's daughter Clare, now aged 25, spoke publicly for the first time about the murder of her father in an interview with Teesside Live. Clare was only 4 at the time of her fathers death and had only vague memories of him. She could recall glimmers, possibly a jumper worn by her father or maybe a tattoo of three arms in a circle. Clare was not told the full truth about her father’s death until she was 10 years old. Prior to that she had always called her stepfather Dad. It was now, in her mid-twenties, that Clare had finally seen photographs of her together with Trevor.

Clare expressed the pain and anguish she still felt. Trevor had missed out on so much with Clare, including being a grandfather. Trevor was a son, brother and father who continued to be missed. Many lives had been shattered by what had happened to Trevor. Clare continued to be haunted by the fact the killer had never been caught and was still out there.

Fifteen years on from Clare’s interview not a lot has changed, and in September 2022 police confirmed that while the case remained open it was no longer being actively worked. That same year a Freedom of Information request was made to Cleveland police by Teesside Live.  The only infarction given was that over the years numerous people had been interviewed but there was no evidence to substantiate charges. 

When I first heard of Trevor Metcalfe’s case I knew I had to cover it on the podcast. His tragic descent into addiction is something that could happen to many of us given the right circumstance. His life was precious and he was robbed of a future he deserved to have. 

During the initial investigation one of the lead police officers on the case said that we (meaning all us) have failed Trevor in life, let us not fail him in death. 

There is still time and opportunity for Trevors’s family to receive some kind of justice on behalf of Trevor.

If you have any information about the 1989 unsolved murder of Trevor Metcalfe you can call crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.