by Claire
Hu
Sussex Police today
increased to £175,000 the reward for information about the suspected racist
murder of accountant Jay Abatan.
A new team of detectives
has been brought in to investigate the killing two years after Mr Abatan was
attacked outside the Ocean Rooms nightclub in Morley Street, Brighton.
His partner and his
brother, Tanya Haynes and Michael Abatan, made an emotional appeal for anyone
who saw the attack to come forward.
Ms Haynes said: "It
is two years on and we are no further on in terms of getting justice for Jay.
There are no words for the pain and distress we have gone through.
"This will help us
bring a closure to the anger we feel daily about who killed Jay and why."
Detective Superintendent
Ken Probert, who is heading the new investigation, said after two years no
witnesses to the attack had come forward.
He released new
information about the murder, which happened between 2.30am and 3.30am on
Sunday January 24 1999.
Mr Abatan was attacked
following a dispute over a taxi. He received blows to the head and fell,
hitting the pavement, and died a week later after falling into a coma.
Mr Probert said Mr
Abatan, from Eastbourne, was obviously attacked suddenly because he did not
have time to take his hands out of his pocket.
Mr Probert said he was
keen to speak to the 300 people who were in the Ocean Rooms that night, or to
anyone who saw the attack or has information about the argument leading to it.
He said: "The reward
demonstrates the level of our resolve to identify whoever is responsible. No
one has come forward in two years to tell the police of Jay's family what has
happened or why it happened. I am confident that someone out there saw what
happened."
Michael Abatan said he
had 100 per cent confidence in the new police team.
He said: "You know
who you are and I would ask you to think about it and to come forward if you
saw something that night. It changed the lives of everybody sitting here today.
I want you to come forward and say what you saw."
He recalled running
towards Jay in an attempt to stop him falling and hitting his head.
Police are appealing for
anyone who was at the Ocean Rooms or in the area to get in touch. All
information will be treated in confidence.
The £175,000 reward will
be paid for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those
responsible.
Sussex Police were
criticised in an independent report on its first murder investigation by Essex
Police, who came up with 18 recommendations.
A final draft of the
report has yet to be passed on to the family or Sussex Police.