Lisa Hession death: £50k reward offered to find girl’s killer

Police are continuing to offer a £50,000 reward to identify the killer who sexually assaulted and strangled a girl as she walked back from a party 40 years ago.

The body of 14-year-old Lisa Hession was discovered in an alley just 200 yards (183m) away from her home before midnight on 8 December 1984 in Leigh, Greater Manchester.

Her mother Christine, who died in 2016, had reported Lisa missing at about 22:45 GMT when she had not returned home at her expected time of 22:30 GMT.

Martin Bottomley, head of the cold case unit at Greater Manchester Police, said: “Her mother Christine never got to see her daughter grow up and she died never knowing who killed Lisa.”

Police say they obtained a DNA sample that could lead to the conviction of Lisa’s killer but had never found a match and no-one was ever charged with the murder.

Mr Bottomley said the case had been “subject to a number of reviews since 1984”.

“The reviews have concentrated on using advances in forensic techniques and investigating all information provided to GMP by members of the public.

“There is a £50,000 reward for information leading to the identification and conviction of the killer.”

Lisa, who was involved in cross-country running and gymnastics, and her boyfriend had been at a friend’s house on the evening of 8 December.

At 22:15 GMT, she left her friends to walk the 15-minute route alone to her Bonneywell Road home.

She never made it and her body was found by a member of the public in an alley near Rugby Road.

A BBC Crimewatch appeal in 2005 led to 27 calls, some of which came from women concerned about the behaviour of their partners at the time of the murder.