'My whole family was taken away in one night': Father’s fresh plea after anonymous letter offers new hope in 14 year fatal fire case
A father whose wife and five children were killed in a fire at their home in Harlow has made a fresh appeal for answers after police revealed an anonymous letter writer may hold vital information about the case.
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Dr Abdul Shakoor’s family died after the blaze at their home in Barn Mead in the early hours of 15 October 2012. He was the only surviving member of the family.
Essex Police has now revealed detectives received a handwritten anonymous letter in July 2025 from someone they believe may know more about what happened.
The author describes the 'nightmare’ and the ‘burden’ of knowing what happened, but not feeling able to tell anyone.
Dr Shakoor believes that this letter could finally help crack the case.
“How can I wake up in the morning without knowing what happened? This is very difficult”, he told LBC.
The case was initially treated as a tragic accident. But 11 days later, a laptop bag from the house was found discarded in a bin around a mile away, with the laptop missing, leading police to suspect the fire may have been linked to a burglary gone wrong.
Nearly 14 years on, Dr Shakoor is still living with the agony of not knowing who was responsible.
“The most important thing for anyone is their family. My whole family was taken away in one single night,” he told LBC, holding back tears.
"I lost everything."
He said the grief had never left him, and described the painful reminders of the life he had lost.
“There are empty chairs at the table,” he said.
Dr Shakoor described his wife as his “best friend” and said his children were “beautiful”, “very well-mannered” and full of promise.
The family moved to the UK from Saudi Arabia in 2010 so he and his wife, both doctors, could build their careers and give their children a better future.
“We were a very, very happy family,” he said. Dr Shakoor said the letter had brought renewed hope, but urged whoever wrote it to take the next step.
“You have written a letter, so why don’t you come forward?” he said.“This anonymous word has nothing much for us. We really want all the information, and that would definitely bring a breakthrough.”
Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe, the senior investigating officer, said it was highly unusual to receive a handwritten letter in a modern investigation.
“It’s quite rare to get a handwritten letter on paper these days when we work in emails,” she said.
She said the letter had been examined by forensic specialists, handwriting experts and psychologists, but police have so far been unable to identify its author.
“This person talks about the nightmare they’re living in, so they must know something,” she said.
“I want them to come forward and talk to me and tell me what they know."
“Trust me. Come talk to me and let me help you. If you’re having a nightmare, let me help unburden you and let’s get answers and justice for Dr Shakoor.”
DCI Metcalfe described the letter as the most significant development in the case for some time and said she believes the answers may still lie in the community.
“Someone knows something,” she said. “Someone saw something, was told something or is withholding something, and we need to know.”
She also stressed Dr Shakoor “was never a suspect in the investigation”.
A former lead fire investigator who worked on the case has also backed the latest appeal.
David Hadjicostas, who led the fire investigation for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service at the time, said he still believes the case can be solved.
“Somebody out there has the information that makes everything else make sense,” he said.
He said everyone involved in the response that night, including firefighters who entered the house, had carried the weight of the case ever since.
Mr Hadjicostas said that while concerns had been raised about one scientific adviser involved in the early stages of the investigation, he believed police and fire teams worked tirelessly to find answers.
“We could not have worked harder to find out what happened,” he said. “The only thing we do not know is who is responsible.”
Anyone with information is being asked to contact Essex Police through the Major Incident Public Portal linked to Operation Shakespeare, or via 101.