Search moves to Spain after Ormskirk murder

Detectives searching for a man they want to speak to in connection with the murder of Matthew Daulby have widened their net to Spain. 
 
 
They are asking anybody living in or visiting Spain to be on the lookout for Thomas Dures, who has recently turned 21.
There is a £20,000 reward for “information leading to the arrest of Thomas Dures”, with £10,000 from Crimestoppers and £10,000 from Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner’s office.

The reward is only available to people who pass on information exclusively to the charity Crimestoppers, either via their website or by calling 0800 555 111

At 12.05am on 29th July 2023, our officers attended Railway Road in Ormskirk to reports of an ongoing disturbance.

Nineteen-year-old Matthew Daulby was found a short distance away with stab injuries. Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, Matthew sadly died later in hospital.

A post mortem examination established that the cause of Matthew’s death was a stab wound.

In March, 19-year-old Henry Houghton was jailed for life after being found guilty of Matthew’s murder. 

However, our dedicated team of officers still want to speak to Dures (pictured in the two images below) as part of their enquiries.

DCI Andy Fallows, of our Force Major Investigation Team, said: “It has now been over 12 months since Matthew’s murder and although one man has been found guilty, his family’s wait for justice goes on.  
“Thomas Dures has known that my officers have wanted to speak to him for some time and while Matthew’s family continue to search for answers about what happened that night, Dures is out there and knows we want to speak to him.

“While I believe it is high time Dures does the right thing and hands himself in, I still have officers in the UK and our National Crime Agency/ Interpol colleagues searching for him.
“As part of those searches, I am asking for the public in Spain to get in contact with Crimestoppers if they see Dures or have information on his whereabouts. I want to make it clear, that unusually the public only need to provide information that leads to Dures’ arrest.”

Matthew's parents Angela and Gary said: “Matthew was tragically taken from us on 29th July – the victim of a knife crime. To lose Matthew in these circumstances is incomprehensible and something that we just can’t fathom and work out.

“We as ourselves every day; ‘why?’. Why did this happen? Matthew left the house after a normal Friday night evening meal with his girlfriend - excited to go on his holiday – and didn’t come home. And we still don’t know why.

“We really need the public’s help to find Thomas Dures. Someone out there will know where he is. We’re just stuck in limbo as a family. We urge someone out there please, please help our family to locate Thomas Dures. We can then try to adapt to our new life without Matthew.”

Neil Keeping, NCA Regional Manager in Spain, said: “Dures has known links to Spain and could be living anywhere in the country. We are therefore appealing to people who reside in Spain and visiting holidaymakers to come forward with any information relating to his whereabouts.

“It has been over a year since Matthew Daulby’s life was taken in tragic circumstances, and we are actively working with our partners here in Spain to locate Dures, who may be able to assist Lancashire Police detectives with their ongoing investigation.

Gary Murray, North West Regional Manager at the charity Crimestoppers, said: “We know it can be difficult to give information directly to the police, especially when it involves dangerous criminals. This is why Crimestoppers exists as we guarantee you stay 100% anonymous when you pass on what you know. We are here 24/7 via our website or by calling our UK Contact Centre on 0800 555 111. For anyone in Spain who knows of Thomas Dures whereabouts, please contact Crimestoppers via our website Crimestoppers-uk.org.”