A woman whose father was brutally bludgeoned to death while he slept just feet away from his family has revealed her agony as she’s still without answers 35 years on.
As a little girl, Emma Childerley was terrified by the fitted wardrobes in her bedroom.But, while most children fear monsters lurking inside cupboards, she visualised a killer.
Emma was too afraid even to flush the toilet at night – in case she alerted a murderer.
Aged five, she was asleep in the next bedroom when her parents, Kevin and Denise, were brutally bludgeoned in their beds with what’s believed to be an axe or a cleaver.
Kevin, aged 30, died at the scene in Nottinghamshire in February 1990.
And though Denise, then 32, miraculously survived, she was horrifically hurt and left with life-changing injuries – so much so that Emma didn’t recognise her.
The killer has never been caught and Emma, 40, is now appealing for someone to come forward with the information necessary to deliver the justice her family needs.
In April, police officers arrested a 62-year-old woman on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, who has since been bailed pending further investigations.
Mother-of-three Emma, based in Blackburn, Lancashire said: ‘I was a “daddy’s girl”, we were so close, and his murder tore our family apart.
Emma Childerley pictured with her father, Kevin, who was brutally murdered in the bedroom he shared with her mother, Denise, in the family home
Emma’s mother, Denise (pictured), sustained life-changing injuries after the attack – but remarkably survived
‘We were robbed of a lifetime of memories, and instead I had a childhood filled with pain and fear. I missed him so much.
‘Because Dad’s killer was never caught, I became terrified that the murderer was hiding in my built in bedroom wardrobes, or in the garage outside.
‘Mum was so badly injured that I didn’t even recognise her when she came out of hospital.
‘Those months afterwards were hard, and though we’ve moved on with our lives, the pain never goes away. I think of my Dad every day.
‘I’d ask anyone with information to please speak out. I need justice and closure, for Dad and for me.’
The attacks took place on what seemed to be a regular evening. Emma’s parents had been out to a nearby social club and the babysitter slept over in her room.
Her baby brother, just five months old, was in a cot in his parents’ bedroom.
She recalled: ‘I was woken in the night by a police officer waking me and telling me to get dressed, and not to switch on the light or open the bedroom door until he told me to. I did as he said, without questioning.
Emma, who has three children of her own, is pictured at her 40th birthday with her mother Denise
Emma now hopes someone will come forward with new information to help bring justice for her father and the family
Denise (pictured today) was so badly injured after the attack that she was unrecognisable to her daughter Emma
‘I was taken to a neighbour’s overnight. The next morning, I went to a police station for my fingerprints and hair samples to be taken, and later I was placed in a foster home. A social worker told me Mum had broken both her legs and Dad was looking after her so I couldn’t go back home.
‘I was only five years old, and I accepted that. But I hated being in the foster home, I was away from my family, and I missed them so much.’
It was several weeks before a social worker informed Emma that her father was dead and her mother was in hospital. Neighbours had alerted police on the night of the attack.
Speaking about her reaction to the blow, she recalled: ‘I locked myself in the bathroom and sobbed. I couldn’t take it in.’
Emma was then told her mother was out of hospital and coming to take her home.
‘I was over the moon at first but the woman who arrived had a shaved head, an eye patch and scarring all across her face,’ Emma explained.
‘I screamed – I didn’t recognise my own mother, she was so badly hurt. It wasn’t until she spoke that I realised who she was.’
The family moved house to try to escape the memories and rarely spoke of their trauma.
Emma is pictured as a little girl with her father Kevin, whom she remembers as a hard-working family man
Emma said she was a ‘daddy’s girl’ and used to watch Top Of The Pops with her late father
Emma added: ‘Nobody even told me dad had been murdered. But at school, the other kids would say: “We found your dad’s head on the banking” and I would run up the banking, thinking it was true.
‘I didn’t want to ask Mum any details because I didn’t want to upset her. I refused to go to Dad’s funeral because I was in denial.
‘I found a newspaper photo of a woman on life support, and I remember saying how poorly she looked. I didn’t realise then it was a picture of my own mother. I was too young to be able to read the article.’
The family moved home again, hoping for a fresh start. But aged 11, Emma came across newspaper cuttings which explained her father had been brutally murdered in a savage attack, with the motive unknown. Two men had been arrested at the time but the case against them was discontinued.
Emma said: ‘I was horrified, and frightened that the killer was still out there. I started to worry the killer was hiding in the built-in wardrobes around my bed.
‘I convinced myself he was in the garage at the bottom of our garden. I wouldn’t even flush the loo at night in case I alerted the murderer.
‘I’d slept through the attack on my parents, and I was worried I might sleep through my own murder too. I became very anxious and defensive.
‘If someone stared at Mum’s injuries, I’d get annoyed and confront them, even though I was only a child. I had so much pent-up anger and grief.’
Emma celebrated her 40th birthday with her mother Denise (pictured together)
Emma said she and her father Kevin were best friends and used to watch Top Of The Pops together and sing Madonna songs.
She said Kevin, a miner, worked hard for the family and they’d play tricks on Denise to make her laugh.
‘We were just a normal, happy family,’ she reflected.
‘Dad took me to school on his motorbike each morning. We both wore helmets, but he’d keep his on as he walked through the playground, so all my friends thought he was an astronaut, which I loved.’
In 2022, Emma contacted the police and pleaded with them to review the case. Kevin’s murder has now been reopened – and she’s now appealing for information.
She now runs KC funeral services in Darwen, Lancashire, named in memory of her father.
She reflected: ‘I always regretted not going to dad’s funeral and I decided I wanted to give dignity to people in death. I named my firm after him because this is his legacy. He lives on through me, and my three children, who I know he’d be so proud of.
‘It breaks my heart that they never met him. He’d have been a wonderful grandfather. The pain from the murder carries on, through the generations. I’d like people to think about that and, if they have information, please speak to the police.
As a little girl, Emma feared a killer was hiding in her wardrobe. She would avoid going to the toilet at night in case she alerted a murderer
‘There will be no punishment for having waited so long, we will just be so grateful for any help you can give.’
In an important recent development, Nottinghamshire police officers arrested a62-year-old woman in April on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.
She was interviewed by detectives and has since been bailed pending further investigations.
Detective Chief Inspector Ruby Burrow, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: ‘This was a savage attack which took the life of a much-loved father and left his wife with lifelong injuries.
‘Throughout our investigations we have been determined to get justice for both victims in this case, as well as for their two children and the grandchildren who never got to meet their grandad.
‘Kevin was a much-loved family man described as a ‘joker’ with a great sense of humour by those who knew him.
‘The attack tore apart the family and robbed Kevin’s children of a lifetime of memories.
‘The case has never been closed, and a dedicated team of detectives has been reinvestigating what happened that night using the latest investigative tools and technology.
Today, Emma runs a funeral services company, which is named after her father Kevin
‘Following recent developments we have visited the neighbourhood to engage with a number of people we believe could help with our inquiries.
‘It was a very positive exercise and I’d like to thank people for their cooperation.
‘The arrest is also an important development and we have shared the news with Denise and other family members.
‘We know the answer to Kevin’s murder lies within the community and we also believe allegiances and loyalties will have changed after the passing of more than three decades.
‘I’d continue to encourage anyone with any information, no matter how small, to please continue to get in touch with our officers or anonymously through Crimestoppers.’
