£10,000 reward for information into death of seven year old Joel Urhie

BY TOBY PORTER
toby@slpmedia.co.uk

A £10,000 reward has been offered for information about the death of a seven-year-old as his grieving mother talked of her “most caring little boy”, a year after his death.

Joel Urhie’s body was found by firefighters in the upstairs bedroom he shared with his mother, after they were called to the house in Adolphus Street, Deptford, where the boy lived with his family.

His mother and older sister, who were also upstairs, managed escaped by jumping from first floor windows.

Joel’s mother Efe said: “Joel was the sweetest most caring little boy you could ever meet.

He was so intelligent and always curious to learn new things. He never complained about anything and loved going to church.

“Joel always wanted people around him – that was why we used to go to the park a lot so that he could make new friends. His smile and laugh would light up a room and he was so full of life and energy.”

His cousin Tega Majoroh said: “Joel brought so much light to the family without even knowing it. His death has been a tragedy to us all. His absence has caused a huge sense of loss.

“I would come to the house and he’d run to me with so much happiness. Joel was like the sunshine after rain.

“Coming home to him was like a breath of fresh air.

“He was always happy and always made others around him happy. There are so many memories that I will always treasure – and there will always be a hole in our hearts.”

A post-mortem conducted at St Thomas’ hospital on August 8, 2018 found Joel’s injuries to have been consistent with fire and smoke inhalation.

A murder investigation was launched. Police believe the fire was started when a burning item was pushed through the letterbox.

The officer leading the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Wrigley, said: “A thorough investigation has been ongoing for a year now, and this is continuing. I remain committed to finding the person or people responsible for killing Joel.

“The fire service report indicated that accelerant had been used at the front door of the house.

“We have completed extensive reviews of available CCTV, and this led to us identifying and eliminating a man buying petrol, about whom we issued a previous appeal.

“However, we are pursuing a number of other lines of enquiry, and we are unable to rule in or out any particular motive at this time.

“I do want to remind anyone with information that we are dealing with the death of an innocent seven-year-old child.

He should have been able to sleep safely with his mother, but instead he died at a tragically young age due to a callous attack which was doubtless motivated by factors far behind the comprehension of any young child.

“There are people out there who know exactly what went on and who is responsible for Joel’s death. I need them to call me now.”

The charity Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £10,000 for information they receive anonymously that leads to the conviction of the person or people responsible for the murder of Joel.

Call Crimestoppers’ UK contact centre on 0800 555 111 or visit Crimestoppers-uk.org.

The charity guarantees 100 per cent to everyone who contacts them.

Anyone with information can also contact the incident room on 020 8345 3715.

Two men, aged 21 and 29, were arrested on August 11, 2018 at residential addresses in South London, on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and arson with intent to endanger life.

They were released under investigation pending further enquiries.