Police renew appeal 14 years after Harlow fire killed six

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 15:31 · Archive

Essex Police have renewed their appeal for information about a fire in Harlow that killed a mother and five children in 2012.

Essex Police have renewed their appeal fourteen years after a fire killed Dr Sabah Usmani, 44, and her five children in Harlow on October 15, 2012. The blaze began downstairs at their home in Barn Mead at about 1.40am whilst the family were asleep. The children who died were Hira, aged 12, Sohaib, 11, Muneeb, nine, Rayyan, six, and Maheen, three. Dr Abdul Shakoor, the children's father, was the only family member to survive. A silver Ford Focus parked nearby was also set alight at about the same time.

The incident remains a murder investigation known as Operation Shakespeare. Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe, who leads the investigation, said the gravity of the case had 'not, and has never been, lost' on police. 'Dr Shakoor lost his whole family as a result of this fire 14 years ago,' she said. 'We have pursued every viable line of enquiry available to us, and we will continue to do so.'

Over the past fourteen years, more than 70 officers and staff have worked on the case. Police have taken approximately 500 witness statements and examined nearly 2,000 items of evidence. Last year, an anonymous letter containing information about the case was submitted to detectives. Metcalfe said that 'fourteen years passing does not diminish our determination to establish the truth about what happened in Barn Mead and hold the person or people responsible to account'.

How it is being reported

• Police renew appeal 14 years on from fire that killed mother and five kidsPolice renew appeal for answers 14 years after Harlow fire killed Dr Sabah Usmani and her five children on October 15, 2012, as Operation Shakespeare continues.Brentwood Guardian · 15 Oct, 15:11
• Police renew appeal 14 years on from fire that killed mother and five kidsPolice renew appeal for answers 14 years after Harlow fire killed Dr Sabah Usmani and her five children on October 15, 2012, as Operation Shakespeare continues.Colchester Gazette · 15 Oct, 15:11
• Police renew appeal 14 years on from fire that killed mother and five kidsPolice renew appeal for answers 14 years after Harlow fire killed Dr Sabah Usmani and her five children on October 15, 2012, as Operation Shakespeare continues.Echo (Basildon) · 15 Oct, 15:11

In this story: Dr Sabah Usmani · Dr Abdul Shakoor · Essex Police · Harlow

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