By Annie DavidsonMURDER detectives are to appeal for the public's help in solving three “cold” cases that date back to the 1970s.Essex Police launched a campaign last summer to try to catch 10 killers who had so far eluded justice in the county.

By Annie Davidson

MURDER detectives are to appeal for the public's help in solving three “cold” cases that date back to the 1970s.

Essex Police launched a campaign last summer to try to catch 10 killers who had so far eluded justice in the county.

They urged the public to come forward with any information about the crimes, some of which dated back many years, and reviewed case files in an effort to solve the murders.

Officers were pleased with the response to the original appeal last July and are now focusing on three cases that they hope to solve.

Two were included in the original appeal and the third will be highlighted after a member of the public came forward with fresh information.

Full details of the cases will be released on Monday by the Essex Police investigative review team, which was formed to look at the cold cases.

Detective Superintendent Simon Coxall, who heads the team, said: “Last summer's campaign put the spotlight on these serious crimes. It proved it's never too late to do the right thing.

“People are still willing to come forward with information that can make all the difference in solving these cases, and providing the loved ones of these victims with the answers they have sought for so long.”

The charity Crimestoppers has also offered a number of rewards of up to £5,000 for information that helped solve the murders.

Its spokeswoman Isabel Cross said: “We want to maximise the opportunities for Essex Police to solve these horrendous crimes.

“The last campaign took us a step in the right direction, but there is more information out there and we will do all we can to help bring it to the surface by supporting individuals to come forward.”

Among the cases reviewed were the killing of pensioner Ron Cousins, who was found stabbed and strangled in his terraced home in Chelmsford.

The 78-year-old devout Christian had been covered in white paint and had a page from the Bible stuffed into his mouth at his Anchor Street home on April 16, 1994.

Officers also re-examined the murder of mother-of-four Sandra Gant, who disappeared from Clacton in November 2003.

Although her body has never been found, a murder inquiry was launched after she was last seen in Hayes Road, Clacton, on November 15.

annie.davidson@eadt.co.uk