Les Ross ten years on - timeline of an unsolved murder

Ten years on from the death of Corby club boss Les Ross, we look at the timeline leading up to, and after his death in the hope it might jog some memories and provide some answers for his family.

6 December 2012 – Rubix opens its doors on the corner of Corporation Street and George Street in Corby. It’s the realisation of a life-long dream for David ‘Les’ Ross.

14 December 2012 – Les’s home in Chelveston Drive is burgled. The plugs are stuffed with tissue and the taps left on, causing extensive damage. It appears targeted and police later confirm it was planned. When Les arrives home in the early hours of the next morning (December 15) to find the mess, he leaves his home and goes to stay in The Village Express hotel above shops in The Jamb. Only a handful of people know he is staying there.

16 December 2012 – On a busy Sunday night, Les is working at Rubix during the run up to Christmas.

17 December 2012 – In the early hours of Sunday morning his pal Andrew Lucas, who was on the door at The Village pub, rang Les after he’d finished work. But he was busy clearing the club out and didn’t end up seeing his pal. All he saw was the back of Les’s distinctive taxi drive through the Old Village at 2.08am. That was the last he saw of his best mate.

17 December 2012 – On the Monday morning, Les had been due to do a school taxi run. At 7.15am the passenger assistant Gill Waterfield rang him to check he was awake and Les answered as normal. He also replied to a text at 7.30am. But at 7.45am he was late to collect Gill and she called again. The phone was answered but nobody spoke. No member of staff heard anything unusual, despite one male worker being in the room above Les’s.

17 December 2012 – At 2.40pm cleaner Paige Lindsay opens the door Les’s room. He’d been repeatedly punched in the head and has lost consciousness. She phones the emergency services but Les is already dead.

18 December 2012 – Police appeal for help from the public to aid their hunt for Les’s killer.

2 Feburary 2013 – A BBC Crimewatch appeal goes out on national TV. A reward is doubled to £10,000.

20 March 2013 – After police raid homes in Market Harborough and Corby, a 39-year-old man is arrested and questioned. Police say they have faced a wall of silence from the criminal fraternity.

3 July 2013 – Six Corby men aged between 20 and 35 are arrested during dawn raids in Studfall Avenue, Leighton Road, Rockingham Road, Chelveston Drive, Lynton Grove and Fotheringhay Road. Police say they believe they have vital information related to Les’s death and that the answers lie in Corby.

5 July 2013 – Steven Gaskell, 20, is charged with burgling Les’s house. He appears in court the following day.

17 December 2013 – On the first anniversary of Les’s death, police ask for the public’s help to identify a number of vehicles and people seen in The Jamb just before dawn on the day Les died.

17 December 2014 – Police launch a renewed appeal for help. They say a man with gingery-brown hair was seen at the entrance to the hotel an hour before Les was killed and appeal for information.

19 February 2015 – An inquest into Les’s death finds he was unlawfully killed. He had injuries to his head and chest, some of which were caused by a ‘ring on a finger’. No weapon was found to have been used. After the brutal assault he was left unconscious and choked on his own vomit.

28 October 2015 – Rubix closes down after town centre bosses said owners ‘failed to comply with the terms of their lease’.

17 December 2017 – On the fifth anniversary of Les’s death, police say they still believe information is being withheld by local people.

There is still a live £10,000 reward for anyone who can provide information leading to the conviction of anyone in connection with Les’s death. You can phone police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if you have information for the authorities.