Daughter of murdered Sheffield nightclub boss 'suffered PTSD' after dad’s violent death

Traci Baxendale-Ball, aged 50, has used the horrific experience of her dad’s murder to become a well renowned expert in trauma recovery and is now penning a second self-help book on the subject to help others.

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The psychologist was 28 when her nightclub manager dad, Michael Baxendale, was stabbed to death at Niche.

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Michael was knifed when violence flared on the doors of the legendary Sydney Street club in October 1998.

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The 48-year-old dad-of-two was the manager of the famous club, which was owned by his brother Steve.

He and two bouncers were both injured in the knife attack, with Michael suffering multiple stab wounds.

Arrests were made but nobody was ever charged.

Michael's daughter Traci, a University of Sheffield graduate who has lived in America for 27 years, has a private practice in Michigan and specialises in the treatment of complex post traumatic stress disorder.

The mum-of-three was already working in the field when her dad was killed but said she draws upon her personal experiences to help others.

Traci has returned to Sheffield to mark her dad’s death and to write her second book It Still Hurts: Overcoming Past Trauma with Mind, Body and Behaviour Approaches.

“I had been working in the field of trauma recovery for quite a few years when my dad was killed. I was not a stranger to complex trauma because of some incidents in my childhood, then there was the murder,” she said.

Recalling how she felt when her dad was killed, she said: “Dad’s death was awful and I experienced PTSD.

“It was very difficult to deal with the grieving process when I was 5,000 miles away and they did not find the person who killed him.

“My sister and I have never been able to have closure because of that.”

She added: “The way I handle it is to try and make his life and mine count for something and reach as many survivors of trauma as I can to help them lead functioning lives.

“My work is part of my dad’s lasting legacy.

“Coming to my home city to write my next book helps me contextualise what happened.”

Traci's practice offers virtual therapy sessions to reach people in need around the world.

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