GRAPHIC CONTENT. Son's desperate bid to find mum's killer after attack in Sheffield

WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS CONTENT WHICH VIEWERS MAY FIND UPSETTING

Patricia Grainger, aged 25, was killed in August 1997 and with the 22nd anniversary of her death approaching, her heartbroken son, Danny, has issued a new appeal for information in a bid to help detectives crack the case.

Danny, who launched a website about his mum’s murder on the 10th anniversary of her death and offered a £5,000 reward for information last year, has now produced a hard-hitting video about the attack which he has released on social media.

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Detectives revealed early in the investigation that Patricia, who had learning difficulties and the mental capacity of a 12-year-old child, was stabbed, sexually assaulted and strangled.

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Her body was then dumped under a discarded bed base near to a brook close to her family home in Buchanan Road, Parson Cross.

But today, for the first time, Danny, from Fox Hill, has disclosed more details about the nature of his mum’s death in a bid to encourage anyone with information to come forward.

The 27-year-old, who is a carer for his grandfather, has revealed that his mum’s body was horrifically mutilated by her killer.

As well as being stabbed in her neck and raped, her breasts and genital area were mutilated.

Danny, who was just five when his mum was murdered, said he has released the new information to show how ‘sick and twisted’ the killer was.

“If someone has this sick fantasy, they are going to do it again – they might have killed or injured someone else since – it is not the kind of thing you will just do once if you have that mindset,” he said.

“I was 17 when I found out what exactly happened to my mum when I saw the autopsy report and for all those years the information has been withheld, the police didn’t want it disclosed. But after 22 years I want it out there so that people realise exactly what happened to my mum and why they need to come forward with information.

“Whoever did this may have confided in someone but probably not the full sick and twisted details.

“It hurts me to think what my mum went through and how the full truth has never come out until now. I just need to feel that I have done absolutely everything possible to help with the case and the autopsy report is all I have left.”

Danny, who has limited memories of his childhood with his mum, said that because of her mental capacity she ‘would be friends with anyone who would give her the time of day’.

He said her killer ‘betrayed her’ and ‘abused that trust’.

“She wasn’t treated as human, she was treated as worthless and abused in the most unforgivable way,” Danny said.

In one final plea, he added: “Whatever the reason for not coming forward before, I don‘t care. We just need this information to help solve this and let mum rest in peace.”

Dave Stopford, head of South Yorkshire Police’s major incident review team, said: “Mrs Grainger’s murder remains incredibly distressing for those who knew and loved her.

“Throughout our investigation into her death, specific details about the nature of Mrs Grainger’s injuries have not been disclosed by South Yorkshire Police for a number of reasons. “We did not feel it was appropriate to place potentially harrowing, upsetting information into the public domain where it could cause additional pain to Mrs Grainger’s loved ones.

“In addition, release of sensitive information could compromise the ongoing investigation, and it is an ongoing investigation. “The inquiry into Mrs Grainger’s murder forms part of the work of the major incident review team. Our role is to examine and explore any new information or evidence that is brought forward, to get answers for those families in South Yorkshire whose loved ones were taken from them. “We remain in contact with Mrs Grainger’s family and support their plea for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.

“If you have any information, no matter how small, that might help us piece together what happened, please get in touch. “

Call South Yorkshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.