Thirty-two-year-old father of one John Roberts was a huge Newcastle United fan, and was well-known for selling pins (or badges as they’re called in the UK) on match days, so much so that he was known in the area as John “The Badge” Roberts.
At about six-thirty p.m. on December 15th, 2012, John was seen at a store near his home in Winlaton, Tyne and Wear, acting like his usual, cheerful self, chatting with the staff and flipping through a newspaper. After this innocuous interaction, however, John was never seen alive again.
The following day, December 16th, two patrol officers were walking down Park Terrace and noticed that the door to one house was standing wide open. Curious, they peered inside, and saw John Roberts lying dead on the floor of severe head injuries. The beloved local man had been beaten to death.
No clear motive for the crime was ever uncovered, and though police tried to obtain as much information as they could from other Newcastle United fans who knew John well, no one seemed to be able to come up with any leads.
In February 2013, four people were arrested in connection with the murder, but all were ultimately released without charge.
The brutal slaying of John “The Badge” Roberts remains unsolved as of June 2024.
Crime Immemorial 