John Luper

John Luper was attacked outside his home at about 11.30pm on 17 February 2004, while walking his dog and then taken back to his home where he was robbed and murdered.

Police believe he was attacked by a group of four or five masked people, possibly including a woman, whilst he was out walking his dog. They took him back to his house where he and several other people were tied up. John Luper was tied up in a utility room to a chair and left to die after they took over £100k in jewellery and £1k in cash. They also stole a distinctive Cartier watch of which only four were sold in the country around that time. His wife, daughter and au-pair were also all tied up with duct-tape in upstairs rooms.

John Luper died from asphyxiation caused by pressure to his neck or chest.

It was said that whilst he had been tied up he had been forced to eat marmalade and that a half empty marmalade jar and a spoon where found near his body.

The police said that they thought that the gang had come from the Liversedge or Bradford area. They said that the gang had all been wearing dark clothing, balaclavas and gloves and that the robbery was well-planned.

They were thought to have escaped in a car that was either parked up nearby or had been driven off and then returned a while later.

Ten months after the murder the police searched nearby farmland in Liversedge and although they never revealed what they had found they said that it was central to their enquiries.

The police said that they thought it was likely that the gang had committed other robberies.

It was the second time that his home had been targeted in a robbery.

After the robbers left one of the women broke free and came down to find John Luper in the kitchen and called for an ambulance at 1.45am but when paramedics arrived they pronounced him dead at the scene.

John Luper was the director of a textile and clothing firm, a property leasing company and a non-executive director of a football and entertainment agency. He had previously been the director of the Moor Allerton Golf Club in Leeds.

John Luper was a Jew and had been a member of the United Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Shadwell Lane. He was also a Freemason.