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John Rouse

Age: 45

Sex: male

Date: 30 Jul 2008

Place: Westerdale Grove, Hull

John Rouse was found shot through the head at his home in Hull.

He was found slumped on his bathroom floor by his mother on the evening of Wednesday 30 July 2008. She had let herself in with a key after no one answered the door. The shower screen was broken and he was slumped dead in the shower with a single gunshot wound to the head.

An ambulance was called to his flat in Westerdale Grove, at 5.16pm but he was taken away in a body bag.

A man, a former pub landlord, was tried twice for his murder, but the jury failed to reach verdicts on both occasions. He had spent a year on remand and was released in 2009.

He had been arrested in Woolmead Avenue, West Hendon by armed police on Sunday 3 August 2008 and charged on 18 September 2008.

John Rouse had past convictions for drug dealing and it was thought that he had been shot in relation to a drugs debt.

He had been jailed in March 2002 for five-and-a-half years for supplying drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, worth £162k. He had also been arrested in 1999 as part of a police anti-drugs operation called Operation Overlord. After he pleaded guilty to separate drugs offences, Hull Crown Court imposed a confiscation order for £4,580. However, police later got a tip that he had more money stored in a loft at a house in Nornabell Street and they found £93k in banknotes, wrapped up in carrier bags, thought to be the proceeds of drug trafficking and the judge reassessed his original confiscation order and ordered him to pay more than £100k.

After the acquittal of the man that was tried for his murder twice the police said that they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the murder, although, they said they were conducting a review of forensic evidence using new techniques.

At his trial the court heard that the accused owed John Rouse about £75k and that John Rouse wanted it back. The court heard that the accused had driven up from London to Hull to kill John Rouse after John Rouse started demanding his money back. The prosecution stated that the accused's car was seen in the area close to John Rouse's flat at 7.39am and then again leaving at 9.04am. The prosecution said that whoever shot John Rouse probably knew him quite well and that John Rouse was comfortable enough with that person to have a shower while they were in his flat. The accused and John Rouse had known each other for 20 years. They were said to have done business with each other previously on a number of occasions.

It was heard that in the week before his death that John Rouse had told his mother that he was tired of people owing him money, and noted that the accused had owed him £75,000.

The prosecution suggested that the man ultimately 'sorted' his debt to John Rouse by killing him.

The gun used to kill him was never found.

The investigation in to John Rouse's murder was described as one of the largest inquiries ever undertaken by Humberside Police’s major incident team.

John Rouse had had five children.


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