Barry Bailey

Barry Bailey died from 80% burns after he was set on fire outside his home in the early morning of Tuesday 15 November 1994 at about 3.30am.

Four people were arrested in relation to his death, but no one was charged.

Barry Bailey had been a taxi-driver.

He had just got out of his taxi after a night's work when he was ambushed by some men outside his home and had an inflammable liquid poured over him before being set alight. His murder was described as a fireball horror.

He was still burning when the ambulancemen got to the scene.

He was taken to Fazakerley Hospital but was later transferred to the special burns unit at Whiston Hospital where he underwent a five hour operation and died a week later from his injuries .

The police appealed for a man seen at a garage to come forward. They said that they believed that the garage customer, seen filling a canister with petrol, might hold vital clues to the murder.

The police said, 'We know a man filled a cannister of petrol at around 2am from the all-night garage beside the Black Bull in Walton. He left on foot towards Walton Vale, which is near where Mr Bailey lives'.

A neighbour, who was not named, said that he saw the men pour the petrol over Barry Bailey and set him alight.

A man was later charged with three counts of having threatened to kill Barry Bailey on 5, 7 and 11 November 1994.

The police said that they were probing claims that Barry Bailey had been the subject of a terrifying campaign of intimidation in the run-up to the attack and that windows had been smashed at the family home in Chapel Avenue, Walton and two windows on his Austin Montego private hire car had been broken.

Barry Bailey had been married and had had two sons. He had worked for Northway Taxis in Maghull.