‘I fear we’ll never get justice for my brother - Birmingham businessman Keith Murrain - murdered in Jamaica’

The decade mark approaches since the savage murder of Birmingham businessman Keith Murrain, butchered and buried in a Jamaican sugar cane field.

And still his grieving family await justice, still they seek closure. His death in paradise has gone unpunished, those responsible have never been caught.

And that has taken a terrible toll on the victim’s mother, Josephine, aged 90. With her son’s December 23 birthday approaching, she has fallen into depression. Before the horror, the date was a time of family celebration. Next week the 90-year-old will summon the strength to visit Keith’s grave.

Keith, whose company exported tractor parts to the West Indies, was abducted only hours after arriving at Kingston’ Norman Manley Airport on June 27, 2014.

Detectives on the island know the Edgbaston father-of-three was bundled from a hire car on St Augusta Road, a narrow, dusty highway that leads to Portmore. The Edgbaston father-of-three’s body was found 24 hours later. His throat had been cut.

Today, Keith’s family and community activist Bishop Desmond Jaddoo, who has helped them through the ordeal, remain critical of the way police handled the investigation.

His sister Jenifer, a 66-year-old mental health nurse, said: “We have hit a brick wall. There is no closure, no justice, no link with Jamaica. Honestly, I don’t think we will get justice. They just didn’t seem to follow things up. It is terrible.”

Bishop Jaddoo said: “If they had really clamped down in the first 72 hours, it may have been a different story. The biggest problem is the trail is very, very cold and, remember, Keith was killed shortly after arriving in Jamaica only a few miles from the airport, so there’s not much of a trail.”

He believes that had Jamaican authorities realised from the beginning that Keith was British, not an islander, more urgency would’ve been shown. Even then Prime Minister David Cameron became involved in the campaign for justice.

After being approached by Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood, Mr Cameron said: “At this exceptionally difficult time, I want to reassure Mrs Murrain that the British Government is working hard to achieve justice for her son.

“We will continue to raise Mr Murrain’s case with the Jamaican authorities at all levels. Hugo Swire MP, the Foreign Office minister responsible for consular cases in Jamaica, will be writing to them to make clear how important making progress in this case is.

“Officials at the National Crime Agency in Jamaica are in close contact with the Jamaican Police Force and will also continue to impress upon them the importance we place on the investigation into Mr Murrain’s death.”

Over 2,500 mourners from around the globe attended the 55-year-old’s funeral at the New Testament Church of God in Lozells. Mr Murrain was a regular visitor to Jamaica, flying there at least three times a year to gain contracts. He had a second home in the islands Caribbean Estates Community, Portmore, a sought-after, eight block community that boast “Fort Knox” security.

Sister Jenifer added: “We are angry. With the birthday approaching, my mum has become depressed. Some days she doesn’t want to leave the house."