Murder at Pitsmoor

[lisalee 10]

I remember Peter Spowage, we lived on the same road & went to school together. He past away in January 1986 aged 14, it was a real shame he had to go so young.

 

Yes especially the way he passed away

[mumsy 10]

I would like to know what sentence the murderer got.

 

I cant remember how long Ernest got for the murder - I remember he was a caretaker at Salmon Pastures as I was a student there at the time and would often have a break with him each week before we moved up to the main site at Shirecliffe for the evenings teaching session. (Salmon astures was an annexe of Shirecliffe College on Attercliffe)

I did not know Peter (god bless)

mumsy

Edited February 13, 2011 by mumsy
updated

[dualmono21 10]

i used to go to school with pete and was even in the same class as him for some studies, even now i still think about him

 

im going from memory but i seem to remember that he was actually related to the guy that actually killed him

[tanith65 10]

Hi,

did you find out everything you wanted about Peter. I know your original post was some time ago. Peter was 14, he would have been 15 in May of 1986. He was murdered 13 January 1986 (his mum's birthday).

 

The trial was October of that year, and Ernest Roebuck received 15 years for the murder. I know someone suggested that Peter was related to Ernest. I am certain that he was NOT related to him. Peter knew him from the local corner shop, and through a school friend.

[pauuul 10]

hi peter wos not related to ernest and he is still in prison and will not get out as he still says he didnt kill him ,, i met ernest afew years ago as i wos at his mums wen he came with a prison officer to see his mum for afew hours before she died

[tanith65 10]

Hi Pauuul,

 

I didn't know he was still in prison, assumed he would have been released quite a while ago.

 

Take care

[Sagan1 10]

I went to school with Peter Spowage. He was stabbed to death on 13,01,1988 96 times in the chest and head all for the sake of a few quid (£10) he borrowed of Ernest to buy some new shoes. Peter missed a payment so Ernest chased him then stabbed him, he later died at the bottom of Shirecliffe Lane near the Telephone Boxes. Service was at 10:15am Philadelphia Church, Upperthorpe on January 30th followed by a cremation at City Road at 10:45am....He bade no-one his last farewell...He said his last Goodbye to none. Wow that just made me sad. See ya soon buddy x

Edited May 31, 2012 by Sagan1

[tanith65 10]

Hi Sagan1,

 

were you a close friend of Peter's? I was wondering if I'd remember you from the funeral.

 

Yes, the funeral was 30th January, and Peter died 13 January, but the year was 1986 not 1988.

 

There were 18 stab wounds, professor Usher the pathologist covered each in detail at the inquest, and again at the trail in October 1986 which I attended with Peter's mum, step dad, brother and other family.

 

There was a lot of detail at the trail about motive, and it was far more involved than money; and there were things that were discussed that I could not go into or repeat here.

[gw2k7 10]

I think the guy who murdered him was the guy who started a conversation with me when i was 14 and wagging school! He wanted me to go to Sheffield the next day and said he would write a note from school pretending to be my dad but I didn't go. Was he bald by any chance? I saw him selling dusters near Castle Market and he killed Peter about a week after he spoke to me!

[lisalee 10]

It still seems like yesterday to me. has anyone got any ideas on how I could get hold of a photo of Peter? I cant remember if there was one of him when the story was published in the Sheffield Star.

[denlin 12]

Lisa I think you need to let something that happened nearly 20 years ago stay in the past,

[MrsMozzy 10]

I'm guessing that it's the anniversary coming up that made Lisa post the above. Anniversaries - whether one or twenty years ago - are always painful. Likewise I am thinking about my son's friend who died from meningitis about 18 years ago aged 16, and whose birthday was 6 January.