Operation Tango

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Police reopened the Unsolved murder of Southampton businessman, Richard (Ricky) Haywood in October 2024 after some 35 years.

36-year-old Richard Haywood, known to everyone as Ricky was shot dead at point-blank range in his flat above his shop Ambiance Jewellers at 200 Shirley High Street, Southampton, UK on Monday, October 16th 1989.

Ricky Haywood was shot several times at close range whilst in his bath. it is believed he had been shaving when the gunmen burst in. He was shot with a 22-calibre handgun which would have required several shots to have killed him.

I am inclined to agree with the police as they say that they believe that Richard Haywood knew his killer. According to reports Ricky had previously bought stolen property and had mixed with some ‘shady characters’ and said that there were no signs of a disturbance in the flat so it was not a burglary that went wrong.

During the original investigation, police spoke to 11,000 people and took about 4,000 statements, but no one was ever charged with the murder.

It has been suggested that a hitman killed Ricky but to be honest this does not seem likely as the gun calibre was small, I am sure a hitman would have used a larger calibre weapon to ensure that Ricky died.

Ricky may have been afraid of coming to harm as he was somewhat obsessed with his personal security. He carried a panic alarm with him and had installed CCTV video cameras in his flat and shop below. Strangely the cameras were not recording on the night he was killed.

On the evening of October 16th At about 6.05 pm, Richard Haywood was seen shutting up his business for the night, bringing in the pavement sign and rolling down the shutters. It was said that Ricky was helped to bring in the sign from outside by a man who looked very much like Ricky Haywood, he was never identified and has never come forward.

After closing his shop, Ricky walked to his flat along the alleyway at around 6.30 pm. It was said that no one knew whether Ricky had gone into his flat alone, but it is believed that he had gone through his usual routine.

Something that strikes me as quite curious is that a couple who ran a shop just a few doors down from the jewellers were clearing up their shop at around 6.30 pm when they heard several bangs and the woman told her husband she thought it was gunfire. Did the man call the police or investigate at all? No, instead, he told his wife that she was talking rubbish and it was just a car backfiring. Did the man in question know something? Was he expecting an incident to take place?

Something doesn't make sense as this same couple left their shop at around 6.35 pm and as they drove past Ricky’s shop they witnessed a red car parked outside the shop and saw two men run from the alleyway which leads to Ricky’s flat. The men jumped into the red car and sped off. Did the couple call the police? No, they only mentioned it when the murder was revealed.

The police later said that they were very anxious to trace the two men that the woman saw speed off in the car and released their descriptions.

Man A:

• Age: mid 20s.

• Height: 5ft 8in.

• Build: Slim.

• Clothing: Tight-fitting trousers and a blouson jacket.

Man B:

• Age: mid 20s.

• Height: 5ft 11in.

• Hair: Fair.

• Clothing: Tight-fitting trousers and a blouson jacket.

The police said that they also wanted to trace the man who was seen outside the back of Richard Haywood’s shop and flat.

It is worth noting that Ricky had been in the process of negotiating a deal to purchase a 3-acre farm in The New Forest, for which he was trying to raise £55,000 to close. Of course in the 1980s fifty-five thousand pounds was a considerable amount of money.

On the evening of Sunday 15 October 1989, Ricky took his mother, sister and girlfriend out for a meal. He had persuaded his mother to remortgage her bungalow and lend him some of the extra cash that he wanted. However, it was also noted that he had been planning on making a deal with some financial consultants. Just a few hours earlier on the day he was murdered, Ricky had been in a meeting with them.

On the morning of Monday 16 October 1989 at about 10.30 am Richard Haywood opened his shop and shortly after got a call from one of the financial consultants. and arranged to meet them at about 12.30 pm. However, they said that when they met he had reportedly not taken too kindly to being told that it would take a few days to arrange things, noting that they could make no promises.

Ricky had asked them for a decision in writing that day. They said that when they left him he had told them that their position was not good enough and they left saying that they would see what they could do.

Since the case was reopened by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary's serious crimes division they say that they have had a good response.

The detective leading the investigation, Detective Inspector Elizabeth Brunt, said:

“Since we re-opened this investigation and appealed to the public for information we have had a very positive response, and I am extremely thankful to everyone who has contacted us with information.

The detective went on to say; “This information has provided us with new and clear lines of enquiry which we are thoroughly looking into. As our work continues, I urge anyone with any information who has not yet spoken to us to please get in touch. Even if it seems like a small piece of information, it can all help us to piece together the bigger picture.

“I do believe that someone knows why Ricky was killed and who was responsible. Whatever your allegiances, you would be doing the right thing by telling us what you know.

“We need to give his family the answers they rightly deserve, to get justice for them and Ricky.

“Your help is needed and now is the time to communicate what you know, either directly, anonymously or through a third party — doing nothing is no longer an option.”

I will be watching this case closely and hope that the police can get justice for Ricky’s family left behind. I would like to speak to the local butcher regarding a comment he put on social media.

As usual, if you’d like to speak to us about this or any other case ping off an email:

Coldcaseinvestigations@proton.me