THE family of murdered police officer Keith Blakelock yesterday (Wednesday, May 14) made a fresh appeal for information over his death, a month after a man was cleared of killing him.

Nicky Jacobs was found not guilty of murdering Sunderland-born PC Blakelock at the Old Bailey on April 9.

The 40-year-old officer was hacked to death by an armed mob during riots on the Broadwater Farm estate, in north London, in1985.

Giving their first televised interview since the court case, his widow and three sons said they will never give up hope that those responsible for his death will be brought to justice, and launched a new appeal for information.

His widow, Elizabeth Johnson said: "What I find hard to understand is how can people who witnessed what happened to Keith, and are so many years down the line and have families of their own, how can they carry that on their conscience?"

She added: "I would say to these people "you took Keith away from our family, you took the heart away from us, but you didn't stop his sons being the men that they have become"."

Son Lee Blakelock, a police officer with Durham Constabulary, said: "For me it's really important to get across that Keith was a person, yes he was in a uniform - that's what they attacked - but he was a family man."