Man arrested on suspicion of murder of Rose Johnston

We have today, Tuesday 8 September, arrested a 64-year-old man on suspicion of the murder of pensioner Rose Johnston.

Rose, 68, was found dead at her home on Ancroft Road in Dovecot at 12.35pm on Saturday 4 October last year. She had been assaulted and suffered a blunt force head injury.

Extensive lines of enquiry have been carried out to date including witness, house-to-house, CCTV and forensic enquiries.

This morning we arrested a 64-year-old man on suspicion of murder. He is currently in custody where he will be interviewed by detectives.

Detective Chief Inspector Catherine Walsh, who is leading the investigation into Rose’s murder, said: “Although we have made a second arrest our enquiries remain ongoing and it is vital that anybody with information who hasn’t already come forward does so as a matter of urgency.

“We need people to tell us about any suspicious activity they heard or saw around the time of Rose’s murder or any CCTV, dashcam or mobile phone footage they may have or have seen which could assist with our investigation.

“Rose’s family have been living without answers for over 11 months now but we remain committed to finding the person responsible for her death and bringing them to justice.

“My appeal remains with the local community to come forward and tell us what you know.”

Crimestoppers, which is independent of the police, is continuing to support the investigation by offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information the charity exclusively receives – either online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800 555 111 at any time – that leads to the arrest of those responsible for Rose’s murder.

Please note: No-one will ever know you contacted Crimestoppers. With Fearless.org and Crimestoppers-uk.org, computer IP addresses are never traced. For telephone calls to the independent charity’s UK Contact Centre, there is no caller line display and no 1471 facility. You will stay 100% anonymous. Always.

Crimestoppers is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They cannot trace your call or track your IP address. No one will ever know you contacted us. This means no police, no courts, no witness statements. You may think your information is insignificant, however it could make all the difference.

For more details of the investigation and to pass on information to Merseyside Police go to the Merseyside Police Major Incident Portal – Public Portal

You can also contact us via social media @MerPolCC on X and Facebook, via our website or by calling 101.