Man re-arrested over 2005 grandmother murder

A man has been re-arrested on suspicion of murder more than 20 years after a woman was bludgeoned to death in her home in Doncaster.

Nora Tait, 69, was killed on 12 October 2005 after going out for fish and chips and her body was discovered by a close friend the next day - but her murderer has never been caught.

South Yorkshire Police said a 57-year-old man had been re-arrested and remains in custody. He was previously arrested in May 2011 before being released with no further action, police said.

A force spokesperson said: "Nora's family have been informed of this latest development and we remain in contact with them as we seek to give them the solace they deserve."

Tait, a grandmother and retired seamstress, was discovered at her home in Stone Close Avenue in Hexthorpe with her takeaway untouched on the dining room table.

Detectives said previously there was no clear motive for the attack, although it is believed her black purse that may have contained about £100 was missing.

Det Ch Insp Ben Wood, the senior investigating officer for the case, said: "Someone knows what happened to Nora and we believe those answers lie in the local community in and around Stone Close Avenue in Hexthorpe.

"If you know something and you are keeping it to yourself, I urge you to think of the pain this is causing Nora's family and loved ones."

In an appeal last October to mark 20 years since the murder, Tait's daughter Jayne Watson said she hoped anyone with information would contact police.

"You don't expect your parent to be taken in such a horrific way. It was so undeserved and brutal," she said at the time.

"My mum wasn't in a place she shouldn't have been. She was in her own home and somewhere she should have been safe."

Since Tait's death, South Yorkshire Police said it had pursued 3,000 lines of inquiry and taken 600 witness statements.

Wood said: "Even the smallest piece of information might prove to be a really important piece of the jigsaw and could help us secure that all-important justice after all these years.

"Do it for Nora, and do it for her family to help give them the closure they so desperately need."

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North