BASIL MCAFEE WAS murdered in north Belfast on this day last year.

The 50-year-old was found by his mother at his home in Henderson Avenue at lunchtime on Friday 20 December.

The PSNI has now renewed its appeal for information on the first anniversary of his death.

Detective Chief Inspector John McVea is leading the murder investigation, he said:

“It is a year since Basil died and his death has slipped somewhat from public consciousness. But it remains an enduring heartache for his family – his mother, siblings and his grown-up children.

“They are about to face a second Christmas without Basil and without knowing why this happened to him and who is responsible.

He suffered a violent death at the hands of an assailant who was probably wielding an axe and a long-bladed knife. For as long as that individual remains at large, they remain a danger to others in the community.

“Last year we issued CCTV images of Basil in an off-licence on the Cavehill Road taken at 4pm on Thursday 19 December. We have spoken to a number of people who saw him alive at his home in Henderson Avenue later that day but we believe there are others who visited Basil who have yet to come forward. We need to know who he was with.

“This was a ferocious attack. A number of items including money were taken from the house. Although we believe the attack was not random but focused on Basil, whoever did this is a danger to others in the community while still at large.”

The PSNI has re-issued CCTV images of Basil in the off-licence and a photo taken of him at a social event in 2012. It also issued a photo of Basil’s living room where he was brutally murdered.