Fresh appeal over hotel deaths

Margaret and William Robertson died on holiday

A detective trying to trace an arsonist who killed an elderly couple by starting a fire outside their hotel room is appealing for help on the anniversary of the tragedy.

William Robertson, 75, and his wife Margaret, 81, were killed while on a holiday at the Moat House Hotel in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on 24 April, 2001.

The couple were overcome by fumes after three mattresses were deliberately set alight outside their door in the early hours.

There is still a reward of £20,000 on offer for information which leads to the arrest of the culprit.

Justice hope

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Buchanan, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "We cannot believe that whoever committed this crime has managed to keep it to themselves.

"We believe that during the course of the last year the offender will have confided in someone.

"Despite thousands of hours of police work over the last year, the killer of William and Margaret has yet to be brought to justice."

The fire spread from the mattresses to the carpets and the walls.

As firefighters arrived and other residents were rescued, Mr and Mrs Robertson tried to make their way along the hotel's corridor.

A post-mortem examination revealed the cause of their deaths was smoke inhalation.

Offender profile

Over the last year, every resident in the hotel that night has been interviewed.

The local community has been spoken to and a psychologist has produced a profile of the offender.

Mr Buchanan said: "A year on, we do not expect people to remember where they were so we are not appealing for witnesses, but we are still appealing for information.

"On the first anniversary of their deaths, perhaps now is the time to come forward and speak to us."