A CHILD murder that has remained unsolved for more than 30 years is to be reinvestigated on BBC's Crimewatch on Tuesday.

Brighton schoolboy Keith Lyon was 12 when he was stabbed repeatedly with a serrated steak knife after going for a walk on the Downs between Woodingdean and Ovingdean, near Brighton.

Now a full-scale reconstruction of his 1967 murder will be featured on TV in a renewed effort to trace witnesses. As part of the original investigation, 80,000 home visits were made and the fingerprints of more than 6,000 schoolboys were taken - but the killer was never found.

The victim's brother, Peter Lyon, 40, has spent years fighting for the case to be reopened. He said the Crimewatch slot was a glimmer of hope.

He said: "I think it's excellent that the case will be featured on Crimewatch.

"If something comes of the programme, I think it will influence whether the case will be reopened. It shows there is still something for the police to go on."

He was seven when his brother was stabbed, but his memories and feelings of grieving are still very strong. He hopes others will remember the tragedy too.

He said: "I hope somebody will respond to the reconstruction. It might jog some buried memories, or someone watching might have a crisis of conscience. Because it goes out nationally, it might be seen by people who moved out of the area a long time ago."

The Brighton musician's hopes were renewed after a special police unit was created to re-investigate unsolved Sussex murders.

The unit, run by Det Chief Insp David Gaylor, was set up as a result of new forensic detection techniques. But Keith Lyon's murder was not on the list of cases to be reopened.

Scuffle

Det Chief Insp Gaylor said: "I have told the family that at this point we are not formally reopening the case. But we are carrying out a review of forensic evidence and trying to identify if there are any witnesses who can give us fresh information.

"This is stage one. If we find enough information we may take the case further."

The reconstruction was filmed on Friday morning with pupils from Brighton College.

It will show a scuffle between four youths, which police may be relevant to the case, and the moment when a teenage girl found Keith's body on a path near Warren Road.

Peter Lyon and his 82-year-old mother will also be interviewed on the programme on Tuesday at 9.35pm on BBC1.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.