FAMILIES haunted by the double-murder of a couple 35 years ago are urging anyone with information to come forward and hope a fresh police appeal will finally bring justice and closure.

Lindy Benstead and Peter Thurgood were found dead on April 22, 1986, on Chapel Common off the then A3 at Rake in Hampshire, close to the West Sussex border.

The pair had both been killed by shotgun blasts at point-blank range.

Mr Thurgood, 47, was found slumped by the side of the car with gunshot wounds to his head and chest, and Mrs Benstead, 49, was lying on the ground nearby.

Mrs Benstead, a married mother-of-three, and divorced bricklayer Mr Thurgood, lived in adjoining Whitehill and Bordon and were having an affair, which was common knowledge locally.

On the day they were murdered, Mr Thurgood had hired a silver Mazda and driven to the Old Thorns Golf Club in Liphook, where Mrs Benstead worked as a cleaner.

They then drove to the open area off the A3, north of Petersfield. Their bodies were found by a driver who had stopped for a rest a few hours later.

Detectives investigating the murder are now reaching out to the communities where the victims came from, in a renewed appeal for information.

Detective Superintendent Emma Heater of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team said: “This tragic case was thoroughly investigated in 1986 and subsequently, and has since been reviewed several times.

“Many of our lines of enquiry over the years lead us to believe that the answer to the mystery of these dreadful crimes lies somewhere in the Whitehill and Bordon areas, from which the victims came.

"While we cannot rule out the possibility of an attack by a random stranger, it is still likely that someone with information from within those areas will provide vital leads.

"It is now 35 years since these tragic deaths and it may be that feelings and loyalties have shifted over the years, perhaps to a point at which someone is ready to disclose to us something they have never disclosed before."

David and Terry Thurgood, sons of Peter Thurgood, and Karen Benstead, daughter of Lindy, are urging anyone who knows anything to come forward, saying "it is never too late to do the right thing".

In a joint statement they said: "These terrible killings of our loved ones have haunted both families for 35 years now, and we remain united in our desire to support any enquiries that will help bring justice and closure for us all.

"We ask anyone who has any information they have not yet brought to the police, to come forward now."

David and Terry Thurgood added they believe "somebody must know something".

They said: "When we were growing up in the Bordon and Whitehill area in the 1980s everyone knew everyone as they were only small villages.

"Now is the time to come forward to the police and help both our families put closure to this horrific crime."

Police said the most recent full review of the case in 2014 confirmed there were no new lines of enquiry at that time, but it is subject to regular two-yearly re-assessment as part of a continuing review process.

In 2018 detectives received information which led officers from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team to fly to the United States and talk to a man living there.

DS Heater said: "While this witness gave information naming a possible suspect, there was no evidence to corroborate this allegation.

“At the time of these tragic murders and since, numerous people have been named as allegedly being involved and two arrests were made.

"All these leads were thoroughly explored but have not led to any further developments or arrests."

DS Heater said that ongoing forensic enquiries remain, and further items are currently undergoing examination using techniques developed since 1986.

She said: “We remain in contact with both families and they will be updated with any significant developments.

“Although there have been no other developments, as in all such cases we always pursue any new information or forensic opportunities whenever they arise."

Anyone who has any new information that could lead to new lines of enquiry can contact Sussex Police online or by calling 101, quoting Operation Bardwell.