Basil Wicombe

Basil Wicombe was strangled at a house in Fulham, London.

He was found dead in a dressing gown of an upstairs floor of the house which was on fire on the Sunday, 9 January 1994.

Basil Wicombe had lived at 18 Windermere Road in Reading, Berkshire.

It was said that there were no signs of a break-in or a struggle and the police said that they were trying to establish a motive.

Basil Wicombe was a homosexual and it was noted that he often went to bars and clubs in West London including Madam Jo Jo's in Soho and The Bridge in Putney and was described as a popular figure in gay bars across London.

However, the police said that there were no signs of any sexual activity before his murder.

He was last seen outside The Bridge pub on Fulham High Street around 1.15am in the early hours of 9 January 1994 where he was seen talking to two men, apparently in separate events.

The police released photofits of the two men, saying that they were interested in speaking to them.

The first of the two men was described as white, about 35-years-old, 6ft tall with dark hair and light stubble.

Basil Wicombe was then seen speaking to a second man moments later a few yards away, who was described as being white, in his mid-20's, with short mousey hair.

Basil Wicombe was found strangled at the house in Fulham about seven hours later.

The police later issued a warning to gay people, saying, 'We would warn gay men to take care when going out and meeting new partners. They should let a third party know who they are with'. It was noted that his murder took place at a time when a number of other homosexual men had been murdered, some of which are also unsolved cases, and that a serial killer who targeted homosexuals had recently been convicted.

Basil Wicombe was a British Rail Steward on the InterCity trains. He was described by friends as a considerate and friendly man.

He was from South Africa and was thought to have been in the United Kingdom for about twenty years.