DETECTIVES investigating the brutal murder and mutilation of a Bournemouth mother have made a desperate appeal for help on the eve of the third anniversary of her violent death.

Heather Barnett was stabbed several times, hit over the head with a hammer-like object and her breasts cut off and placed by her side in a horrific attack in her own home.

Lengths of cut hair not belonging to Heather were placed in her hands. Her shocked children, Terry, then 14, and Caitlin, 11, found her body in the family bathroom when they came home from school.

Now Detective Superintendent Phil James, who leads the hunt for her killer, has made a fresh, three-fold appeal for information.

Heather, a 48-year-old seamstress, was found in her ground-floor flat in Capstone Road, Charminster on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 12, 2002.

Det Supt James said he is keen to speak to bus and taxi drivers who were in the area of the nearby Richmond Arms public house in Charminster Road at about 9.30am that day.

"Can a driver remember taking a man from the Richmond Arms public house? Was the man agitiated or disturbed or was there something unusual with his clothing? If so, contact the police in confidence," he urged.

He said he remains very keen to hear from anyone who had their hair cut in unusual circumstances.

"The hair found in Heather's hands is central to the police inquiry," he told the Daily Echo. "I am particularly keen to hear from anyone who has had their hair cut while travelling on local buses, particularly if it happened before Heather's murder.

"Following my last appeal regarding cut hair, five women came forward to say it had happened to them."

Det Supt James said he is also keen to trace Heather's distinctive keyring.

The murder of Heather Barnett, who grew up in Sturminster Newton, could be linked to the disappearance of 16-year-old Elisa Claps who went missing from her home town in Italy in September 1993, according to police.

Det Supt James has travelled to Italy twice as part of his inquiries and has liaised with anti-Mafia police.

He said he is confident Heather's killer will be caught, despite the time which has elapsed since her death.

"Detectives continue to work on this horrific case and Dorst Police is committed to catching Heather's brutal killer," he said. "I remain convinced that forensic opportunities will catch the person who murdered Heather.

"The Heather Barnett murder case has been at the forefront of new techniques developed by the Forensic Science Service, particularly around DNA advances."

Anyone with information is urged to call Dorset Police in confidence on 01202 222222 or the free and anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.

First published: November 11