I am the father of Lee Balkwell. My son was killed at a farm in Upminster, Essex in 2002.

I believe that all the evidence points to murder. I have fought for 17 years to get the truth and to bring justice to those responsible for Lee’s death.  This has taken a terrible toll on the physical and mental health of me and my family. I feel that time is running out. I need your help.

About the case 

In 2002 my son Lee Balkwell was found wedged between the chassis and the drum of a cement mixer at a farm in Upminster, Essex. The police promptly assessed the death to have been an accident. I believe that all the evidence points to murder.

I have spent 17 years fighting to establish the truth about what really happened on the night Lee died. I have won hard-fought victories to show that the original investigation by the police was seriously flawed and I have forced disclosure from the police. But now I need a full investigation to take place. I need justice for Lee.

Please support my search for justice for Lee by contributing whatever you can now and sharing this page with your friends, family and on social media. 

Case Background

Lee’s body was found wedged between the chassis and the drum of a cement mixer, inside which he had supposedly been working despite it being around 1am and despite there being no light inside the mixer.

In a report published in 2012, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found that the initial investigation into Lee’s death by Essex Police was seriously flawed, undermined by the police’s assumption that the death had been an accident and by failures by the police to preserve crucial evidence.

The IPCC recommended an independent homicide investigation in 2008 and did so again when they published their report in 2012.  

Despite this, there has never been a homicide investigation into Lee Balkwell’s death.

In 2018 the Essex Police formally closed their investigation, despite being presented with new evidence pointing towards homicide by a team of retired career homicide detectives. They have refused to reopen it.

With support I have been able to start a legal challenge to that decision, asking the High Court to overturn the closing of the investigation, so that the evidence marshalled by the homicide detectives and new evidence obtained from experts on pathology and on the operation of the cement mixer is properly considered by the police.

I believe that if the decision to close the investigation is overturned, and a proper homicide investigation launched, the truth about the death of my boy can finally be established.

But to take this case further I need financial support.

I cannot pay for this judicial review on my own. Over the years I have put everything into this fight, even selling my own home to raise funds to get justice for Lee. I have never received Legal Aid.

How much am I raising and why? 

In order for the lawyers to continue to put the hours required into this case – to obtain a homicide investigation into my boy’s death- I need to ask for your help to secure funding. The funding will pay for a top- notch legal team, any associated legal fees, any further investigative work and expert evidence. Initially I'll be raising £7,500 but then I need to go on to raise as much as I can towards the end goal of £25,000. I feel that this is my last chance to get justice for my boy.

Thank you very much for any help you can provide. And please remember to share this page with your friends and family.