The perpetrators behind Craig Wilcox’s death could kill again, his father has warned.
Stephen and Carolyn Wilcox admit tragic Craig was no angel but say his murder was “disproportionate” to what happened to him in comparison to what he was involved in.
Detectives are working on a theory Craig was killed after gangsters wrongly believed he double crossed them.
Before his death, it is said he had been made to watch small-scale cannabis farms by criminals active in Oldham and Newton Heath.
Then when thieves took the stash in one of the houses, it’s thought Craig was blamed for it.
“We’re not blind to the fact Craig was involved with something he shouldn’t have been,” said Stephen.
“We’re not ignoring that fact. But it’s still so disproportionate what has happened to him, in comparison to what he was actually involved with.
“There are people who may read this who think ‘well, he was a drug dealer’.
“Craig was no big-time drugs king. He was a low-level plant waterer who was doing it for some money. That was it. That was the extent of his involvement.
“I don’t think he saw too much harm in it. I certainly don’t think he looked at the big picture.
“If he’d known the consequences he would have to face, I don’t think he would have got involved, quite honestly. Maybe he was a bit naive, but he wasn’t a child.”
Stephen added the thought his son’s killers were still a large was a chilling one.
He said: “The fact remains, as long as these people are still going about their daily lives, they may have killed someone else before. They may kill someone else again.
“As long as they are out there, the potential for them to do it again is there.”
Craig’s son is now 11 and his grandparents say it is hard watching him grow up without his dad.
“Every day for five years we have lived with this. There isn’t a day goes by that we don’t think about Craig,” added Stephen.
“It’s very hard when you get all the milestones: Christmas, birthdays.
“It’s hard for his sister as well, it’s hard for his brother, it’s hard for his son.
“His son’s birthday, what do we tell him? He will never see his dad again.”
Mum Carolyn said: “It’s very frustrating because the police think they know who’s involved and up to now can’t prove it. So, it’s very frustrating. You would think they would have a conscience.”
Dad Stephen said: “There is a close circle of people who know what’s happened. And none of them have come forward yet.
“They have kept the information to themselves from five years ago and hopefully this might just unlock somebody’s conscience.
“Alright if it takes money, it takes money. It is what it is – you have got to do what you need to do.
“The truth will always come out, it’s just a matter of when.
“Hopefully these people said something to someone, either within their own group, or outside their own group who just may say something.
“They have not done it out of conscience, up to now, but if it takes the money to do that, so be it.”
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