I HAVE had several phone calls regarding the article about my brother's death in the SNJ (July 22).

My brother was shot at 9.35pm on July 26, 1990 and Leigh was shot some 20 minutes later.

My brother had been warden over Penn Wood for 10 years prior to his death.

When the wood was put up for sale on the open market in October 1989, my brother became concerned because another landowner was seeking to buy the wood and if this happened, he would lose the access that he had enjoyed as a warden over those years.

So, with the kind gesture of his friend Alan Smith (Smiths Plant) they purchased the wood for £175,000 on a 50-50 basis.

I was with them both on Christmas Eve 1989 when their offer was accepted, contracts were exchanged on February 8, 1990, with Tony and Alan being joint owners of the wood.

At the criminal trial on June 24, 1991, Judge Mr Justice Schiemann acquitted Terence and Graig Maule of murder and told Terence Maule he could be very proud of his son's actions on that night.

From that day until now my wife and I have continually campaigned to get this case re-opened back to a criminal court.

We have travelled thousands of miles, been to Downing Street twice, met with the lord chancellor, Lord Falconer in the House of Lords and met with Baroness Scotland, the victims minister.

We have also met the attorney general Lord Goldsmith, Iain Duncan Smith raised the case in parliament and we met with Keir Starmer the DPP and they have all said individually this case needs to be revisited.

One irony was that In 1994, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board awarded Tony's family £148,000.038 in criminal compensation, ruling that Tony had died unlawfully and his conduct in no way contributed to the incident or to his death.

This is in complete contrast to what the trial judge had ruled.

This vast sum of money although warranted is unheard of where there has been an acquittal.

We have over these 24 years been to hundreds of conferences and meetings and are in contact with hundreds of Murder victims' families, none of these families have had compensation payouts as large as this and many of these families have received nothing even though the perpetrators are serving Life Sentences.

I would like to thank you for marking the 25th anniversary of Tony's death.

Bob Alliss

Rodborough