Birthday is 'a painful reminder of his absence'

POLICE RENEW APPEAL OVER TRAGIC DAD-TO-BE'S MURDER

- By PATRICK EDRICH

THE mum of a young man shot dead in the street said his birthday is a "painful reminder of his absence".

Sam Rimmer was with a group of friends on Lavrock Bank in Dingle when four suspects rode into the cul-de-sac on two electric bikes and fired a number of shots towards the group at around 11.40pm on August 16, 2022.

Sam was hit by one of eight bullets fired from a Skorpion submachine gun and was confirmed dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. Ten people have been arrested in relation to the murder of Sam, but nobody has yet been charged. The senior investigating officer in the case exclusively told the ECHO in 2024: "I am very confident one of those 10 people we have arrested was the one who pulled the trigger."

Yesterday, January 6, would have been Sam's 26th birthday.

His mum Joanne Rimmer said: "I share a birthday with Sam. This year is a day that was always intended to be a joyful joint celebration of my 50th birthday and Sam's own.

"There will now be no celebration - only a quiet day that the family and I hope will pass as gently and quickly as possible. Sam's birthday will forever be a painful reminder of his absence and the devastating loss felt by those who loved him."