The family of a 26-year-old stabbed to death near Selhurst Park four years ago said today they still believe his killer will be caught.

Mark Corcoran, of Freshfields, Shirley, died on Valentine's Day 2010 after being stabbed in the heart near Whitehorse Lane, Selhurst.

An inquest at Croydon Coroners' Court heard this afternoon police are no closer to bringing Mr Corcoran's attacker to justice and have no forensic evidence to link anyone to the crime.

But it is understood a man in his 40s arrested soon after the killing, and later released without charge, remains the prime suspect.

And Mr Corcoran's mother Julia Smith and stepfather Alan continue to believe their son's murderer will be prosecuted and said they could not move on until they had justice.

Mr Smith said: "We still feel dreadful. It does not seem like four years, it feels more like four months.

"It is still a mystery to us. It has been very hard. Valentine's Day is when everyone gives flowers to the people they love. We turn off the TV, we can't face it."

The inquest heard Mr Corcoran walked into Subitha Food and Wine shop in Whitehorse Lane at about 8.20pm on the day he died.

He told staff to call the police and unzipped his jacket to reveal a bloody wound on his chest.

Paramedics battled to save him but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem examination found the cause of death to be a centimetre-wide stab wound to the heart.

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Mr Corcoran walked into Subitha Food and Wine after being stabbed in the heart

No witnesses have come forward despite police offering a £20,000 reward in 2012. CCTV footage did not capture the moment of the attack but police believe it happened near to the shop.

Inspector David Blair, of the Metropolitan Police, told the court he was sure Mr Corcoran was killed in a "deliberate" attack. He said: "We are satisfied that this was an attack. There is certainly no evidence that this was an accident."

Coroner Roy Palmer recorded a verdict of unlawful killing, telling the family: "I'm so sorry it happened and I can only begin to understand the grief you must feel."

But Mr Smith said: "This does not bring any conclusion to it. Only catching the killer will bring closure.

"I know that the police are doing everything they can, we speak to them each month, and I believe they will in the end catch the person."


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