George Bromley was known among Liverpool’s underworld as ‘The Enforcer’
A doorman was gunned down in his friend’s home as he read the Daily Post, with Merseyside Police still looking for his killer almost 30 years on. George Bromley was sitting in the kitchen of businessman Charlie Seiga’s West Derby home on November 18, 1997, when a gunman made his way into the house and executed the 33-year-old.
The brutal shooting of the dad-of-two on Valescourt Road sparked a manhunt for the person responsible, with reports from the ECHO at the time revealing how the “killings like [Mr Bromley’s], and other shocking incidents, have redefined the way our city is policed”. Mr Bromley was a prominent door boss in the city at the time of his death and had earned himself the nickname ‘The Enforcer’ among Liverpool’s underworld.
He was shot three times in the head by the masked assassin, with one neighbour telling the ECHO the day after the killing: “I saw the body lying there. I’ve never seen so much blood in my life.
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“The man was lying on the floor groaning but there was nothing I could do.” He added: “[Mr Seiga] said he opened the door to his house and a man shoved a gun in his face and marched him into the house before he shot his friend in the head. He was devastated, but I really don’t know why the man was shot.”
Detective Chief Inspector Nick Housley said at the time the shooting appeared to have been carried out in a professional and well planned manner. The dad-of-two, who lived in Alvanley Road, was known to the police and was sentenced to 27 months in prison for violence in 1991.
But police said they did not have any idea about the motive behind the brutal killing. Police appealed for help from the public and investigations into Mr Bromley’s business connections were launched.
In the following days, police carried out a number of armed raids around the West Derby area. A neighbour of Mr Bromley spoke to the ECHO on November 22 – four days after the murder – and said: “It really is like New York now. These people really don’t care about the ordinary, decent families in Liverpool.”
At the time, Mr Seiga provided a statement to police which said: “George said he would come for a meal on the Tuesday night. He always calls at my house between 5pm and 6pm. When he arrived we both went into the back kitchen and sat down chatting. George was reading a newspaper when I heard the door bell ring. George had been there about five to eight minutes. I went to the front door. George stayed in the kitchen.
“When I opened the door I saw a man with a gun. The gunman told me to get back and I moved back halfway down the hallway. It was clear the gunman was not interested in me. My house is open plan and he would have been able to see George. The gunman went towards where George was sitting. I ran through to the back, opened the patio doors, went into the garden and hid in the bushes.
“While there I heard a noise that sounded like firework bangers. I walked back into the house and everything was very quiet. I found George lying on the kitchen floor. There was blood on the floor tiles.”
However, a month on from the shooting Merseyside Police charged Mr Seiga – the man whose house it was – with Mr Bromley’s murder. Two other men were also charged, but the charges were dropped before it went to trial. What proceeded was a high-profile trial where, in October the following year, Mr Seiga was acquitted of murder.
Over the years, Merseyside Police continued to probe various leads in the case. The ECHO revealed in 2016 that police discovered a VHS tape in a suspect’s car with information on how to fit a silencer onto a gun. The video also included specific information on silencers for .22 calibre guns – the same type of weapon used to kill Mr Bromley.
Detectives investigating the murder thought the US company which sold the tape might be able to provide the names of their mail order customers in Liverpool and help them nail a suspect. Merseyside Police wrote to the legal attaché at the American Embassy in London saying: “This tape showed in detail how to make a silencer/sound eliminator for various calibre of weapons.
“At the beginning of the video the narrator points out the legal position of the video in the United States of America and goes on to say that certain parts of the video are made outside the jurisdiction of the American government. There is a further address contained within the video which advertises muzzle couplings for .22 rifles and pistols.
“The purpose of this enquiry is to furnish your office with the below address which has been recovered from the aforementioned video. Again, my enquiry concerns the possible despatch by mail order of firearms attachments/accessories to the Merseyside area.”
An FBI report from the time read: “Synopsis: Request for investigative assistance by Merseyside Police. Details: Victim was murdered in the Liverpool, England, area on 11/19/97. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds. The Merseyside Police have recovered a VHS video tape which shows in detail how to make a silencer/sound eliminator for various calibre weapons.
“At the beginning of this video, the narrator points out the legal position of the video in the United States, and notes that certain portions of the tape were made outside the jurisdiction of the United States. Merseyside Police have requested any information available regarding these two companies. They have also requested that appropriate company officials be contacted, and details obtained, regarding the sale of any company products to individuals residing within the Liverpool area of England.
“London notes that inasmuch as the introduction of firearms, gun parts, attachments, and accessories into the United Kingdom is illegal, it is doubtful that company officials will voluntarily provide details of sales to British residents.”
The police later released a list of suspects to the American authorities which was passed on to the mail order company. The company ran a check but the names did not come up. The force told the ECHO in 2016 it was just one of a number of investigations.
Mr Seiga later gave an interview to the ECHO where he said Mr Bromley was warned of a shooting threat. Mr Bromley reportedly told the officer who tipped him off to the threat by saying: “This is the kind of threat I live with continuously and I am not afraid. If someone was going to shoot me I would know before Merseyside Police.”
Mr Seiga added Mr Bromley’s murder was a watershed moment for Liverpool’s gangland and led to more violence across the city. He told the ECHO: “I think more people started thinking in terms of shooting people after Bromley. I think they saw that a big name could be shot dead and that people could get away with it. Within a few years all the big crime bosses seemed to be trying to kill each other.”
Following the 27th anniversary of Mr Bromley’s murder, a Merseyside Police spokesperson continued to appeal for information after his shocking death: “This remains an unsolved murder and we remain committed to bringing those responsible for George’s death to justice. A number of years may have passed but if you have any information about George’s death and haven’t yet spoken to us please contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
