NSW Police Renew Appeal For Missing Gay Man Simon Knight

NSW Police have renewed their appeal for information twenty years after the disappearance of gay Sydney man, Simon Knight.

Knight was 32 when he checked out of a Surry Hill motel on the morning of July 21, 2005, and was believed to be travelling with his bicycle, and $500 withdrawn from his bank account.

The alarm was raised by his colleagues when he didn’t arrive for his shift at a Newtown cafe.

Speaking to Star Observer in 2020, Superintendent Andrew Holland said there were “no obvious signs that there were any thoughts of self-harm”.

“Simon, from all reports, was a member of the gay community who was well liked,” he said.

“It’s really concerning… He just appears to have dropped from the planet.”

Knight’s “top-of-the-range” bike has never been recovered, and the bank account he withdrew money from has remained untouched since that day.

A 2008 coroner’s inquest determined it was unlikely Knight had died, but this decision was reversed after further inquest in 2015.

Despite this, a body has never been found.

Family struggle after two decades without answers

At a press conference on Monday, Knight’s family said he was looking forward to his horticulture studies, which he had only just started at the time of his disappearance.

Knight had been a regular in the Crown and Oxford Street bar scene.

“He loved the lifestyle [in Surry Hills], especially with the chef-ing, and he was in the gay community, and he was very happy there,” his father Bob Knight said.

“He was fun… a bit of the fun went with him [when he disappeared],” Knight’s sister Frances said.

“We have been waiting for 20 years to find out what happened to Simon,” Bob said.

“The family is still waiting, we’re hoping one day we will get the answers and closure.”

NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley formally renewed the $250,000 appeal for information on the cold case.

“Today we appeal to anyone who might have the smallest piece of information, which can help police bring answers about Simon’s disappearance for the Knight family,” Catley said.

This is the third time Knight’s appeal has been renewed, following increased rewards for information in 2008, and again in 2020.

“We are keen to speak with anyone who lived [around] or frequented Crown and Oxford streets, Surry Hills, in July 2005, particularly if they knew Simon and have not yet spoken to police,” Acting Superintendent Christopher Hill said.

Knight is described as being of Caucasian appearance, 183cm tall, with blue eyes, a fair complexion, red hair and facial hair.

“Any piece of new information – no matter how seemingly insignificant – could be the key to solving this case, and help provide much-needed answers to Simon’s family about what happened to him,” Hill said.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.