The Sunday Mercury in Birmingham has joined forces with the family of a man who was paralysed in an attack to offer a £10,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.

David Davoren was almost killed by the assault in a nightclub in February 2003.

And although detectives have said they are “99 per cent certain” of the attacker’s identity, they cannot press charges because key witnesses are too terrified to come forward.

The paper’s offer of £5,000 – which has been matched by the victim’s family – comes after journalist Tom Wells reported on how Mr Davoren’s life has been ruined by the attack.

Deputy editor Paul Cole said: “The reward offer is purely down to Tom Wells’s story.

“He went to talk to the family and when we read what he had written we wanted to help. The family then came in and matched the offer.

“We have been following this story on a news basis since it happened but now we’ve mounted a poster campaign and been featured on local TV and radio.

“There was a Crimewatch appeal earlier this year and there were high hopes when it produced some phone calls but nothing happened. The family are increasingly desperate to bring this man to justice.”

In the appeal, West Midlands Police said a man had been openly boasting in local pubs about having carried out the assault but he is still at large and has said to have issued death threats to key witnesses.

Sunday Mercury editor David Brookes said: “We were deeply moved when we heard about the plight of David and his family. We hope that the reward will lead to new information. We want the man who ruined David’s life behind bars.”

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