THE son of Bury murder victim Tom Hewitt has put up a £10,000 reward to help catch his father's killer.

Mr Paul Hewitt believes the cash incentive may encourage someone in Bury to come forward with a vital piece of evidence, the murderer's name, 27 years after the tragedy.

Paul's father was found unconscious at his Bright Street workshop after being battered on the head with an iron bar. He was taken to Bury General Hospital but was dead on arrival.

A massive manhunt was launched, the first murder inquiry conducted by the newly-formed Greater Manchester Police, but to this day the garage mechanic's killer remains at large.

The horrific and violent murder was recently featured in a reconstruction programme, Granada TV's Case Unsolved.

Paul said of the reconstruction: "For a moment it took me back to my childhood. The actor looked so like my father. I was only eight and didn't really understand he was never coming home.

"For about a year, I kept expecting him to walk through the door again but it never happened. As I grew up I became more upset and angry as I understood what must have taken place.

"Gradually, the realisation someone had killed him and seemed to be getting away with it gnawed at me. Since then, trying to find answers to what happened in that garage has kept my spirits up." Paul's family, including his half-brother David and sister Angela, moved to Long Eaton, Nottingham, to start a new life when he was just 11. Paul is now aged 34 and a father of four.

Steve Roberts, assistant producer at Granada, praised Paul for helping with the reconstruction.

He said: "The programme raked up a few new calls but nothing concrete at the moment.

"Paul was very brave to go through all of this and he put across his ordeal well. It is never easy for families affected by tragedies to see reconstructions and it was quite upsetting."

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that there was no substantial information to follow up as a result of the Case Unsolved programme, but stressed that the murder case will remain open.

Paul is determined not to let the matter rest and believes that someone out there knows who is responsible for taking his father's life.

He said: "The £10,000 reward, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer, may be the right incentive to encourage someone to come forward.

"It is a lot of money but if it helps bring this to a close to help dad rest in peace then it is worth it."