THE family of student hostage Paul Wells today rejected an offer by jailed tycoon Owen Oyston to pay for a mercy mission to Kashmir.

The convicted rapist offered to finance the £3,000 cost of a spring quest to discover the fate of Paul, 25, and his three fellow captives.

Paul's father Bob Wells said the Hostages in Kashmir Group fighting to free the Westerners had declined the offer because of the adverse publicity it could attract.

Mr Wells, of Bracken Close, Feniscowles, Blackburn, added: "I used to admire him but after what happened in Manchester, I feel unable to accept.

"He offered to fund the whole trip for all of us to go, £3,000. "I initially said that it sounded like a good idea, but after speaking to my family and other members of the campaign group we declined the offer."

The former Blackpool Football Club boss made the offer via Tockholes-based freelance journalist Andrew Rosthorn, who said he visited Oyston at Wymott Prison, near Leyland.

Mr Rosthorn said: "I passed the message secretly to Bob Wells and he said he would be delighted to accept.

"On Friday evening I told him who it was from and he said it sounded great.

"But this morning he telephoned to say he could not accept the money." Mr Rosthorn claimed any publicity about the offer would be damaging to Mr Wells and Owen Oyston.

Oyston heard Mr Wells' radio appeal for financial assistance in his cell on F-wing of the jail.

Mr Wells plans to return to the Indian province of Jammu Kashmir in April to speak to villagers and officials.

It is almost 600 days since Paul, Middlesbrough man Keith Mangan, German Dirk Hasert and American Donald Hutchings were captured by Kashmir militants calling themselves Al Faran.

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