Detectives investigating the murder of an Islington father are offering a �20,000 reward for information.

Ricky Smith, a 25-year-old father of two, died after he was stabbed in Hamilton Road, Highbury Park, on October 3, 1997.

Fresh DNA evidence after a police review 14 years later linked the killing to a knife attack on Juan Marais in Harlesden earlier on the same evening.

Police have made the cash available for information which leads to the killer’s arrest.

Ricky, a floor fitter, died at Whittington Hospital from the stab wound to the chest.Juan, then 21, made a full recovery after being wounded in the chest and abdomen.

The suspect is described as a tall black man aged between 18 to 30.

n Anyone with information should call Hendon police on 020 8358 0100 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.