The family of a murdered father have appealed to the public to help catch his killer, a year on from the incident which led to his death.

Police are offering a reward of up to £10,000 for information that helps find the killer of Marc Allen from Erith.

Mr Allen died after reportedly challenging a thief who was attempting to steal his car from his driveway in the early hours of Sunday, December 29, 2019.

It is understood the suspect, having got into the vehicle, deliberately drove towards the 51-year-old, hitting him and forcing him over the top of the car.

The suspect then fled in the car, leaving his victim lying in the road with head injuries.

The father-of-one was taken to King's College Hospital in London where he died after a month in a coma.

Mr Allen's heartbroken family have appealed to the public to help find the "cowards" responsible for his death.

In a statement, they said he "will always be a beloved part of our family and a dear friend to those that had the pleasure of knowing him".

They continued: "Marc spent two years battling with ill health and making tough decisions that most would struggle to make.

"With all that life dealt him, he battled through and refused to sit back and let life keep him down.

"Just as things were starting to look brighter and Marc was getting back to his normal routine, the 29 December 2019 happened and those that I can only refer to as cowards attempted to steal his car and ended with Marc badly hurt.

"The four weeks we spent in King's College Hospital are some of the darkest days as a family, we have had to go through hanging on to the hope that Marc would wake up, which culminated with our parents having to make the heart-wrenching decision that the 29 January 2020 will be the day we say goodbye."

"There is a wound we all carry now that will never fully heal"

An investigation was launched and on December 31, 2019, the car – a grey Mercedes GLA – was recovered from the E14 area, and officers believe that immediately after the incident, it was left in the vicinity of Bronze Age Way in Erith for a number of hours.

Two people have been arrested in connection with the incident, with a 27-year-old man taken in on suspicion of murder and burglary, and a 33-year-old man on suspicion of murder.

Both have been released under investigation and Mr Allen's family say that they "still hang on to hope that Marc will get some justice", even a year on.

They said: "As a family we cried for Marc, as individuals we cried with and supported those in pain around us.

"There is a wound we all carry now that will never fully heal, but with every day, we get stronger, we help each other to smile a little more and appreciate the memories we have of him.

"Many of the family thank Marc for his parting gift of bringing us back to each other before life got in the way."

Detectives continue to hunt for clues and are asking for anyone with information to come forward, with a reward of up to £10,000 for any help that could lead to the arrest and conviction of the person, or people, responsible.

Detective Inspector Jason Fitzpatrick said: “This Christmas will be a sad and painful one for Marc’s family and my and the team’s thoughts are with them as they continue to come to terms with what happened.

“This was a cold-blooded act. For the sake of a stolen car, a man was run down and left helplessly lying in the road.

"More than anything, we want to find out who is responsible for this and we need those with information to come forward and stop protecting this killer.

“Our enquiries continue and I want anyone who has knowledge to really think about coming forward. Your information could lead to us solving this crime and finally giving Marc’s family a little peace.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Specialist Crime South on 020 8721 4622. To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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