A RAID in which the founder of a multi-million pound Blackburn firm was beaten in his home is to feature on BBC’s Crimewatch tonight.

Jason Cropper, a former director at e-cigarette company Totally Wicked, was set upon by a balaclava-clad gang in the early morning attack at his Samlesbury home last year.

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Mr Cropper offered cash rewards of more than £250,000 in a bid to catch the armed robbers to no avail.

And the programme, which airs tonight on BBC One at 9pm, will renew the appeal for information about the burglary which left the 48-year-old victim with head injuries.

The intruders demanded to know where he kept valuables at his Goosefoot Lane home during the raid on August 1 and left with a large amount of cash, gold and jewellery as well as other items.

They fled in the victim’s Range Rover, which was later found on fire and abandoned nearby.

Det Insp Paddy O’Neill, who is leading the investigation, said: “This was a vicious attack on a man in his own home that left him with nasty injuries and the investigation is still on-going. I would urge people to watch the programme tonight and to contact us if they know something that they think might assist us in identifying offenders and or recovering any of the stolen property.

“It is worthy of note that the victim has offered a reward of up to £250,000 for information leading to the prosecution and conviction of offenders.

“We have a team of detectives who are still working on the investigation and I can assure the public that any information received will be treated in confidence and dealt with appropriately.”

Anyone with information can contact Lancashire Police on 101 quoting Operation Lime, or call Crimestoppers anonymously o 0800 555111.