Legs drilled by torturing robbers

Masked thugs tortured and tied up a businessman in a raid at his Midland home. They tied him to a staircase and drilled his legs with a screwdriver.

After trying to make him tell them where he kept cash they left him bound and gagged and fled with an undisclosed sum of money and jewellery.

He was there for about 15 hours until a friend called at 9.30am for a business appointment.

Property developer and market operator Maurice Nixon, pictured, aged 50, of Harvington, near Kidderminster was set upon as he returned home at about 6.30pm on Sunday.

Mr Nixon, who runs Portobello and Spitalfields markets, London, was today in hospital as his family offered a "substantial reward" for information leading to the arrest and conviction of his attackers.

His sister Kim Nixon, 48, said three men and a driver initially claimed to be police. "We just want the people who did this to be traced. He could have died.

"He was tied up so tightly they said he hadn't got a pulse in his leg.

"They had a job to get the cable ties off as the raiders had left him tied to the staircase.

"His attackers had even screwed holes quite deep into his legs."

Police want help tracing those who left him with cuts, facial injuries, sore wrists and ankles.