£20,000 reward offered in fresh appeal over Birmingham firework murder eight years on
A £20,000 reward is being offered for information as part of a fresh appeal after a man died as a result of a firework attack eight years ago.
Tony Nicholls suffered serious injuries after a group burst into his Tile Cross house and set off an industrial-sized firework at around 11.20pm on November 2, 2017.
The 56-year-old was taken to hospital following the blaze in Birchtrees Drive, Birmingham, but died five days later leading to the launch of an ongoing murder investigation.
The firework is thought to have contained around 200 tubes of explosives which gutted the open plan living accommodation.
Five men aged 31, 30, 23, 22 and 19 - along with a 19-year-old woman - have been previously arrested on suspicion of murder and released under investigation.
Now West Midlands Police say the answers lie within the local community and are urging anyone with information to come forward and give his family closure.
The victim's daughter Fiona Nicholls said: “My dad was my everything. He was funny, witty, and he worked hard all his life.
“The last eight years have been hell. I relive it every day. Every bonfire night, I'm anxious, it just brings back trauma of what happened to my dad. It's horrible, I live a nightmare every day.
“I need anyone with information to come forward. They need to do the right thing. They know something, and they've got to come forward and tell the police what they know.
“I need the answers, and justice for me and my dad."
Detectives have also for the first time releasing film footage showing the group approaching the house and running away moments later. A firework can be seen shooting out of the property before the blaze which claimed his life took hold.
They have also release photographs of the industrial Colossus Finale 600 Series firework which caused the fatal blaze fire and the resulting devastating damage to the house.
The force's Det Supt Jim Munro, of the Homicide team, said: “You can see from the size of the firework that it was always going to cause significant damage if let off indoors.
“The firework is called a Colossus Finale 600 Series. It's industrial-sized and unusual, and we still believe someone out there may have information about where it came from.
“It’s hard to imagine just how awful Tony’s final moments must have been, and we are determined to get justice for him and his family.
“We are releasing these new images now as we know that over time, allegiances can change. People who didn’t feel willing or able to speak up at the time may now feel very differently.
“We want to show just how callous an act this was and for the people responsible, or those who know who was responsible, to examine their conscience.
“We have received information and intelligence about the attack in the years since it happened but have so far been unable to charge anyone.
“I want that to change today. If you have information about what happened, or who was responsible, get in touch.
“It may be that you feel what you know is not significant, but it could be the piece of information we need to finally get justice for Tony.”
To qualify for the reward information must be passed directly to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their website.
To speak to officers phone 101 or get in touch with us via Live Chat at westmidlands.police.uk
