A £20,000 reward is being offered for information about the murder of a “lovely man and gifted scientist” shot dead through his kitchen window 20 years ago.

Dr Michael Meenaghan was a lecturer at Oxford University’s Sir William Dunn School of Pathology when he was killed on December 10, 1994.

The 33-year-old’s murderer has never been caught and his mother Pat Meenaghan, 82, said she still does not know why her son was killed.

Now Crimestoppers and Thames Valley Police have each offered £10,000 to anyone who can help solve the 20-year-old crime.

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Dr Meenaghan was shot at 4.30pm at his home in Monks Close, Blackbird Leys.

He dialled 999 but died of massive chest injuries before the police reached him.

His mother, who lives in Stirling, Scotland, where her son was originally from, said: “Twenty years is a long time to wait for answers.”

She said: “His death is always with me and there is not a day goes by when I don’t miss him.

“We still don’t know why someone would be so callous as to take his life and rob the world of a lovely man and a gifted scientist.

“There must be people out there that know something and could help ease the stress of not knowing why this happened to my boy.

“I would ask that people who do know something, search their conscience and make contact with the police.”

The case was the inspiration for Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse novel Death Is Now My Neighbour, which also became an episode of the TV series.

The author told the Oxford Mail: “The greatest influence in my work has always been listening to the news.

“They never got to the bottom of that [case].”

Cyril Martin, 87, who lives in nearby Merlin Road, said he is convinced the gunman shot the wrong target.

He said: “It is just very unfortunate for the person who got shot, because it must have been the wrong person.

“There were police all over the allotments behind the house but they never found anything.

“I doubt they will catch anyone now. Even with the reward I’d say it is very unlikely.”

Shalimar Sahota, 30, who also lives in Merlin Road, was 10 or 11 when the murder happened.

He said: “I just remember a sense of commotion. I didn’t hear the gunshots, but a neighbour said it sounded like a car back-firing.

“Then there were emergency services everywhere. It’s bizarre and it sounds like a case of mistaken identity.”

Thames Valley Police’s principal investigator Peter Beirne, from the Major Crime Investigation Review Team, said people should get in touch no matter how “insignificant” they think their information might be.

He said: “Possible motives explored over the years have suggested links to Dr Meenaghan’s private life, or to his work, or to a case of mistaken identity.

“However there has been a lack of evidence leading to any conclusive motive and we have to keep an open mind as to what that is.”

Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via an online form which can be found on the website crimestoppers-uk.org

Only information given to Crimestoppers will be eligible for the charity’s portion of the reward.

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