Reward raised to find au pair's killer

Cliff Stanford, the internet entrepreneur whose colourful lifestyle has made him a feature in Fleet Street diary columns, has put up a 25m peseta (£100,000) reward to help find the killer of his Spanish au pair.

Rocio Wanninkhof, who looked after Mr Stanford's girlfriend's son at his Spanish home, disappeared four years ago. She was found dead three weeks later and Dolores Vazquez, her mother's lover, was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years. But a higher court found the verdict unsafe and ordered a retrial.

The new reward more than doubles Mr Stanford's original 10m pesetas put up for information after Ms Wanninkhof disappeared.

This week, police uncovered new evidence pointing to the innocence of Ms Vazquez. DNA from skin found under the nails of a girl murdered last month matched that found on a cigarette at the first murder site. Mr Stanford, who made about £30m from selling his Demon internet company in 1998, has put up the reward in the belief that his au pair's murderer is still at large.

His intervention continues an eventful month for Mr Stanford, after his arrest in London last week over an entirely separate matter.

He is thought to have been questioned on his connection with George Liddell, a technology expert who allegedly hacked into the e-mails of John Porter, son of Dame Shirley Porter.

Mr Stanford has been at loggerheads with Mr Porter over Redbus Interhouse, an internet hotel business in which they both own shares.