THE family of a murdered pensioner are facing fresh heartache after the family of the man convicted of killing her offered a £25,000 reward for information they say could clear his name.

Matthew Hamlen was jailed for life last year after being found guilty of the brutal killing of Georgina Edmonds.

The 77-year-old grandmother was battered to death in her own home after being tortured for her PIN number.

Mrs Edmonds was the widow of Basingstoke coffee merchant Harry Edmonds. Her son, also called Harry, ran The Edmonds Group, a coffee merchant which was based in Paddington House, Festival Place.

Fours years ago Hamlen was cleared of murdering Mrs Edmonds at her riverside cottage at Brambridge, near Eastleigh, in 2008.

But new DNA evidence came to light and he was re-arrested in 2014 following a relaxation of the double jeopardy law, which had previously prevented anyone being tried for the same crime twice.

Earlier this year Hamlen was convicted of murdering Mrs Edmonds, who was stabbed 37 times before being bludgeoned with a rolling pin.

The 36-year-old electrician was told he would spend at least 30 years behind bars.

But Hamlen's supporters, who describe him as a hardworking family man, are convinced he is innocent and have launched a campaign to clear his name. 

They are hoping their offer of a huge cash reward for new information will lead to his conviction being quashed. 

A member of his campaign team said: "In addition to securing Matthew’s release we want to achieve real justice for those closest to the late Mrs Edmonds.

"Her murder was brutal. It benefits no-one that an innocent man serves a life sentence for a crime he did not commit, leaving the real culprit at large."

Hundreds of posters publicising the reward will be distributed across Hampshire in the hope that a previously unknown witness will come forward with information which could prove that Hamlen had nothing to do with Mrs Edmonds's death.

As reported in May, he is seeking leave to appeal against the verdict handed down at Winchester Crown Court in February.

During the second trial jurors were shown CCTV footage of an unidentifiable man, said by the prosecution to be Hamlen, trying to obtain £200 from a cash machine using the murder victim's debit card.

But one of Hamlen's ex-colleagues, David Moore, of Carlton Electrical Services, watched the footage and told the court: "It wasn't Matthew."

The campaign team spokesman said: "Matthew's height, build and shoe size simply don't match those of the person dubbed 'ATM man' or 'yellow coat man'.

"Matthew is 5ft 9in, slim, and takes a size ten shoe. ATM man appears to be about 6ft 2in, well-built with larger feet."

The spokesman confirmed that Hamlen lived near the cash machine at the time but added: "Would the killer use an ATM in the vicinity of their own home?" 

Jurors at the second trial heard that following his acquittal eight years ago police found new DNA evidence linking him to Mrs Edmonds's murder.

A sample obtained from the victim's blouse was 26 million times more likely to have come from Hamlen than someone else, the court was told.

But his family are pointing to flaws in the system, including cases of DNA being transferred from one person to another via a third party.

The spokesman said: "Misinterpretation, human error, contamination and simple laboratory accidents are not as rare as people think.

"This is especially the case when the evidence is based on 'Touch DNA', so named because it requires only very small samples such as skin cells left on an object after it has been handled.

"When we handle a banknote our DNA is transferred to the note - and we pick up some of the DNA of previous users of the note. This can then be transferred to other objects we touch.

"A number of convictions in this country and aboard have been overturned because the DNA evidence relied upon was not sound.

"It must be extremely tough for juries to understand complex scientific data, especially when DNA evidence is usually seen as entirely reliable and almost beyond question.

"Many innocent people have spent years incarcerated for crimes they did not commit, leaving the real perpetrators at large.

"Matthew is a hardworking family man and the picture painted by the prosecution does not ring true with those closest to him.

"The campaign is utterly convinced of Matthew's innocence.

"We believe the reward demonstrates our belief that someone holds a key piece of evidence that will lead to the real killer - and Matthew's subsequent acquittal."

More details of the campaign can be found online at matthewhamlenisinnocent.wordpress.com.

His family say anyone with information should contact the campaign via the website. All potential leads will be followed-up by his legal team.