It is 20 years this week since one of The Northern Echo's most important campaigns took shape.

The paper led demands for an archaic law to be scrapped after a young man called Michael Gibson was fatally injured in an unprovoked attack in Darlington town centre.

Michael, who was 22, was in a coma for 16 months before he died but his attacker could not be charged with murder or manslaughter because of the "Year And A Day Rule".

It was a law born in the dark ages, long before life support systems. It meant thugs were literally getting away with murder if their victims survived longer than 366 days. Michael's attacker was charged with GBH and was out of prison before his victim died.

On April 12 1994, the then Darlington MP Alan Milburn presented a Commons motion calling for the law to be scrapped. As a result, the Year And A Day rule no longer protects killers and grieving families can see justice done.

The campaign could not have been successful without the courage of Michael's mother, Pat. She fought like a tiger, allowing us to take a front page picture of her son in a coma to help hammer home the message about the law being an ass.

I want to write a piece to mark the 20th anniversary of the campaign but I've lost touch with Pat. I had an address for her in Faverdale, Darlington, but she no longer lives there.

If anyone knows how to contact her, please let me know.