The heartbroken dad of a north-east man who has been missing for nearly six months is offering a £5,000 reward to anyone who can help find his son.

Charlie Reid helped lead search parties in the days after Shaun Ritchie disappeared.

He said last night he had “all but given up hope” that the 20-year-old will be found alive.

And he said his life had been “hellish” since his son vanished after a Halloween night out.

Shaun Ritchie: 10 things we know about his disappearance

Mr Reid made his reward offer just days after Mr Ritchie’s mother Carol-Ann revealed someone dialled 999 and asked for help on the night he disappeared.

A man asked for police to come to a farm in the Greenburn area, north-west of Strichen, near Fraserburgh.

But shortly afterwards operators were contacted again and told officers were no longer needed.

Two days later, Mr Ritchie was reported missing.

The phone calls were not made public during the initial police inquiry, but it is understood it was considered there was nothing suspicious about either of them.

Mr Reid, 41, said last night he was unaware of the facts surrounding the calls.

He added: “Whatever the police have is with them, I am just interested in finding Shaun and that’s it.

“I just hope that there is someone out there who knows something and that the money will make them come forward.

“I’m not interested in making accusations or pointing fingers. I just want him found.

“I am willing to offer a reward of £5,000 for any information that leads to the whereabouts of Shaun.

“I have all but given up hope of finding him alive. You have got to be realistic. Shaun was last seen in the company of some friends he had been for a night out with and has not been seen since.”

Offshore worker Mr Reid, who lives in the Tyrie area, added: “These last six months have been a very emotional and trying time for all of Shaun’s family, both on his mother’s side and my own side.

“This has not only affected his parents but also his siblings – and continues to affect us all every single day.

“It has been the darkest period of my life. Hellish.”

Mr Reid’s mother, who lives in Fraserburgh, said she was “disgusted” when she found out about the 999 calls recently.

She said: “I was told that one of the men on the farm Shaun was last seen on contacted the police that night.

“Why did the police not go out there – regardless of whether he called back and said he didn’t want the police any more?”

It is understood Mr Ritchie, from Fraserburgh, had been drinking with friends at a pub in the port on October 31.

He then travelled with a small group in a van to the Greenburn area where he was last seen early November 1.

Items of his clothing, including a hooded top and a belt, have been recovered by police during their sweep of land near Strichen.

And, over the course of the investigation, hundreds of officers and volunteers have scoured the area, supported by helicopters, sniffer dogs and specialist divers.

A police spokeswoman said last night that the investigation into Mr Ritchie’s disappearance was still being treated as a missing person inquiry.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts has been urged to co9ntact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.