Claudia Lawrence-Who Took Her?
Latest Update Tuesday 20th August 2024 @ 13:15 (GMT)
Disclaimer in Footnote-Please read
Latest update
having given lots of thought to this case since I started writing about this in 2019, I have had many reflections. Of course, the alleyman that police are relying upon could have nothing to do with the case and so is in fact a bit of a red herring.
Equally, Alleyman could have been deliberately set up to make all including police think that she was actually at home that night when in fact she may not have been. I suggest that you bear this all in mind when reading my blog-Thank you.
Foreword
This is no ordinary “Missing Person” case but one with many possible theories.
The police have declared that due to the time passed since Claudia dissapeared she is most likely to be dead and they appear to know who the perpetrators are but have insufficient trial evidence.
I cover new areas that investigative journalists and the media are yet to discuss and the last journalistic mentions by mass media were on the 10th Anniversary of her disappearance.
Documentaries made on this case always involve two females, featured in the story photo who were said to be close friends at the time of her dissapearance. Claudia had not known these friends for long, they were not the lifelong friends Claudia had and we hear very little of others.
In particular there is CCTV evidence and analysis included that has not been mentioned before.
We ask why, this footage includes sightings of people that no appeal has ever been issued for where timestamps have been removed with doubt cast over the time of day where timestamps are present?
I don’t have the answer to what happened to Claudia but try to provide possibilities and some previously unknown facts.
In the best interest of finding what happened to Claudia and bringing justice. I approach this Blog in a frank manner as treading on eggshells will not provide answers and so explore the sides of Claudia that those close to her were unaware of and the family may have difficulty in acknowledging.
A side that we all have.
If this article offends anyone then stop reading it, Light a candle instead and pray. Perhaps that will bring more comfort but not a result.
Introduction to Claudia
As we approach adulthood, we have secrets that aren’t shared with our parents and we may discuss these with a best friend. Some secrets we share with only the person involved. The more that I research of this case, the more inclined I am to believe that Claudia died with a secret only known to her perpetrators.
Claudia was A 35 Year old who enjoyed the company of middle aged men who were reasonably well off and in the main were already involved in a long term relationship, married or had a girlfriend.
Anyone who wishes to refute that, then I say let’s examine the facts first and then try to deny them.”
What I would say about Claudia is the following:
She had been hurt during an early long term relationship with a married older man and then went on to have a reasonably lengthy relationship with a man her own age that she ended after time.
Claudia was trying to prove something to herself, likely of lower self esteem and wishing to avoid the hurt of future rejection.
She sought out married men who were unlikely to leave their partners and because they were older, less likely to reject her.
This gave her control, but at the same time provided an element of risk as she may anger not only the male but potentially the other female in the relationship.
She was definitely promiscuous in relationships, nothing wrong with that and certainly not a reason for her to come to any harm.
…. So read on, if you become involved in the cause to find out what happened, be aware that it is compulsive stuff.
It is strongly felt amongst the public that the Police already have their suspects and this is more of a motive finder case -A “Why” rather than a “Who” done it.
I waste no time on chasing the wrong tails.
The story
Last Reported Seen
Claudia was last reported as seen by anyone at 14:50 on 18th March 2009 by a childminder; Linda Chapman, when they spoke as Claudia was seen walking away from her home, possibly popping out for a quick local errand. Claudia having returned home earlier from her morning shift as a chef at York University in the Roger Kirk Centre. It was also confirmed by a sighting on a private CCTV camera at 15:05 that Claudia was spotted walking back into her home.
The camera was positioned inside one of the windows of a house opposite and police have not revealed this fact yet to the media.
Last Heard From
At 20:23 the same evening she had a phone call with her Mum where Claudia was described as being in very good spirits, the TV on in the background. Claudia was watching the same programme as her mum, a particular favourite of theirs-Location, Location, Location which was screened from 20:00 to 21:00.
But what was Claudias “Location” at the time of the call?
Reported Missing
Claudia was first missed by her close friend Suzy Copper when she didn't turn up for a pre arranged meeting at the Nags Head on the evening of Thursday 19th. Suzy and Claudias other friend, Jen King who was on duty as a barmaid at the nags head that same night discussed concerns over Claudias absence.
Whilst Suzy’s route home from the Pub did not take her past Claudias house only 4 doors away. Jens did.
Neither of the girls attempted to knock to see if Claudia was ok?
Suzy waited until the next day, Friday 20th and then raised a concern with Claudia’s Father,
Peter Lawrence rang Caudias workplace where he was advised for the first time that she had now been absent for her second day shift and so Peter reported a concern to Police at 14:00 on Friday 20th March.
Her employer; York University, had not reported a lone female as missing two shifts in a row to her next of kin.
Claudia was described as a very reliable employee.
For those that knew of Claudias texting obsession it may appear quite a long time for anyone not to have heard from her. Her last known text being sent on 18th March prior to 21:00.
Some 40 hours where Claudia was incommunicado?
The girl who had sent no texts or reported for work appeared to be ignored by the world, her employer and her friends?
The above was the official reporting of Claudia going missing. However the following entry from social media mentions that Jen King or Suzy Cooper may well have been to a police station to report this before Caludias house was searched:
This sounds like a very credible reporting.
Fulford Police Station was very close to the Nestle /Rowntree headquarters-Who worked there?
So had Peter been first to report Claudia missing?
Last Location
Many believe that Claudia was at home when this call took place, however she could have been somewhere else and at that time feeling safe and showing all verbal signs of being very happy.
This was the last time Claudia was seen or heard from-Over 10 Years ago….
Claudia was due to start work the following day 19th March at 06:00
She did not arrive and has not been seen since. Her body has never been found.
Something happened to Claudia between 20:30 on 18th March and 06:00 on 19th March that changed her normal routine.
A time window of around 9 Hours…..
In her searched home was her handbag and passport which is apparently unusual for a missing person or someone who has taken themselves off to escape the world to leave behind. One of the first questions Police require an answer to regarding a missing person is around means of travel and finance.
I also felt that it was unusual for the passport to have been in her handbag?
its not something you carry around with you, unless required to do so.
Claudia could have left the country illegally, or under a different identity to protect her or been smuggled abroad.
Police were initially accused of issuing a description of Claudia with Blonde hair, the colour her parents and friends say was incorrect as Claudia then had Brown hair with highlights. She was not known for her naturaly curly hair, she always wore it straight. The only missing items from an inventory of her home were those she would have normally taken to work. Her hair straighteners were also missing and detailed later.
If Claudia was planning to go straight out from work she may have needed her straighteners, her job as a chef entailed working in hot conditions and this would curl her hair.
What we do know is that for the evening of 19th March this was not the case as Claudia had arranged to meet her best friend Suzy Cooper at the Nags Head. They were to plan a holiday to Greece in June.
Claudia would have been able to get home from work prior to15:00 allowing plenty of time to get ready to meet Suzy that evening only 4 doors down from her house.
It was alleged that she had met a new boyfriend the previous evening (Tuesday 17th) and stayed out all night.
If this was a planned liason and she was going to stay over then she may have taken the straighteners with her in her work bag and not removed them when either returning home in the early hours of (05:00 on 18th)?
There were signs that she may have dyed her hair back to Blonde, but this would have been unusual, Claudia had only recently had her hair dyed proffesionaly and with highlights.
Perhaps she had friends with curly hair that may have required straightening that she was helping with on the evening of 18th?
Other than the hair straighteners, all of the dyes were still out and in her bathroom some in the waste bin others on the shelf as if used that very recently?
Did Claudia dye her hair because she genuinely wanted to escape from her life or did someone make it appear that she was planning to “disappear” so as to take any heat off the suggestion this was a murder and buy some time?
If she was trying to disguise herself, there would have been more effective ways. Cutting her hair or wearing a wig.
We can understand from this why the initial Police investigation issued photos of Claudia with Blonde hair. I believe that at the time, the Police were correct in issuing the description the did?
Where they were wrong was that the missing poster issued included a photo of her aged 26 Years. 9 Years earlier.
Would this photo not have be provided by her family-Her Father appeared to support the accuracy of the photo during his own personal appeal?
It is my view that Claudia was either using the straighteners at home on someone elses hair and were removed by a perpetrator so as not to leave evidence or Claudia was not at home that fateful evening.
There wasa suggestion that she could have been strangled by the wire of the straighteners, not the murder weapon of choice unless perhaps another female was doingher hair.
Slippers were left by the front door, they were quite old fashioned and it was felt that Claudia would not wear these. Was this because she was wearing her favourite slippers when she was abducted and again to remove any evidence of where she went, removed from the scene?
Had someone who didn’t know her as well as others or in a rush, placed the wrong slippers (Perhaps an unwelcome Xmas present) in place to make things appear normal?
This might indicate that the perpetrator didn’t know Claudia as a close friend, or perhaps just panicked and had no other option as part of the cover up as her favourite slippers went with her?
The Police have indicated that they have interviewed the perpetrators and that after all of this time she must have been murdered.
Police claim that the perpetrator(s) are local and were known well to Claudia. As is often the case in these circumstances.
Currently Police have not been granted permission to proceed to prosecution or charge the 4 subjects arrested and have been met with a wall of silence during questioning suspects that they believe one day will break.
Particularly if a relationship breaks down; one of the perpetrators dies, guilt overcomes them or they find it difficult to live with what they know or may even suspect.
The above suggests that the guilty are being protected by a partner who:
If a relationship breaks down
When one of the perpetrator dies-Perhaps having a hold on the other(s)
Guilt overcomes them
They find it difficult to live with what they Know or Suspect.
My opinion is that whilst they arrested 4 people, not all would have been charged for murder, perhaps for providing others with an Alibi?
I also believe that there is at least one other person involved who has yet to be arrested but may well have been questioned.
As you read the account of her dissapearance you should note that this case does not bear any resemblense to someone who has been killed in a crime of passion. It has all the hallmarks of either a cold and calculated / premeditated murder or once murdered, meticulous planning and a call to action of more than just a small handful of people.
Hence the Police reference to “Relationships breaking down in the future” between perpetrators.
My research has looked at what is published on traditional and social media.
Traditional mass media continue to churn the same facts over and over again, frequently getting dates and timings wrong.
Some of the difficulties that I have encountered are that Police may well have refrained from issuing some material that could assist a wider circle to help them and where they have issued material (CCTV footage) it is not enhanced and some even appears to be pixelated or missing important time stamp information.
Why would this be? Perhaps they have had their hands tied at a higher level or more likely just wish to retain evidence for a future prosecution?
A Starting Point
Let’s begin to face up to who Claudia really was and what could have happened-Because…….
“If you know how someone lived you will start to discover how they died”
Sightings
There were reported sightings on the morning of 19th March when Claudia would normally have been on her way to work but these were anonymous and those reporting, have failed; despite requests by police, to come forward and so I will treat these as “Red Herrings”
The Police have had to deal with many sightings and like them I do believe that they were put out there by the perpetrators to throw investigators off the scent.
There is even concern that some posting on social media are trying to distract well intentioned help and thoughts by throwing out stories that take us down “Rabbit Holes”.
I have personal experience of this as I have been investigating and believe that I also have been lured into a cul-de-sac by perpetrators-It is quite eerie to feel that I may have communicated unwittingly with a perpetrator who is online for the sole purpose of ensuring that they hijack others thought paths.
What I did find is that there has been a deliberate attempt to mislead both the police and the public and to cast aspirations towards some suspects who are likley only to have been genuine friends of Claudia and so I aim to focus upon the facts.
Many people disappear in the UK every year never to be found. It is true to say that Claudia benefited from a middle class upbringing and so her case became higher profile than many do.
But was this the reason why the Police responded so quickly to a “Call to action” or did the police know something more, something about Claudia’s recent activity or relationships that gave them cause for concern and was she already mixing with people on a “Watch List” or did Claudia have a boyfriend in the police force as some have suggested?
Her Dad, Peter was a solicitor based at a law firm in York.
Her Mother went on to be Mayor of her local Town of Malton-Claudias Birth place.
Claudia’s Dad would often meet her in the Nags Head; her local, on a Friday evening and was as you would expect, close to her as a very supportive and loving Father.
Missing Persons
It is usual for certain missing cases to be categorised as more high profile than others. I can think of many missing persons where the parents come from a working class background, and are given far less attention. I despair at this categorisation of human life.
Ben Nedham, the child who dissapeared in Greece many years ago, to name one. He was playing in the Villa where his parents, of working class backgrounds were very close by.
We also know that if you are middle class proffesionals then you have more of a voice and command attention.
Take the Leicestershire couple, the McCann’s, both Doctors.
They left their children unattended on more than one evening when they went out for drinks and dinner on holiday in the Algarve. Madeline went missing, never to be found. Mrs McCann refused to answer 49 Questions put to her by Police.. Is this helpful?
Like Claudia's, her campaign continues. Ben’s sadly dwindled.
It is often not about how you parent your children or who as a human being you are, it seems to be more about where you are from and your families standing in the community that counts.
Let's hope that they find Ben and many others who appear not to matter because they either had no one with a voice to miss them or their “significant others” were without money?
The Timeline
The Lawrences had moved from Darlington to Malton, near York, before their children were born and raised their daughters in a comfortable middle-class world. Peter had been a criminal defence solicitor in Darlington and prosecutor in this location. He then switched to commercial property law for the easier hours and better money, setting up his own practice; Peter John Lawrence of Slingsby.
Were there people in his past who he had not defended to what they believed was his best, was there a revenge element?
Wednesday 27th February 1974
Claudia Elizabeth Lawrence is Born in Malton York. The younger of two girls, her Sister Ali who was 3 years older. Both girls attended private school in York.
As a teenager Claudia went to York College for Girls where she studied until she was 19.
A friend of Claudia describes her as follows:
“She was like any other girl at school, nothing exciting but not a wallflower, she was fun and always laughing but quite shy and not that outgoing.”
“Claudia had quite a strict upbringing but she had holidays and a nice happy family life, Malton was lovely to grow up in, we had a lot of freedom.
All that she is portrayed as in the media came as a massive shock to me which is why it’s quite hard for me to get my head around because she certainly wasnt anything like portrayed when I knew her and I cant see people can completely and totally change”
1994
Claudia left home and went to study at Catering College whilst her parents were still together, they separated later.
1996
Two years after Claudia leaves home, her parents separate.
The same friend discusses Claudias parents:
“Her mum and dad are both nice people and seemed happy so don’t know why the marriage ended, however it does appear to have been quite a difficult split as Joan and Peter have never appeared together in interviews to appeal for Claudia-Joan does retain her married name however?
At some point, Claudia moves from Malton, a middle class wealthy and recently “gentrified” market town outside of York, where she grew up with her parents and her older sister; Ali Sims, now married and living in the Derbyshire Peak District. Ali is married to Danny, with two children Luke and Joshua. Claudia thought the world of her Nephews.
2006
When she commenced work as a Chef at the Roger Kirk Centre Cafe in Goodricke College, York University she decided that the journey to work would be too long, particularly in the winter months and so in 2006 she moved to 18 Thirlmere Drive, York prior to moving into the neighbourhood of Heworth, York in November 2007.
Claudia was described by 3 of her work colleagues as “Quiet” with one of the colleagues who didn’t want to be named saying:
“Claudia’s a quiet Girl who wouldn’t say boo to a Goose.”
Descriptions of Claudia like the one above just don’t seem to match the alleged behaviour of a mysterious and complex life that we now know that she led.
Whilst Claudia was a Chef she did on occasions serve customers their food at the front of house and worked on the tills.
One person commented:
“Comming out from the kitchen and bringing food out and things, no doubt chatter occurs between her and students”
It was only a 14 minute walk from Thirlmere Drive to Heworth.
Interestingly in 2014–2019. Peter John Lawrence is listed on the electoral role at a property in this road. Perhaps a coincidence, someone with exactly the same name. Maybe?
But if it was Claudias Dad, why would he live here and why for the above 5 years and why here as it isn’t the nicest part of York?
It would appear that land Registry searches show that the house is owned by someone else and so did he rent and share it with Claudia when she moved jobs to the university?
Prior to this date and during 2002–2006 Peter is listed as living in YO42 with Christine Pick and her Daughter Louisa after her partner Charles appears to move out:
Christine was an employee at solicitor Ware and Kay.
But since publishing this information week commencing 20 / 01 / 2020, the electoral information regarding his occupancy at Thirlmere Drive has been changed and now shows his latest recorded address is a 5 minute drive from Heworth Road?
He continues to live in the area at the following address which is understandable.
November 2006
Claudia met Suzy Cooper and started to frequent the Nags Head pub where she met the then barmaid Jen King. The three girls became very good friends.
Heworth, a friendly place with a high student population which created a high turnover of people. Particularly at the Limes accommodation a few doors away from Claudias new home.
Claudia, who was a keen horse rider, had a Pony called “Cobweb” that died not long before she dissapeared.
She had previously worked at the Quality Hotel in Piccadilly, York, and at the city’s Best Western Monkbar Hotel where her boss was Darrell Burnham, the 35 year old Deputy manage.
This was where she met a work colleague Anthony “Anth” Newby, kitchen porter. They became good friends and continued to see each other occasionally after Claudia moved jobs and they would meet at a Pub in Acomb, York-The Acomb.
Heworth is a suburb a continuation of the city of York and was convenient for work.
2007
She purchased the house at 46 Heworth Road in Heworth for £180,000.
Not long after Claudia moved in, one of her neighbours at Number 48 moved out in 2009 having stayed only a year, siting that they did not like the area.
Perhaps this was because the Nags Head pub close by was known for drug dealing activity?
Her neighbours spoken too appeared to like Claudia.
The Neighbours
Blake Beresforde (21 Years Old)
50 Heworth Road
Next door but one neighbour described her as “Always very smiley, quite a happy woman”.
Blake, a chef at Aldwark Manor said Miss Lawrence had never been inside his home. The home was owned by his father, Andrew James Beresforde. Blake was from the Leicestershire area where he now lives today.
He said he had met Miss Lawrence but had never had a relationship with her. “I haven’t really known her on a friend-to-friend basis, I have just known her as a neighbour and I am being treated like I am the one who’s done it.”
His home was searched three weeks after Claudia dissapeared as it was reported that he had a similar backpack to Claudia. The Backpack turned out to be one belonging to a housemate. Mr Beresforde was interviewed for 4 hours at the local police station.
He complained that Police had wrecked his home and broke the door down in the search.
Police found hair in the back garden and Mr. Andrew James Beresforde, Blakes Father, explained that this was due to him cutting his sons hair in the back garden. What a strange thing to do, particularly in March.
Was it Claudias back Pack or the Back Pack of the person seen on CCTV, Dark Person that you will read about?
Linda Chapman
The neighbour and a childminder who was reported as being the last person to see her before she went missing. Linda also spoke with her and said that she appeared to be normal. Linda said about Claudia“ She was happy go lucky, as she is”.
Sheila Richardson
Lived on the opposite side of Heworth Road:
Sheila’s long shifts as a nurse meant they kept different hours and never met. Having a daughter herself, Sheila feels great sympathy for Claudia’s parents.
“It’s so hard to think that somebody has disappeared or died, and there are no real clues to pin anything down”.
Richard Hudson
Of Hudsons, Local butchers:
He didn’t know the then-35-year-old chef, but met some of her friends from her home town of Malton when he helped out at Castle Howard.
Description of Claudia
At the time of moving to Heworth Road, Claudia was 33 Years old, 168 cm tall (5ft 6inches), Dress size 8 with natural Brown hair and Brown eyes. Claudia was always wanting to loose a few pounds and disliked the gym, prefering to seek excercise by walking to and from work whenever possible. Claudia was a vegetarian.
Unlike many of Claudias age group, she did not engage in Social Media, or own a computer and was not a Facebook user. She was however a heavy text communicator, sending and receiving hundreds of texts each day.
Claudia was a very attractive woman with many admirers. She appeared to “compartmentalise’ sections of her life very effectively between work and different groups of friends, for example and very few people new everything about her. Very few knew exactly what she did when at home alone or otherwise. She appeared to keep groups of friends apart. Those from Malton, Those she met through work as Chefs. The Nags Head crowd and of course some Boyfriends that not all were aware of.
Her curtains were often drawn. Almost a metaphor for her life.
Jennifer Ann (Jen) King
Not long after Claudia moved to the area in 2006, She met Jen King the 24 year old, curly haired Barmaid at The Nags Head. The pub being 4 doors down moved in as a lodger with Claudia in 2008 at Number 46.
Jen stayed with Claudia for a year following the break up of a relationship.
Jen, who's Mother lives in Grimsby and brother Richard in Saltburn, Cleveland, went to School in Whitby where she attended Whitby Community College from 1999 to 2003.
Since June 2015 Jen has been running her own Umbrella agency; uKnight Solutions Limited in York
(Previously names UK Contractor Solutions. Registered at her address of 41 Heworth Road, York).
Where she advises contractors and self employed people how to optimise their taxation issues. Her offices are at:
First Floor Unit 4 Concept Court, Kettlestring Lane
York
North Yorkshire
YO30 4XF
Jen describes this company on Linkedin as “Legalised Tax avoidance”
Jen has also been the Director of the following companies:
Network One Ltd. (2014–2015) Director-Sales and Marketing Manager-Dissolved
My Tech Ltd-(2015–2017) Director-Dissolved
Jen still dreams about Claudia Today:
Jen describes her dream as follows:
“Claudia kind of goes all coy as she tries to explain where she’s been — and she says to me, ‘Well, you know, it just spiralled out of control’, says Jen.
“And then I wake up and realise it’s not true. If only it was. I don’t think for one moment she’s responsible for herself going missing, but that’s what it’s like in my dream.”
Jen, who once shared a house with Claudia, still lives in hope that detectives’ fears are wrong — and that the York chef, who should be celebrating her 45th birthday next week, was not murdered after she vanished in March, 2009.
Jen also said- “If she is dead, I want to be able to lay her to rest. And if she’s still alive, I want her to be home so we can begin to put her back together again.”
And
“If she is dead I hope that she was gone before she hit the ground”
“If she’s still alive she deserves another chance”
“If I knew who murdered her I would march them to the police station”
But Jen if you discovered that it was an accident would you still “March Them” to the Cop Shop?
Claudia centre of social activity became The Nags Head the local pub only a few doors down from her new home.
Friday 27th February 2009
Claudia’s 35th Birthday
Wednesday 4th March 2009
Claudia was seen having a drink at The Acomb Pub in Acomb with her friend Anthony Newby, a kitchen porter by the landlord Paul Harris.
Harris said, “Claudia would go to his pub; The Acomb, with her friend, kitchen porter Anthony Newby, who she used to work with at York University and who is a smashing guy.”
“She was a girl and she was a little bit flirty but I never saw her leave with anyone or get a taxi with anyone else,” he said. However, good friends of Claudia would disagree that Claudia was flirty and they would say that she was on the shy side?
Was he being asked about Taxi’s?
“She was drinking in here two weeks before she went missing but that was the first time for years, she’d stopped drinking here because she obviously had made friends with those in the Nag’s Head”.
“I did speak to her and said ‘Are you alright Claudia?’ and she was with Ant and she got the taxi home and I never saw her again”.
The police later took an interest in the fact that her phone signal was emitting in the Acomb area around this time and so this particular pub and the one closer to the police station-The Carlton Tavern came under focus.
Editors Note:
This confirms that she was as police had detected from her mobile signal that she was in at least one of the two Pubs aforementioned-Who with?
March 10th 2009
Two men “reportedly” seen at Claudias front door.
One older has a Sandy Macintosh (Mac), one a younger Asian gentleman or could they just have had a darker skin.
The sandy Mac turns up quite frequently in this case….
Friday 13th March-Cheltenham Cup Day
Many friends including Claudia are at the Nags Head. Her local and “Mother Ship” that has been described by many as “An Old Mans pub” and the name an apt description of many of the patrons (Nags)?
Claudia and her female friends would be very welcome here and would be on the receiving end of some drooling attention. However, friends Suzy, Jen and Claudia bought their own rounds together and normally drank at a similar pace. Claudia would frequent this pub 4 or 5 times a week. It is believed that this pub was under watch for cocaine dealing at the time.
On this evening however, Suzy arrived later and Claudia was there! Suzy said:
“The last time I saw Claudia was indeed Cheltenham Cup Friday (13th).
I got in pub around 9pm & she had been in all day so totally pissed. We did speak but we didn’t spend our usual time together as she was so drunk & I was sober. She was with others who had been in all day.
Nothing sinister & no falling out. She was just plastered! We never spoke as Claudia was too drunk”
Editors Note:
So, I go to a pub and my best friend is there. He is a bit drunk, he may be making a bit of a fool of himself but there is no way that I
Then Jen gives her account of Claudia:
“Being worried she had upset someone and said something she shouldn’t”
A local Barmaid mentions the following:
“Lock-Ins were not uncommon and sometimes the “Party” continued back at Claudias house.
Many of Claudias romantic liaisons were forged at the pub.”
Simon “George” Foreman the then Landlord.
The Nags Head was also a B&B and before the Police could search it there was talk of a mattress and sheet being removed with a quick refurbishment of one of the bedrooms.
You would think that at this sad time the landlord would be far more focused on helping to find Claudia.
Bar Staff at the time of the Nags were:
David (Dave)
5ft 9 inches tall. With Strawberry blonde balding hair, he had a slight squint which could have been a glass eye, a sizeable beer gut and a noticeable limp.
Dave had a Geordie accent and lived opposite the pub and next door to Quartz travel with his wife Tina a nurse. Tina would join Dave at the end of his shift for drinks. Dave was also on Drayman duty in the mornings.
James (Jim) Rodney Melsom
Following George Foremans departure from the pub in 2011, Jim Melsom who joined the pub in 2001 and worked with the previous landlord took over. He is 5ft 5 inches tall. A married father of stout build, heavily balding brown hair. Jim had a less noticeable limp. Jim was originaly in charge of morning cellar business and Sunday Lunches / B&B. Jim was tee-total and had been in the licensed trade since 1970. he was co landlord with George and it appeared clear that his relationship with Ray was a little *strained.
(*Facebook comment from Ray)
Raymond P Webster-Ray (Chef)
Ray lived during 2008 / 9 in one of the pubs B&B rooms as he was required to be available for Breakfast duty. He would be awake before 06:00 for breakfast from 07:00 or perhaps earlier by arrangement?
Ray departed for Holiday to Tunisia on evening of 17th March 2009 and so his room would have been empty from that Tuesday evening, 17th being his last day at work. Ray was very concerned and careing and when he found out about what happened, returned form his vacation early.
How did Ray get to the airport? He owned a Renault Megane but to park this at an airport would be expensive, probably more expensive than the cost of the flight?
In May, Ray became unhappy at work and on 13th June started looking for somewhere new to live for him and his dog and on 14th June he mentions that he is looking for work despite him loving his job as a chef.
When Ray returned, was there something he noticed about the rooms upstairs in the Nags Head?
Questions about his car:
Had someone been driving his car?
Was this Megane used without Ray’s knowledge whist he was in Tunisia?
Who did Ray trust the car with whilst he was away?
Was it loaned out to anyone?
Who had the keys?
Did the Police check his car in case some of the above had taken place? Probably not.
Ray now runs a pub in Stockton in the Forest. Staying at Nags until August 3rd 2015. Jen King, one of Claudias friends organised his leaving present.
It was rare in 2009 for people to stay in the pubs B&B rooms. Today, Tripadvisor records quite a few stays. They Hold 4 stars on Trip Advisor from 121 reviews all since 2010.
George the landlord would occasionally stay over after a Lock-in if he was too drunk to drive. This appeared to create a rift between him and his wife-They eventually seperated.
Stephen John Cooper-(Age 23) Son of Person of Interest (POI) Alistair Cooper
The younger of two boys, his older Brother Paul (26).Stephen would work occasionally at the Pub during University breaks when he was home from Sheffield Hallam University.
Pub Layout
In 2009 it was possible to access the pubs rear car park and the shared entrance to a local motor repair garage from the alleyway at the rear of Claudia’s and other houses in the rear adjoining street of Heworth Place. One of the houses in particular owned by family of one of the Nags Head crowd.
On Trip Advisor, one unhappy customers describes their stay as “Having to get to their room via the rear metal fire escape in the car park as the only means of access and egress-Convenient for some but not others?
It is said that whilst there was CCTV covering the rear of the Pub car park that this may well have revealed “drinkers” getting into a vehicle to drive after consuming too much alcohol or leaving after one of the famed “ Lock-ins”.
But it would also conceal any possible drug dealing taking place.
A live CCTV system could well have been bad for business?
CCTV was often “disabled” as it was when Claudia dissapeared. Regulars would be aware of this.
The first police investigation failed to search this alleyway, a new force appointed to oversee the earlier investigation searched the alleyway and arrests quickly followed…What did Police find some 5 Years later that was still intact, or did they review reveal previously “discounted” evidence?
Claudia stayed all day at the Pub and went off into York in the earlier hours of the next morning to continue celebrations with friends, one of who was Jen King (Friend), who used to be Claudia's house mate for some time when Jen was searching for somewhere to stay in the area.
A Possible Motive
On an online forum, the following comments were made by an unnamed Nags Head regular:
“Think there is sympathy for the mother who has always behaved with dignity. The father who knew full well how his daughter was behaving, and what she was doing, did nothing to stop her.”
“Someone encouraged her to seek financial compensation from her suitors who was that? If someone was touching either of my daughters up in front of me I wouldn't be happy Claudias father seemed to encourage it.”
Of course this could be just talk.
The alleway that ran from Heworth Place and along the rear of Houses of Heworth Place and Heworth Road. 44 to 52 Heworth Road houses were accesible from this Alley, Claudias, Number 46 can be seen with a Red roof over the Kitchen / Bathroom extension.
Or was this our missing “Motive”
At the time of Claudias disappearance, Jen lived in an apartment at Eboracum Way YO31 7SS. A newly built complex with only 9 apartments occupied at the time. This was an 11 Minute walk to Claudia’s and the pub and had views of the River Foss.
Following Claudias disappearance, Jen moved in with her partner Pete Ruane who she lives with today at 41 Heworth Road, opposite Claudias house.
For a period of time, and as a barmaid at the Nags Head, she was described as being far more proficient than George the landlord or many other bar staff.
Suzy Cooper
Suzy (Sue) Cooper nee Archer; who moved to York in 1999 from Leamington Spa in teh midlands to undertake study as a mature student at York University, described as Claudias best friend and the person along with her family who appeared to be most affected by the loss of Claudia. In 2003 Sue (Suzy) Cooper took a job where there was another Sue working and so her name Suzy stuck until this day.
She lived then in the Tang Hall area of York, a 10 minute walk from their favourite meeting place, The Nags Head, Heworth.
Friday 13th March-Last Seen By Suzy Cooper
Suzy arrived late at the Nags on this day and Claudia was described as “already very merry”.
This was also the last time that Suzy Cooper would see her. At this time Suzy would normally see Claudia on a Sunday but every 3 Months at weekend’s Suzy would visit family in Leamington Spa, the Midlands and she was doing so this weekend.
Suzy felt that Claudia always shared secrets with her. However the Police advised Suzy during the investigation that perhaps Claudia had not always been as frank with Suzy and that she carried some secrets with her.
The police did not elaborate on these with Suzy.
Suzys house was searched in July 2009 by 12 uniformed officers and a police dog. They conducted a very thorough earch that included her house, gardens and rubbish bins.
I am not sure the relevance of a bin search though some 4 months after Claudia went missing?
Jen King says that they all got quite tipsy and ordered a Chinese takeaway. Jen goes on to say “Claudia was so embarrassed the next day because she’d been so drunk-but we all were.
Jen insists that Claudia had no secret boyfriend. (Was Jen, like Suzy, not aware of everything in Claudias life?) Jen said that she was her usual happy self in the days before she dissapeared.”She’s always so laid back and relaxed, And she is so beautiful, Everybody loves her”.
Claudia was reported to frequent the Nags Head 4 times a week, but had been absent and quite the opposite from being her normal self.
So had she fallen out with someone or was she just “Busy” with a new boyfriend who she didn’t want to share with those prying eyes of the Nags Head?
Sunday 15th March-Last Seen By Jen King
This was to be Claudia’s last appearance at the Nags Head which was unusual as her attendance patterns were normally more frequent. King reports that Sunday 15th March in the early hours was last time she saw Claudia, when they went into York Town Centre. This requires clarification as Jen then goes on to say to the media:
“She was happy in the lead up to her disappearance and was supporting me when I had a bad day just 2 days before she went (missing)”
This suggests that Claudia was issuing support on Monday or even Tuesday. Perhaps remotely by phone?
Claudias Sister, Ali was also due to meet Claudia this weekend but Claudia had cancelled due to her wanting to help a friend with some bad news. Claudia wanted to spend time with her friend. Was this friend Jen or someone else that Claudia was assisting?
Had Jen seen Claudia more recently?
Both Suzy and Jen were thrust into a world which was unfamiliar to them which consisted of intense media and police scrutiny. They spent hundreds of hours in the police station and a similar amount of time conducting media interviews.
They have certainly suffered the after effects on social media.
Week Commencing Monday 16th March
Claudia did not frequent the Nags Head as was normal and we know that she was never seen at the pub again before she went missing. Was this because something had happened or had she fallen out with someone on the Friday or even Sunday / early hours of Monday morning.
Jen was having problems, she was helping a friend with some bad news. Claudia was staying away from her local. Were things getting heated in the local community and were some relationships or even secret relationships coming to the surface?
Claudia was described as having “Beer Angst” always worrying about what she may have said to people when under the influence. Had she upset someone?
Monday 16th
Rported Time 14:30-15:00
Man with Hip length Tan coloured thin Mac type jacket with a hood seen on phone walking along Heworth Road, he had a small dark rucksack with very little in it and approaching Claudia’s house.
Claudia would normally return home from working around the above time and so she would not have been home for long.
Description
In 30’s, 5’9” to 5”10”
White, Clean shaven, Very neat Dark Brownish hair and cut stylishly with a fringe.
He was dressed smartly but casually and wore Dark Jeans / Chinos / Trousers with dark footwear.
Claudia comes to the door, she is also on the phone and is surprised to see him then lets him in. Before doing so she looks up and down the road.
Why does she do this. Was she as police say also seeing someone else at same time?
Was he the partner of a female who lived close by?
If they were a stranger, would she be concerned if locals were aware of his presence?
Was he in trouble and fleeing from someone and seeking refuge in Claudias house?
Was this person staying with Claudia and was he still there on nights of 17th and more importantly 18th March when Claudia dissapeared, were they an “old flame” perhaps someone from her much visited holiday destination of Cyprus or her ex Boyfriend Dan Whitehand.
What we do know is that Dan Whitehand was reported as being in Scarborough on the Evening of Wednesday 18th March. and so this is unlikely.Editors Note
It is highly likely that this person was staying at Claudias for a few days and would explain why she was not “Present” at the Nags Head or in person to assist Jen with her problems.
This was also the night Claudia was reported to have stayed out all night. A colleague that we now know to be David Oxer (But yet to be confirmed by the police) had revealed to Police 12 months after Claudia’s disappearance of the “All night, new Boyfriend”
Allegedly and according to David oxer, during her shift she him that she has been out all night drinking in the city centre until 4 am with a new boyfriend and just got back home at 5am. This person (Oxer and not the boyfriend) was known to Police and had been interviewed on more than one occasion.
Is it possible that during an interview where his own involvement had been brought into question, he offered this information so as to deflect Police from himself.
For Example:
By stating that Claudia had been out all night on the 16 / 17th and worked the early shift the following day, it would be highly unlikely that she would then have a second or third night out on 18th?
Tuesday March 17th
St Patricks Day
The morning that Oxer refers to that Claudia came to work, very tired and proclaims that she has been out until 5 am that morning.
Why did it take so long for him to come forward with a crucial piece of information? Did he feel that as Claudia had been missing for now a year that she would not turn up and deny his account. I can only assume what his motivation was, it does appear very suspicious however and this frustration was shared by Police?
DS Galloway said that this was a frustrating feature of the investigation and that a male friend had been reluctant to be candid with Police.
Why did Galloway refer to oxer as a “Male Friend” when he appears to be more of a colleague who would give her a lift to work from time to time.
Many of Claudias friends were from a Catholic / Irish background and so this evening would normally be a great evening of celebration for all.
Wednesday March 18th 2009
05:57
CCTV verifies that Claudia departs work on this day. There is no mention by Oxer that she had mentioned being out late for a second evening, but was he on shift to notice?
If she had again returned home from a night out at 05:00, that would have given her 23 minutes to get ready for work.
(A walk from home to Work is 1.7 miles and takes 35 minutes.)
Hardly time for her to do much more than brush her teeth and grab her bag. Her backpack (Missing) if she was planning an overnight stay. She wouldn’t have had time for breakfast or leave any dishes in the sink.
Her handbag with cards, passport and money was left at home and over the bedstead.
Why did she have her passport in her handbag or did someone place it there?
Her walk would have entailed her setting off at 05:23 to arrive at 05:58 unless she took a lift from home. If she walked her normal route, why was she not captured on CCTV at Melrosegate Post office? Because she would be on the opposite side of the road of the Cost Cutter CCTV camera in Heworth, it is unlikely that she would be picked up here at the first cctv camera.
She could of course have been offered a lift or picked up prior to Melrosegate post office, thus avoiding the cameras.
What we know is that Claudia was also a cautious person, she would not willingly get in the car of a stranger or someone that she didn’t trust.
The Police initially got the timings and distance wrong. The distance walking is shorter than by car due to Claudia being able to shortcut through university footpaths, albeit walking takes longer.
If she didn’t return home, someone may have given her a lift directly to work or she may have walked from a different direction if out again the night before?
Claudia’s Car
Claudia normally drove to work the 2.2 /2.6 miles to work in her dark Blue Corsa car that she purchased from JB Motors in Malton York. The drive would take her 7 / 8 minutes compared to the 35 minutes to walk.
When driving the quickest route was Via Tang Hall Lane. Walking was a different route down Melrosegate.
We know the route Claudia walked, would she drive a different route?
The car was having a new engine fitted and had gone for repair on or around Wednesday 4th March 2018 after it broke down in the snow. York had particularly bad weather in February / Early March that year.
The rear right handed headrest was set higher than the rest, suggesting that at some time a taller person was passenger in the car.
it was reported that the car was being repaired in the Leyerthorpe area of York, a 3 minute drive from Claudias House.
The only garage capable of undertaking this kind of repair in 2009 in this area at that time was listed as Gladstone Garage of 14 Redness Street York.YO31 7UU. it could have been repaired by other garages of course.
Could this car have been fixed earlier and someone took it from the repair garage as a transport vehicle on the night of 18th / Morning of 19th March without the business owners permission?
The Cigarette
It was in this car that Police were to find an Embassy Regal cigarette butt with Male DNA that has not yet been traced.
It wasn’t unusual for people to smoke in Claudias Car. Her friend Jen King and others used to smoke.
This in itself made me suspicious about when she last used the car and it and possibly being used whilst in for repair. Could her car have been repaired and was it used to transport her-Her DNA in this car would be expected?
In August 2008, the following image of a packet of cigarettes bearing the same brand markings was captured on Google lying just outside of Claudias doorway. As we know Claudia did not smoke and did not like people smoking around her.
In a Facebook blog later. Jen Kings brother, Richard King posts the following “Advertisement” for all to see:
Were these cigarettes from abroad or gained by other means?
Not very smart advertising these on social Media Richard.
Update 21st October 2019
It was confirmed on FB by the founding member of one of the Claudia groups as follows:
“I spoke to a member of the CLEVELAND & NORTH YORKSHIRE POLICE
MAJOR INVESTIGATION TEAM, COLD CASE UNIT this afternoon who confirmed to me that the DNA obtained from the Embassy Regal fag butt found in the ashtray in Claudia’s car was a male profile but they have no idea if the male in question was left handed, right handed or otherwise”.
The poster then went on to say
“They also told me that Claudia’s car had broken down “quite a few times” in the previous months and in various locations, so the fag butt could’ve come from anyone who had access to her car for towing it away and subsequently working on it”.
14:35
Claudia finishes her shift and leaves work. Verified by CCTV cameras.
As Claudia walks through a university car park (But Which One) we see a red van parked up as she passes by.
The Red van is then seen to pull out, Maybe a coincidence but read on…
Claudia would have had to take one f the above walkways marked in Red to arrive at University Road (Green) so as to pass the Post office on Melrosegate.
We know from the cctv footage that she walked through a Car Park (Orange), but which one?
The most obvious one appears much smaller than that of the one on CCTV and the one behind her workplace but in the wrong direction, of the right size.
But had she had a lift from someone parked in the less obvious car park for part of the way home, posted the letter and then offered a lift later as we are about to discover by Jo, her work colleague.
14:47
On her walk home she is captured on CCTV cameras at a parade of shops / post box near 204 Melrosegate.
The walk to the post office of 0.8 miles from work would take 17 minutes and so she would arrive at the postbox at approx 14.47.
Having examined that footage, there is a small Red van with ladders on the roof passing Claudia as she arrives at the Postbox.
Had that same van provided her with a lift for part of the way home?
A similar van has also been observed at business premises closer to Malton.
And in Heworth Place, the street that runs rear and parallel with Claudia's.
The Red van in the above picture is believed to be owned by a company of one of the persons of interest, arrested then released. As the Red van left the Uni at the same time as Claudia, it would have passed her far earlier or may have even missed her.
Was the person in the vehicle stalking Claudia, had they offered her a lift home or intended doing so but saw her on the phone. Were they the same vans?
On the CCTV, Claudia is seen talking on her phone to someone as she stops to post a letter / small package in the post box.
To this day, no one has been aware of where and what she was posting. If it was a utility provider or a bill payment, police would be aware.
Could it be drug related?
This location is the half way point between work and home.
Later her mother mentions that they had a call during the time frame of approx. 14:05 to 14:40 pm. When leaving work she was not seen by CCTV cameras to be on the phone and so her mother’s timing was probably more likely to be within a time range of 14:15 to 14:22. She could have been talking to her Mum as she approached the post box?
Analysing the cctv cameras at the Melrosegate shops that caught Caudia walking home and posting the letter. I have shown beloe that it would not be possible for that camera that the press reported on of capturing her.
This is because it was facing in the wrong direction to capture her front on.
Once again the media make mistakes in their reporting.
The camera they mention is above the fast food shop, Then La Mezze. (identified below in red)
The camera that would have captured Claudia was the one above the post office (Identified in Green) and facing the correct way.
What is also interesting is that there is an additional camera above the Post Office (identified in orange) that would be capable of capturing her should she have walked to work the next morning.
This same camera, may have been able to identify the address of the letter that Claudia posted?
Not long after posting the letter, Claudia was spotted walking home by a female work colleague, Jo and given a lift the rest of the way home.
The time to cover the remaining distance of 0.9 miles by car would be approx. 3–4 minutes.
We know that Claudia was picked up by Jo in the following laybye which was close to 225 Melrosegate Road.
Jo dropped her off outside her home, again at 14:50.
If her work colleague, Jo had not offered Claudia a lift home, might the driver of the red van have done so?
After 14:50
Claudia leaves her house. The following timings suggest that this is for 15 minutes.
Where could you go in that period of time?
14:50
Linda Chapman, a 50-year-old childminder; friend and neighbour of Claudia, saw her at the local shops at Approx 14:50.
Linda, who was out walking with a child in pram as they exchanged pleasantries.
It would take Claudia 2 minutes to walk to the local shops from her house and so Linda most likley saw Claudia as she was going towards shops or heading down East Park Road where there are more shops.
It would be interesting if Linda would be able to advise on the exact spot that Claudia was sighted and in what direction she was walking?
In the local area there are only a few shops and services:
Boots the Chemist
Cafe
Charity Shop
Hairdressers
Travel Agents
Cost Cutters
Betting Shop
Nags Head Pub
In East Parade there are a few more shops but of a similar selection.
It is also known that her current boyfriend Lee Horwell, who was separated from his wife lived at 112 East Parade, a 4 minute walk from Claudias.
Had she been to meet him?
But could Claudia have wanted to make a phone call that would not appear in her phone records?
There is a Public phone situated on Melrosegate and a 3 minute walk from Claudias home.
Whatever her call was about it would have to be of an unscrupulous purpose as she was known to contact her partners by mobile.
Had Claudia intended to make this call earlier but due to Jo giving her a lift was she unable to, hence her having to go back out again?
Note for law Enforcement readers.
Have police checked calls made from this phone at that time and numbers dialled?
We have contacted Cold Case team to ask if this has been checked and will update once we have a response from them.
(23rd January 2020)
15:05
Claudia is captured at 15:05 a private CCTV camera that sights her at the junction of Heworth Road and East Parade. She is seen as walking towards her home and alone.
Police have failed to show this footage but here is their own mini timeline.
Now when we asked the Cold Case team at Cleveland and North Yorkshire about this camera, it appears that it was footage from a private house directly oposite Claudias. The above mention of cctv catching her at the Junction of Heworth Road / East Parade was incorrect.
This was our question and their response:
Capable enough of identifying Claudia returning to her home, but not valuable enough for Police to mention previously?
Editors Note:
The police admit that there is a CCTV camera directly opposite to Claudias house that they were able to recover footage of showing Claudia returning home (“Heading towards her house” after her errand but they did not use any of the footage to show what could have happened to Claudia that night or following morning.
Why, when the camera is directly opposite Claudias house, did they state that she was “heading towards” and NOT “Seen going into” her house?
Small but significant detail.
In addition, would this same footage not have been able to have shown any visitors to Claudias house:
The two men seen at her door the previous week
The Man she invited in a few days before she dissapeared and wether he left by the front door at the very least?
Any lifts that she was given or evidence to suggest that she did stay out all night on 17th / morning of 18th?
What happened during the crucial 9 Hours?
Dark and Light person. Did they knock at her door, before or after the Alleyway jaunt?
The Ford Ranger Truck on evening of 18th March?
The braking Car?
This only fuels further speculation about the investigation.
Update from Cold Case team 21st November 2019
With regard to the Private cctv:
“The camera in question did not cover the door to Claudia’s home, it was in fact a good distance away. There was no CCTV covering her door, unfortunately. The quality of the footage is extremely poor, if we had thought there was anything to be gained by releasing the footage then we would have done so.”
Editors Note:
So now you have it. In the last 2 weeks the cctv camera has moved 150 Yards from the corner of East parade, along the road and is no longer directly opposite 46 Heworth Road and at 43 but likeley to be at Quartz travel.
What are the police not revealing here?
Editors Note:
Do police have evidence of who entered / called at Claudias and any activity the week leading up to and days following her dissapearance.
Is it no wonder that police actions help to lead to conjecture around conspiracy theories?
Other CCTV Cameras
Quartz Travel
In the same area and almost directly opposite to Claudias house was a travel Agency, Quartz Travel.
Was the footage checked by Police?
Quartz was owned by Paul Smith. His business suffered a campaign of intimidation, vandalism and thuggery which started in February 2009 and continued up to July 2009.
He was also a Director of Layerthorpe Management Company that developed and run the apartment complex on Little Hallfield Road.
The timing is interesting as is the location. His business is now in administration.
Was a gangland force trying to close him down?
Costcutters
Another CCTV camera that could have picked Claudia up but did not and was of quite a short range. The camera could be avoided if a person was walking on the side of Heworth Road Claudia lived and it is unlikely that this camera would pick her up going to work or returning from work.
Shown below:
No one knows where she went for such a short period of time . However due to the Cost Cutter camera not sighting her, it is unlikely that she went to the shops in Heworth village but more likely she headed down East Parade.
If she had someone staying with her, she may have purchased some provisions for them?
Did she pop into the Nags Head, perhaps to visit someone who was staying there in one of the B&B rooms? Did she spot the red van passing her and know that they were heading for the Nags Head, did she meet up with them for a few minutes to plan a liaison that night?
Was she checking on progress of her car that was being repaired?
There was a car repair business to the rear of the Nags Head but the police have remained silent over who and where her car was being repaired other than to say that a new engine was being fitted and it was a fairly lengthy process, likely to be too difficult for this small garage?
Was her car fixed and was it used that evening? As aforementioned a cigarette butt was discovered in her car with identifiers that told police the smoker was male. It was known that Claudia did not like people smoking around her.
This person has not come forward and all Familial DNA has since been checked-Could this person be the key perpetrator?
Did she purchase hair dye from the local hairdresser across the road or pop into the Travel agents to enquire about flight details?
When searching Claudias home, the police found some hair dye products that were recovered from the bin in Claudia’s bathroom. There were other similar unused products on her bathroom shelving.
Information from friends suggested she self-coloured her hair on a regular basis. Suzy Cooper has since confirmed that Claudia would never dye Suzys hair and she would not ask Suzy to dye her hair for her either.
Her hairdresser, Stylist Nick Brignell used to colour her hair using a darker dye than usual and he had done this just three and a half weeks before she dissapeared.
he said “She used to ring me up after an appointment to tell me i’d made it too Blonde, so on occasions we weaved some dark through it instead to make it more brown.”
These are the following hair dye products:
One used and one unused bottles of hair colour dye of brand type Clairol herbal essences fearless in the colour 62 which is a good match for her last hair colour she.
Dying over blonde hair with a brown box dye will often result in fading so she would have to dye it again in order to make the pigment hold.
From the above image, it seems as though she also bleached her hair.
Perhaps she had naturally darker roots and wanted to lift them?
Maybe she was doing some late 2000’s highlights? What we do know is that Claudia would not be dying her hair just before bed time as it is a fairly messy process.
One of the brushes and dye found at her house gave the apearance of not being properly mixed and so the hair dye was most likely stages to make people believe that she had deliberately dissapeared.
But was this not Claudia’s hair dye, she did at one time share her house Jen King, was it Jens hair dye.
If someone had staged this dye and was trying to suggest that Claudia was changing her appearance so as to voluntarily disappear, they slipped up as Claudias passport was still in her handbag with her bank cards.
Also in the above image we see rather large tread prints on her scales. Claudia was obsessed by her weight even though many would describe her as having the perfect figure. It is unlikely that she would get weighed in her shoes and so who’s feet were on her scale of this proportion?
Claudia had two bedrooms upstairs in her house. She slept in the front bedroom where she also had a TV set.
In the back bedroom she had a spare bed, probably the room she used as a guest room and by Jen King when she lodged with her. In this room, she kept her sun bed.
Would the sun bed cast an Ultra Violet glow that could be seen from the rear of her house?
Claudia’s Final Evening
Her House or Someone Elses?
Text messages and calls that evening
Suzy Cooper had messaged Claudia on this day at a time she doesnt recall. This is what she says:
“We did text during that time.”
(Between Friday 13th after being in Nags Head and prior to Claudia’s Disappearance)
“ I think the last text was on the Wed during the day. Just regular stuff as far as I remember.”
“Wish I still had them but police took my phone very quickly before I even understood that I would never see them again. All my friends in pub would have known I would be away.”
(Suzy was away the weekend of Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th visiting family in Leamimgton Spa. This was a fairly regular family visit)
“Claudia was extremely caring. I miss her so much.”
Steve Sammons revealed Claudia sent him three texts on March 18, the day before she vanished.
Steve was the Ex business partner of the landlord Simon “George” Foreman who ran the Nags Head and Steve now lived in Cyprus where Claudia took regular holidays.
First Text
18:08
From Claudia to Steve said:
“How ru nug? (short for nugget) making the most of your spare time x”
Second Text
18:25 (17 Minutes later)
“OK,ta. Weather v nice, have looked for a hol there, so expensive, mite have to be September time unless I can get a cheap last minute, bloody kids hol x.”
Third Text
18:42 (17 Minutes later)
“Even flights are expensive, there’s cheap hols to other places, just Cyprus expensive! Typical. I’ll keep looking and let you know x”
- Note the “x” (Kiss after each text which was known to be a trademark of Claudia’s)
- Note also that the 17 minute gap in Claudia responding was some of the time it took her to read Steve’s message and respond
18:15-Sunset
18:42
Around the same time as Steve was texting with Claudia, Claudia’s friend Liz Holder, was also texting Claudia.
Liz, a pharmacy technician at Boots, in Malton, said she felt terrible that she had not done more to persuade Claudia to get a taxi to work. (Claudia’s car was in a garage being repaired at the time)
Liz worked with Claudia at The Kings Head in Malton and had known Claudia for 12 Years.
She said: ”She texted me on the night she went missing. We sent about three or four messages and the last one was at about 7pm ”. (19:00)
“It was general chit-chat. She said she was getting up early to walk to work the next morning and I replied saying she shouldnt be walking to work at that time. But she said she wasnt worried and it was good exercise.”
“Now I feel terrible because I wish I’d rung her and persuaded her not to walk, to get a taxi”.
Liz, 28 who has been on holidays with Claudia to Turkey and the Greek Islands, said about Claudia's dissapearance:
“The last week has been terrible, absolutely terrible. Im constantly worried. I keep going over it in my head. Its indescribable”
Claudia was texting at least the two people during this time and so the delay in response would be seen to be quite normal.
Authors note:
If Claudia was with someone at this time, would she be instigating texts to people?
Replying perhaps, but unlikely to instigate.
19:12
Incoming text message from Male friend in Cyprus.Steve Sammons-Ex Nags barman. Claudia never replies.
Steve said: “The text I sent at 21.12 was about her coming out sometime but I cannot remember the detail because the police have all my texts.”
I found it unusual that he didn’t recall the detail of the text he sent but he did of the ones Claudia sent him. Or was he advised not to reveal to the public or media?
Steve said “She did not respond to it, which was unusual. Even if she had dosed off on the sofa and then woken up I would have expected her to text me back.”
Now this is where the police may have made a mistake:
Was text time stated as Cyprus time or UK time?
If he sent it at 21:12 Cyprus time it would be 19:12 in the UK and more likely as their text traffic prior was of 17 minute durations and the next expected text being (18:42 + 17 Minutes=18:59 onwards).
Otherwise there was a gap in texting of over 2 Hours when the previous texts were (17) minutes apart?
The reason Claudia may not have replied then was due to incoming text messages from her other friend-Liz around the same time.
He would have said correctly “I sent a text at 9pm”-His time, unless of course he was in the UK? But it is said that he had a cast Iron Alibi.
Known and reported phone traffic ceases until Claudia speaks with Father at 20:10 and Mother at 20:30.
19:15
Review of Evening CCTV Footage
Police appealed regarding the following CCTV images that were provided from a car park camera in “The Limes” student accomodation just off Heworth Road in Heworth Place.
The police were seeking information on 2 people only.
My analysis of the CCTV footage shows at least 4 people behaving suspiciously. Had the police identified the others and then eliminated them from their enquiry?
One of those if eliminated actually signalled, met or spoke to one of those sought as part of the enquiry.
I will identify these people as follows:
- Dark Person-Walking into Heworth Place from Heworth Road. (disappearing and returning)
- Light Person-Crossing entrance of Heworth Place at time Dark Person returns. (Walking in deirection of Claudias house and Nags Head Pub)
- Limes Person-Sheltering in the entrance of Limes Place student accommodation reception. (Seen swaying in and out)
- Cottage Person-Positioned behind the wall of Heworth Cottage (Dark Person and Cottage person acknowledge one another)
Here is a still from the CCTV where I have identified the 4 people and there is possibly a 5th. Stood in the doorway of a house on the opposite side of Heworth Road.
Look out for these people in the CCTV footage
Firstly view the CCTV footage from the evening. You will probably need to watch this many times to identify all of the characters and their behaviour:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/19/cctv-footage-police-claudia-lawrence-missing-chef
It starts with Dark person who walks into Heworth Place from Heworth Road. They are comming from the direction of nags Head and Claudias house.
Editors Note:
Following a police appeal of this cctv footage, this is what Shela Richardson, a neighbour of Claudias said about Dark Person:
“It doesn’t look like somebody in their 20s or 30s, but someone who’s older and quite stocky.”Dark person goes out of sight on Heworth Place for 68 seconds.
Dark person appears to have a back pack when entering and exiting Heworth Place?
Is it the same back pack on both occasions and has it been swapped?
Dark person returns in view in Heworth Place and starts to walk back towards Heworth Road.
Light person walks along Heworth Road. Police suggest that Dark person appears to hesitate when they see light person. I believe this is not to avoid them, but only to do two things:
- To avoid catching up with them and so not to be seen together
- To glance at Cottage person on the other side of the wall of the corner house, Heworth Cottage at 28 Heworth Road.
Perhaps to quickly speak or to signal something to them. It is unlikely that the person lurking behind this wall was the house owner?
Did dark person meet Cottage person in the back yard of this house.
It was out of CCTV sight.
Did they exchange more than words?
Limes Person
At the same time in the same CCTV footage we can see at all times a different person lurking and swaying in the entrance of Limes Place Student Reception Offices.
They are next to what appears to be a black / dark Vauxhall Corsa car which is parked there.
Could this Black Corsa be Claudias car which is supposed to be in for repair-An engine change?
A Fifth person can be seen on Heworth Road in the doorway of a house opposite to the entrance of Heworth Place.
What were these 4 / 5 people doing at least 1 hour and 15 minutes before Claudia was last known to be alive. Were they all connected and what were they watching over?
A. Were they looking to see if Claudia was at home (Lights on or on her Sun bed-Ultra Violet glow from back bedroom?)
B. Was this totally unconnected and a drugs drop or drugs surveillance?
Without wishing to Stereotype, were the drugs for students at The Limes accommodation or The Nags Head which at the same time was known to be under police surveillance?
Normally drugs would not be dropped in an area without CCTV coverage and I will talk later about how some of the cameras may have been out of action or switched off or under the control of someone at that time.
This could have been for the purpose of the drop?
C. The police do not show suspicious activity later in the evening (The next set of suspicious activity is the following morning)
How are the two sets of footage connected other than by the appearance of alley man?
For information-Bin collection day in the area was on a Tuesday and so had just been emptied.
20:00
TV programme Location Location Location started and runs for an hour. A favourite with Claudia and her Mum.
20:10
Call with her Father. They had arranged to meet at The Nags head on the Friday evening. A regular event.
20:23
Call with her Mother whilst she had the TV on in the background and her Mother quotes that they were watching the same programme during call. Location, Location, Location, a particular favourite of both of them. It was featuring Harrogate, where the family had a friend and they both chatted about this.
Claudia herself preferred to watch her guilty pleasures of Hollyoaks and at the time Mistresses with her friends.
Her Mum had called earlier but called that night specifically to ask if Claudia could recommend a taxi firm to her for friends who were attending a wedding.
Claudia could have been at home or somewhere else’s and with someone, however her Mum believes that she was upstairs preparing for bed?
At any point in time after the call with her Mother at 20:13, Claudia could have come to harm.
***This was to be Claudias Last Confirmed Sign Of Life ***
Then slightly later:
Outgoing text from Claudia to her friend Jen King saying:
“Bloody hell, I’ve got to do 12 days on the trot, early mornings too. No fun for me”
We cannot be certain that Claudia sent the text and it could have been sent by anyone. Unusually the x (kiss) Claudia’s normal trademark used in texts was ommited?
As this was sent before Claudia spoke with her Mum and she still appeared to be in high spirits then she would still be alive but did someone else who was with Claudia send this text? They would have to have done so unbeknown to Claudia and so that Claudia did not find it, they may have deleted the text message.
Did Jen notice the omission of the missing “x” or had they fallen out?
Was Claudia sending Jen a message that she didn’t want to see her?
Was Claudia sending Jen a “Help” text?
We know that Claudia was NOT working 12 Days on the trot. As it was reported by Suzy Cooper that Claudia was having Friday 20th off. Suzy and Claudia were going out on Thursday night and they planned to discuss an upcoming holiday plan.
Would it be strange for Claudia to Lie to Jen, particularly as Jen would if not already aware, find out about her meeting with Suzy?
Another reason why the phone “should not” be recovered.
The Crucial 9 Hour Time Period
And so we enter the crucial time frame. The 9 hour period when something may have happened to Claudia.
Let’s examine what did take place that we have been made aware of.
21:00
TV Programme Location Location Location finishes.
Claudia’s normal bed time if up early the next day.
Police indicated “Her text traffic generally finished at nine or half past nine because she was going to bed” However Claudia was known to be awake and out and about much later, even on worknights.
21:01
A bus CCTV camera captures the following image of a Ford Ranger Thunder SUV parked one door down from Claudias outside Number 48 Heworth Road.
It was then captured leaving this area at 21:37 by another bus CCTV camera.
It would have been there for at least 36 minutes, probably longer.
Too long to wait for an order from the chippy opposite.
In the vehicle can be seen:
Front
Man with Gray short hair in driving seat looking at a female in the passenger seat
Rear
A female and possibly another male in rear
Two regulars at the Nag’s Head, who drive similar trucks, have been quizzed and apparently the driver had come forward as Police would have their registration, did the driver offer a plausible reason and did this reason at a later date raise suspicions?
Here is a daytime shot of the same Ford Ranger showing two occupants-Driver and passenger
Does anyone recognise them?
If you do please notify Police:
.
The same bus with CCTV captures a White Vauxhall Astra van on the opposite side of the road when on the same route
We have identified the vehicle, which is liveried as belonging to a company by the name of Concrete Grinding Limited, Dene House, Kirkburton, Huddersfield.
But then white vans are “Ten a Penny”
Not only White Vans
Where was she taken to-Was there a disposal area close by.
A River or Somewhere else?
Where did she go?
During the time period of watching TV and texting / speaking to her Mum and Dad, at least 5 people identified in CCTV footage had been lurking outside her house and 2 vehicle parked close by, one next door (SUV) for at least 30 minutes-Seen at 21:01.
Did one or all of these people try to gain access, were they invited inside or did Claudia go off with them?
Shortly before Claudia vanished
Shortly before Claudia vanished Robbie Campbell (40's), owner of a bar in Coral Bay, Cyprus. Came to the UK with 3 friends to pick up four vans, which they drove to Italy before putting on ships for the sea trip to Cyprus.
Robbie said:
“When the police came over they asked me all about the trip. I said to them how could Claudia have got to the island without her passport, which was found in her home in York?” “One of them (Police) jokingly said”
“In the back of your van”.
“We picked up the vans in Glasgow and I would have driven past York, but I didn’t stop and see Claudia”.
Former boyfriend Dan Whitehand has said the answer to the mystery lies in Cyprus and has claimed she had many male friends on the island.
Dan said of Robbie:
‘She was out there on her own and she’d met up with him (Robbie). He wasn’t the kind of guy she should have been visiting on her own”.
‘He’s not someone I would have liked to get on the wrong side of. He could be quite intimidating. He owned a lot of businesses”.
Could Claudia have started a new life by leaving without a passport in this way?
“Machine catches fire at Mansfield Street scrapyard”
Car Being Scrapped catches fire. The following article shows that this particular scrapyard was not always processing cars that had been fully drained of fuel or still had their Fuel tanks intact, causing the fumes to ignite.
A Neighbours Comment:
Eighty -one year old Thomas (Tommy) Ward knew Claudia by sight. “I know she knocked about with some girls — was it Thursday night, they had drinks at the pub?”
Mr Ward said he had once witnessed someone bundle Claudia into their car, seemingly by force — and had reported what he had seen to police.
[Given his age, it is highly likely this sighting took place on Heworth Road within sight of Tommy’s home]
Was this reporting then linked to her Fathers “Missing” report on 20th that stimulated such an unusual speedy “Call to action” by the Police?
“I am hoping she’s still around,” he said. “But it’s one of those mysteries where the police can’t solve the case.”
Thursday 19th March 2009
Review of Morning CCTV footage
Again as in the evening, there are several people seen in CCTV footage and the following picture provides an overview of “The Cast”
0500 Hours 07 Minutes 01 Second
- Dark Person is seen entering Heworth Place again from Direction of Claudia’s House in Heworth Road. Blonde Person and Red Person are already positioned in doorways as per above as is another lookout.
0500 Hours 07 Minutes 11 Seconds Dark Person disappears out of view in Heworth Place. They are in view for 10 seconds, walking along Heworth Place.
Blonde Person
Just before Dark Person disappears out of sight they glance across at Limes reception offices and stood in the entrance by the Corsa car is either a Blonde person, likely female and different to Limes person seen the previous evening.
Red Person
Out of view of Dark Person and across from the reception and entrance to student accommodation is a third person who is looking at the Blonde and Dark person-We will call this person-Red Person as they are wearing Red clothes.
It is almost as though they are triangulating something?
The cctv is cut from 05:07:11 until 05:07:21
Why was this. Did something occur during those 10 seconds in the foreground of Heworth Place that Police did not want us to see?
05:07:22
Whilst Dark Person is out of sight, Light Person is seen walking along Heworth Road, passing Heworth Place on the opposite side of the road of Claudias House.
05:07:25
Light person disappears out of view, walking on opposite side of road in the direction of Heworth Village Shops
CCTV is cut again for a further 21 seconds from 05:07:25 until 05:08:01-46 Seconds
Editors Note:
Why was such a short piece of footage cut twice and what transpired during these valuable 31 Seconds?
A Hazard Warning Lights-Reflection is seen in the window of Heworth Cottage-28 Heworth Road during the whole CCTV sequence?
If you look very carefully at the CCTV footage, the reflection can be seen of Hazard lights flashing and reflecting off the window of Heworth Cottage, the corner house on Heworth Place, all of the time that Dark and Light Person are at the scene.
The Police were asked about these lights and the following response came from Cleveleland and North Yorkshire Cold Case Team:
“We have seen enhanced CCTV footage and, in our opinion, these are not hazard lights reflecting in the house windows”.
Editors Note
The police admit that they are able to provide “Enhanced” footage and that they have checked this and so I have a few questions:
What were the lights-A Road sweeper, possibly at that time due to getting ahead before the rush hour-Heworth Road is a busy road during daytime and rush hour?
A breakdown vehicle-An Important point to investigate?
We have already established that bin collection day was earlier in the week and so whatever these lights were, the police would not explain further?
If the police can enhance the CCTV footage, why did they not do so to show better pictures of the people that were identified and have since been identified by me in the recovered footage?
Update from Cold Case Team. 21st november 2019
We asked if the police could explain what the flashing lights were if they were not a vehicles hazards and the replied as follows:
“With regard to the ‘hazard lights’ reflected in the window, having revisited the footage this is appears to be caused by light from the street lamp above the window and not vehicle hazard lights”.
“The footage is somewhat lacking in clarity despite our best efforts.”
Editors note:
We have all seen a light from a lampost that is starting to diminish or the bulb expiring. it does not flash in a uniform manner and certainly would cause the reflection in the window in question from where the only possible overhead street lamp was situated.
The lights are definitely those of a vehicles and NOT the street lamp above. If you view the following CCTV you will note that the street lamp above the window is constant, emitting a steady glow and not flickering at all…???
- Footage of the Amber warning lights
2. Alley person
3. Person in White jacket
4. Car pulling into centre of road.
To further discount that this was a faulty lamp bulb, I have viewed the footage of the braking car, said to be about 40 minutes later. There is no flickering or faulty light or even flashing ambers in this cctv footage as can be seen as follows:
Again this leaves the public with some very concerning questions about this investigation. Not only from the Galloway Days, but since then and still continuing into the cold case investigation.
Are the police too focused upon the 4 people that they arrested and have they become blinkered and what are they covering up?
A Possible Theory
David Oxer talks about how he didn’t give Claudia a lift that day and that he chose a different route that day.
Was he heading for Claudias, did he see Alleyman coming out of Claudias gate and intrigued by her reveal of a new boyfriend the day before, did he want to see who it was.
Equally did Alleyman see Oxers car heading that way and so did he seek refuse in Heworth Place.
When the car did not move on (Hazards still flashing when Alleyman returns to Heworth Road, does Alleyman return back the way he came?
05:08:01
Blonde and Red Person still remain in view in same positions and Dark Person returns into view.
They have been out of view from 05:07:11 until 05:08:01-For 50 Seconds.
The flashing Hazards cannot be seen on above still shot but can if viewed on the cctv footage.
05:08:12
Just as Dark person disappears back into Heworth Road, a car passing Claudias house can be seen driving towards the middle of the road as if avoiding the vehicle with hazards flashing:
Here is the CCTV footage from the Morning. Again you will need to watch this several times to identify the activity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elCmgdh3o-g
Did Light person get out of the vehicle with flashing Hazards and then walk past Claudias house to check what was happening, was light person Oxer?
Where did this vehicle go next?
Where did Dark Person go for such a short period of time?
Light person can be seen passing Cost cutters a bit later was he looking for Claudia.
In Summary
Between
0500 Hours 07 Minutes 21 Seconds and
0500 Hours 07 Minutes 25 Seconds
They are both in view for 4 seconds
36 Seconds after Light person disappears and 50 Seconds after disappearing Dark Person Re-appears at 0500 Hours 08 Minutes 01 Seconds
Dark Person is out of sight for 50 Seconds
What can be done in this period of time? Hardly likely that they would wait 10 hours to collect the proceeds of a drug drop?
0500 Hours 08 Minutes 11 Seconds-Dark Person Re-enters Heworth Road
Light Person crosses Heworth Place 14 Seconds after Dark Person Enters Heworth Place. It is possible that they saw one another?
Light person is seen then on Costcutter cameras a few minutes later.
Why is the CCTV footage not timestamped?
The lighting levels of the footage suggest that this person was captured during daylight hours and not just after 5am.
They appear to be looking up at the window of a flat above a shop on the corner of Heworth Village / Dales Lane. The shop being an empty Kitchen design shop at Number 1 Heworth Village?
Who could this be and were they on their way to work and is that “oversized” jacket concealing what appears to be the outline of a Backpack?
Do the Police have a time stamp for this footage? It would indicate how long it took them to walk across Heworth Place as seen in cctv there and get to cost cutters, or even if this person stopped off at Claudias house or elsewhere?
This person may resemble an employee of a Local Travel Company in Heworth Road and they could have been starting work early as a driver to take people to a local (Leeds Bradford) or more distant airport. There is also a resemblance to someone else and related to one of the POI’s.
My observations of Light Person on the Costcutter CCTV stills suggest that the clothes they were wearing were too large for them, they could have been concealing something and whilst the character appeared to be male, they has a very soft “Feminine looking pixy like face” The light jacket they are wearing has a logo on the sleeve similar to fashion brand “Stone Island” worn by many as football cult wear and his trousers were black and tailored. Not the appearance of someone returning from a night shift.
Dark Person re-enters Heworth Road, 46 Seconds after Light Person passes Heworth Place entrance. It may not have been possible that they saw one another?
Dark person does not appear to have a back pack on this occasion and is walking with hands in pockets.
In Summary of both CCTV footage:
CCTV-Evening 18th March-19:15
The evening CCTV footage was only released 6 years after Claudia dissapears. 18th March 2015 by a new police enquiry, despite it featuring the same Dark Person and Light Persons as the earlier release of the morning CCTV in 2009?
Police appear not too wish to link the two cctv footage episodes together.
In the following image we see Dark Person entering Heworth Place that evening, a car passing by and across the road in the doorway, the figure of someone.
When the Dark person returns into view we see the Light person crossing the entrance to Heworth Place.
If you look at the following image you will see an attempt has been made to obscure the figure that still stands in the doorway across the road.
Were they a lookout?
Were there 5 people involved?
Were 4 of the arrested these people?
A daylight shot of the same house shows that the figure could not have been mistaken for something other than a person.
Above-Heworth Cottage Today. (House on Corner) it can be seen that the Street lamp could not have been capable of casting a bright orange light in the way seen in the cctv.
Even if it did, why did it not cast flashing lights onto the extension window also?
In the next photograph, you can see how the wall at the side of the house has been built up with the side window with only 4 panels, changed sometime between 2009 and 2011.
In 2009 the wall was much lower and only came to the bottom adjacent window frame. The window frame in 2009 had 16 glass panels.
CCTV-Morning 19th March
The Morning CCTV was released by NYP on 15th May 2009 and then dismissed as they believed the Dark Person was a Landlord Richard Cartwright (RC) checking out his properties in Heworth place. (RC) was found dead of a heart attack a few weeks after CL. When did he die.
05:07
Dark Person is out of sight for 50 seconds and does not appear to have a back pack before and after going out of sight. Before going out of sight they glance across at the Blonde in Limes reception door and also watching is a person seen lurking in the doorway of the Limes Student Accomodation block.
On the CCTV they appear to be wearing red clothes.
They may have been a resident innocently having an early morning cigarette or they could have been an additional lookout or someone waiting for Dark Person to drop something in a designated area? The 3 appear to be triangulating something?
However, and this is quite telling. When the police show cctv footage of the breaking car, but this time shot from the Limes Car Park cctv, The blonde person is still in exactly the same position at 05:42. Some 35 minutes later. Quite a long smoke??
Upon re-appearing Dark person re enters Heworth Road and it is not reported where they go to.
Whilst Dark Person is out of sight for 50 seconds, light person is seen on opposite side of road and then seen again a few minutes later on Cost Cutter camera. They appear to be wearing clothes that are a few sizes too large and there could be the impression of a back pack under the light jacket.
It is not reported where Dark Person goes to?
Scenario
Dark person speaks to / exchanges or gathers up something at 19:15 from rear of CL house or back yard of Heworth Cottage.
Was there an item (Gun) in back pack required and secreted at rear of property or were they just checking that Claudia was at home?
Dark person returns or gathers something at 5:07 from rear of CL house.
What were the 3 people watching in a triangulated fashion?
Review of CCTV Cameras in 2009
There are 5 cameras and of two different types.
First Type
The first type are Globe shaped (2 in quantity). One is sited in the car park of Limes court, the other on the Limes accommodation frontage facing Heworth Road. These cameras are used in a more covert way as they can provide footage of up to 360 degrees, more normaly 180 degrees and it can be difficult for an observer to gauge what area is under surveilance.
I do know that it is from this type of camera that the footage of the Dark and Light person and footage of the braking vehicle came.
(I explain the braking vehicle sighting at 5:32 next)
Second Type
The second type of cameras are fixed 45 degree cameras affixed to the buildings. No footage from these cameras (3 in quantity) has been shown by the police. If it had then it would have provided far more evidence and would have identified 3 areas where the Dark Person could have gone:
- The Alley
2. Further into Heworth Road
3. The yard of the corner house Heworth Road / Heworth Place
Why was this not shown and do Police know where they went but aren’t saying?
Camera Locations
3 cameras were located in the Limes area off Heworth place. I have highlighted these using a Red arrow for the Globe camera that showed footage of the Dark and light persons both evening of 18th and morning of 19th.
The Green arrows identify the 45 degree angle cameras where we have seen no footage from.
Were they working or had the cameras or footage been tampered with?
2 further cameras were located on the frontage of the Limes Court accommodation facing onto Heworth Road.
It was the camera highlighted by a Red arrow below that was used to show some of the footage of the Car braking on the morning of 19th March.
Again, no footage was shown from the fixed 45 degree Green camera identified by the Green Arrow and which was closer to the vehicle?
We know that only 2 cameras were used to provide CCTV footage, those in both above pictures identified by Red arrows:
Picture 1-Footage of Dark Person walking In Heworth Place
Picture 2-Footage of braking car as it aproaches the proximity of Claudias House
Both shown as “Red Arrow” cameras.
We can only see the Dark Person side on because of the footage used from Red camera in picture 1.
If footage had been used from the other Red camera in picture 2, the one that showed the breaking car, we would have been able to see the person face on.
Did the police really want to identify Dark Person or were they trying to prompt the person that they were onto them?
Editors Note:
Did police have control over the cameras depicted by red arrows to watch out for potential drug related activity and were the cameras depicted by Green arrows under the control of Limes Admin where someone working there or with access could have disabled?
What are Police protecting here or are their hands tied?
05:15
If walking, Claudia would leave work at this time
05:32
A silver coloured car seen heading away from University at 05:32.Caught on camera at same point where CL posted letter the previous day-Moving with headlights on. it is a close resemblance to a Renault.
This same silver car was seen again around the same time a week later on 25th March but at 05:32
Was this a worker heading for their 06:00 shift and on the way to City Centre or a Shift worker finishing their shift and heading home?
Equally on 18th and 19th March this could be someone looking for Claudia, knowing her regular walk to work itinerary?
One of the 4 persons arrested was known to own a Renault. A model of this can be seen parked on their drive.
Why did the police not show the 18th and 19th footage but only that of the vehicle a week later?
05:35
Another witness saw a man and a woman, possibly matching Miss Lawrence’s description.
At Melrosegate Bridge on the chef’s route to work.
Whilst this could be a sighting of Claudia, her father when shown the evidence did not connect the description of his daughters physical attributes.
But was it a member of the “community” that Claudia May have been trying to escape from?
05:42
CCTV footage shows a different and old-style light coloured Ford Focus hatchback car — manufactured between 1998 and 2004 — driving along Heworth Road towards her house.
To be more specific about the car make and model we have looked at this and identified it as follows:
The Braking car is travelling at 20 to 23 mph which begs the question why a car travelling at this speed was suddenly braking.
The car is a Ford Focus Mark 1 Pre Face lift with 5 doors. Year pre 2001,
Identifiable by the black plastic covers over the black bottom to the bumper and dark sills with a dark portion to the bottom of the rear bumper.
This is only found on pre 2001 cars. There is also a definite change of colour of the bumper. The chrome tailgate handle was an extra at the time for this model.
The rear registration plate and the last index of the reg number is a “T”.
It appears to have a dent in the driver side rear door.
Could this car have been destined for scrap?
It was seen braking / slowing down on opposite side of road of CL house as it approaches her house or possibly a house in the same road?
Claudia would normally have left for work by this time of day if walking and only as late as this if she had arranged a lift from someone.
Checking close ups of this vehicle more thoroughly, the registration plate and possible distinguishing mark have been covered up in the CCTV.
Police will have these details for identification. A close up shot below shows that this car is more likley to be a Taxi and a Licence plate similar to those that Taxis have to cary is visible. So why are police appealing for owner details?
How difficult would it be to find the Taxi and driver for a fare at that time of morning when you also have the registration plate?
Perhaps to flush out the driver?
As the Car /Taxi arrives, a tall Dark person with light blue denims and a darker top seen leaning against a tree as car goes past in the still below. In the above CCTV this person moves as car approaches as though they change position, start to move towards the car. They appear to have a backpack and to date this has never been mentioned by the Police.
Perhaps it is new evidence or did the Police know about this figure and who they were, but were more interested in the car, who was driving and if there were passenger(s)?
Police often show CCTV so as to “Flush Out” those that they wan to. It’s a way of saying-”We know who you are, we are comming to get you, come and see us first”
The video when viewed shows movement of the figure(s) as the car passes by. But could this also be someone who saw Claudia being dropped off by this car from an all nighter with her New or even an existing / re-kindled boyfriend” Or was it Claudia having a cuddle by the tree, that the driver of the car observed.
However, some that have viewed this figure have a different view and actual believe that it is not one tall person but a person carrying another person and if this is true then we all know who that could be!!
More recently the footage has been re-examined and it can be seen that there is a car waiting on the opposite side of the road to Claudias House, not directly.
It is quite possible that the Police have not seen these figures in the following two images?
As the braking car arrives, a person appears from the scene of the parked car and commences to cross the road:
The arrows depict the following:
Orange-braking Car
Green-Parked car
Red-Image of a female person crossing road (Not Claudia)
A close up shot off the above shows greater detail:
In the Left Hand Red circle.
This appears to be a man stood by the parked car, he is either leaning up against the car or talking to a possible third person in the car.
In the Right Hand Red circle
This is definitely a female who appears to be looking up as she crosses the road. Her face appears too thin to be Claudia. She is wearing a dark top and light pants or a skirt and she could be holding by her waist what appears to be a Blue Rucksack?
Was the girl waiting for Claudia with another Male(s)
Did the girl catch Claudia with a man who was her partner in the braking car?
When I keep looking at the image of the girl in the above shot I cant help wondering why she was never arrested?
Was the braking car Anthony Snelling just there to offer Claudia a lift work and when he saw what was transpiring did he decide to drive on and remain a “We know nothing?”
Further Analysis
I have had the footage reviewed by an independent person good at analysing CCTV footage and a good knowledge of this case. This is what they found:
“The person I saw was standing at that same point in the road, in line with the Heworth Place Road sign, on Heworth Road, at the very end of the clip and had to be connected in some way with the Focus.”
The image shows figures in different shades.
“I see a woman in white who looks like a friend of Claudias and not Claudia with possibly a male to her left. I am less confident about the male though.”
“I looked at the clip and I now see a large figure walking towards Heworth Place with a dark top, looks like v neck, with light trousers.”
Now 16 secs in on the cctv. (Braking Car)
“Look to the left of the Heworth Place road sign stuck on the wall of the house.I see person in white with bare legs — either skinny jeans or someone coming out in their towelling bathrobe, or a short dress (would have to be after a night in town to be dressed like that in March at that time of morning).”
“To the left I see a male in dark clothes. To the right of the figure in white, I see a taller man’s left arm with a short sleeve t shirt. Someone of tall stature like xxx (Names a Pub Landlord) , yyyyy (Names a Cyprus POI) or zzzz (Names one of 4 Arrested).”
Most Importantly
“When I look at what you see as a parked car, I can make out a clear female face with eyes closed and to her right, the upper face, eyes and hairline of a man looking left towards her.”
But what is rather more disturbing is that the times provided of the cctv footage leave some doubt.
The Alley man footage in the morning is far too light as is the cost cutter cctv footage of the person with the light jacket for it to be 5:07.
Equally, the footage of the breaking car at 05:42 is too dark for it to be at this time of day.
It is almost as though the police have the timings wrong and the braking car arrived BEFORE the alley man was seen and not as reported?
This may not be deliberate and so this suggests that the breaking car could have been bringing Claudia home and the Alley man activity could have been persons cleaning up her house.
To support this, If you look at the top of the photos left of centre, you can see the sun rising above the rooftops. It is easy to check the compass direction on google as the red tip indicates north so the direction of the sun on the photos can be confirmed as being due east; this would suggest that the time when the Ford Focus appeared will be nearer to 05.00 than 06.00.
There are also photos taken from the same camera in Lime Court as the one showing the alley man. When you compare them with the 05.07 images, they seem lighter as you would expect for half an hour later.
End of analysis.
Perhaps the missing motive is:
Did the girl in the images above then seek revenge?
I wonder if during the case review, police worked on cleaning up these cctv images. Because if , as Dai Malyn said, “identification is an issue”, surely it would be money well spent to try to brighten and sharpen up those night time /early morning images?
Looking at the following close up shot of the grassy area behind the wall of The Limes student accommodation, there also appears to be another figure.
At first I thought it was someone lurking behind the wall but on closer examination, it appears to be someone lying face down?:
If Claudia had arranged a lift for that morning, they would have arrived at approx 05:45 to get her to work on time
If she had slept in and / or didn't want to walk then again 05:45 would be the time a Taxi would arrive.
However, as Claudia had told her close friend Liz the night before, she was going to walk to work and would have had to set off at 05:15 / 05:20 to get to work on time. Why would she Lie to a friend over something as trivial. Particularly as her friend was worrying about her safety? Unless of course after texting with Liz someone offered to take Claudia out that night on the promise of a lift home the next morning?
Is too much being made of the braking car though? It may have only been a cautious driver or one with high penalty points slowing to observe the 30 to 20MPH speed change as indicated by the “Red” surface change in the road:
There is inconsistency with the CCTV footage that we have seen in the Police appeal. Even when shot from the same camera, the time stamp at the bottom is not always showing. We have to ask the question. “Was the braking car seen at 05:42 or was it more likely to be around 05:10 / 05:15?
If you were offering Claudia a planned lift to work you would arrive at 05:42. However, if you wanted to catch Claudia leaving her house and walking, you would have to arrive at 05:10 /05:15 to catch her?
The end of the crucial 9 Hour period
Whilst this was the period where something was likely to have happeend to Claudia, we do know that there was further suspicious activity. Perhaps the completion of the “cover up”?
What we do know is that the suspicious activity happend during the following period over 9 Hours as follows:
06:00
Claudia does not report for work
6.05 Two Minutes before sunrise
Couple seen arguing on University Road, Maroon coloured car parked there-Reported by an anonymous person who failed to come forward,was this a diversionary tactic?
The media report the following:
“Mr Galloway said the motorist was driving towards the university along University Road when he came across the couple at 6.10am on March 19.
He said the car, which he does not have a description of, was parked on the left-hand side with a passenger door open. The witness told police he saw a couple on the other side of the carriageway involved in some form of verbal argument.
Mr Galloway told reporters in York: “The man and woman appeared to be in some form of altercation. We think it was a verbal altercation.
“He drives past and, as he looks in his wing mirror, his rear view mirror, he actually believes the man is stood above the woman i.e. as if he is on some form of banking. It’s a significant line of inquiry which we wish to pursue.”If this was Claudia she would have been late for work. But could it have been a couple arguing about Claudia?
Editors Note:
In the above reconstruction it os possible that they got this wrong as it is the driver door that is seen open in the above upper shot and on the oposite side of the road to the lower shot.
We should focus on the car in the lower shot with the couple arguing on the opposite side of the road.
What is important here if this reporting is correct is that the exact point where Claudia is seen arguing is at a convenient “Drop Off” point if Claudia wanted to walk the final part of the route to work.
The following Illustration shows this:
Editors Note:
This tells us that if they were arguing, Claudia had asked the person either to stop the car, as she wanted to finish her route on foot. Or that this was someone giving Claudia a lift and the “Lift Giver” did not work close to Claudia or even at the university. I say this because they could drop her off at this convenient point for her and continue on their own route to work.
Had this been the Braking car that picked her up at 05:42, (Which was described as a Metallic / Light Blue Ford Focus and not Red) it would take 7 minutes to cover the 1.8 miles from her home to this point if not stopping and reached the point of argument at 05:49 or afterwards. It is unlikely that this was the case.
It is more likely that this car came from a different location than Heworth Road as it was not reported on the Police cctv footage of that morning. Had Claudia been staying elsewhere that night and with a person that gave her a lift?
There was a reporting of a backpack sighted that is similar to Claudias. The location on the following map is slightly away from the walking route that Claudia would take from University Road:
Was it this car, sighted on Google Maps parked regularly in Heworth Place?
The above car may well have changed it’s Registration plate and we have observations of this car in Heworth Place with the following plate details which appear to change and may have a personalised element.
Many changes in plates for the same vehicle and some don’t match the car type. Why?:
N291 HCL Seen in August 2008 (First Registered in 1995)
(Registered correctly as a Maroon Volvo and taxed until October 2009)
Was this car scrapped in 2009??
It would appear that this car was replaced by a newer model (Maroon Volvo)and then held the following plates
YO1 900D or YOI 9000 Seen in September 2014 (Registered as a Brown Rover)
Was this a personalised number plate belonging to someone who perhaps had a business with this name? Later, you will read that one of the arrested men had a business with this name.
More interestingly, the car was parked outside Number 19 Heworth Place, again where it is believed that a different one of the arrested men was living at the time.
06:07 Sunrise
06:45 to 06:55
Someone sighted outside Claudias House.
The man is described as white, aged 55 to 65, about 6ft tall with a full head of medium-length grey phair which appeared scruffy and windswept.
He was wearing a matt sandy-coloured ‘Mac’ style jacket which came just below the knee. It was unfastened and appeared to be made of thick material or the wearer had extra clothing underneath.
Again bulky clothing or something else under their clothes??
Det Supt Malyn said: “The witness passed the information to the police in 2009 but this is the first time that it has been used in a public appeal.
Why was such a crucial piece of information not made available for 6 Years and again only released following another anniversary of Claudias dissapearance?
Were all of these sightings of people purely friends of Claudia or romantically involved and wanted to keep the relationship quiet? Or people providing Claudia with a lift-Given that some of Claudias associates may not be happy with these people knowing her, they may not have wished to come forward for their own protection?
10:00
Claudia’s Manager calls her mobile and leaves a message. She never returns the call.
During Morning
A mattress and a sheet removed from an upper B&B room in the Nags Head via the metal outdoor staircase.
New Build At York University Science Block
A 5 minute walk from Claudias workplace and a newly planned building at York University was at foundations stage-It was filled in with concrete in this day.
There have been suspicions about this and this was one of the letters bringing the matter to NYP attention and was written later by Tajinder Parmer on 23rd June 2015
This is the letter:
“Dear Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn,
My name is Tajinder Parmar, I have have been a member of the page set up for Claudia since the beginning of the case. (Facebook)
I’m sorry to have to write to you but I was hoping you could justify why the suggestions of searching the university’s science block are being ignored? The foundations of the building were filled in on the morning that Claudia would have left for work, surely this is something that should be pursued?
I have no personal link to Claudia but it has been 6 years with no answers for her family and friends. I know for a fact that Claudia’s friends approached Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway with their concerns and pleaded with him to have the foundations checked to be told ‘it’s now a science block’.
I and the fellow members of the group are not suggesting an invasive search, we are suggesting using Ground Penetrating Radar systems which as you may know can pick up any disturbances in the foundations.” END
It is clear that DS Galloway dismissed this theory as it was not made public and Tajinder had to raise the issue again.
A forensic ecologist for potential scene excavation, including use of ground penetrating radar was used in some sites but not this one.
It would also appear that DS Malyn has also done the same, ignoring the request.
Perhaps with a little more concern about the disruption that it would cause today that it would not have done if explored in 2009.
I now ask:
Was there ever any support for Claudia from her employer at York University?
What we know is that their staff safeguarding policy at the time; if they had one, was not being followed.
You will hear later how it took one of Claudias friends to contact her workplace to establish her absence for not 1 but 2 consecutive day shifts.
We are told that Claudia was conscientious and would always turn up for work, even if feeling unwell.
If one of my staff did not turn up for work, I would not wait 4 hours to call her to see if she was ok. I would want to know why she had not reported for work or reported an ilness. This in itself is strange behaviour.
You will also hear that one of York Universities employees at their Sports Centre; Alistair Cooper, was arrested on suspicion of Claudias disappearance.
We then find that a second person of interest and arrested, is the owner of a building company that undertook work for the university on University Road and just 100 yards from the site of where the crimewatch programme reported a sighting of the two people arguing.
This same company had other contracting work with the University during 2008 / 9. This information has since been removed from the Universities website. Probably a good PR move.
Very interesting……
12:10
Phone powers down-An explicit power down meaning phone was actually “turned off” by someone rather than it running out of battery, being submerged or smashed.
A samsung phone of this type had a battery that could last for 2–3 Days (Far superior to todays Smart Phones) Had it not been turned off and even with Claudias heavy usage would have remained “On” for much longer if charged that evening.
The police say the following may have occured:
“Someone, looks at the phone at 12.10pm, notices a missed call, realises the phone is still switched on and then switches it off.
“Once noticing Claudia has a missed call, the most likely thing you would think a suspect would do is smash it, break it or throw it in the river, which would provide the network with an implicit detachment record.
“However, that didn’t happen. It appears what we get here is an explicit detachment, meaning the suspect had the calmness of mind to think: ‘I’d better switch the phone off in the normal way.’”
What the police say is quite simplistic and there could have been more scenarios.
One Scenarios could be that Claudia was still alive at the time the phone was turned off, the perpetrators may not have been aware that she had her phone on her, she may have tried to send a “Help” message but was spotted trying. But if she sent a help message to a “friend” involved in the crime, this would not be reported-Did she do this?
The phone taken from her and turned off, or if she was thinking straight, she may have thought that she could be located by her last known activity and whilst then this was the stuff of movies, today, technology has moved on and would have provided a more precise location, rather than the huge 9 mile radius that police then had to work on?
Did the perpetrator have to go to work that day and perhaps return to their car at lunchtime where the phone was kept. Did they then check the phone to see if any activity (Claudia’s friends / family contacting her) and then turn it off?
Did the perpetrator(s) keep the phone on to see who was starting to miss her, warning them that their window of opportunity to cover their tracks was over?
Concern Over This Evidence
What is concerning about this evidence is that it was firstly reported on in the Sunday Times on March 26th 2009. DS Galloway is quoted as saying the following in the press article:
Galloway was not being truthfull here as it later transpires that they cannot be that precise about location. But did he say this to scare the perpetrators?
6 Years later, In 2015 DS Malyn details that the above is NEW evidence. Malyn’s reporting is far more accurate though as he makes it clear that the phone is subject to an “Explicit” Disconnection’
(A deliberate action to turn the phone off)
The battery running out would be an “Implicit” Disconnection.
13:00
A rucksack similar to Claudias is spotted near the university-Reported by an annonymous person who failed to come forward, was this another diversionary tactic.
Why would you not come forward to report this?
That evening
Suzy Cooper walks to the Nags Head for her Pre arranged meeting that evening. Walking from her home in the Tang Hall area, Suzy would not pass Claudias House.
Claudia does not turn up for a Pre-arranged evening with Suzy Cooper. Suzy sends her the following text and gets no reply:
“Oh, thanks a lot for standing me up!”
Suzy was known to not bother Claudia on occasions when she did not respond to texts and so this was quite normal. Suzy had thought that Claudia has just fallen asleep after an early start as she had done on previous occasions.
Claudia was renowned for speaking to parents and friends daily.
One of her parents may have thought it strange that there was no contact that evening?
Did Jen King think her silence was strange or had they fallen out? Suzy would be unlikely to contact Claudia as they were already scheduled to meet.
I have some pertinent observations and comments that I would like to make here.
Jen King was on duty as barmaid in the Nags Head this night and Suzy was waiting for Claudia to arrive for their scheduled 20:00 meet up.
Suzy must have been frustrated that Claudia had stood her up and we know from Jens own confession on TV that she started to worry about Claudia when it got to 22:00.
Both girls would be able to ring her or quickly pop down to her house only 4 doors away from the pub. If they didnt do this then they could have passed her house when they eventually left the pub. According to both of them, they didn’t do this.
Claudia the prolific texter had been silent now for 24 hours.
Why were Jen and Suzy so reticent to check on Claudia? She makes an appointment to see Suzy for 20:00 and so she is hardly mindful of being in bed and asleep by 21:00 as we hear was the main reason for not disturbing her.
Did someone check on Claudia that night? Had she just taken a day off sick and was she actually taken on the evening of the 18th / Morning of 19th, or did something actually happen on 20th?
Friday 20th March 2009
When Claudia failed to respond to further texts the following morning, Suzy became concerned.
Did Suzy ring Claudia and would Suzy not just feel that the no response was because Claudia was working and not have access to her phone?
I do find this sudden concern unusual when on this occasion and at a time of day that Claudia may have been unable to answer her texts?
Suzy then asks George Foreman, Landlord of The Nags Head to pop around to Claudias and check if she is in.
There is no answer.
Suzy rings Claudias Father, Peter (67) as he had a spare set of keys. He calls Claudia’s workplace and he says:
“When I made the first call to Goodricke on the Friday it was Julia in the kitchen who answered.”
She said:
“I’m terribly worried. I’m a friend of Claudias and she hasn’t shown up and hasn’t said anything and i’ts most unlike her”.
When they advise she did not report for work on 19th or this day he goes with George, Landlord at Nags Head to check out the house and no one is found there.
The white cushions on the sofa “Plumped Up’ and perfect. “Her bed made, her handbag on the bed”-Quite unusual?
“Claudia never took her handbag to work but when she went out socially it would be stuck to her shoulder like glue. She didn’t use a purse-she used to just throw her money loose in her handbag”-Said Cooper.
Slippers were there, neatly tucked away,” Said Forman.
Her bike was in the kitchen because it was a nice day and she may have walked into work.
There was no sign of any disturbance or any sign that she hadn’t had a normal night the night before. Her CD collection containing titles from one of her Favourite local Leeds bands who played occasionally at the Nags Head-The Dunwells. Her cosmetics, always from Boots and neatly arranged in the bathroom.
Claudias Mum would not describe her as the tidiest of people and so the way the house was left appeared to be somewhat out of character, suggesting a “clean up”.
Whilst the house appeared to leave the impression that Claudia had breakfasted there, these could have been dishes from the previous day(s) as Claudia was known to have stayed out until 04:00 (Early morning of 18th)the night before. It was these breakfast dishes that initialy prompted Police to believe that Claudia had left for work that morning…Hardly a fully assesed and arrived at conclusion.
Later in 2017, Mark William Thomas, Investigator states “My police contacts are very clearly telling me that they believe those responsible for Claudia’s disappearance and murder have been in this house”.
An interesting observation from photos of the contents of her home show 2 T M Lewin carrier bags pictured under the stairs along with other articles.
This is a male oriented clothes store and unlikely that Claudia would purchase anything from here, particularly as her business attire was chefs whites and she was known to be a “Next” girl and there were no male occupants of her house.
Was she storing clothes that had been purchased by her for a male admirer or were they from presents she had purchased for her Dad?
Most of her Male friends were in the construction industry, however there was one who was a white collar worker, had attended a wedding recently and may well have received a gift as such from Claudia.
Her mobile phone charger was still in place, suggesting that if she had gone out on the evening of 18th, she planned to return that night. If she was staying overnight with someone then she would be more likely to have taken it with her but an audit of her clothes, mostly from Next suggested that if she had gone somewhere then it would be in the clothes that she changed into after a work shift, consisting of:
White T Shirt
Blue Jeans, slightly flared
Trainers
Authors Note:
I do hope that University of York have since improved their staff and student safeguarding policy as Claudia’s employer. Even after 24 Hours and 2 missed shifts, they had not contacted Next of Kin.
Their only contact was with Claudia’s mobile phone / voicemail at 10:00 on 19th March.
Her Dad had to contact them and from all that we are told, Claudia was a model employee and her absence and silence over 2 work shifts would stand out. Certainly her colleagues suggested that they were worried.
Claudia was known to even report for work if she felt unwell, she would worry about letting down the team.
Equally, Friends and family had not heard from the prolific texter (Claudia) in 24 hours. Friends and possibly her Dad may well have thought she was “with someone”. Suzy knowing this side of her better than her Dad was alerted by the lack of contact first as peculiar.
Did Jen King or any of her other friends not also find the silence strange?
14:00
Peter Lawrence reports Claudia missing to the Police.
Suzy, George and Peter all spoke to the police at the Nags Head once they arrived. Then in evening Suzy & Jen were asked to go to the police station to give statements. Peter Lawrence was also there.
Peter Lawrence stated:
“When I called I expected them to say — given how long she’d been missing — to give it a day or two, but it was the complete opposite,”
How Strange…….???
The case has all of the hallmarks of this being an ongoing investigation even before Claudia was reported missing.
However, there does appear to be a contradiction about who reported the missing here. In an online forum a member mentions that it was either Suzy Cooper or Jen King who reported Claudia missing to the police and not Peter Lawrence her father:
Editors Note:
What I fail to understand is the time that Claudia was silent and both Friends and Family stayed silent, not reporting Claudias lack of contact unusual.
On the same Day when Jen King becomes aware of her being missing; she messages one of Claudias longer term boyfriends, Dan Whitehand to let him know:
Was the whole affair more of a case of No One wanting to be the first to report Claudia miising, apart from her Dad?
Saturday 21st March 2009
Police open the case and title it “Operation Cabin” The happens at such speed that for some reason and unbeknown to most, they must have had a reason for being concerned regarding this?
The Police response to a reported missing adult was “impressive” and out of character. The immediacy would normally only be expected when dealing with missing children or teenagers. Detective Superintendant Ray Galloway headed up the enquiry as the senior officer with Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Pope assisting, Lucy had attended school with Claudia.
Authors Note:
When the police have credible intelligence to say that there is a threat of imminent danger or violence to a person an “Osman” warning is issued.
It is very unusual to start an investigation for a missing adult, even a frmale as quickly as this one was commenced. In fact It’s almost unheard of unless prior knowledge was had by authorities that Claudia’s life was under threat.
Perhaps it was because the elderly neighbour had previously reported her being bundled into a car a while ago. But unlikely.
So did the police know something that gave them concerns about Claudia going missing?
Within a day, between 30 and 40 officers were searching for Claudia. It has become a cliche of police work that the first 48 hours are crucial and, in Claudia’s case, the police were not alerted until that window was almost closed.
A close friend of Claudias who drank with her at the Nags Head-Peter Ruane said to the Daily Mail a few days after her disappearance:
“Where she is now, it’s not out of choice. She just wouldn’t let work down and wouldn’t let people down. Without a shadow of doubt she would ring home”
“it’s not out of choice”
What did he mean?
Monday 23rd March
A contributor to the “Tea and Sympathy” Facebook group: KB Hillier, recalls that she had contacted Police to mention Claudias “Secretive relationships” on the second day that Claudia had vanished. (this would be 20th or 23rd and after the announcement Claudia was missing)
Which day did she mean?
Thursday 26th March
Police draft from a special Search and Rescue team with highly trained sniffer dogs
The police’s deputy head of operations, Chief Inspector Dave Hannan, said:
“The decision to call in the civilian search and rescue teams was taken on Wednesday evening.” (25th March)
He added:
“They bring with them a lot of experience of searching over ground. We have widened the search to parkland, although police officers are continuing a finger-tip search along the route Claudia would have taken to work.”
On Social Media a friend of one of the Search and Rescue crew makes the following revalation:
Editors Note:
Some of information Redacted to protect persons and allow anonymity.
So who was the “Commander” The Senior Officer who had decided that the Dogs (Search and Rescue and verified By Police Dogs) findings should be overruled?
More importantly Why? Did he not want a Body to be recovered, was he worried about what it may reveal?
Friday 27th March
Nags Head first searched. Police took away a mattress and sheets from one of the bedrooms. Police describe the 6 hour search as “Detailed and Integral” to the inquiry. The pub ws searched agian later in June 2009.
Jim Melsom reports that a man came in to bar that night believing that he had pictures of Claudias Back Pack, “Shoe” (SIC) and scarf. Jim told the man to report this to Police. The man has not been seen since at the pub.
Monday 30th March
Crimewatch TV programme features the case
Thursday 9th April
Body of Richard William Cartwright (57) Found dead at his home at 61 East Parade, York.
He grew up in Heworth and joined York Carriageworks at the age of 15 after leaving school. He was to remain there until the operation was closed down in 1996 and went on to work at Rowntree’s for a while.
He was landlord to some properties in Heworth Place that were student Lets at No#11 and #13.
The press article says that he was found dead on 9th April and he dies just weeks after Claudia, but could he have died at the same / similar time?
The Morning CCTV was released by NYP on 15th May 2009 because they believed the Dark Person was Richard Cartwright checking out his properties in Heworth place.
Why did NYP dismiss one of Dark People CCTV footage in the early investigation as that of being a dead man yet uphold the other that featured the same person (s)??
“The landlord, Richard Cartwright, was found dead 3 weeks after Claudia dissapeared. It was reported that he died of a Heart Attack.”
It does not mention when he actually died but only when he was found.
Did he see or know something and was this a warning to others to ensure that their response would be “We dont know”??
Did he fall foul of the same people as Claudia?
As we know he had properties in Heworth Place at the rear of Claudias house (11 and 13)
At the time there were other properties empty at the time (#3, 9, 11, 19)
15 Heworth place was sold in July 2009 after going for best and final offers in February that year. The property was being sold on behalf of a relative of the estate agents staff. One of the POI’s eventually purchased it.
Could any of the empty properties be a possible scene of crime?
Did he die of natural causes or did he know something and was this a message sent to silence the masses?
Saturday April 11th
George Pavlou (37), Of Holly Tree Lane, Haxby, North Yorkshire, YO32 3YJ.
Along with his brother Paul he was one of the owners of The Vudu Lounge in Swinegate, York. George is accused of assaulting (Sexual Touching) a woman in her 20’s in the early hours of Saturday morning. The woman knew pavlou.
Monday 13th April
Sky News break about Claudia having “Secretive relationships”
Friday April 24th
Police state that they are now treating the disappearance as suspected murder, despite no body or evidence to have been found to suggest this.
Wednesday 29th April
North Yorkshire Police (NYP) Reclassify the case from Missing to a Murder enquiry. They admit that they have no evidence of Death.
Friday May 15th
CCTV footage released by Police of Dark Person seen in early hours of Thursday March 19th in Heworth Place.
Tuesday 2nd June 2009
Crimewatch programme goes out and DS Galloway mentions Claudias Complex life and series of many secret relationships. But these complex relationships had already been announced by Sky News back in April and were already being discussed in social media on Facebook social media far earlier with Jen King defending Claudias reputation:
Tuesday 11th June 2009
In the same Facebook “Tea and Sympathy” group, Jen King declares the following:
Wednesday 17th June 2009
Another search of the Nags Head pub takes place along with local houses in the neighbourhood
Friday 19th June 2009
Jen King appears to be making a recovery:
10th July 2009
Police search a property and a locked garage on the corner Heworth Green and Eastern Terrace. The property contained 5 flats, some of these unoccupied.
They then went on to search another house in Heworth Road.
Friday September 18th
Investigation is extended to Cyprus where Claudia had holidayed many times before.
2010
Wednesday 18th March
Peter Lawrence appears on TV programme Missing Live. Detective Inspector Adrian Gathercole reveals the following information:
One of Claudias work colleagues, (Who we now know to be David Oxer) of Wellesley Close, York YO30 4YA. Where he lives with his partner Julie.
He reveals that he omitted to reveal crucial evidence a year earlier about how she had told him that she had spent all night with a new boyfriend on the evening of 17th March-Was this real information or just another “Red Herring?”
Only in 2019 does the colleague reveal his identity on 1st December 2019 when a Channel 5 TV programme was broadcast.
Peter Lawrence shows a strange reaction to this information:
It was said by DI Gathercole that the person had been interviewed a number of times before during the investigation. Why did he chose to stay silent for a whole year?
Were they covering their own back?
The 4 Faces Following This Revalation (In Order)
Wednesday 24 March
Over a year after Claudia went missing, Police began searching areas of Heslington in York, based on new information received “In the last few days”.
Had Oxer revealed who the “New” boyfriend was?
Land near to a children’s play area, near a muddy farm track was searched and nothing found.
A travellers site is also searched at Outgang Lane where in earlier years police had swooped this site following suspicion that Drugs,weapons and contraband was being serviced from here:
In addition to this being a travellers site, vehicle Remover truck was being kept here.
Could one of these vehicles been responsible for casting the flashing amber lights in the window of the house on the corner of Heworth Road / Place
Thursday 26th March
The search was relocated to a field near to the university, an area of land which is bordered by a playing field and student accommodation.
It was later stated that Police had not found any new leads from these searches and nothing of significance had been discovered
Monday 24th May
Police search in and around a house in Ellerton, 14 miles (27 Minutes) from Claudias house.
20 officers were involved in the search and they remain tight lipped about this.
The search also involved scouring of culverts on the land.
Claudia had a horse, Cobweb who died shortly before Claudia dissapeared. Did she obtain her supplies for Cobweb from close by at South View Small Holder and Pet Supplies?
It is understood that items from the house were taken away for forensic examination.
The property was a bungalow at Willow Lodge, YO42 4PJ on the B1228, North grange, owned by the Hunter family.
Andrew hunter lived here with his wife Lynne and sons Paul and Neil.
Andrew was known to have stood as a councillor for East Riding of Yorkshire.
One of the two Sons, (both in their 20’s) had a friendship with Claudia.
They were described by locals as a “Lovely Family”
Sunday August 8th
A man arrested on suspicion of burglary is spoken to about the case.
2012
14th March 2012
Jordan Sullivan 19, a travel agent at Quartz Travel. located across the road from Claudias house went missing. He had been reported as last been seen running towards the river. His body was pulled from the River Ouze a month later.
Verdict, Misadventure.
Paul Smith, The owner of Quartz travel went to college with Claudia.
Tuesday July 10th
A former Private Detective reports a sighting of Claudia in Amsterdam on Tuesday July 3rd.
Thursday 15th October
Peter Lawrence merges his legal practice with law firm Ware & Kay, based in Peasholme Green, York.
2013
Wednesday 12th June
Medium-Rodney Ashley Ballard (66 Years Old) from Nottingham. Starts to share the following messages on Social Media and there are some very interesting revalations.
In one chilling post on his website, he uploaded a crude pencil drawing showing a man in his 50s strangling a woman in the passenger seat of a car.
He wrote:
“Here we see the man who seems to be around fifty years. He has grey hair to No 2 cut. He has tanned appearance perhaps due to frequent vacations in the sun or regular outdoor work.”
He also appears to predict the “Friends” bit as arrests followed in April 2015.
Late December 2011
The Lawrences requested that Police stopped a person laying a Wreath on Claudias door each Christmas. The wreath consisted of White Feathers and it transpired that this was put in place by a medium from Carlton, Nottingham called Rodney Ballard, a retired coal industry electrical engineer. Rodney became involved and offered the following visions much against the wishes of the Family and Police. Perhaps we can now see from these reveals why?
2013
March
The Book “Gone” published by Neil Root specifically discuses the case. Having read this book, It is a good catalogue of events but I cannot feel that there is a strong element of family and their PR guidance in this book as it doesn’t tread in the murkier areas that we need to explore so as to solve this case and doesn’t give as candid a view of the case or Claudias other side unknown to many, including some close friends.
June
Police set up a Major Crimes Unit (MCU) to operate out of Harrogate to ease the burden on Police everyday workload.
July
Claudias case is assigned to MCU.
Wednesday 12th June
Rodney A Ballard-Medium starts blogging on Facebook and Twitter the following reveals that are criticised by Friends and Family as upsetting. It would appear that it is not only the family that he upsets?
I AM HERE IN PROXY FOR CLAUDIA ELIZABETH LAWRENCE
Sunday 16th June
Something from Claudia, “Could Jen stay over the winter months”. This means that this man would have to agree and Jen does know him. Well?
Authors Comment
Jen King was talking to Claudia about some issues that wee troubling her just prior to Claudia dissapearing. At the time and still to date, Jen was in a relationship with partner and person of interest Peter Ruane. Was Peters permission required?
Wednesday 10th July
Here we GO for Claudia Elizabeth Lawrence. What a load of bum friends she had in York.
Authors comment
2 of the 4 arrested were friends of Claudias from the Nags Head.
Thursday 18th July
Looks like Simon Forman late of the Nags Head Heworth York is hiding a great deal and is connected.
Authors comment
Certainly from all of the people and activity around the pub, I for one am surprised that Simon “George” Foreman was not one of those arrested, even if for to be excluded from Police enquiries. But would Claudia have referred to him as Simon when he was known by regulars as George?
Sunday 28th July
My comment in last weeks express has gone, Lets Hot things up a bit. It was JEN KING who through JEALOUSY shopped Claudia to her Parents.
31st July 2013
Replying
IMPORTANT, Claudia Dead half hour before WORK. 36 hours. She was Always in Contact via mobile. This Stinks, A COVER UP CERTAINLY.
9th October 2013
Replying
What a CHARADE they put up in order to cover for themselves !!
4th November 2013
Observation via other routs has revealed that profile images have been replaced with Icons and certain friends have have vanished fbClique.
Tuesday 29th October
Claudia's case is reopened and headed up by a new Police officer, Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn. A new search is conducted of Claudia’s house and surrounding area. 2013
Police Caution Rodney
2014
Wednesday 19th February
A summary of what Rodney was saying in the above message:
Claudia was murdered on the morning of 19th March 2019 at 5:25 am in a locked car just across the road from her house by her regular Boyfriend (Frank) who regularly attended Nags Head, Claudia’s local pub.
“Frank” was set up to murder her by others who organised for a handsome man (Armed in case something went wrong) to seduce Claudia so that she could be caught in the act by her boyfriend.
Frank caught them and walked out in a rage. But the handsome man had something on frank and pushed him to murder Claudia.
Rodney tried to report this to the family and media but did Special Branch stop him from doing so because it appears that Claudia got too close to a member of the Royal family.
Could “Frank” have been a female and was this an anagram?
Not everything he put on the internet was offensive, some of the information , particulalry about CCTV footage would help the case Jen, would it not?
February 2014
A Missing Persons website set up by Peter Lawrences dear friend, Martin Dales publishes a reminder that it would be Claudias 40th Birthday on 27th February. Claudia again being portrayed as having Blonde Hair:
March 2014
Closely after the Royal revelation Rodney is sectioned, but continues to post as follows on social media.
Why would a dying man with weeks left to live require sectioning?
Wednesday 19th March
A new forensic examination of Claudia’s house has revealed fingerprints of people who have still not come forward.
Thursday 17th April
Police state that Taxi drivers may have important information about the case.
EDITORS NOTE
In this Article, I name the persons of interest and those arrested.
I provide their address and family details to provide a perspective on the individuals and to give location details of their proximity to Claudia.
This information is all from the public domain.
Tuesday 13th May
Michael Snelling (59) “Geordie Mick” from Burnholme Grove
York, North Yorkshire. YO31 0LN is arrested.
He was known to provide Claudia with lifts to work occasionally as he worked at the University in one of the departments.
For Snelling to have been the car spotted braking outside of Claudia’s house on 19th March, he would have had to take a slightly different route so as to be facing in the right direction for the university trip as illustrated in the map below.
But what we don’t know is if he actually did take the slightly shorter route because the police have not revealed this.
If I was Snelling, I would have approached her house by coming past Costcuters and so the car would be able to stop directly outside Claudia’s house. She could jump in the car and we could drive on to the roundabout at the end of Heworth Road, do a full U turn and then be heading in the right direction to the university.
At the time of arrest he was working for a York branch of the “Mind” mental health charity and no longer at the University of York.
He too was a regular at The Nags Head and the two had been seen there hugging before.
His house in York was searched
His elderly mothers house in North Shields, Tyne and Wear was also searched.He was released on bail and on Monday 17th November he was released without charge.
Snelling was a regular at the Walnut Tree, Public House that was close and located in Heworth Village. Kevin Flintoff was the landlord. The pub was also frequented by Claudias Father, Peter.
Michael moved out of the area in 2012, returning for 1 Year in 2015.
Continuing with Rodney’s messages
The following message he attempts to provide proof that he is genuine by relaying a private an little known fact about Claudia:
Saturday 26th April
Something to let you know how close she is. In 1988 Claudia set off a box of aerial fireworks in the assembly hall of York School for Girls.
What a laugh that was, she is so much like me. Only Peter and Ali know of this as it could have lead to her expulsion.
Thursday 29th May
STRANGE HOW A BED WAS REMOVED FROM AN UPPER ROOM OF THE “NAGS HEAD” PUB HEWORTH VIA THE REAR OUTSIDE STAIRCASE ON THE MORNING OF 19.03.2009
Tuesday 29th July
I have had other visions noted, the most important one showing that man walking in upon Claudia whilst she was sitting upon another prone in coitus and another ‘letter’ from Claudia mentioning ‘strawberry mousse’?
A message today from CLAUDIA LAWRENCE.
Cautioning by Police for upsetting the family and then being sectioned. Perhaps we can certainly understand why from the above pictorial message.
Most interestingly Rodney dies 8 weeks after being warned off. His death was recorded as Liver Cancer?
Date of Rodney’s death:
Tuesday 30 September
Was Rodney just one of the many timewasters that Police had to deal with or did he know something, if not everything. But whilst some of his suggestions were possibly unbelievable the annoncement of the car seen aproaching Claudias Street was not released until 2015 after Rodney had died.
Rodney also had the foresight to challenge why Police only used limited and partial footage from selective CCTV cameras at Limes Court off Heworth Place.
Which of his reveals do we think could be reality?
Rodney was not the only person linked to this case who died. Here are the others:
Richard Cartwright age 57
Sudden heart attack. Initially he was alleged to be the Dark Person checking out the rear of Claudias property on 19th March 2009 but this was later dismissed as inaccurate as he was a genuine person and Landlord of some properties in Heworth Place.
Whilst his body was found 3 weeks after Claudias disappearance, there is no mention of the actual day and time of his death.
David “Neil” Horwell age 56
(Brother of Lee Horwell with who Claudia had an affair)
Dies suddenly when on the Algarve in 2018.
Tommy Ward 81
Elderly but disappeared from Heworth Road within a year of speaking to the press in 2015 and repeating his claim to have witnessed Claudia being forcibly bundled into a car.
Authors Note:
It would take a huge cover up of massive proportions and nerves of steel for all participants to cover up a suspicious death and claim it was natural causes and so could only be done at the very highest level of any authority.
18th to 22nd June
Ascot and a second search-Following search the landlord of Nags Head, George went across the road to put a bet on.
Wednesday 23rd July
Paul Harris (Then 46) landlord of The Acomb,was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and excavations of the pub were then made by police. it was discovered that the excavations were over 20 years old.
It is reported that his wife went to the Police to provide evidence that was contradictory of Pauls, hence the charge. The information that Paul was alleged to provide that was incorrect has not been revealed.
Mr Harris said his wife went to the police station voluntarily on Wednesday.
He added: “They searched my wife’s car and found a bracelet in it and asked if my wife wore it. She said no, but my girls wear bracelets.”
He also said:” They didn’t question me at all about Claudia’s disappearance. but when I was questioned on Wednesday the police made it clear that all they were questioning me about was a contradiction in one of my statements to another statement I made.”
Mr Harris now lives in an executive level property in York.
Had Paul Harris perhaps had a liaison / relationship with Claudia that his wife had found out about?
2015
A period of 6 years has passed and many suspects are interviewed, released and thousands of statements along with many searches have taken place.
Claudias case renamed from Operation “Cabin “to Operation “Essence”
The police thinking at a far more mature level with more information.
They will have discounted at this time her abduction as they were working on a Murder case and focused locally around people who knew her and her close social network.
Sunday 25th February
Detectives search the alleyway off Heworth Place that runs along the rear of Claudias house in Heworth Road that leads to The Nags head car park
Wednesday 18th March
Police appeal for help to identify two people on unseen CCTV footage of the Evening of 18th March. These are described as Dark Person and Light Person in my account of this case. It would appear that the CCTV footage released on Friday 15th May 2009 (6 years earlier), but of the next morning (19th March)of the same area, showed exactly the same two people.
Monday 23rd March
A man in his 50’s (Alistair Cooper)is arrested on suspicion of Claudia’s murder and is released on police bail on 24th March. A home in York is searched.
Tuesday 14th April
A 47 Year old man (Paul Harris) arrested on suspicion of Perverting the course of justice is released from Police bail. Police say that he had provided information that progressed the investigation.
Wednesday 22nd April
Following an inspection of laneway behind Claudia’s house-3 further arrests are made.
The Sun Said:
All can be named today:
Four men arrested, their houses searched and released on bail-They all knew Claudia and are “Persons of Interest”:
It was also reported that some of the 4 were overheard betting on them next to be arrested due to their association with Claudia at Hags Head. But only 3 of the 4 were regular drinkers here and only 2 drank with Claudia. Some were only associated by the relatives connection.
Arrested on Monday 23rd March
First Person Of Interest (POI)
Alistair J Cooper (59) 6ft, greying dark hair, medium to heavy set build. Of Oakland Avenue, York. YO31 1BZ and just around the corner from David Robinson. Allegedly also sighted wearing a Tan Mid Length Jacket and walked with a limp. He worked in the Sports Department, commercial division at York University and would take Lunch at the Roger Kirke Centre where Claudia Worked close by. It is believed that Cooper had already been questioned on at least 3 occasions before this arrest. The most recent a year ago around the same time as Michael Snelling, who also worked at the university. Allegedly he was arrested to provide clarification on statements he had previously given to the investigations team.
Cooper occasionaly drank at the Pub close to the University, The Deramore Arms. When there, he would often be seen with his head buried in a book.His neighbours report him as being an ordinary bloke who wasn’t very sociable with them. He had lived in the area for over 20 Years and would be out drinking regularly on his own.
His youngest son, Stephen, who was of similar build and dark haired, worked as a bar man at The Nags Head when not at University, during breaks. Stephen also worked at Charles XII close to the University of York.
Alistair, drank at The Deramore Arms occasionaly as it was convenient for work. When home Stephen lived with his parents until 2012.
Alistair’s older Son; Paul D Cooper by 3 Years, worked at Quartz Travel, the local travel agents in Heworth. Paul now lives in France and is married to a French Local, returning occasionally to York. He moved to France at some stage in early 2002, was married in 2008 (His stag was at York Races). He discovered that he was due to be a father in early 2009.
Quartz Travel provided a Mini-Shuttle Bus service to local airports for their customers who had booked flights and package holidays.
Was someone trying to frame Alistair with one of the reported sightings outside of Claudia’s house or was he actualy there? Why did the Police arrest him for only clarification purposes.?
(The 3) Arrested 22nd April
Second Person Of Interest
Peter Stephen Ruane (49) Of Heworth Road. He owns a Building business, Transcore with fellow directors William Morley and Paul James Peake and a Car Repair business, AC Commercials with Directors William Morley and Adrian Flinton. Both premises are in Malton.
He also has property in Heworth Place and today a further aquisition in Heworth Road.
Peter is a succesful business man running a building business and auto repair business near Malton. At the time of Claudia’s disappearance his company Transcore, had been awarded a civil engineering contract by Yorkshire Water to deal with drainage issues at the lake near the New build area at Yorkshire University.
Separated and moved from North Lane, York YO32 in 2008. His marital home where he had lived with his wife Elizabeth Ruane (Nee Barker).
Peter lived at 15 Heworth Place after splitting up with his wife from 2008 and lived there until 2014 when he purchased 41 Heworth Road.
Ruane was and still is; in a relationship with Jen King, One of Claudia’s Friends. They still live in Heworth Road today.
He also owns other properties in the area, one being in Heworth Place where he lived for some time after separating from his wife before moving across to Heworth Road.
When he lived at Heworth Road in 2009, his next door neighbours at number 17 were also associated with the building trade. A 53 year old bricklayer and a Hungarian joiner. He left the Uk in May 2009 to go to France.
More recently he acquired a property in Heworth Road with access rights to the Nags Head Car Park and the car repair yard beyond. It was recently announced that the Nags Head will close in April 2020.
Something of a local property Baron?
The Sun Quoted “Along with the fact that Peter Ruane is going out with 31 Year-old (SIC)Jen King, one of Claudia’s best friends.”
Jen was actually 24 and the “Baby” of the friends group. However she was described as being far more mature than here age dictated.
It must be so so hard for Jen to look out of her window every day at her friends house?
In an interview to the Sun, Jen King who spearheaded the search for Claudia in the early days, yesterday was quoted as telling a pal:
“I was only guilty of being her friend.” She added:
It’s been really s*** and we’ve had nearly a year of this. It’s taken its toll on us all.
(Was she ever accused of being guilty of anything?)
We’ve (who are the we?) had sleepless nights and I’ve had to take beta-blockers for panic attacks and hypnotherapy to calm my nerves.”
Jen also believes that the Police are continuing to be “Flogging a dead Horse”
Perhaps an unfortunate choice of phrase Jen?
But then Jen often used “Terms of Endearment” to describe Claudia.
In a Facebook post during 2016 she refered to Claudia as:
“Knob”, “Dizzy Cow” and “Our Knob”
Jen recently alleged on Facebook:
“I’ve been “spotted” in situations with Claudia I’ve simply never been in”
What situations were these?
Third Person Of Interest
Shane P Ruane, (52) and Locksmith at AffordaLock. Brother of Pete Ruane.
He lived at Huntington Road in York:
He Lived more locally to Peter during 2009. Shane has been in a long term relationship with Nicky Drake since 2013.
He was also Company Secretary for a hairdressing business, Image Hair and Beauty, based at 2 Moorfield Drive, Wilberfoss. YO41 along with 2 other directors, Holly Barrit and Kelly Marie Lund.
Fourth Person Of Interest
David Errington Robinson (46)-UPVC Window Installation Business YO1 UPVC Solutions.
Robinson is the Brother In Law of Shane Ruane.
He lives close to Peter, Jen and Alistair at Hempland Avenue, Heworth. YO31 1DD. Robinson did not drink with Claudia and the others but would drink in the separate sports bar area of the Nags Head hotel.
Robinson claims that he was arrested because something he had said to someone was taken out of context. He lives at the above address with his partner Gail Joan Ryan (49), her son Liam Ryan and Daughter Shannon Robinson. They still live there today. Gail has been a director of the business since 2015. He runs his business from Unit 25 Parker Developments Malton Road, York YO32 RTN.
CPS are asked to review case and advise on strength of evidence
All 4 of these men are in the age group are one or more than of the types that Claudia found to be attractive:
Middle aged male
Builders or had their own businesses
Married or in a long term relationship
Drank at The Nags Head Pub
The men all lived within close proximity of one another and close to where Claudia lived
One of the above men was of particular interest to the police because he had attempted to send his Ford Mondeo car to a scrapyard for disposal. The car was retained by police for further examination and would not be released to the owner.
The man was not suspected of knowingly having a relationship with Claudia.
At the same time the men were arrested, 20 properties in Heworth were searched by police, Of Note-Numbers 15 and 19 Heworth Place.
Did Peter and or Shane Ruane live here after separating from their partners?
Is it possible that these 4 men were framed to cover up for something far more sinister. They were well known to Claudia, some may have even had a relationship with her and we certainly should not discount the fact that these 4 men could be completely innocent.
Suzy Cooper who knows extremely well some of those arrested and others aforementioned in this Blog. Said the following on Social media:
“ In the very same type of friendship that I have with Claudia, I have with Jen (King), Pete (Ruane), George (Simon Foreman-Landord of Nags Head), and Steve (Sammons-Cyprus).
There is not one ounce of me that believes they are involved”
Wednesday 22nd April 2015
Commenting on the search of the house in Heworth Road near his and Claudia’s homes, Tommy Ward one of Claudia’s neighbours at 62 Heworth Road said:
07:00
“It started off with one police car then a few more came. It was just around about 7am when everything started up. ‘I was outside my house watching the world go by at the time. ‘I haven’t seen anyone arrested but a few weeks ago some sniffer dogs were there in the same house. We’ve had dogs a few times now. I don’t know the person who lives there.”
Tommy’s house was sold in 2018 to the owner of one of properties searched in 2015.
The purchaser was a Person of Interest in this case and they made a joint purchase along with their business partner.
Today the house is registered in the business name and through the pension scheme.
It is believed that the same person above now owns the following properties:
15 Heworth Place-House-Purchased 10th July 2009-Rear of Claudias house.
41 Heworth Road-House-Unknown
65 Heworth Road-Land and access rights-2008.
Ware and Kay did conveyancing. Peter Lawrence worked at this solicitors for some time prior to retiring.
62 Heworth Road-House and access to Nags car park and rear garage business. 21st November 2018 (Legal Charge)
Sevenoaks, Ox Car Lane, Strensal, York. YO32 5TD-Purchase by a business he was a director of on 4th August 2008. (Legal Mortgage)
Sutton Stables, Norton, Malton, Yorks. 5th June 2004.
Are there more?
The house and access track next to the Nag’s Head is now described as a building plot.
Thursday 17th September 2015
File of evidence on 4 persons of interest and arrested is submitted to CPS.
Friday 18 September 2015
In a facebook Post Jen King says:
“I have read several articles today and it has served only to make me sad about how off the mark I believe this whole thing to be.
It may interest some to know that 2 out of the 4 men arrested are close friends of Claudia’s and love her very much and miss her much more. It may also interest some to know that all four are close friends of mine and I have the utmost belief, faith and trust in them. I 110% believe that they were not involved an any way, shape or form.
Editors note:
Who were the 2 of the four? Peter Ruane would be one as Jen is in a relationship with him and so who is the other one?
Shane, Alistair or David?
Interestingly, Suzy Cooper says exactly the same thing on Social media. But do you ever really know someone and how many crimes have been committed by a person who is loved and trusted?
Jen continues:
“Although its accepted that being arrested and questioned was an inevitability because statistically in these cases it is someone the victim knew and was close to that is the perpetrator, there is no evidence that I am aware of to tie any of these men to her disappearance. I have known these men for the best part of a decade and I trust them all implicitly. Statistics don’t kill people, people kill people.
“So celebrate if you must this “new development” but as one of those few who knows Claudia AND all these men arrested I can say with absolute certainty, regret and complete sadness that we are not any closer to finding her than we were 6 months ago.”
Editors Note:
I don’t believe that Jen King could possibly say this. Unless of course she was by the side of each of the 4 during the hours of 20:30 on 18th March and 0:600 on 19th March and if she was then she would probably aslo have been arrested.
“I bear no grudge and wish no ill will on the Police for this and I have to keep my faith that they (the police) will soon move on from this area to a more fruitful line of inquiry based on and turning up hard evidence that will eventually lead us to our lost friend who will be found (I hope) one day in the near future, and I pray alive and well.”
End..
Why have the Police not “moved on” from this line of enquiry?
Jen had also stated:
“Jen, said she had long resigned herself to the fact that even if Claudia was found alive, she would no longer be the Claudia she knew.” and that “They would have to put her back together”
What did she mean by this?
Jen today still lives across the road from where Claudia lived and so she has not completely-”Moved On”.
Sadly, Suzy Cooper finds it much harder to move on but sensibly has left Heworth.
Suzy said recently on Social media:
“Jen is still my friend, yes but we rarely see each other now. I have not seen or had contact with any of the others for a good few years. Not for any bad reasons, I just chose to stop going to Nags. Now I have to get back to work!”
Understandably any more questions asked could be difficult…
2016
Tuesday 8th March 2016
7 Months after the 4 men are arrested the Crown Prosecution Service decide that there is insufficient evidence to charge any of the 4 men arrested.
Police understandably have a very frustrating period as of course they want to solve the case. They quote that due to friends and acquaintances being economic with the truth or silent, they are unable to progress things further.
How did it take seven months for Police and CPS to debate the evidence for a potential prosecution, if the evidence was so weak would it not have been dismissed much sooner in it’s discussions with CPS or was it because the first part of the investigation in 2009 had procedural errors?
In the local press there are many article where there was criticism of the “Case Book” and how the case was managed. Perhaps a good Defence barrister would have made a meal of this?
Did Police believe that having arrested the 4 that others may come forward with new evidence knowing that the Police were about to make charges?
Summarising the lead up to and the arrests
It is only when you look at how the police behaved over a concentrated period of time that you gain clues as to what they were actually doing and thinking.
We appreciate that the Police have to protect evidence for future prosecution but here is what we know so far:
2014
Police discover new fingerprint evidence and possible DNA from Claudias house.
They rule out Michael Snelling from their enquiries.
They start to look at any evidence that Taxi drivers can provide.
Paul Harris, landlord of the Acomb is arrested following his wife providing new evidence to Police, Paul is considered for charges regarding “perverting the course of Justice” It is clear here that he has not provided police with a full account of what he knew. Was he in a relationship with Claudia, albeit short term?
The evening CCTV footage appears to implicate Alistair Cooper and police drop any charges against Paul Harris after he provides them with helpful information.
The search of the Alleyway, the help from Paul Harris and the earlier arrest of Alistair Cooper add to the evidence build to enable the Police to then arrest Peter Ruane his Brother Shane and David Robinson.
We know that Shane was not a regular at the Nags Head and so he is implicated either because he was Peter Ruane’s brother and David Robinsons Brother in Law and assisted in some way, perhaps as a Locksmith or because at the time he was seperated from his partner and alleged to be living in Heworth Place. We also know that David Robinson, whilst a regular at The Nags Head, used to drink in the sports bar area away from Claudia and her friends.
This tells us that Paul Harris, the CCTV footage and the alleyway search helped to build a case towards the arrest of the other 3.
Alistair Cooper was arrested before the others, was there an element of information gathering from him, otherwise why were the 4 not all arrested together?
We know that the Nags Head was free of B&B guests that night and the live in Chef, Ray was on holiday. Was there some kind of “Out of Hours” activity, planned that more than the usual crowd attended and did Claudia join them?
Due to the individuals then playing their cards close to their chests the Police investigation was hampered to where we are today.
We are either dealing either a very sophisticated set up or some very clear culprits that are currently beyond the realms of justice.
Or did these man offer feasible reasons for being in certain areas that the police chose to discount?
January 2017
NYP wind down their Investigation and it now becomes a “Cold Case”
Police believe that there is a wall of silence and lies being told to them and until one breaks silence the investigation is unlikely to move forward.
Police Statement
For me this has to be the most telling Police statement from DS Malyn:
“I still strongly favour the theory that the person — or persons — responsible for Claudia’s disappearance was someone — or several people — who were close to her. It was either very well-planned or there was a huge element of luck to have got away with it, so far at least. In my view they have probably been helped by the fact that those closely associated with Claudia have withheld key information.”
It is clear that DS Malyn and his team, along with previous teams had exerted significant effort in attempting to bring the perpetrators to justice and he was frustrated and limited by “Someone” in what he could say.
Summarising what he said:
Those close to her were responsible for her disappearance
Those closely associated with Claudia have withheld information
Are those close to her also those same ones closely associated with her?
This is important…
It is at this point where I believe that the criminal justice system has let Claudia and her parents down.
It is widely known that the CPS don't like to take a case to prosecution where the chance of success is below 90%.
This is due to Government targets set on the CPS.
There will be evidence that they have missed and I am sure we will hear more from this. The cost over a human life is never palatable and equally it also appears that the media and the investigatory journalists have also jumped onto new bandwagons as they can add no further value…Many of these investigators rarely solve a case but produce lots of TV footage.
Commenting on the case, Chief Superintendant Simon Mason said:
“There was no prime suspect, but a “number of individuals” of “particular interest” to the investigation”.
2018
Tuesday 20th March
As mentioned, the case is now put on ice and Police discover some evidence that they should have highlighted 10 years previously.
As we know, Claudia’s car was being repaired 3 weeks prior to her going missing. We know nothing of where the car was or the garage who were dealing with the repair. But we do know that one of her Nags Head friends who was a partner of one of her female best friends had a car repair businesses. The engine was being replaced.
Police announced that they had discovered an Embassy Regal branded cigarette butt in her car when in for repair.
Claudia’s parents are somewhat frustrated by the length of time that this evidence has taken to come to the notice of police. I share their concerns but equally and with Joan and Peter being divorced and providing different views of Claudia and a different individual level of support to the Police, have they made the Police job more difficult?
Missing Items
I mentioned before that there were items missing from Claudias home and her normal “Go to” work attire as follows:
Backpack
Likely to be containing the following contents:
Chef Whites for work
House keys-It is unlikely that the police changed the locks after the first search of premises and one of “next of kin” would hold these keys.
Did anyone else hold a spare set, either knowingly or unknowingly to Claudia-Who had Claudia entrusted with her keys before?
Samsung Mobile Phone
DCI Galloway suggested that Claudia would keep her phone in her Backpack?-Not as a prolific texter
Hair Straighteners
A Similar Pair were found later in another house search in Heworth Road-Why were these of Interest to the Police?
31st October 2018
Wednesday 14th November 2018
Neil Horwell (56), Brother of Lee Horwell dies suddenly whilst on holiday on the Algarve.
Neil was friendly with the Pavlou brothers who in partnership wanted to develop a 600 capacity £8 Million casino on the site of Lee and Neil’s Scrap Metal business at Mansfield Street, York. These plans never materialised and after Neils Death the land was sold to a property developer and Today houses student accommodation.
March 2019
DS Dai Malyn reveals a breakthrough in evidence regarding her mobile phone:
“The investigation team still believe Claudia’s silver Samsung D900 mobile phone was deliberately turned off by someone at about 12.10pm on Thursday 19 March 2009”
This statement is still available on NYP Micro Site for Claudia Today.
However in 2009 the Sunday Times reported the following:
What we have here is that DS Galloway reveals he knows where and when the phone is turned off and Police are aware of this evidence as early as 2009.
Yet 10 Years Later, DS Malyn reveals it as NEW evidence but admits that they CAN”T pinpoint the area to a degree of accuracy within the 9 Mile Radius of Disconnection?
Editors note:
Was Galloway Bluffing when he stated that he knew where the phone was turned off ?
Was Malyn forced into having to reveal a new find on the 10th Anniversary of Claudia going missing?
Whatever is true it is these Police statements that make members of the public suspicious of the Police, their motives and ability to undertake an investigation.
We have a great Police force but unfortunately errors like this cost reputation.
June 2019
The Government introduced the Guardianship (Missing Person’s) Act 2017, informally known as ‘Claudia’s Law’. The law would allow for a guardian to be appointed to manage the affairs of a person who has been missing for 90 days or more. Such a guardian would have the power to, for example, stop direct debits for utilities.
The law was introduced after campaigning by Peter Lawrence with the support of MPs.
This is a welcome act for those that have to endured a loved one missing for a long period of time like the Lawrences, however, will this act possibly encourage more people, particularly those with significant debts to go missing as after 90 days, quite a short period, there could be financial advantages in doing so?
July 2019
I start to get involved in researching this case. It becomes all encompassing and I devote over 18 hours each day to my research.
August 2019
I visited York and the infamous Nags Head Public House and the surrounding area, Heworth Road.
Today the rear alleyway between Claudias house and houses in Heworth Place has been paved over and the end of the alley is blocked off, making access to the Nags Head car park almost impossible and impassable. The rear of Houses in Heworth Place are now fenced and no longer “open plan” as some were in 2009. The CCTV cameras are still there and in the same positions.
It felt eirie when I walked into the alleway and even though it was daylight I felt a sense that I shouldn't be there. A feeling of not wanting to be discovered, but more so as this could have been the last route Claudia may have taken?
Even the Google van has avoided this street since 2014, so unremarkable that it must be?
Claudias house, still the very same as it appears in the media, you almost expect that she will bounce out of the doorway and even if she didn't know you, would offer a friendly and welcoming smile. I had to take a few minutes at this point to compose myself. Whilst I never knew Claudia, the last months of full on research and writing about her has taken an emotional toll. I wish that I had known her, even if only perhaps to say-”Stay away from ****”.
But then who am I to influence and advise a 35 year old on her chosen “friendships”?
A clutch of semi-detached houses on the opposite side of the road, some with driveways, cars parked at the end of a normal working day and the ideal viewing platform and possible centre stage for some who may bathe in the medias attention.
I visited the The Nags Head in the evening-Far nicer than I expected, not a pub you would expect to see “Gangsters and their Molls” frequenting. A new Landlady replacing Simon “George” Foreman and perhaps others that followed him. Unlike others he appears to have had the sense to move from the area.
I’m sure that with his departure, went the “Lock Inns” much to the disappointment of the “Chosen few”.
I ordered a pint of cider and there was no reaction to this from any of the customers, me being male and the drink being Claudias favourite. I did not seek out a Juke Box as even if there still was one I felt that playing Elton Johns “Your Song” would have been an infringement and a step to far.
None of the usual suspects who I could identify from their FaceBook profiles were present, perhaps I had chosen a bad night or even they have “Moved on” from their favourite watering hole.
Whilst the new staff made the place friendly, I couldn’t help feeling that this visit for me was somewhat of an anti-climax. I was expecting the whole place to be shrouded in remorse.
I tried to picture Claudia and her “Friends” clustered together at one end of the bar, Claudia and Jen competing for attention, one of them today capitalising on this.
There was none of this in the modern day Nags, not even a new clutch or people plotting their holidays or even having a spot of misadventure.
A sad place and quite unremarkable. If you weren't aware that this had been the Centre of Claudias world, you would be none the wiser.
The Nags / Heworth Node
Criminologists suggest that perpetrators work within particular ‘nodes’ An area or zone within which a premeditated crime might occur. This makes for a strong case that someone within a certain radius would be involved.
This research suggests 0.5 miles to a mile of where a crime happens.
Thursday 3rd October 2019
Could the following case have been related and was this part of the “community” if not Claudia but those she was trying to free herself from were connected to?
I say this because reading the above press article there was something that triggered my thoughts and were only IMO. See what you think?
What kind of network would be required to facilitate this kind of operation?
Monday 1st December 2019
Channel 5 broadcast a documentary entitled The Disappearance Of Claudia Lawrence-Missing or Murdered?
The usual characters, Claudias female friends are wheeled out to take part and whilst both become quite emotional there is not a tear to be seen. The only person in the documentary who grabbed my attention was Claudias father Peter, he is suffering so badly.
In this programme, the only piece of interest was the naming of the work colleague, David Oxer. He waited a Year to mention to police that Claudia revealed she had a new boyfriend and she had spent the night with him on 17th March. in doing so in this way he attracted the attention of unnecessary publicity as you would do.
Why did he wait a Year to provide police with the information and a further 10 Years to name himself.
During his TV interview he reveals how he would normally give her a lift but on that morning he reached the top of her road at Stockton Lane and decided not to but too go by a different route.
At the time David Lived at 15 Wellesley Close in York-He still does today:
Interestingly, the route he took that morning was the longer way around to his work place by 3 minutes.
Why did he do that?
When he spoke on TV about this and when asked why he took a different route, he looked up and to the right. Typical body language for searching for inspiration rather than that of memory recall??
This is very unusual behaviour. He decides almost at the last minute not to offer her a lift and then takes a longer route to work by turning off before reaching her road and only declares this information to the police a year after the event.
Along with other managerial and staff members at Claudias workplace, they decide not to report her absence from work for two whole shifts.
Is he like many others more interested in the limelight rather than Claudia herself or is there something more sinister here?
In Summary
By now you may have decided for yourself on what could have happened, I can promise you that like me, you will change your mind many times as facts start to accumulate in your mind and you find out more about this case.
I constantly update this blog and so if you return to read at a later point you will see my changes.
Unusual Behaviour
It can often be quite telling to look at what changed during the week leading up to Claudia’s disappearance.
Were there any significant changes in peoples behaviours?
Police look at these facts as it is the change from a persons regular patterns that are often key giveaways and so lets recap on these:
- Claudias last time at her local “The Nags” was Sunday where she was reported to have been very drunk and often when like this she would say or even worry unnecessarily about what she may have said to someone?
- 3 Days absence from the pub was unusual given that Claudia would frequent this pub 4 / 5 times a week and she missed St Patricks Night celebrations there.
- Claudia was helping Jen King with some “Issues” that she had that week and Claudias Sister states that Claudia could not meet her that same weekend because a friend had some bad news that she was helping her with? Was Clauida helping Two people. It may have been over the same problem / person?
Claudia could have been the problem?
4. The text to Jen-Was she distancing herself from Jen, had they fallen out? (No “x” signature which was unusual) Did Claudia even write or send that text and was the missing “x” more than a fall out? Was Claudia sending a “Help” message to Jen that Jen may spot.
5. Ray Webster who was the “Live In” Chef at the Nags was away for over 2 weeks in Tunisia when Claudia dissapeared. If he was the sole occupant of the B&B rooms then this presented an opportunity for something? Police were said to be compiling a list of “Recent Guests” at the time, suggesting that there were non on the evening? Was Rays room the one that could be accesed by the Iron fire escape to the car park?
6. Claudia had either dyed her hair or someone had made out that she had, hence DS Galloways release of the “Blonde” Claudia appeal. Would Claudia change back to Blonde after only having this done at great expense recently or was this staged to make it appear that Claudia had taken flight?
7. The visitor to Claudias one afternoon the week during her disappearance that by all acounts was “Uncomfortable” as Claudia ushered him away from “Prying Eyes”.
8. Was the Dark person getting out / putting back something from his or someone else’s car / house in Heworth Place-Was he a locksmith or was he a burglar totally unassociated just checking out the area? Where the Police more interested in the Light figure in the CCTV or perhaps the person that stood in the doorway opposite Heworth Place?
9. Why did the police not bring public attention to the other figures in the CCTV footage and why did they not enhance the poor quality footage as can be done?
10. Was the mattress disposed of from the Nags Head on 19th March also containing a body along with any DNA?
11. With all of the activity centred around The Nags Head, why were there not more arrests from within this area. Is the then Landlord holding back on a great source of information?
12. Was all of the cctv evidence staged to make it look like 4 people were trying to do harm to Claudia or was this Police looking for the person who could have been lodging with Claudia that week?
Claudia-What Would She May Look Like Today?
About Claudia
Prior to moving to Heworth, Claudia had a house in Malton but her long term Married lover, Mr “Paddy” McGinty of 8 years didn't move in with her. She always suspected that he was cheating on her. This caused her to come to work sometimes in tears.
She was fantastic at her job and a really hard working person. She didn’t like to go front of house as a chef because sometimes girls from Malton were there and it was alleged that she was not very popular in the Malton area.
Claudia had a wide circle of friends as well as a smaller close(d) group. Much of her socialising but not all, was centred around the Nags Head public house and if she was out drinking, almost always she would return there that night as there were lock-inns until 3–4 in the morning on many evenings, particularly at weeknds.
A very close friend and work colleague of 8 years (Possibly Ant Newby) described Claudia as follows:
“The answer to Claudias behaviour lay in her drinking, she was a lovely girl but when drunk, other girls didn’t like her. She could drink six or seven pints of cider a night but had started to drink Vodka and if you asked her out for a drink she would never say no. Claudia Became reckless with drink.
She was always secretive always texting and this came across to some as rather rude and insensitive. She could be immature and bitchy and pull faces behind peoples backs”
This was most likely to be the drink “Talking” as Suzy Cooper explained:
“If Claudia had a worry, it was wanting to be liked and worrying what other people thought of her, especially what she might have said the night before and she would worry the next day, saying-‘Oh no, what did I say?’”
Claudia took holidays in Cyprus and Greece and made friends easily when in Cyprus. Visiting Cyprus at least 10 times?
What we have learnt so far is that she did not spend every night at the Nags Head and varied between nights out in York City centre, with Jen and Suzy. More of a girly night out.
Sometimes Claudia would have a “Boys night out” and on a few occasions taxis would be booked to arrive at the Nags Head. 8 people would go off somewhere. On these occasions, Jen and Suzy didn’t come along-Why?
There was also a suggestion that Claudia was seeing a Police Officer and they would meet at The Carlton Tavern which was next door to the Police station in Acomb, an area where her mobile had indicated that she was spending allot of time the few weeks before she went missing, hence the suspicion. Could this Police Officer been of significant seniority?
Were people unhappy with what she may have relayed to him? Could this have been a motive and another reason why Police responded to a missing person report so promptly and with such force?
It is also suggested that Claudia would meet others in the city centre or at The Acomb. Away from the prying ears and eyes of the Nags Head.
The Acomb was a frequent haunt of Claudia and it was alleged that she would go there, sometimes with a colleague from work. Anthony (Anth) Newby, Kitchen Porter.
There does appear to be a side of her that she wanted to hide, even from her close male and female friends.
Perhaps she didnt want to introduce other friends to the Nags and so socialised sometimes further afield?
The Landlord of The Acomb in Acomb’s Kingsway West-Paul Harris, then 46 was arrested on suspicion of Perverting the Course of Justice in July 2014 and excavations of the pub were then made by police after image sensing equipment detected “Reasonable reasons” to dig. There was also a flat above the pub.
In the early stages of the investigation the police were accused of portraying Claudia in a less than complimentary light. They wanted to reveal what they knew but many, including her Parents, Sister and friends were upset by the revelations. Claudia was portrayed as having “Complex relationships”
Hurtful to some but comes with a degree of truth and there was far more that they genuinely didn't know about her.
Due to these early police statements portraying Claudia in not such a gentle light: others who were more perceptive have feared to tread and identify in more detail Claudia’s full personality for fear of upsetting her parents and their reaction. In the same way that DS Galloway had been accused of.
Claudia’s Mother Joan had said:
“Superintendent Galloway had never been back to her home and was not welcome”.
She had told the media that she would like to have him removed from the inquiry. Police had her daughter all wrong. “They seem to think because she was beautiful she had affairs. They could not accept she could have just friends. She had too much self-respect to go with men she knew were married”
So why then did she?-The facts appear to be contradictory.
Whilst in Malton, Claudia was seeing a married man for 10 years, this was common knowledge in the town.
Did DS Galloway do the right thing in portraying a more accurate account of Claudia than that of the one some seemed to know?
DS Galloway was removed from the enquiry and ultimately a very experienced police officer who joined the police in 1988 retired from the force at normal retirement age after 30 Years service in 2018.
Claudia’s father said:
“As her dad, I don’t expect to know everything.”
It is not unusual in families for parents and sister to be unaware of the relationship side of a loved ones life-Few tell their parents about all of their life and relationships particularly if it was known that they may react negatively?
Some of the men named in Claudias life
Pub/chefing work
Anthony (Anth) Newby
The Gold Cup (Low Catton, E. Yorks) until 2005
Then the Monkbar Hotel-York YO31 (2005 until 2007)
Goldricke College, Kitchen Porter 2007–2009
The Acomb
Michael Snelling-(Geordie Mick)
York University (2007–2009) — from Biology Dept. Friend who often gave Claudia a lift to work. Michael drank at The Nags Head.
Paul Harris
Landlord of The Acomb
2007–2009
The Acomb is today called The Clockhouse.
Simon “George” Foreman
Landlord of The Nags Head 2009, There would be many “Lock ins” at the Pub and often it would just be George and Claudia. George lived at 2 Rolston Avenue YO31. As can be seen there is a Green metallic Ford Focus on the driveway:
Lee John Horwell
5 ft 6 inches tall with Grey hair. Father of Two- Emmy and Louise.
It was alleged that Claudia had a short 2 Month affair with Lee who was married to Elizabeth (Beth). He and Beth were childhood sweethearts but are now living apart (Lee at the time of Claudias disappearance was at 112 East Park Road a rented property)in York after Lee confessed to the affair out of guilt.
In a Reddit posting by a contributor Union_Jane. She describes a DVD that was found in Lee’s car by Beth as follows:
Union jane
Is talking about her friend-Who’s mother is Beth Horwell
The Horwells split as soon as Lee Horwells relationship with Claudia came out.
This is what Union_Jane says about the video and there being 10 men in it:
“I have no idea why I forgot to mention this initially, but the divorce I mentioned hinged on the mother (Beth Horwell) of my friend (Either Emmy or Louise) finding a DVD in her husband’s (Lee Horwell) car.
What was on the dvd?
Claudia Lawrence having sex with around ten different men.
Police are aware of it and have a copy, so presumably have traced or tried to trace all those men.
That may well be a motive for people keeping silent — if they were officially linked to the case, it would become known they were in a sex tape.
Again I wish I could provide something more solid here, but it was my friend’s mum and fwiw (For What It’s Worth) I thoroughly believe my friend”.
At the same time Claudia was also reported to be seeing a couple of other married men.
Lee Horwell became a director of his fathers and Uncles (William and Collin Horwell) scrap metal business at 20 along with his older brother David “Neil”.
The business was first registered as a in 1964.
The Brothers Mother, Sandra who married their Dad, David in August 1966 and of Lindley Street, Holgate. A long term employee at Macdonalds, and Councillor of Foxwoods ward between 1979 and 1988 and was a former Sheriff Lady of York. She Died. On January 9th 2001 aged 57.
The two brothers assumed ownership following the resignations of Collin (1994) and William (1998).
Lee became the sole director after Neil’s death on 14th November 2018.
Plans were being discussed in 2006 prior to Claudias disappearance, for a Casino development on the Horwells Scrap metal business land at Mansfield Street, York between The Horwell’s and Paul and George Pavlou of Vudu Club in York but there were many objections from the council and so this plan did not go ahead.
There was then a discussion in 2015 about it being student Accom. This would more easily receive planning as it was a Brownfield site and less contentious.
On 14th March 2018 the council agreed to the development. A councillor named REID withdrew from the meeting for an unknown reason?
The development commenced in 2019 after the land was sold by Horwell for Circa £800,000 to a large private developer.
Alastair Cooper
Peter Ruane
Shane Ruane
Shane has his own Locksmiths business
David Errington Robinson
Managed to stay out of the Limelight and has his own UPVC Business, related by marriage to Shane Ruane (Brother In Law)
Steve Sammons (36)
Steve; a building site labourer, moved to Cyprus in September 2008 and previous business partner with George Foreman at Nags Head. Claudia had stayed at Steve’s before when in Cyprus. Steve lives in the village of Peyia, near Paphos.
A police source said:
“Mr Sammons has a solid alibi. He is not a suspect.”
Robbie Campbell (45–50)
Former welder Robbie, who was born in Irvine, Ayrshire, part owns a bar in Coral Bay, Cyprus with some Greek Cypriots and has the job of encouraging passers by to come in for a drink.
He visited the UK on 18th March 2009 before Claudias disappearance with 3 other friends to move 4 vehicles from UK to Cyprus, Via Italy.
“We picked up the vans in Glasgow and I would have driven past York, but I didn’t stop and see Claudia.”
Dan Whitehand, one of Claudias steady boyfriends who she introduced to Robbie said.
“A bar owner in the resort of Coral Bay took a particular shine to her. He’s not someone I would have liked to get on the wrong side of. He could be quite intimidating. He was maybe 45 to 50 and owned a lot of businesses.”
Former boyfriends
“Paddy” McGinty (46)
1994–2004
He runs his own building / roofing company in Malton and is co owner of 2 Race Horses. They were in a long term (10 Year) relationship, He was not yet married but had a long term partner, Janice with child. Janice was aware of the secret affair and so not so secret.
Paddy was 11 Years Claudia’s senior at the time, Claudia was 20 and had recently left York College for Girls when they met at the Spotted Cow Pub in Malton, then her home town.
Dan Whitehand, Claudias future boyfriend said this.
“She loved Paddy to bits. But she told me she wasted nearly a decade of her life waiting for him to leave his partner. It had a lasting effect on her. It made her vulnerable.”
They never lived together. Paddy now lives in Norton, York. YO17.
Dan Whitehand
2004–2007
Dan Kernow Whitehand, 34 at the time a steady and “Age Similair” Boyfriend of Claudias.
They used to Holiday together in Cyprus and Cuba 2004–2006.
Dan lives in Hobson near Burnopfield on the outskirts of Gateshead,Tyne and Wear and it is understood he was in Scarborough which was just under an hours drive from York (41 minutes) undertaking his job as an insurance broker on the day Claudia went missing.
His Alibi was said to be that his phone “pinged” in Newcastle on the evening of March 18th. This suggests that he returned from Scarborough that evening to Newcastle.
However, he could have had more than one phone and Newcastle to York is driveable in 1:30 minutes.
Is this a solid alibi?
Dan was only a broker for a limited period-18th March 2008 to October 2010. Today he is a builders labourer.
Dan says he and Claudia split because she wanted to settle but he was still scarred from the break-up of a five-year relationship before he met her. They agreed to stay in touch as friends.
“She would text me every couple of months,” he says. A year or so later Claudia got involved with scrap-metal dealer Lee Horwell — another married man, whose marriage was ended by the affair.
Neither Horwell nor McGinty are suspects.
Dan’s last contact with Claudia was in october 2008 when she sent him a text whilst she was holidaying in Cyprus.
Police have stated that Dan has a “Solid Alibi”
Lee Horwell
2007
(York, Coal /Scrap metal merchant)
Holidays
Cuba
With Dan Whitehand-Police traced 10 of 15 men to date who holidayed in Cuba who Claudia met there.
They were from Hale, Cheshire an area that she visited. North Yorkshire Police said. “This is all part of the investigation.”
Dan said “Claudia may be described by friends as quiet and shy until she gets to know people, but four years ago, on holiday in Cuba with Dan, she formed a close bond with a group of men from Hale, Cheshire.”
One of the group, Lee Milench, 35, a chef at the American Bar in Hale, said: ‘I was with about 15 mates when we met Claudia and her boyfriend. After the holiday we all kept in touch and she would come over at weekends and stay at one of our homes.
‘She stayed at my house a few times. Some of the lads would go over to York to see her for weekends sometimes.
But I don’t think she has been over here since last summer.’
”Cyprus
Steve Sammons (builder)
Robbie Campbell (Cyprus bar owner in Coral Bay)
Robbie hailed from Glasgow. An ardent Glasgow Rangers supporter.
Robbie was transporting vans from Glasgow via Liverpool and Bypassing York at the time Claudia dissapeared. His destination ws Cyprus via Italy.
She met him with her then boyfriend, Dan Whitehand and again in October 2008 on her own).
Dan had said about the bar owner in Coral Bay-“He’s not someone I would have liked to get on the wrong side of. He could be quite intimidating. He was maybe 45 to 50 and owned a lot of businesses”.
Insecurity
A previous boyfriend of Claudia's described her as “Boisterous and fun-loving on the surface, she was also shy, lonely and a kind, beautiful girl who was desperate to be loved,”
“There was a very romantic side to her, which made her naive about men, more naive than you’d expect for a woman of her age.
“She was quite gullible in fact. And that’s the concern. A previous long term relationship with an older married man that ended after 10 Years made her vulnerable.”
Claudia was a different person when she had been drinking. “If she didn’t like someone she would snarl at them and it could get her into trouble.”
Another who knew Claudia well describes her:
“While there was a naive side to Claudia she seemed pretty switched on about some people too. The more unpleasant a person seemed the more guarded she became. I believe she would have had an instinctive sense that something was going to happen”
Money did not appear to be the motivator for Claudia. She worked hard to buy her house and appeared to live within her means.
Whatever her parents wish to convey, Claudia liked older married men of a working class background, both as friends and lovers. Once she had proved a point to herself with a married man the relationship was likely to have ended, this did demonstrate her controlling nature.
Claudia managed to juggle her suitors without always revealing their existence. In all Claudia had at least 12 lovers of whom detectives are aware of, half of whom either married or already with prtners.
Was claudia a modern day spinster with a penchant for older attached wealthy Men?
In addition to Claudia’s known relationships, including a couple of long-term associations with married men, the police have identified up to 10 of a suspected 40 Men Claudia had been involved with whose existence was entirely unknown to anyone else in her world. They were mostly short-term relationships, some with married men, some not. Some took a long time for the police to trace, and not all were initially willing to admit they’d had a close relationship with Claudia.
Some were surprised that a woman as attractive as Claudia had chosen them. It had been their lucky day. Most became known to the police through Claudia’s telephone history.
She had not shown any interest in developing a longer-term relationship with these men.
Only the relationship with “Paddy McGinty, the married man from Malton was of long standing. Perhaps being burnt after 8 years she decided to be with someone closer to her own age and when Claudia did date older men in the future she called the shots and terminated the relationship-probably so as not to be hurt again?
Relationships with younger men were often away from Heworth and appear to be short lived and possibly one night stands.
It could be that one of her relationships was with an older man who had a long standing partner?
This could have been Claudias “Step too far” Particularly if this relationship was “close to home” and she knew them both well?
The Many Lives of Claudia Lawrence
- The Daughter
2. The Nags Head Circle
3. The Wider Liasons
4. The Holiday Claudia
5. Her working life
6. The Alcohol Influenced Claudia
It was so strange that when she went missing that there was no comment published from her Employer / Manager or colleagues-So unusual…..
Many of us have different lives and secrets and I have to concur; based upon the information thus far, with Superintendent Galloway that Claudia had “A complex” and secretive private life with a succession of different men.
But who am I too dare to tread and question, I could upset many and offend far more-As long as Claudia is ok with it…
In Summary
Claudia’s Dad has worked tirelessly to keep this case alive and we owe it to him to get a result.
I leave the readers with these thoughts:
What did Claudia know or do that cost her life?
Was she mingling with those that were capable of threatening investigators?
Was it a business deal, were some high profile locals involved or was it drugs related?
Was Claudia a risk to a financial deal that was to go ahead that involved land disposable or repurposing?
Her Dad used to be a defending solicitor, was this retribution from a key case?
Had Claudia been pulled into a relationship with someone unbeknown to her who was undercover. So that they were able to get closer to “The Community” through her?
Was Claudia a “Mule” again unbeknown to herself due to the many trips to Cyprus and what about the Cuba / Hale, Cheshire connection and the 15 strong male group she met when ther. 10 have been identified so far?
Did Claudia have to be secured as part of a witness protection programme, there were some significant drug ring busts that followed, some in Cyprus and one more recently in North west England as aforementioned some may be ongoing-Certainly many were lying low?
Did Claudias over indulgence in alcohol lead to perhaps an accidental death but due to the circumstances had to be covered up to protect the reputation of others and did she take drugs-Cocaine for example?
Final thoughts
Many people go missing and there is often no fuss.
Was Claudia the only person to disappear with her on that evening or was there another / others that disappeared “In the line of duty”?
Did others die later because of what they knew of the case?
The local police appear to know who the perpetrators are. I have every sympathy with them. But are we dealing with something of a larger / National or International scale?
Are the accused 4 (charges dropped) not talking because they themselves live in fear and have ALL of those that should have, been interviewed or were the 4 just a convenient distraction from something far more sinister?
And… The battery operated clock that remains in Claudias house along with many other of her possesions not taken by police for examination. It had stopped at 9:37 (AM or PM)?
As a great believer in clocks and their meanings, was there some significance here?
There appears to be a close knit bunch who have commanded not only their own silence but those of the community or should I say….. Which Community?
Footnote
I will finish with this……………………………………………………………..
My Most Likely theory. This has been arrived at because of the perceived reluctance by Police to show CCTV footage that will be available and when shown of poor clarity when digital enhancement did exist and was widely used in 2009. Time stamps on certain CCTV footage being deliberately omitted in some cases:
Theory
Liz from Malton, a very good friend of Claudias was texting. Liz was worried because she learns Claudia is walking to work the next day.
Claudia was a thoughtful person and valued friends so she wouldnt say she was walking if she had a pre-arranged lift.
She must have planned to Walk to work on the morning of 19th March
She would have to set off at 05:10 / 05:15.
If someone was giving her a pre-arranged lift they would arrive closer to 05:42, the time ALLEGED in the CCTV footage and Police report.
(Time stamp removed for obvious reasons)
My view is that the Braking car was actually seen at 05:05 / 05:10 and as Claudia came out of her house, she either got into the car that looked like Michael Snelling’s or David Oxer.
Was she was bundled into a car.
In the CCTV footage analysis. A Blonde girl was still in the doorway on the braking car footage 35 minutes later (05:42).
Even if she was a lookout, this is an inordinate amount of time to stand outside on a cold March morning in the North East of England?
What if she wasn’t.
What if the footage was 05:10 / 05:15 only 2 to 7 minutes later, this would be more feasible would it not?
Also waiting in the wings was the vehicle with the flashing hazards that again I mention in CCTV analysis.
The flashing light sequence seen in the reflection resembles that of a Breakdown truck / Roadsweeper or Refuse collection vehicle.
Claudia gets in the car, doors locked, car reverses to truck and is put on board. Not unusual for a car to fail to start or require removal when someone sets off for work.
Truck takes car to Scrap Yard and so why the car and Claudia have never been found.
Shadows in CCTV were either role playing or actual lookouts.
All we now have to do is to establish the motive?
She either knew something, had a relationship with a high profile person or was about to blow the whistle on an undercover operation or drugs.
The Media
Comments made by some investigators that delved into the detail and some members of the press who have made very concerning remarks about this case and how it has worried them.
I have watched many of the investigative programmes, they become all consuming, you feel at the end they will unearth key facts or even get close to the truth. Unfortunately, like many of these cases, they don’t.
A few of those well known investigative journalists; Gerard Tubb, Donal Macintyre and Mark William-Thomas have attempted to get to the bottom of this case.
Even with some cooperation from police and access to far more evidence and to people with “Direct Knowledge” than us members of the public or myself, they haven’t succeeded.
One well known Sky News investigative journalist had suggested that unlike most missing persons cases he has been involved in, he felt threatened when asking questions and on more than one occasion was “Warned off’ from asking questions along with other well meaning journalists.
I was ejected from a Claudia Lawrence facebook group for having theories that disagreed with his over Christopher Halliwell being Claudias killer.
As we now know, Halliwell was in hospital on 18th and 19th March 2009 in Wiltshire as he was suffering with mental health issues and was described as being “suicidal”.
The same Facebook group eventually closed and upon further investigation, the administrator of this group was discovered to have multiple profiles and a large gap in his online presence for 10 Years after 2006. He has now started a new group:
Paul Crook, Paul Phillips, Michael C*a*k* and Sarah Tims.
But there are likely to be more Aliases -Perhaps the one on the Left, who was particular about the sandwiches that were made for him?
Other Claudia lawrence Groups
One of the largest groups was set up by Jill Rainton a local lady of Swale Avenue, York YO24. Entitled-“Missing Person-Claudia Lawrence.”
They have over 1,500 members-many inactive.
In this group anyone who asks a searching questions of Suzy Cooper or Jen King or any of the POI’s is quickly closed down, comments deleted or ejected from this group. Even if the question is designed to assist in finding what happened to Claudia.
The ejection is followed by lots of Tea and Sympathy from some of the longer serving members and support for anyone who has been the brunt of what you would think were healthy questions that would help to get closer to the truth.
Many members have left this group either voluntarily or by ejection and even one of Claudias friends of many years was recently ejected whilst the short term friends who always appear in the media remain and are defended by the group.
A schoolfriend who knew Claudia for all of her secondary education was recently ejected whilst the more recent short term friends stay with some kind of protected status??
Is there a conflict of interest here and is it healthy? A key reason why I write this Blog as I can state the facts without interference from anyone who wants to control the communications.
And so I ask Jill Rainor:
“What is it that you are protecting these people from Jill and why have you decided that it is your role, in a facebook group that purports to find the truth?”
More censorship and makes one ask the question-”Why?” When people are trying to help? After all we are not living in North Korea.
Other Online Activity
In a certain online chat room some locals mention a community as follows:
“I’m from York and have lived here all my life. Claudia was also involved with men from a certain community a community you wouldn’t want to mess with”.
What is this community they spoke about, I wonder and did Claudia want out.
People Online Are Not Always Who They Say They Are.
My experience of online crime and missing persons groups are that they will attract both the wrong kind and those that are there to ensure that progress is disrupted.
You can only draw one conclusion from this:
This in itself suggests to me that those responsible for Claudia’s disappearance are the type not to be meddled with and likely have also warned off the police if not using threats of violence, but legal action.
So who did warn them and who are the disruptors living in online groups?
Are warnings from those that normally lurk in the darker areas of crime or even crime enforcement?
Editors Note:
The intigue behind online interest is as strong and as complex as the criminal case involving Claudia.
As I have said, this makes me have very good reason to believe that this is no ordinary Murder enquiry.
This is no ordinary case.
“What would Claudia want you to do?”
Contacting The Police
Please if you have any information that you believe will result in assisting the police to bring a conviction(s) then contact North Yorkshire Police:
North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and pass details to the Force Control Room, quoting “Claudia Lawrence”.
Or, If you would prefer to remain anonymous:
The independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
Quoting “Claudia Lawrence, North Yorkshire Police”.
FOOTNOTE
This work contains the most authoritative account available of the case today. It is independent, has had no family or Law enforcement assistance in its production and unlike other publications or mass media is frequently updated with new information.
Disclaimer
Information within this article is all sourced from the public domain which includes Public records, media-MSM and online and any comments made by individuals during this research.
It is brought together here purely for ease of reference.
If you find any inaccuracy in this article, tell me and I can amend.
Please don’t complain to others if you fail to bring any errors to my attention.
