New CCTV Clue In Search For Claudia Lawrence
Police investigating the York chef's disappearance six years ago, have today released images of two people they want to identify.
Detectives investigating the disappearance and suspected murder of York chef Claudia Lawrence are looking for two people seen near her home on the night she went missing.
New CCTV footage has been released as police try to identify the pair.
The images, which were screened to residents in York last night, show two people in the alleyway behind Claudia's home on the night of Wednesday 18 March 2009.
One person can be seen walking down Heworth Place at around quarter past 7 that evening, which is just before she last spoke to her parents on the phone.
The person then disappears but comes back into shot a minute later carrying a bag over their shoulder. They then stop when another person walks past.
It's these two people that detectives are trying to trace. It's as police now focus their enquiries on the alleyway.
Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, who's leading the investigation into Claudia's disappearance, told us:
“The footage shows two people who we need to identify. They were caught on a CCTV camera at 7.15pm on Wednesday 18th March 2009, a short while before Claudia spoke to her parents on the phone.
“Of particular interest to the investigation team is the person who is seen walking down Heworth Place which leads to the back of Claudia’s house.
“The person goes out of camera shot but reappears just over a minute later. They appear to be carrying a bag over their shoulder.
“As the person heads back towards Heworth Road they suddenly stop when another unknown person walks past.
“Who is this? Do they live locally? What were they doing?
“If you can help to identify either person, please contact us as soon as possible. We are waiting to hear from you.”
Claudia's dad, Peter Lawrence, hopes this new CCTV clue can lead to something. He told Viking FM:
"It shows someone who is fairly distinctive even though their face is blurred because they're extremely tall and are acting rather strangely, if that person was local then someone else in the area will know who they are so it is useful and it shows again that we need the public's help.
"Everything that either eliminates or implicates is useful and it fills in the jigsaw. For anyone who recognises them I sincerely hope they will say so and not find a reason not to, they know how this is affecting the family."