Families of missing call for help

Mar 16 2008 by Coreena Ford, Sunday Sun

THE mother of a student who disappeared five years ago has joined other families to demand more help from the Government.

Sandra Flintoft has struggled to lead a normal life since her son Craig Hetherington, 22, went missing on February 22, 2003.

The evening before, the young engineering student said a cheery goodbye to his mum and asked her to keep a plate of supper “for later” before going out with pals in Middlesbrough. Craig left a pub at 1am and has not been seen since.

Sandra, 55, and Craig’s stepfather Alan Flintoft have joined other families of missing people to call upon the Government to fund more emotional and practical support for relatives.

Last Wednesday, a group of families marched through London to 10 Downing Street to hand over a petition demanding cash.

Sandra, an administration clerk from Guisborough, Teesside, told how she has become close friends with Nicki Durbin, one of the organisers of the march, whose 19-year-old son Luke vanished from Ipswich in 2006. She said: “The situation we’ve been in for five years means I’ve got to know Nicki, who set up the march, really well.

“I couldn’t make it to the march last Wednesday, but I was with them in spirit.

“It’s been five years since Craig went missing and we are at the stage where we don’t know what to do next.

“We can’t have any closure. If he had died five years ago we could have accepted it and grieved but, as things are, without a body being found, we don’t know if he’s alive or dead. We need proper advice to show us the way forward.

“Alan and I were lucky in the faultless support we got from Cleveland police and family liaison officers, but other families haven’t been so lucky, so that’s why a proper support group is so important.”

The call has been backed by the Missing People charity . . . the charity which received the call of Shannon Matthews’ sighting which led to her being found last Friday.

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Where are they now?

THE Missing People charity, which marks its 15th birthday this year, says an estimated 210,000 reports of missing people are made to UK police forces every year.

They are currently publicising the disappearances of the following 10 people from the region.

Missing People‘s confidential 24-hour freefone number is 0500-700700 and their website is www.missingpeople.org.uk

MICHAEL HUNTER, 53, OF DARLINGTON

Michael has been missing since January 24 this year and there is great concern that he may be unwell.

JOELSON DOS SANTOS, 15, OF GATESHEAD

Joelson, who is Angolan, has been missing since August 15 last year and could be in the London area.

MARIAM ASHRAF, 14, OF NEWCASTLE

Mariam vanished on March 9, 2006, after failing to return from a visit to friends in Glasgow.

FAYZA IBRAHIM, 38, BLYTH, NORTHUMBERLAND

Fayza has not been seen since June 4, 2006, when she left her family home.

YI XIANG LIN, 15, OF NEWCASTLE

Yi Xiang went missing on February 7 last year. Chinese-born Yi does not speak any English.

MARGARET LEWIS, OF HOUGHTON-LE-SPRING, TYNE AND WEAR

Margaret, 56, has been missing from her home since January 31, 2002.

STEVEN CLARK, 23, OF MARSKE, TEESSIDE

Steven went missing on December 28, 1992, while walking with his family at Marske-by-the-Sea.

GAVIN WILSON, 28, OF SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE

Missing since February 27, 2006. May have gone to Scotland, London or Poland.