AS the investigation into the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence returns to square one, the detective in charge said he is "bitterly disappointed" that her family are still without answers.

North Yorkshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service revealed this week that four men in their fifties, who had been arrested, will not be charged with Claudia's murder, seven years after her disappearance and after investigations which have cost the force well over £1.5m.

York Press:

Peter Mann, head of the complex casework unit for the CPS in Yorkshire and Humberside, said: "We have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prove that any of the men had any involvement in Claudia’s disappearance. Therefore, we have advised the police that no further action should be taken."

Claudia's mum, Joan Lawrence, said she was "absolutely devastated" by the announcement, which came just over a week before the anniversary of her daughter's disappearance.

She said: "I find this time of year extremely difficult and this has only added to how heartbroken I feel. 

York Press: STRONG: Joan Lawrence, mother of missing chef Claudia Lawrence, a posters appealing for help in finding her daughter who disappeared five years ago.

Joan Lawrence

"I didn't want police to release this information until after the anniversary, but I was told they had no choice. It's just another blow in finding answers about what has happened to my daughter. I'm in complete and utter shock, this news came completely out of the blue, and the timing is absolutely dreadful."

Det Supt Dai Malyn said he had not prejudged the decision of the CPS, and he respected their decision not to bring charges against the four men.

He said: "Of course it's disappointing and frustrating, mainly for the family because of the timing of this information, but I'm not saying anything other than I respect the CPS decision and I know how much effort has gone into this investigation and how much still goes into it so I'm disappointed on a number of fronts."

Claudia, who worked as a chef at the University of York, has not been seen since March 2009.

Flashback

>> Mar 2009 - Claudia goes missing

>> May 2009 - Crimwatch films reconstruction

>> Sep 2009 - Hunt moves to Cyprus 

She was last seen after leaving work at Goodricke College at the university on the afternoon of March 18, 2009. She spoke to her parents by telephone that night but has not been seen or heard from since.

York Press: Chief Superintendent Simon Mason and Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn

Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, who has led the investigation since late 2013

Claudia's father, Peter Lawrence, also issued a statement expressing his disappointment with the announcement.

He said: "Prosecution and even conviction would not bring Claudia back to us and may well not have resulted in revealing where she is buried, if she was murdered.

"Someone knows what happened on that day seven years ago and they should now come forward to tell us where our darling daughter, and Ali’s loving sister, is. I have always said that the not knowing is the hardest thing for the family to bear."

Det Supt Malyn said: "I do deeply share Joan's frustrations around the timing of this, that is something that's beyond our control. I've been to see Peter, they accept the CPS decision and continue to work with us but on behalf of them someone needs to come forward and put an end to their pain.

"I know the amount of effort that's gone into this from the previous job and the current team. We deserve that break and I firmly believe by keeping it live, by putting the same effort in, we will get that break."

In autumn 2013, North Yorkshire Police began a cold-case review, revisiting the original investigation using new methods.

Flashback

>> Mar 2010 - New lead on anniversary

>> Apr 2011 - Hoaxer jailed

>> Jul 2010 - Amsterdam claim probed

In March 2014, detectives released fresh appeals and new evidence, and details seven fresh leads including new CCTV footage of a mystery man, DNA found on a cigarette in Claudia's car and evidence that she had used her phone in the Acomb area in the weeks before her disappearance.

Flashback

>> Sep 2013 - Man reported for harassment

>> Oct 2013 - New forensic search at Claudia's house

>> 19 Mar 2014 - Police reveal new leads

Six people have now been arrested but later released without charge: the latest four, one earlier man who was also arrested on suspicion of murder, and one man who was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

Det Supt Malyn said the investigation would remain open, and the MCU currently still has a dedicated team looking into Claudia's disappearance.

The team is also still speaking with companies and investigative experts around the country, and Det Supt Malyn said "from a national point of view I've got great support but it is an extremely challenging case".

He said: "We still get information in that I continue to assess and evaluate and if I think that information is of sufficient quality to pursue that we will pursue it.

"As every year goes on it becomes more difficult because we can't get any more CCTV, can't get any more data, which is why the public are vital who have the info that they need to share with us. I would ask them to think how they would feel if they lost a close loved one and they had info which could have brought an end to their misery."

Martin Dales, friend and spokesman for Claudia's father Peter Lawrence, said the announcement was "yet another false dawn in an already forlorn situation". 

He said: "The police have worked tirelessly to try and find answers but currently without success. It is nearly the seventh anniversary of Claudia disappearing and it seems that we’re all back to square one. It’s really quite depressing especially as someone is clearly withholding the information needed."

Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn said on Tuesday evening:

“For legal reasons I am limited about what I can say, but I respect the decision made by the Crown Prosecution Service.

“We have made several arrests in this enquiry and, as a result, we have had positive reactions from the public and very useful information.

“We do not arrest people without weighing up the proportionality and justification for the arrest. To eliminate people from an enquiry, we sometimes have to search for evidence that either supports their alibis or not.

"Seven years on this is more difficult to do just relying on memory, therefore if it is justified, proportionate and necessary, we will arrest or apply for search warrants.

“The investigation team will continue to thoroughly assess any new leads and information. We remind those who we suspect are withholding key information about Claudia that we will not give up our quest to find the truth.

“As we move towards the seventh anniversary of Claudia’s disappearance, we hope the public will continue to help us and provide that vital information the family and we need to find out what happened to Claudia.”

Det Supt Malyn added: “We can’t rule out that a complete stranger to Claudia was involved and managed to avoid CCTV cameras, being disturbed by witnesses and is unknown to the investigation team, her friends and family. Until then, we will continue to investigate the information that regularly comes into the team and look at all possibilities.

“However, 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.

“The team has worked tirelessly to get a breakthrough in this case and I thank every one of them for this. I'm hopeful one day we will get that bit of luck or that a courageous person will step forward to give us that break.

“I know Claudia’s family have appreciated our extensive efforts during the review and active investigation over the past two-and-a-half years. I also know what a fraught and painful process this has been for them as they continue their desperate search for answers about Claudia’s disappearance.

“I have personally told them that North Yorkshire Police will never give up on Claudia. The case will remain open until the day Claudia has been found and those responsible for her suspected murder are brought to justice.”

He said that having thoroughly examined the case, he was sure there were people who knew what happened to Claudia but who had refused to come forward.

He believes a man seen on CCTV walking near Claudia’s house at the time of her disappearance “remains the most important person to trace”.

He said: “I am sure that there are some people who know, or who have very strong suspicions about, what happened to Claudia. For whatever reason, they have either refused to come forward, or have been economic with the truth.

“I am left with the inescapable conclusion that this case could still be solved if only people were honest with us. The fact that they are not is agonising for Claudia’s family and they should be ashamed of themselves.

“A man was filmed by a CCTV camera in Lime Court, Heworth Road, very close to Claudia’s house, on the morning after she vanished. Our review managed to unearth additional CCTV footage from that same camera shot the previous evening which appears to show the same man in the same place.

“We had this footage examined by a number of experts in the UK and abroad, but it is only as good as the camera and it cannot be enhanced using current techniques. Despite exhaustive efforts, we have not been able to identify the man.

“The lack of extended CCTV footage from that CCTV camera on the days and weeks either side of Claudia’s disappearance, has been one of our biggest frustrations and is typical of the type of challenge that faces a cold case review team. We have reviewed material seized by the original team and, wherever possible, looked to see if additional material could be secured.

“We don't know if that man was in the area as a matter of daily routine, or whether his appearance is of critical significance. I believe he must be local to the area, and despite extensive appeals, he hasn't come forward. I can only speculate why he hasn’t done so, and whether someone is protecting him.”

The investigation in numbers

  • AS MANY as 20 detectives and police staff have worked full time on Operation Essence - the review of the Claudia Lawrence investigation - for the last two and a half years.
  • The cost to North Yorkshire Police of the Major Crimes Unit's review of the original investigation, which has been led by Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, has reached almost £800,000. 
  • Combined with the cost of the original investigation into Claudia's disappearance, Operation Cabin, that takes the investigation costs to more than £1.6m, with more than 6,500 individuals logged on the combined database.
  • More than 2,320 statements were made by 1,215 people, including police officers and staff, 3,488 officers' reports were filed, and details of 1,771 vehicles were also recorded.
  • The review team also interviewed 48 people on video under police caution, searched seven businesses and 31 private homes, and searched more than 500 homes and gardens along Claudia's route to and from work at the University of York.
  • Forensic searches took place at 25 scenes under Operation Essence, and 39 under the original investigation, and detectives obtained 138 fingerprints during the review, and 135 from the original investigation.
  • Ten items were examined for DNA evidence, 337 were examined for fingerprints (217 from original investigation and 120 during the review), and 7,514 actions were raised during the review. The MCU completed 95 per cent of these, with the rest deemed "low priority".
  • The team also called in assistance from experts in various fields, including:

- National Interview Advisor and National Family Liaison Lead

- Behavioural Intelligence Analyst

- Forensic Psychologist and Forensic Podiatrist (to interpret how individuals on CCTV footage walked) 

- National search advisor

- Forensic ecologist for potential scene excavation, including use of ground penetrating radar

- Digital forensics and data recovery consultant 

- Specialist communications data advisor (interpreting telecoms data)

- Consultant engineer and expert witness specialising in radio navigation and communications systems (examination of sat-navs)

- Regional Imagery Unit and specialist companies regarding enhancement of CCTV footage

- Regional forensic resources

- Specialist police marine, air support and dog units for searching and obtaining imagery