‘All I’m wishing is that he comes home for Christmas’

Father-of-one Kalist Musinga, 50, has not been seen since he left a bar at Leeds Dock in the early hours of Friday last week.

An underwater search of the River Aire continued yesterday after examination of CCTV footage and enquiries in the local area failed to locate him.

Mr Musinga had been out with his wife, Grace, to celebrate her birthday just hours before he disappeared.

Speaking at their home in Burmantofts, Leeds, Mrs Musinga said she remained hopeful he would return.

“All I’m wishing is that he’s somewhere, maybe he’s in hospital, and he’s going to come back so that we can celebrate Christmas together,” she said.

“I don’t want to think anything negative.

“I still think he’s going to walk through the door. I still have hope, I’m still hopeful he’s out there.”

Mr Musinga, a computer analyst, was on a night out with colleagues from Leeds-based BPP Law School at the New Dock Bar, opposite the Royal Armouries, on Thursday night.

Having left the party he was last seen shortly before 1.30am outside the Holiday Inn hotel on Armouries Drive, but failed to return home.

Mrs Musinga, who was at work on Friday, contacted police that evening when her husband still hadn’t arrived.

“He’s a very loving man with a bubbly personality,” she said. “He has never gone missing like this before. I don’t know what to think.”

Police appealed for information at the weekend.

The Yorkshire and Humber Underwater Search and Marine Unit then began a search of a stretch of the river off Armouries Drive at the back of the museum on Monday and were continuing enquiries yesterday.

Anyone with information should call Leeds District CID via 101, quoting log number 1663 of December 19.