Three years on, I’ll never give up hope of finding Claudia - Dad

Tomorrow will mark the third anniversary since Miss Lawrence was last seen, and North Yorkshire Police detectives have failed to find any trace of the York University chef. Her father, Peter Lawrence, 65, a solicitor from York, was joined yesterday by his daughter’s best friend, Suzy Cooper, to make a renewed appeal.

He said: “I cannot believe it is three years since Claudia went missing, I never thought we would still be here appealing for information after all this time.

“But someone out there knows something, and I would ask them to simply come forward. This has left a huge hole in my life, I used to see Claudia all the time. But I will not give up hope of her coming home one day.”

Mr Lawrence will be in London today to support hundreds of people taking part in a 10km run in aid of the Missing People charity.

Miss Lawrence was aged 35 when she was last seen walking near her Heworth Road home on March 18, 2009. The missing person inquiry was upgraded to a murder investigation the month after she vanished.

Miss Cooper, 47, from York, said: “This has changed me as a person - and it is not a change I would have wanted. All we want to do is find a resolution.”

The York Outer MP, Julian Sturdy, urged the Government to overhaul the law to help families resolve the legal affairs of missing relatives.

Mr Lawrence has been one of the leading campaigners calling for the new legislation.

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