No new search for 'Fred West murder victim'

Police have again told campaigners calling for a fresh search for a teenager thought to be a victim of Fred West that there is no evidence.

Fifteen-year-old Mary Bastholm was last seen alive in Gloucester 44 years ago.

Gloucestershire Police is being petitioned to carry out searches at the cafe where Ms Bastholm once worked.

Chief Constable Tony Melville told petition organisers there was "simply no evidence to support the idea that Mary is buried in that location".

Chris Roberts, who set up the petition on the 44th anniversary of her disappearance on 5 January 1968, said it was widely believed that Mary was another victim of West.

In a detailed letter, Mr Melville said he was replying because of the "scale of public interest" in the case and "at the request of Mary's family".

He answered the petitions' claims by stating it was simply "not true" the cafe's basement toilet was converted around the time of Mary's disappearance.

He said a book found in the basement was not a school exercise book belonging to Mary but an old cafe diary with no connection to the Bastholm family.

"It is our view that any search of the Pop-In Cafe would be entirely disproportionate and without foundation," added Mr Melville.

"We have visited Mary's family to explain this and they are wholly supportive of this course of action."

He has requested that the i-petition be removed and said the force would not revisit this decision "without new and compelling information".

Syndicated via BBC Gloucestershire RSS - Read more