Heartbroken 76-year-old mother of missing Claudia Lawrence who vanished in 2009 slams ‘despicable’ £40,000 budget for police to probe double murderer and key suspect Christopher Halliwell
- Joan Lawrence’s 35-year-old daughter Claudia went missing in March 2009
- She was last seen on CCTV on her way home from work at the University of York
- Double killer Christopher Halliwell is the chief suspect in Claudia’s case
- He is serving life for the murders of Sian O’Callaghan, 22 and Becky Godden, 20
The heartbroken mum of a woman who has been missing since 2009 has slammed the police budget issued to probe a key suspect.
Distraught Joan Lawrence, 76, has hit out more than a decade after her daughter Claudia, was last seen on her way home from work in York.
The comments come in response to news Wiltshire Police have £40,000 to investigate convicted double murderer Christopher Halliwell.
Joan Lawrence, mother of missing chef Claudia has blasted police over the £40,000 budget allocated to her daughter’s case. Miss Lawrence went missing on March 18, 2009 while on her way home from the University of York
The 55-year-old has been linked to the disappearances of a number of women, including that of Claudia, who was 35 when she went missing.
Mrs Lawrence, who is from Malton, said: ‘There are so many other people and crimes that Halliwell has been linked to.
‘It’s impossible for the force to carry out a proper review with such a small amount of money.’
Halliwell is currently serving life in jail for killing Sian O’Callaghan, 22, and 20-year-old Becky Godden.
The former cab driver has been linked to the disappearance of 12 other women.
Claudia was last seen on CCTV on her way home from work at the University of York on March 18, 2009.
Police have spent around £1,000,000 investigating her disappearance.
Claudia Lawrence, pictured, has not been seen since March 18, 2009. Convicted double murderer Christopher Halliwell, right, is the prime suspect in her disappearance
Mrs Lawrence’s concerns about the police’s budget allocated to Halliwell have been echoed by Becky’s mother Karen Edwards.
She said: ‘It’s an insult to the memory of those who are still waiting for loved ones to come home.
‘You will never, ever, ever get closure but if the police response was adequate then at least some loved ones could put them to rest.
‘To put £40,000 into the investigation is despicable.
‘It just makes me sick.’
The cold-case review, codenamed Operation Major, aims to further investigate Halliwell.
Detective Superintendent Jeremy Carter, of Wiltshire Police, said the £40,000 figure did not give a true reflection of the cost of the investigation.
He said: ‘The figure of £40,000 does not cover any of the salaries of those working on this case but relates purely to specialist work such as forensic digs and searches, and specific expert advice.
‘Officers working on this case carry out a vast amount of work as part of their daily duties which would not be captured in this figure.’