Father of girl missing since 1981 to meet minister

A father whose daughter disappeared more than 43 years ago has been promised a meeting with a government minister in the hope of getting answers.

Richard Lee's daughter Katrice went missing on her second birthday near a British military base in Paderborn, Germany, in 1981 and for decades he has criticised the Government and Army's handling of the case.

Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash raised the case at Prime Minister Questions on Wednesday and said the family had faced "barriers" in the quest for the truth.

The case is being handled by the Royal Military Police's long-term investigation unit and ex-soldier Mr Lee said he hoped "to get answers" with his MP's support.

Brash told PM Keir Starmer that investigators and successive governments had thrown up "barrier after barrier to justice" and failed to get answers.

"I'm a father on a mission and I want answers to what has happened to my daughter," Mr Lee told BBC Radio Tees.

One theory explored by investigators was that Katrice may have drowned in a nearby river.

However, Mr Lee said: "One of the questions that I asked and I still ask is who made the conscious decision that my daughter had walked to the river, fallen in and drowned?

"But more importantly, on what evidence was that decision based?"

Mr Lee said the answer he got when he asked questions was that it was a hypothesis.

He also said he was not satisfied that the case was still being "actively" investigated.

Mr Lee said that previous prime ministers had promised to push his case and he had not lost hope.

"I feel like I'm on a bit of a roundabout, for want of a better word, however I do feel there is more positivity from the support I am getting from Jonathan Brash," he said.

Mr Lee's and his family's "firm belief" is that Katrice was taken as a surrogate child and brought up by another family.

He added: "Katrice was a gift and I want my gift back - she was taken and there is no proof to otherwise state anything different."

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