The parents of a missing teenager have criticised the Met Police claiming they were not ‘taken seriously’ when they reported their son’s disappearance.
Richard Okorogheye, 19, has not been heard from for more than a week after he left his home in Ladbroke Grove, west London, at about 8.30pm on March 22.
The parents of the Oxford Brookes student, who has sickle cell disease and has been shielding during the pandemic, said his disappearance was completely out of character.
When worried Evidence Joel and Newton Okorogheye reported their son’s disappearance two days later, they claim Met officers did not consider Richard to be ‘high risk’ until he’d been missing for six days.
Ms Joel told Sky News: ‘I told a police officer that my son was missing, please help me find him, and she said: “If you can’t find your son, how do you expect police officers to find your son for you?”
Advertisement
Advertisement
‘I was expecting assurance. My son was missing and it broke my heart.’
Met Police yesterday said they were ‘becoming increasingly concerned’ for Richard’s welfare and appealed to the public for information on his whereabouts.
Ms Joel, a nurse, broke down in tears as she explained her son was ‘struggling to cope’ with shielding and university pressures.
She said he told her he was going to meet a friend but had left without his wallet, jacket and medication.
The parents said their son would only leave the house to go to hospital for regular blood transfusions for his condition.
‘All he said to me was “mummy, I’m going to see my friend”. I trusted him, I had no doubt… I had no reason to ask further questions,’ said Ms Joel.
She said Richard told her to drive home and safe and that he would ‘see me later’, Ms Joel told MyLondon. When she returned home after a nursing shift at around 9pm, she assumed he was in his room.
Ms Joel cooked him a meal but found he was not there when she knocked on his door and he did not answer his telephone.
The alarm was raised after a locksmith helped her gain entry to his room where his bank card and bus pass were left. Friends said they had not heard from him.
Ms Joel is worried her son could have been groomed by someone online who is ‘holding him against his will’ and said ‘something went wrong in Richard’s room while he was isolating’.
Advertisement
Advertisement
‘Even if Richard had had enough, Richard would not just go and not come back,’ she added.
Appealing for his safe return, she said: ‘It’s my baby, it’s my treasure. He’s my oxygen, he’s my crown.
‘He’s everything to me, he’s the reason why I live, the reason I exist.’
The Met has urged anyone with information to come forward, adding that Richard was known to frequent London’s Westminster and Hammersmith and Fulham areas.
The Met’s Chief Inspector Clare McCarthy said: ‘Our officers have been working tirelessly to locate Richard, using all investigative opportunities and data inquiries, speaking with witnesses and trawling CCTV.
‘We are following every lead possible and are appealing for the public to help us in our work. If you may have seen Richard, please contact police.
‘If Richard is safe and well, we ask him to contact us as a matter of urgency so that we can put his family’s minds at ease.’
Scotland Yard added: ‘The Metropolitan Police Service is committed to providing the best possible service to families of missing people, ensuring that they are supported by specialist officers and informed of investigative updates as soon as possible.
‘The investigation into the disappearance of Richard Okorogheye remains ongoing – his family are being supported by a dedicated family liaison officer while all available resources are being utilised in the search.’
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting 21MIS008134, or they can call 999 in an emergency.
Advertisement
They could also go online here to pass any information on to the charity Missing People.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiY2h0dHBzOi8vbWV0cm8uY28udWsvMjAyMS8wMy8zMC93ZS1jYW50LWZpbmQteW91ci1zb24taWYteW91LWNhbnQtbXVtLXNheXMtcG9saWNlLXRvbGQtaGVyLTE0MzI2NDA5L9IBZ2h0dHBzOi8vbWV0cm8uY28udWsvMjAyMS8wMy8zMC93ZS1jYW50LWZpbmQteW91ci1zb24taWYteW91LWNhbnQtbXVtLXNheXMtcG9saWNlLXRvbGQtaGVyLTE0MzI2NDA5L2FtcC8?oc=5
2021-03-30 06:20:00Z
CAIiELPsPVEfQ4HYtJmnUnfdJokqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowzc-JCzDQ5psDML6GogY
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar