Kamis, 02 September 2021

Claudia Lawrence search: Sand Hutton lake drained by police - BBC News

A lake has been drained by police in their latest search for clues to the suspected murder of Claudia Lawrence.

The 35-year-old has not been seen since she failed to turn up for work at the University of York in March 2009.

Drone images taken above Sand Hutton gravel pits, about eight miles (13km) outside the city, show officers combing a lake bed as part of the search.

Forensics officers and underwater search teams have also been spotted at the site over the past 10 days.

The aerial images from the scene - taken above one of two lakes at the popular fishing spot - show two officers appearing to carry out a careful search of mud.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed they had drained the lake as part of their investigation. A spokesperson said: "The searches are ongoing and we expect them to continue for a number of days".

Sand Hutton

In addition to water-based searches, specialist officers have been seen combing through a large area of woodland that surrounds both lakes.

Lead investigator Det Supt Wayne Fox has said members of the public have provided new information and lines of inquiry since the searches began.

Claudia Lawrence - August 2021 police-issued photo - family prefer this is used
PA Media

North Yorkshire Police has not revealed what led officers to the location, but has said the search was one of "several active lines of inquiry" being followed in the case.

The force said searches at Sand Hutton could last for some time.

University chef Ms Lawrence's disappearance sparked one of the longest-running and highest-profile missing person cases in the UK.

She was last seen at 15.05 GMT on Wednesday 18 March 2009 walking towards her home on Heworth Road, York.

That evening she spoke to both of her parents in separate phone calls, but failed to arrive for her shift at Goodricke College the following day.

Her father reported her missing on 20 March. A friend of Ms Lawrence's had called him after she did not turn up at a local pub on the evening of the 19 March.

A picture of the lake before it was drained
Sand Hutton

A number of people have been questioned in connection with her disappearance, but no charges have ever been brought.

The land at Sand Hutton is owned by the Church Commissioners for England, which said it would "continue to support North Yorkshire Police with their requirements and apologise for any disruption caused".

The York and District Amalgamation of Anglers, whose members use the lakes for fishing, said the area remained cordoned off by police.

In a statement, the trustees said they were aware of the ongoing investigation and were "thoroughly co-operating with all organisations involved".

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2021-09-02 16:46:34Z
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Trident would be removed 'at pace' by an independent Scotland - The Times

Scotland’s Trident nuclear submarine bases will be decommissioned and removed “at pace” in the event of independence, the Scottish National Party has said.

The UK government’s contingency plans for a Yes vote include keeping the deterrent on the Clyde by negotiating a new British Overseas Territory, a “nuclear Gibraltar”, that would include the Faslane and Coulport bases.

However, this morning Stewart McDonald, defence spokesman for the SNP, ruled this out. “An independent Scotland will not be home to nuclear weapons,” he said. “With a clear cross-party majority of Scotland’s elected politicians opposed to Trident, there is no possible parliamentary arithmetic that would allow these weapons to be kept at Faslane.

“Negotiating their removal will be one of the most important tasks a newly independent Scotland

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2021-09-02 16:00:00Z
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JCVI chief says it's 'highly likely' there will be a booster jab programme - Daily Mail

Key JCVI expert says it's 'highly likely' UK will have a mass booster vaccine programme but admits decision may not happen for WEEKS as critics urge NHS to urgently start dishing out top-ups for ALL over-50s

  • Professor Anthony Harnden said it was 'highly likely' that Britain would roll out third Covid vaccine doses
  • But he said the JCVI was still waiting for more data before taking a final decision on the plan
  • Patience with the committee is wearing thin in No10 which hoped to launch the extra jabs on Monday
Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the JCVI, said it was 'highly likely' a booster programme would take place in Britain

Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the JCVI, said it was 'highly likely' a booster programme would take place in Britain

Britain is 'highly likely' to go ahead with a Covid booster programme, one of No10's top vaccine advisers insisted today amid mounting pressure on the Government's expert panel to hurry up and sign off on a top-up drive. 

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which guides ministers on the roll-out, is still yet to give the green light to plans to re-vaccinate 32million over-50s. 

Yesterday, the panel announced around half a million immunocompromised people be given a third dose to 'top up' their immunity — but stressed this was not the start of any booster programme. 

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt called on the UK to 'stop hanging around' and follow in the footsteps of Israel, which has already recommended all over-12s get a booster jab. Its top-up drive has already helped blunt rising hospitalisations, data suggests. 

Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the JCVI, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think it is still highly likely that there will be a booster programme.' But he added: 'I can't definitively say that there will be because we have not made that decision yet.'

And he warned any scheme was unlikely to start for weeks because the expert committee — made up of 16 of the country's top scientists — was still ironing out who would be eligible.   

Patience with the scientific committee is wearing thin in No10, which had hoped to start rolling out extra jabs by Monday. Studies have shown vaccine-triggered immunity can wane over time — especially among the elderly, who are the most vulnerable to the virus. 

Fellow Government advisers warned today that time was slipping away and if a judgement is not made soon, the UK could be 'past the time when we should have been making a decision'.   

MailOnline understands the JCVI is waiting on more trial data from UK studies — including ones on 'mix and match' jabs — before signing off on a mass booster programme. 

The group believes the UK is in a unique situation compared to countries like Israel and the US because it went with a longer two-dose strategy. Brits had their shots spaced out by 12 weeks instead of the recommended three-week gap, which officials believe has generated better immunity in the population.

That decision was hugely controversial at the time, but the fact it seems to have paid off has meant the JCVI is not concerned about being an international outlier.

It had been suggested the JCVI was also holding back on a decision because of concerns that the UK couldn't roll out booster doses alongside expanding the roll-out to over-12s. But Education Secretary Gavin Williamson insisted today that there were more than enough jabs available. 

As well as boosters, the panel has yet to decide on whether children should be routinely jabbed, despite countries like the US, Canada and France all pressing ahead with those plans. Mr Williamson also urged the panel to make up their mind on the issue 'very, very soon'. 

It comes amid fears Britain's outbreak will spiral after children return to schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this week and next. In Scotland — where children went back in mid-August — infections have rocketed to record highs.

Latest figures show almost nine in ten under-16s have already received at least one dose of the Coivid vaccine. A booster programme could be launched in weeks

Latest figures show almost nine in ten under-16s have already received at least one dose of the Coivid vaccine. A booster programme could be launched in weeks

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was clear Britain would need them
And Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the country had enough to dish out doses in a booster programme and to 12 to 15-year-olds

Ministers were last night faced with calls to 'hurry up' and dish out booster doses. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was clear Britain would need them. And Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the country had enough to dish out doses in a booster programme and to 12 to 15-year-olds 

Professor Eran Segal, a mathematician at the country's Weizmann Institute, tweeted today that hospitalisations had started to fall just two weeks after the top-up campaign started. This graph shows how Covid hospitalisations have started to level off in Israel just two weeks after its booster programme began. When the drive was started hospitalisations were doubling every week. Predictions suggested this would continue (green line). But just two weeks after the jabs were given out actual hospitalisations have slowed (blue line)

Professor Eran Segal, a mathematician at the country's Weizmann Institute, tweeted today that hospitalisations had started to fall just two weeks after the top-up campaign started. This graph shows how Covid hospitalisations have started to level off in Israel just two weeks after its booster programme began. When the drive was started hospitalisations were doubling every week. Predictions suggested this would continue (green line). But just two weeks after the jabs were given out actual hospitalisations have slowed (blue line)

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests Covid vaccine-triggered immunity wanes over time. Israel has seen its hospitalisations a) start to fall barely two weeks after rolling out booster shots to over-60s. But it still appears to be experiencing a third wave after its seven-day average of cases rose again yesterday

The JCVI is yet to announce who will receive booster doses but it is thought that the first in line will be over-80s and vulnerable adults, who were first in line for doses when the national roll-out began.

But Health Secretary Sajid Javid made clear he wanted 32million Britons — the same people involved in the first phase of the roll-out — to get their jabs this winter.

And ministers have also made plans to dish out the jabs at the same time as flu vaccines, with pharmacists roped in to help with the scheme.

The JCVI has no issue with being a global outlier, after it approved a 12-week gap between doses at the start of the roll out to inoculate the most people in 'the shortest time possible'. Other countries stuck to the three-week gap between doses that was used in clinical trials.

Asked whether everyone could be offered a booster shot, Professor Harnden said the JCVI would need to 'look at all that data' before making a decision.

Getting two vaccines halves risk of suffering long Covid, study claims

Being double-jabbed almost halves the likelihood of long Covid in adults who get coronavirus, a new study has suggested.

Researchers at King's College London also said that being admitted to hospital with the virus was 73 per cent less likely, and the chances of severe symptoms were reduced by almost a third (31 per cent) in the fully vaccinated.

The team analysed data from more than two million people logging their symptoms, tests and vaccine status on the UK Zoe Covid Symptom Study app between December 8 2020 and July 4 this year.

Some 6,030 app users reported testing positive for Covid-19 at least 14 days after their first vaccination but before their second, while 2,370 reported testing positive at least seven days after their second dose.

The most common symptoms, such as loss of smell, a cough, fever, headaches and fatigue, were milder and less frequently reported by people who were jabbed, the study suggested.

They also said people were half as likely to get multiple symptoms in the first week of illness.

Sneezing was the only symptom more common in those who had a first dose compared with those who had none.

People aged 60 or older who had both doses of a vaccine were more likely to have no symptoms at all than those who had not been jabbed, the study suggested.

The Oxford University expert told BBC Radio 4: 'What we don't want to do is boost people and then find we have a new variant and we can't boost them again because we've boosted them too soon and those people might not have needed the booster in the first place.

'So there's a lot of very complicated modelling and data analysis that is going on about this at the moment.'

Insiders say the committee is still waiting for more data from trials in the UK before making a final decision on offering booster shots. 

They want to see the results of the Cov-Boost study, led by University Hospital Southampton, which is examining the impact of a third dose on patients' immune responses.

Professor Peter Openshaw, who sits on SAGE advisory group NERVTAG, said this morning he would 'applaud' the JCVI for being so thorough before deciding whether to dish out booster doses.

But he warned that time was also a factor, pointing out that studies delving into immunity take time.

He told BBC Radio 4: 'If we wait for everything to report before making a judgement, we may well be past the time when we should have been making a decision.' 

It had been suggested that they may be holding back from the programme because of concerns they would not have enough doses to dish out booster shots and jab 12 to 15-year-olds.

But Mr Williamson insisted the Government had more than enough vaccines to manage both programmes.

He told Sky News: 'We've got the capacity to be able to deliver vaccinations for children as well as deliver a booster programme – so it's not either/or.

'It's a situation about making sure we combat this virus as best as possible and we're ready.

'If we get the get-go from JCVI we're ready – the NHS, which has been so successful in rolling out this programme of vaccination, is ready to go into schools and deliver that vaccination programme for children.' 

Ministers were yesterday urged to 'stop hanging around' and launch a mass booster jab programme.

Third doses will be offered to half a million people with very poor immune systems — including those with leukemia, HIV and organ transplant patients — ahead of a feared winter Covid surge.

The roll-out follows data showing about 40 per cent of patients who are immuno-compromised fail to produce a good antibody response after two vaccine doses.

Only the Pfizer or Moderna jabs will be offered, meaning those who had the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine for their first two doses will ‘mix and match’.

Questioning why there was no booster advice yet, Mr Hunt, who chairs the Commons health committee, said Israel's campaign was reducing rates of severe illness.

'The clear lesson for the UK seems to be to get on with booster jabs, not just for the clinically vulnerable but for everyone,' added the Tory former health secretary.

'The latest study from King's College London showed vaccine effectiveness dropping after six months, so why are we hanging around?' 

JCVI announces only 500,000 immunocompromised Brits will get Covid booster vaccines 

Just half a million Britons with severely suppressed immune systems will be invited for a third Covid jab after the Government's vaccine advisory panel finally signed off on plans for boosters doses tonight.

Between 400,000 and 500,000 of the most vulnerable patients — including those with leukemia, HIV and organ transplant patients — will be made eligible for the top-up doses when the rollout expands in the coming days.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said there was evidence to suggest a significant number of these people did not mount a strong immune response after their first two injections.

Adults aged 18 and above will be offered either the Pfizer or Moderna jab even if they were initially immunised with AstraZeneca's, after a number of studies showed the mRNA vaccines make safe and effective third doses.

Immunosuppressed children aged 12 to 17 will only be offered Pfizer's vaccine due to a lack of safety and efficacy data on the other jabs in this age group.

The JCVI said a third dose was 'very unlikely' to cause any harm to immunocompromised people and had the potential to protect them, which swung the balance in favour of revaccination.

However, the group insisted the new recommendation is separate from a broader booster programme which would target healthy elderly people and other vulnerable Britons with underlying illnesses.

The JCVI is also still deliberating over whether to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds against the virus.

Scientists are divided over the issue, with some arguing that it will help to calm down the spread of the virus in the coming months.

But some experts are concerned by myocarditis, which is a very rare side-effect of the Pfizer vaccine.

The complication — a type of heart inflammation — is most common among young boys given a second dose of Pfizer's jab, but the condition normally clears up on its own.

There have been only 195 cases recorded in the UK to date, out of more than 30million Pfizer doses dished out. 

The epidemic has remained stable over the summer, with cases flat averaging around 34,000 a day. 

But experts fear waning immunity may help fuel a surge this winter – and booster doses could be vital in curbing hospitalisations.

Yesterday the Office for National Statistics revealed antibody levels are starting to decline in older adults, who were the first to receive both jabs.

It said 92 per cent of over-80s tested positive for antibodies in August, down from 95 per cent in May.

Last week a study by King's College London concluded that the protection provided by two doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines starts to wane within six months.

The Pfizer jab went from 88 per cent effective against infection to 74 per cent, while AstraZeneca declined from 77 per cent to 67 per cent.

Ministers are still confident the JCVI will give the green light for a wider programme of booster jabs for the over-50s to begin at some point this month.

A source said the decision focused on the details of the programme, such as whether to use a 'mix and match' approach, rather than whether to go ahead.

'We have said we will start the booster programme in September and I would expect that to happen,' the source said. 

Mr Javid said: 'This is not the start of the booster programme – we are continuing to plan for this to begin in September to ensure the protection people have built from vaccines is maintained over time and ahead of the winter.'

Scientists remain divided on whether a wider booster jab programme is beneficial or necessary for healthy adults.

Professor Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia, said all over-80s and vulnerable patients needed a third jab quickly. 

He added: 'The evidence is that these people won't have responded that well to vaccine. They should be boosted and they should be boosted pretty soon.' 

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2021-09-02 08:52:35Z
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Leaked plan shows UK's nuclear submarines could be moved abroad if Scotland votes for independence - Daily Record

The UK Government has said there are "no plans" to move the UK nuclear deterrent, after reports of secret contingency plans for the submarines in the event of Scottish independence.

The UK 's nuclear submarines are housed at Royal Navy bases in Coulport and Faslane on the west coast of Scotland, but "senior officials" have told the Financial Times that secret plans could see them moved to naval bases in the US or France if Scotland voted yes in a second referendum.

Also reported is that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) could keep them within an independent Scotland by buying a long-term lease on the two naval bases, creating a new British Overseas Territory.

However, a spokesperson for the MoD denied there were any plans to move the submarines.

The spokesperson said: "The UK is strongly committed to maintaining its credible and independent nuclear deterrent at HM Naval Base Clyde, which exists to deter the most extreme threats to the UK and our Nato allies.

"There are no plans to move the nuclear deterrent from HM Naval Base Clyde (Faslane), which contributes to Scotland's and the wider UK's security and economy, and its supporting facilities are safe for local communities."

The paper cited "several senior officials" who had been briefed on plans for what would happen to the UK's nuclear deterrent if Scotland voted yes in a second independence referendum.

According to the report, the preferred option would be to move the nuclear deterrent to the Royal Navy base at Devonport in Plymouth.

Allied naval bases in the US and France are also reportedly being considered for the fleet.

Another option said to be under consideration is to negotiate a new British Overseas Territory described as a "Nuclear Gibraltar" within Scotland, with the UK Government leasing Faslane and Coulport from the independent Scottish government.

Nicola Sturgeon's SNP Scottish Government was re-elected in the polls in May's election, with the First Minister promising a second referendum on independence.

The SNP agreed a power-sharing deal with the Scottish Green Party in August, which has put the Greens into government for the first time in the UK.

Scottish politics

As a result of the deal, Ms Sturgeon has insisted she has an "undeniable" mandate for indyref2, as the two parties together hold 72 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament.

The SNP has long opposed the UK's nuclear deterrent, and has previously called for Trident missiles not to be renewed.

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2021-09-02 07:01:50Z
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Police continuing hunt for missing Claudia Lawrence now drain north Yorkshire lake in bid for clues - Daily Mail

Claudia Lawrence police drain lake: Search for missing chef enters grim new phase as officers comb clay pit mud for clues 12 years after she was last seen

  • Specialist officers seen working in drained lake in Sand Hutton, north Yorkshire as police probe intensifies
  • The two smallest of the two fishing ponds was emptied as experts scoured the lake bed for clues and prints
  • Detectives are continuing to hunt for missing chef Claudia Lawrence, who was last seen in York in 2009 
  • Last week forensic teams began scouring the gravel pits and surrounding area after new lines of inquiry arose

Police continuing the hunt for Claudia Lawrence have drained a fishing lake in their latest desperate bid for clues more than a decade after her disappearance. 

Six specialist officers were pictured working in Sand Hutton, North Yorkshire - which is eight miles from the missing chef's York home - after they began searching the area around the gravel pit just days ago. 

Experts used machinery to remove mud, rotten vegetation and rocks from beneath the surface of the water, while officers on land conducted fingertip searches through the leafy woodland as the hunt intensified. 

The owners of the land carried out a study into the terrain and surroundings two years ago and the results, which were recently passed to police, are believed to have triggered the new searches.   

Machinery pumps have been used to filter out the lake in Sand Hutton, north Yorkshire to make it easier to hunt for clues into Claudia's disappearance
Police have now drained a lake at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits, near York, in the search for Claudia Lawrence

Pumps have been used to drain the lake in Sand Hutton, North Yorkshire to make it easier to hunt for clues into Claudia's disappearance

Detectives left the smaller of the two lakes empty as Yorkshire Police's probe escalated on Tuesday, September 1

Detectives left the smaller of the two lakes empty as Yorkshire Police's probe escalated on Tuesday, September 1

The police searches started earlier this week with no official announcements made before expert officers arrived at the scene

The police searches started earlier this week with no official announcements made before expert officers arrived at the scene

Chef Claudia Lawrence failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009 and is presumed dead by officers

Chef Claudia Lawrence failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009 and is presumed dead by officers

Detectives left the smaller of the two lakes empty, as Claudia's mother Joan, 78, reiterated her fear of bad news as the police probe escalates.

She told The Mirror: 'As a mum, hearing about a lake being drained and a fingertip search being carried is just a nightmare.

'No parent should ever have to endure this. I'm left wondering every day what is going on and what might be found.

'Would it be her rucksack, her phone or anything at all?'  

Specialist officers and staff, including underwater search teams, and forensic experts have spent recent days at the site.

The fishing spot near York, is being searched by Yorkshire Police officers investigating the suspected murder

The fishing spot near York, is being searched by Yorkshire Police officers investigating the suspected murder

Police search woodland and drain a lake at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits, near York, in the search for Claudia Lawrence on August 27

Police search woodland and drain a lake at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits, near York, in the search for Claudia Lawrence on August 27

Claudia Lawrence's route home from work and matched by her now missing mobile phone

Claudia Lawrence's route home from work and matched by her now missing mobile phone

Joan revealed she was not informed by police that they were planning to drain Sand Hutton's gravel lakes, and suspects they are working on a new line of investigation. 

'The police must know something to go to all this work,' she told the Mirror.

'They know something and I don't – the not knowing is awful. I can't get on with life while Claudia is missing.  

'It affects every minute of my day. I've started having really awful nightmares again. This is the reality of living with a missing child and a live investigation.

'I am begging anyone with any information to come forward and end this eternal pain I have to endure constantly.' 

The disappearance of Claudia Lawrence

2009

March 18 - Miss Lawrence speaks with her parents over the phone and, at 8.23pm, sends her friend a text. She has not been seen or heard from since.

March 20 - Miss Lawrence's father, Peter, contacts North Yorkshire Police after his daughter fails to keep an arrangement to meet a friend at the Nags Head pub. She also fails to attend work.

March 23 - Mr Lawrence describes his daughter's disappearance as a 'living nightmare' during a news conference in York.

April 24 - Detectives say that Miss Lawrence's disappearance is being treated as a suspected murder investigation. A £10,000 reward is offered for information that could lead to the conviction of those responsible.

2010

May 6 - Mr Lawrence calls for an urgent independent inquiry into the police investigation of his daughter's disappearance and suspected murder.

July 29 - Police confirm they are reducing the number of officers dedicated to the inquiry into Miss Lawrence's disappearance.

2013

October 29 - A new forensic search of Miss Lawrence's home is announced as police launch a fresh review of the case.

2014

March 19 - Five years on from Miss Lawrence's disappearance, officers discover at her home the fingerprints of people who have still not come forward to the investigation.

May 13 - A 59-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of murder. He is released on police bail and eventually released without charge on November 17, 2014.

2015

March 23 - A man in his 50s is arrested on suspicion of murdering Miss Lawrence and is released on police bail the following day.

April 22 - Three more men, all in their 50s and from the York area, are arrested on suspicion of murder and are released on bail.

September 17 - A file of evidence on four men arrested on suspicion of murder is sent by North Yorkshire Police to the Crown Prosecution service (CPS) so it can consider whether to bring charges.

2016

March 8 - Police say the CPS has decided the four men will not face charges.

2017

January 17 - Mr Lawrence says he is 'hugely depressed and disappointed' as the investigation into his daughter's disappearance is scaled down.

2019

March - Nearly a decade on from her disappearance, Miss Lawrence has still not been found. Her father says in an interview that 'it's very difficult' to conceive of her still being alive.

July - The Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill, also known as Claudia's Law, came into force. This followed years of campaigning by Mr Lawrence and allows relatives to take control of their missing loved ones' financial matters.

2021

February 15 - The death of Peter Lawrence in announced.

March 18 - Speaking after taking over the police investigation, Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox said it is not too late for people to come forward and stop the 'unrelenting anguish' caused to the chef's loved ones.

August 24 - A new search operation is announced at the gravel pits at Sand Hutton, about eight miles from York.

Miss Lawrence, who lived by herself in the Heworth area of York, failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009 and was reported missing by her father Peter Lawrence two days later, after her friends said they had not heard from her. 

In the twelve years since her disappearance, nine people have been questioned by officers, but no charges have ever been brought. 

The case - which is being treated as a suspected murder - has never been closed by North Yorkshire Police. 

Police believe Ms Lawrence – who worked at York University – was murdered, although no body has ever been found.

Her father Mr Lawrence - who campaigned tirelessly for Claudia's Law, which allows relatives to control of their missing loved ones' financial matters - died in February aged 74, without finding out what happened to her. His friend Martin Dales said earlier this year that there could be one or more people 'at large' who knew what happened to her. 

Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox said: 'I thank the public for the positive responses and new information received in support of the current phase of the investigation.

'Our focus is on finding Claudia and bringing those responsible for her disappearance and suspected murder to justice.'

It came as Claudia's mother Joan Lawrence said she feared the double killer Christopher Halliwell could be connected to the case.

Keen fisherman and cabbie Halliwell, 57, is behind bars for life for murdering Sian O'Callaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20, after snatching them from nightclubs.

But many connected to his case believe he has further victims, including Ms Godden's mother who has previously said she knew of a witness who saw Halliwell talking to Claudia back in 2019 before she disappeared.

Stephen Fulcher – the detective superintendent who caught the killer – has also gone on record to say there were 'clear indications' he had other victims, although did not go as far as name them.

The date of the year Claudia disappeared, March 18, 2009, is also the same date years later Halliwell abducted and killed Sian.

It is thought the day is significant because he was dumped on that same day by an ex over a decade ago.

Joan explained: 'Something always bothered me about Halliwell and leaves me feeling very uneasy.

'The police may not have proved he had anything to do with my daughter's disappearance, but they haven't disproved it either,' she added to the Mirror.

Earlier this week, Joan Lawrence said she has been doing everything to keep herself busy after police scoured woodland and a fishing lake eight miles from her York home yesterday. 

She explained: 'It's been truly awful and every parent's worst nightmare.

'I'd rather have no news than bad news, but I do dread there being bad news. I pray for answers every day. I am really thrown by what is happening now.

'They've made me nervous. What are they searching for? The bag, for the phone? For her? I'm worried about my daughter but it's always been my instinct that she is still alive. I can't give up hope. That's what keeps me going.'

She said the constant stress she has lived with for 12 years since Claudia's disappearance has left her with alopecia and having to wear wigs.  

The police's sudden interest in the area at Sand Hutton to the east of York could only have been sparked by new information, a friend told MailOnline last week.

Experts explained they expected the specialist divers to dredge the lake to conduct 'fine fingertip searches' and use 'underwater metal detectors' to scour the area for evidence. 

Peter Faulding of Specialist Group International, a diving forensic team not involved in this search, told MailOnline it appeared as if they were trying to displace silt and debris on the lake floor.

He said: 'I think what they are doing is using a suction dredge that will remove gravel and leaf mould from the pit by sucking it to the surface where is passes through a mesh to enable the forensic teams to look for any evidence.

'This suction dredge is controlled by a diver on the bottom in a specific grid pattern so nothing is missed.

'They will also be conducting fine fingertip searches over the same area and using underwater metal detectors for items of jewelry and other evidence. 

The force said it could not disclose what had led officers to the location eight miles from York

The force said it could not disclose what had led officers to the location eight miles from York

Joan Lawrence said she feared killer Christopher Halliwell could be connected to the case after learning of lake development

Joan Lawrence said she feared killer Christopher Halliwell could be connected to the case after learning of lake development

Halliwell, 57, is behind bars for life for murdering Sian O'Callaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20
Claudia was reported missing after failing to arrive for work at the University of York in 2009

Halliwell, 57, is behind bars for life for murdering Sian O'Callaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20, in two brutal attacks

Police divers have been searching the waters at a fishing lake at Sand Hutton in an effort to crack the 12-year-old case

Police divers have been searching the waters at a fishing lake at Sand Hutton in an effort to crack the 12-year-old case

Officers used large sticks to rake back swathes of leaves and grass to look for any clues

Officers used large sticks to rake back swathes of leaves and grass to look for any clues

Claudia Lawrence (right, with her father Peter) was reported missing after she failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009

Claudia Lawrence (right, with her father Peter) was reported missing after she failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009

'I would imagine they are searching with some very good intelligence.'

Martin Dales, a friend of Miss Lawrence's late father Peter, told MailOnline: 'The police did everything they could at the time, searching the river, the waters at the university.

'You don't press the button on an operation like this unless there is a good reason for it.

'There must have been some kind of new information about this area.

'I can think of a lot of places as far away that have not been searched before.

'I don't know where the decision to search here has come from - nobody knew anything about it.'

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2021-09-01 23:56:10Z
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Reports Trident nuclear subs 'could be moved abroad' in event of Scottish independence - The Scotsman

The UK’s nuclear submarines are housed at Royal Navy bases in Coulport and Faslane on the west coast of Scotland, but “senior officials” have told the Financial Times that secret plans could see them moved to naval bases in the US or France if Scotland voted yes in a second referendum.

The newspaper also reported that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) could keep them within an independent Scotland by buying a long-term lease on the two naval bases, creating a new British Overseas Territory.

However, a spokesperson for the MoD denied there were any plans to move the submarines.

Vanguard-class submarine HMS Vigilant, one of the UK's four nuclear warhead-carrying submarines, at HM Naval Base ClydeVanguard-class submarine HMS Vigilant, one of the UK's four nuclear warhead-carrying submarines, at HM Naval Base Clyde
Vanguard-class submarine HMS Vigilant, one of the UK's four nuclear warhead-carrying submarines, at HM Naval Base Clyde

The spokesperson said: “The UK is strongly committed to maintaining its credible and independent nuclear deterrent at HM Naval Base Clyde, which exists to deter the most extreme threats to the UK and our Nato allies.

“There are no plans to move the nuclear deterrent from HM Naval Base Clyde (Faslane), which contributes to Scotland’s and the wider UK’s security and economy, and its supporting facilities are safe for local communities.”

The Financial Times cited “several senior officials” who had been briefed on plans for what would happen to the UK’s nuclear deterrent if Scotland voted yes in a second independence referendum.

According to the newspaper, the preferred option would be to move the nuclear deterrent to the Royal Navy base at Devonport in Plymouth.

Allied naval bases in the US and France are also reportedly being considered for the fleet.

Another option said to be under consideration is to negotiate a new British Overseas Territory described as a “Nuclear Gibraltar” within Scotland, with the UK Government leasing Faslane and Coulport from the independent Scottish government.

It comes after the SNP agreed a power-sharing deal with the Scottish Green Party in August, which has put the Greens into government for the first time in the UK.

The SNP has long opposed the UK’s nuclear deterrent, and has previously called for Trident missiles not to be renewed.

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2021-09-02 03:56:50Z
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Rabu, 01 September 2021

MoD could move UK nuclear subs abroad if Scotland breaks away - Financial Times

The UK has drawn up secret contingency plans to move its Trident nuclear submarine bases from Scotland to the US or France in the event of Scottish independence.

Another option under consideration is for the UK to seek a long-term lease for the Royal Navy’s nuclear bases at their current location in Faslane and Coulport on the west coast of Scotland. This would create a British territory within the borders of a newly separate Scotland, said people briefed on the plans.

The UK government is fiercely opposed to Scottish independence but the prospect of a potential break-up of the Union is worrying Whitehall. The governing Scottish National party returned to power in May and has pledged to ban all nuclear weapons in an independent Scotland.

Several senior officials told the Financial Times that the contingency plans for moving the submarines underscored the difficult choices ministers will have to make for Britain’s nuclear programme after a potential Scottish breakaway.

The exercise was undertaken recently, said people briefed on the plans, although one senior government official disputed the timing.

The exercise concluded that the Trident programme would have three options after the formation of an anti-nuclear independent Scottish state. The first would be to relocate the bases elsewhere on the British Isles, with the Royal Navy’s Devonport base cited as the most likely location to replace Faslane.

An analysis by the Royal United Services Institute think-tank written just ahead of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum estimated the relocation costs of such a move at £3bn to £4bn.

HMS Vengeance leaves harbour at Devonport, Plymouth
HMS Vengeance leaves harbour at Devonport, Plymouth © Ben Birchall/PA

The second option would be to move the UK’s nuclear bases to an allied country such as the US, with one defence expert citing Kings Bay, Georgia, the base for the US Navy’s Atlantic fleet of Trident submarines. Officials also examined moving the UK’s submarine base to Île Longue in Brittany, France.

Moving the bases to the US is the preferred option of the UK Treasury, as it would require minimal capital investment, according to officials. But basing Trident outside Britain could be politically difficult, as it would likely be viewed as a threat to defence sovereignty.

The third option is to negotiate a new British Overseas Territory within an independent Scottish state that would contain the Faslane and Coulport bases, dubbed by one insider as a “Nuclear Gibraltar”.

Following negotiations on Scotland exiting the UK, Whitehall would hope to lease the land for “several decades”, according to officials.

The Ministry of Defence said there were “no plans” to move the nuclear deterrent away from Scotland, noting its contribution to the security and economy of Scotland and communities across the UK.

“The UK is strongly committed to maintaining its credible and independent nuclear deterrent at HM Naval Base Clyde, which exists to deter the most extreme threats to the UK and our Nato allies,” a spokeswoman said.

The MoD declined to comment on contingency plans for a Scottish breakaway.

Asked about the UK contingency plans, the Scottish government said it firmly opposed the possession, threat and use of nuclear weapons and was “committed to the safe and complete withdrawal of Trident from Scotland”.

Tom Plant, director of proliferation and nuclear policy at Rusi, described such contingency planning as “sensible”, but said that all options have “major drawbacks”. Moving the base to another country, such as the US, would also have operational repercussions.

“If we’re sharing infrastructure [with the US] then there are presumably intersections with US submarine patrol timings,” Plant said, explaining that the logistics of deploying the deterrent would have to be negotiated with the hosting nation. “Once the boats are at sea, they would still be as independent as they are now. But once they’re tied up alongside, they would no longer be independent.”

The “Nuclear Gibraltar” option — whereby the bases remain in an independent Scotland but are leased back by the UK — is preferred by some in Whitehall as the most realistic as it would not require immediate changes to the Trident programme following Scottish independence.

But any negotiation to retain the bases for an extended period after independence would be likely to face strong opposition from the SNP, which has for decades made nuclear disarmament one of its core policies.

Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, centre, speaks at a rally opposing the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent in London in 2016
SNP leader and Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, centre, speaks at a rally opposing the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent in London in 2016 © Niklas Helle'n/AFP/Getty Images

Before the 2014 referendum, the SNP said an independent Scotland would prioritise the speediest possible safe removal of nuclear weapons. “This would be with a view to the removal of Trident within the first term of the Scottish parliament following independence,” it said.

Experts have suggested that this timetable could be softened as part of wider discussions between an independent Scotland and the UK over issues such as currency arrangements, responsibility for the national debt and management of the new border between England and Scotland.

However, a long-term or extraterritorial compromise on Trident would go against the fundamental principles of Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament as a teenager even before she joined the SNP.

“Like many other Scots, I’ve always been appalled that Britain’s nuclear arsenal has been kept in my backyard,” Sturgeon wrote in 2019.

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2021-09-01 19:56:27Z
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