Charlene Downes: Latest appeal to focus on 'those who know what happened' ahead of 17th anniversary of her disappearance

This weekend will mark the 17th anniversary of the disapparance – and presumed murder – of Charlene Downes.

The resort teen vanished in November 2003 when she was just 14. Since then, the case has received high profile coverage, but it has never been solved.

Men have been charged – and cleared – of killing her before disposing of her body in takeaway kebabs. Documentaries have been aired on national television. A £100,000 reward has been offered. And a 55-year-old man remains under investigation after being quizzed in August 2017.

But detectives continue their inquiry – and today vowed never to give up in the search for the truth about what happened to Charlene.

Det Ch Supt Andy Webster, who has been leading the case for the past seven years, said: “People are older now, 17 years on, and we are still asking whether anyone can tell us about who Charlene used to hang about with, where she used to go, or places she would visit.

“I still believe that there are people who know more about what happened to Charlene in 2003. They might have been struggling to tell us what they have known for years. I am not naive, I know that for some people it is never easy to talk to the police, but they may just have something very important to tell us.”

Charlene, who would be 31 now, is feared to have been targeted by paedophiles before she disappeared, with the last confirmed sighting being at the top of the alleyway off Abingdon Street in the town centre at around 10.30pm on Saturday, November 1.

Earlier that day, as that year’s Illuminations drew to a close, she was caught on CCTV in Bank Hey Street with her sister Rebecca at around 3.25pm.

Detectives say she went home but returned to the town centre later than evening.

A grainy CCTV image, released in 2014, appears to show Charlene in Talbot Road with an older woman at 9.03pm. It is thought to be the last picture taken of her, though a chef – described by police as a “white male” – who was working and living in the alley off Abingdon Street, said he saw her there alone around 90 minutes later.

Two men stood trial accused of being involved in Charlene’s disappearance. Evidence emerged then suggesting the schoolgirl had been “chopped up” and gone “into the kebabs”.

However, the trial collapsed and the pair were eventually awarded compensation for false imprisonment.

Two years ago, Charlene’s mum Karen Downes said: “I want my daughter never to be forgotten. I want people to know what those years have been like for me and for my family.

“The horrifying problem of child exploitation can happen to any family like mine.”

Karen added: “I never for a moment believed I would never see her again, that she had been lured into a gang and groomed for sex.

“Looking back though, the clues were there and I just didn’t see them. Now I want other mothers to learn from my tragedy.

“I cried all the time. Each night, I slept alone in Charlene’s bed. I’d tidy her room and line up her teddies, pretending to myself that she was coming home.

“There were reports that Charlene had been groomed and drawn into the sex trade, which broke my heart. My daughter wasn’t here to speak up for herself so it seemed people could say just what they liked.

“But when I looked back, there were occasions when Charlene had skipped school and I didn’t know where she had been.

“She once came home with £70 and we couldn’t get the truth out of her. We didn’t know where it had come from. She had cigarettes too and we didn’t know who was buying them for her. Now, it was all slotting into place.”

The £100,000 reward for information leading to the prosecution of Charlene’s killer – or the recovery of her body – still stands. Call 01253 607370.

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