The Prime Minister has pledged a meeting for Hartlepool veteran Richard Lee to discuss the disappearance of his daughter more than 40 years ago.
Katrice Lee, who was celebrating her second birthday, went missing near a British Army base in Paderborn, Germany in November 1981 and since then her father has campaigned to find out what happened to her. Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash raised the matter in the House of Commons, calling on the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, to take action to help the Lee family get some answers.
He said: “My constituent Richard Lee has waited over 43 years for answers about the disappearance of his daughter Katrice from a military base in Germany in 1981. She was just two years old. The Royal Military Police, the Ministry of Defence and successive Governments have failed to get the answers that he deserves, throwing up barrier after barrier to justice.
“Will the Prime Minister meet Richard and me to finally give this Hartlepool veteran a way forward to uncover the truth about the disappearance of his daughter?”
Richard Lee has been searching for his missing daughter, Katrice, for more than 40 years
(Image: Terry Blackburn)
In response the Prime Minister said this is a ‘deeply distressing’ case and the Defence Serious Crime Unit continues to appeal for new information. He added: “I will make sure he has a meeting with the appropriate minister to discuss progress.”
Mr Brash said: “The Prime Minister’s agreement for a Government Minister to meet with Richard and I to discuss the next steps is a positive move forward. We must ensure that the Lee family receives the support they need and the answers they have been seeking for far too long.”
Katrice’s father, Richard Lee, said: “l feel it’s a step in the right direction. And my daughter’s case is now in the forefront of people’s minds.”
Recently, Richard and his daughter attended an exhibition in Germany in the building where Katrice vanished to raise the profile of the case and appeal for new leads.
Last year Richard attempted to hand back his military medals at Downing Street in a protest against failings in the police investigation. The former warrant officer, who served in the army for 30 years, made a journey from Hartlepool to Downing Street by bus with a group of supporters and fellow veterans.
Richard Lee, father of Katrice Lee, talks to the media at a forensic investigation site by the Royal Military Police near the river Alme in Paderborn, Germany, Thursday, May 3, 2018
(Image: AP)
He attempted to return his Northern Ireland general service medal and another awarded to him for 30 years of service but was told he could not do so as they were classed as “personal belongings”.
Katrice was on a shopping trip with her family at a supermarket near the military base, where her father was serving, when she disappeared. Mr Lee believes his daughter was abducted and has requested an independent or public inquiry into the handling of his daughter’s case.
In 2012, the Royal Military Police re-opened its inquiries under the title Operation Bute after apologising for failings in the initial investigation. A section of a river bank near where Katrice was last seen was excavated in 2018, but nothing was discovered.
For breaking news in your area direct to your inbox every day, go here to sign up to our free newsletter