Driver could hold key to finding Luke

It is two years since young Luke Durbin went missing on his way home from a night out in Ipswich. For his family and friends the period has been devastatingly concerning and very frustrating. Like all the other people, young and old, who disappear from our lives, we all hope, and pray, that they will be all be returned to their families some day.

From the pages of tonights Ipswich Evening Star on Monday 12 May 2008 reported by TOM POTTER, is the following feature on Luke.




A makeshift shrine to missing Luke at the Cattle Market.


ON the two year anniversary of her son's disappearance, Nikki Durbin today told how she believes the identity of a motorist captured on CCTV could hold the answer to where her son is.

Luke Durbin's mum renewed her appeal to locate the driver captured on CCTV in Ipswich the night he disappeared as she told of her pain in enduring two years without him.

Luke, from Hollesley, was last seen crossing the road from St Stephens Lane to the Old Cattle Market in Ipswich after a night out with friends at Zest nightclub.

He was 19 when he went missing in the early hours of Friday, May 12, 2006 and the last confirmed sighting of him is on CCTV images in the town centre, close to the bus station around 4am.



Luke Durbin


Despite extensive appeals for information and numerous unconfirmed sightings of Luke, he has still not returned home.

Even though the response from the public has been encouraging, police are still awaiting the vital piece of information that may lead them to Luke.

They are still keen to trace the driver of a silver car spotted on CCTV footage released shortly after Luke's disappearance.

The car is shown driving past Tinkerbelle bridal wear shop in Orwell Place around the time of the last sighting of Luke.



Nikki Durbin


Today Ms Durbin said she is desperate to locate whoever was behind the wheel of the car.

She said: “Since Luke has been missing there have been so many calls from people with potential sightings and support and I can't thank those people enough for that.

“Now I want to find the driver of this car because I believe they can tell us something we don't know about what happened to Luke.”

Luke was recently featured on the BBC's Missing Live program which turned up even more sightings from all over the country.

Detective inspector Ian Addison, who is leading the Suffolk police enquiry into Luke's disappearance, appealed directly to Luke to get in touch with them or his mum to let her know he is safe.

Ms Durbin said: “We had 27 cases of sightings from that appeal and Whitechapel in London was again mentioned. One lady thought she had seen Luke selling the big issue but a photo sent to the police proved it wasn't him.

“There were so many new sightings for the police to follow them up but I think they had exhausted most of the other avenues they could go down.

“As time goes by, I realise that the search for Luke is endless and I still fear that I might not live to see him return. I hope to find him in whatever circumstance before I die.”

Ms Durbin has distributed new posters around Ipswich appealing for the driver of the silver car to come forward.

Anyone who may be able to help in find Luke can call Suffolk police on 01473 613500 or in confidence call Missing People on 0500 700700 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Send a message of support to Nikki Durbin by writing to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

Where to join in the campaign to find Luke:

www.findluke.com

www.myspace.com/findluke

www.missingpersons.org

Or e-mail: findluke@hotmail.co.uk