The mum of missing Claudia Lawrence, who disappeared near her home in York 14 years ago, has claimed that the BBC has ‘hounded’ her missing daughter for her licence fee payment.
Claudia Lawrence was 35 at the time of her disappearance, and was last spotted near the Nags Head pub in York and has never been seen since.
The case remains unsolved to this day. Claudia’s father sadly died in 2021 with the case being left unsolved.
Missing Claudia Lawrence ‘hounded’ by the BBC
Claudia, who worked as a chef at the University of York, failed to turn up for her shift in March 2009.
Her disappearance launched a well-publicised missing person case but, despite that, Claudia’s mum Joan claims the BBC has continued to “hound” her missing daughter for her licence fee payment.
Joan continues to maintain Claudia’s home after her ex-husband Peter passed away in 2021.
But she told The Sun that letters from the BBC for Claudia’s licence fee payment have caused “untold heartache”.
Joan said: “There was a letter recently, threatening a £1,000 fine if the licence wasn’t paid. It’s unbelievable.
“I’ve written to them to tell them what’s happened. The police are supposed to be sorting it out, but the letters still come.”
Joan added that after all the “publicity” around her daughter’s disappearance she thought the letters would stop.
BBC apologises: ‘We are sorry for the distress caused’
A spokesman for the BBC said that the letters should have stopped once Claudia’s mother contacted them in 2022.
Instead, a temporary pause was put in place and the automated letters restarted in February 2023.
The spokesman said: “We’re very sorry for the distress caused to Mrs Lawrence. We will be apologising to her directly.
“We have taken steps to ensure no further letters are sent to the address.”
What happened to Claudia Lawrence?
Claudia Lawrence’s disappearance has been left unsolved, but North Yorkshire police do think she was murdered.
Five men were previously arrested in connection to the case, but nobody has ever been charged.
In 2021, North Yorkshire police searched Sand Hutton gravel pits for potential spots where Claudia’s body may have been left.
Joan has since said that she is continuing to try and solve the mystery for herself.
She said she is reviewing what happened “with a fine-toothed comb” for “simple things that have been missed”.
North Yorkshire Police have continued their appeal for any information related to Claudia’s case.
Read more: Claudia Lawrence dad Peter dies aged 74: But what happened to his daughter?
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