20th anniversary appeal for missing Hollesley teenager Luke Durbin

This week marks the 20th anniversary of the disappearance of a teenager from Hollesley, who was last seen in Ipswich.

19-year-old Luke Durbin went missing in the early hours of Friday 12 May 2006.

Luke had gone for a night out with friends in Ipswich on Thursday 11 May, leaving his mobile phone and other personal belongings, including his motorbike, at a friend’s house in Woodbridge.

He went to Zest nightclub in Princes Street, Ipswich, (now an office complex called The Maltings) but became separated from his friends during the evening.

Luke was reported missing the following afternoon, Saturday 13 May, after he failed to return home.

Luke’s family were concerned for his welfare from the outset as it was very out of character for him to go missing and be out of touch with his mum and sister for any length of time.

Police enquiries over the weeks that followed encompassed an extensive review of CCTV footage, along with numerous searches. Enquiries with over 100 people logged on his mobile phone, chats with friends, family and work colleagues, media appeals by his worried family and extensive enquiries into his lifestyle and habits were also conducted.

Through these enquiries, officers traced Luke's path from Zest, via Ipswich railway station to a taxi-office - Hawk Express in Old Foundry Road - where he made attempts to get transport home. These were not successful, so he made his way back towards the Old Cattle Market bus station.

The last confirmed sighting of Luke is on CCTV crossing Dogs Head Street in the direction of the bus station, at around 4am on Friday 12 May.

Around 10 minutes after this footage of Luke, a Volvo - the model of which was possibly a 440 - was captured driving in the area which detectives believe was connected to people involved in the supply of drugs.

It is now understood that Luke had become involved with drug-dealing linked to suppliers from Brixton in south London (people we would now refer to as County Lines dealers).

A leading hypothesis for Luke’s disappearance is that if he owed these people money, he would be vulnerable to coming to harm from them and may have been abducted. The presence of the Volvo in the area of his final confirmed sighting adds weight to this hypothesis.

There was a report of a possible sighting of Luke in Woodbridge between 11am and 2pm the following day (Saturday 13 May). The report stated he had been seen in a dark blue Renault Megane being driven by a black male, near to the entrance of the Turban Centre car park on Quay Side, Woodbridge.

Police have received numerous other reports of possible sightings, all of which unfortunately failed to yield a breakthrough in the case. 

In 2012 police made two arrests – one on suspicion of murder, the other on suspicion of being concerned in the murder of Luke Durbin – however both men were released without charge.

Andy Guy, the Joint Norfolk & Suffolk Major Crime Review & Unsolved Case Team Manager, said: “While we retain an open mind as to what may have happened to Luke, the nature of his disappearance and his links to drugs activities lead us to believe that it is possible organised criminals were involved and his disappearance was retribution of some kind.

“Luke’s family have endured 20 years of uncertainty, living every day with the pain of not knowing what happened to him.

“I am convinced there are people locally who know what happened to Luke and have not come forward so far. I also believe that some of those spoken to by police previously have not fully disclosed all they know about Luke and events in mid-May 20 years ago.

“Luke’s mum Nicki has been relentless in her pursuit of the truth and has kept his name and this case firmly in the public eye over the past 20 years. This, along with efforts by the police, have generated a steady stream of information relating to Luke which have been and will continue to be acted upon.

“I hope on this significant anniversary of the last sighting of Luke, those individuals who hold that vital information will now search their conscience and do the right thing and call us.

“We know that over time allegiances can change and people who may have previously felt unable or afraid to come forward may now feel differently. It is never too late to speak up and anything you tell us will be dealt with in strictest confidence.”

Luke is described as white, 5ft 10inches tall, of slim build, with short dark brown hair and blue eyes. At the time of his disappearance he was wearing a Black/grey long sleeved collared shirt and a purple and grey White Stuff sweatshirt. He was also wearing tatty looking faded denim jeans with some kind of motif on the side thigh area and grey chocolate brown suede moccasin style shoes.

Anyone who believes they have information about Luke Durbin’s disappearance, is asked to contact the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Major Crime Review and Unsolved Case Team on: 01953 423819 or by emailing: 

unsolvedcasereviews@norfolk.pnn.police.uk

Alternatively, contact the charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their online form: Independent UK charity taking crime information anonymously | Crimestoppers