Man arrested over Katrice Lee disappearance released without charge

Katrice Lee went missing while shopping for treats for a birthday party from the British military supermarket (Picture: Family handout).

A former serviceman arrested in connection with the disappearance of a British toddler in 1981 has been released without charge.

Katrice Lee, from Hartlepool, disappeared from a supermarket near a British military base in Paderborn, Germany, on her second birthday.

She was out shopping with her mother Sharon at the Naafi store, near to where her father Richard, a soldier, was stationed.

An Army spokesperson said: “The search of an address in Swindon continues and the Royal Military Police are keeping the Lee family informed of developments."

Watch: Katrice Lee investigation - how did we get to this point?

Last year, a section of a riverbank was excavated as part of renewed investigations in Katrice's disappearance, but nothing was found.

Katrice went missing while shopping for treats for a birthday party from the British military supermarket.

Her mother realised in the checkout line she had forgotten crisps and asked her sister, Katrice's aunt, to watch her.

When she returned in what she has estimated was less than a minute, the toddler was gone.

Her sister said she had run after her and she believed they were together.