Tri-Service
Father Calls Military Investigation Into Missing Toddler A 'Sham'
The father of a toddler who went missing 35 years ago has called a re-investigation into her disappearance by the Royal Military Police a “sham”.
Katrice Lee disappeared from a German military base where her father was stationed on her second birthday in 1981.
Richard Lee believes the investigation's active status is a means of preventing the family accessing case files and details about previous attempts to find Katrice.
He said:
"It's about time the MoD came clean. The RMP are making a complete and utter sham of being transparent and open."
The Ministry of Defence has rejected the criticism, saying it is pursuing several lines of inquiry.
The re-investigation, named Operation Bute, was launched four years ago.
A civilian police review of the operation was completed 14 months ago but Mr Lee said its findings had not been released to the family.
Computer-generated imagery shows how Katrice Lee could look
The toddler went missing on 28 November 1981 in a Naafi shop in Paderborn while out shopping with her mother.
The family say they believe Katrice was abducted.
In a statement, the MoD said: "This is an extremely distressing case and our thoughts remain with the family of Katrice Lee.
"The Royal Military Police are reinvestigating and it would be inappropriate to comment further while these efforts continue."
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