Missing sailor's wife loses hope

Friday 8 February 2013

THE wife of missing Scots sailor Timmy MacColl believes she will never see her husband again.

TIMMY MacCOLL: Went missing while on shore leave in Dubai. SCALING DOWN: Mrs MacColl said she needed to move on for her family, including young Eriskay. Picture: PA

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Jamie Beatson

Rachael MacColl said she was closing down a Facebook campaign group after coming to the conclusion she and their three children will "have to live our lives without Timmy".

More than 100,000 people had signed up to help in the search after Timmy, 27, originally from Killin, Perthshire, disappeared while on shore leave in Dubai on May 27 last year.

Despite extensive inquiries, the authorities are no closer to establishing what happened to the seaman, who was serving aboard HMS Westminster.His ship was berthed in Dubai but returned to Portsmouth with- out him after he went missing.He was last seen by two fellow sailors, who reportedly helped him into a taxi outside a cafe, but he never made it back to the ship.Mrs MacColl travelled from her home in Hampshire to Dubai last month for answers and says she is comfortable that extensive searches have taken place, but admits she is struggling to cope with the situation.She now says that she, son Cameron, seven, and daughters Skye, four, and Eriskay, who was born in September, need to move on because the search is "having an adverse effect on our lives".Writing on the Bring Timmy Home website, Mrs MacColl said: "Thank you to everyone who has supported me and my family."It has been over a year since I last saw my husband and things have changed dramatically."In light of my recent visit to Dubai, I am quite comfortable in the knowledge that extensive searches for my husband have been conducted and unfortunately have come to no con-clusion into his whereabouts."Your extensive campaigning on our behalf has been heart-warming and has yielded great results."We now have contacts both here in the UK and out in Dubai who will continue looking for answers."The campaign to Bring Timmy Home is no longer fitting and, unfortunately, due to this, changes need to be made. Therefore, in light of recent events, I have come to the decision to close the Facebook group."Me and the children now need to come to terms with the fact we have to live our lives without Timmy."This group is now serving as a constant reminder of what I have lost and is having an adverse effect on our lives."Thank you once more for everything you all have done, the time and effort you all have committed to our cause has really been breathtaking and not in vain."We have achieved so much that would never have been possible without you."She added: "This has been a hard decision but it is in the best interest of my family and children."

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Missing sailor's wife loses hope

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