Jack O'Sullivan disappearance: Investigators probe data leak from Bristol student's phone after he vanished

Jack O'Sullivan's mother says since the family filed the complaint she has only received weekly email updates from Avon and Somerset Police.

The family worked with police after the student's disappearance but have since said they have a high level of confidence in the force due to alleged errors in the investigation.

The issues include CCTV footage of Jack, which the family say was viewed but not seen the day after he disappeared.

Mother Catherine O'Sullivan said: “We are on our own, it's like we are the ones looking for new leads and lacking information.”

Last month, a police spokesman said: “We fully recognise the distress and anguish this has caused Jack's family and our thoughts remain with them,” they added.

“We are determined to do everything we can to find the answers they so desperately need.”

One of the areas the family are monitoring is Granby Hill in Clifton, near where Jack was last seen on CCTV, as a Find My Phone app revealed an address on the steep residential street where his phone was last located.

The family went to the given address and police also searched the property and garden, they said.

But there are places off the road that are not easily accessible, and Jack's mother, Catherine O'Sullivan, said the family was talking to specialist search and rescue groups about joining the search.

“There are one or two areas where we can’t safely search,” she said. “We want every place checked.”

Jack's mother Catherine O'Sullivan today revealed more about the specialist help the family is receiving, with a clone of her son's SIM card sent to a Manchester-based cyber security firm for investigation.

It was previously reported that Jack's phone was active on a network until 6:44am – but it now appears there was data usage equivalent to a nine-minute video from 4:39am to that time.

Jack was last seen on CCTV at 3.39am.

The family had given the SIM card to Avon and Somerset Police but said the force had not sent it to the National Crime Agency for further analysis.

Ms O'Sullivan said they were therefore hiring a specialist company to look into what apps he may have used and any potential location traces.

“A few weeks after he went missing, I realised the phone was in my name and so we got access to the SIM card. We are now hoping to find more information about how the phone was used after he went missing,” she said.

On Tuesday, Jack's mother wrote a moving description of her son in the hopes it would help the search, while also adding a photo of him.

She wrote: “Jack seems quiet and reserved, but not at home. Jack is the life and soul, full of cheeky banter (especially with his father).

“Jack always has to have the last word. Jack is a football fanatic – Man U are his team and fantasy football is his pride and joy. Jack loves golf and tennis and his idols are Tiger and Rafa.

“Jack is a very intelligent and ambitious young man, determined to succeed and achieve. His ambition to become a lawyer was beginning to take shape with exams going well and summer law internships already arranged.

“Overall, Jack is a kind, caring, happy boy who loves his family – especially Mabel! Where are you Jack?”

Police describe Mr O'Sullivan as white, approximately 5ft 10in (178cm) tall, of slim build and with short brown hair.

He was last seen wearing a green/brown quilted Barbour jacket over a beige wool sweater, navy chinos and brown leather trainers with white soles.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “We continue to seek further advice and support from national experts, including an oceanographer, and will follow any advice they offer us.

“Unfortunately, despite our efforts so far, we have not been able to locate Jack.

“We are fully aware of the distress and anguish this case has caused Jack's family and our thoughts are with them. We are determined to do everything in our power to find the answers they so desperately need. We will continue to keep them informed of any progress in our investigation.”

The family filed a formal complaint with police after claiming crucial CCTV evidence surrounding their son's disappearance had been missing.

Mother Catherine O'Sullivan said: “From the first day Jack wasn't home we raised the alarm as quickly as we could.

“We opened a missing person's file at lunchtime and then we got a call from a senior police officer to say they had CCTV of Jack by the water in the Hotwells area.

“They think he had been at a party and had been there since 2:30 in the morning, and he probably had been drinking. They think he was so close to the water that he must have fallen in.

“It was so concrete, the way he told us on the phone. He just said: There’s a good chance you’ll never see him again.

“We were completely shocked. We didn't go to bed. We just lay on the couch together and tried to process what had just been said to us.”

Police say they have reviewed more than 100 hours of CCTV footage as part of the search for Jack O'Sullivan.

This is the last confirmed sighting of Jack at 3.13am as he walks on the grassy area at the junction of Brunel Lock Way and Brunel Way, Bristol.

01:00: Mr O'Sullivan sent a message to his parents to say he was planning to take a taxi.

03:17: Last confirmed sighting of Mr O'Sullivan on CCTV walking on the grassy area at the junction of Brunel Lock Way and Brunel Way

03:24: Mr O'Sullivan tried to call a friend who was still at the party.

03:25: Probable sighting of Mr O'Sullivan on Plimsoll Bridge towards Bristol city centre.

03:30:A friend called back, but the call was disconnected after Mr O'Sullivan said “hello”.

03:39: Mr O'Sullivan is seen walking along Bennett Way.

03:40: Mr O'Sullivan is seen on CCTV walking on the Bennett Way exit ramp towards Hotwells.

05:00:Mr O'Sullivan's parents noticed he was not at home.

05:40: Mr O'Sullivan's phone placed him at an address in the Granby Hill area.

06:44: Mr O'Sullivan's phone remained active on the network until that time.