The father of the missing girl goes to No. 10 to return his medals

The father of a girl who went missing 33 years ago will return his military medals in protest at the way the case was handled by the Royal Military Police.

Richard Lee's daughter, Katrice, disappeared on her second birthday near a British military base in Paderborn, Germany, in 1981.

Mr Lee will travel from Hartlepool to Downing Street on Friday to return his war medals, saying: “I'm firing the last bullet I have in my arsenal.”

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said its sympathies were with the family.

Mr Lee, a former warrant officer, served in the army for more than 30 years, including with the 15th and 19th Royal King's Hussars in the former West Germany.

He plans to return his Northern Ireland General Service Medal as well as another medal awarded to him for 30 years of service and good conduct.

Mr Lee and around 30 other veterans are expected to arrive at Downing Street at 3:00 p.m. BST.

“Do I want a cold piece of metal, or do I want an answer where Katrice is? I want an answer where Katrice is,” Mr Lee said.

He added: “I will not leave until I get justice for my daughter’s case.”

Mr Lee believes his daughter, missing for more than 40 years, has been kidnapped.

In 2012, the Royal Military Police apologized for the failures of the initial investigation and reopened their investigations under the title Operation Bute.

A search of the River Alme, near where Katrice went missing, was carried out in 2018, and a photo of a man seen putting a child in a car, created shortly after Katrice's disappearance, was published in 2017.

Mr Lee has called for an independent or public inquiry into the handling of his daughter's case.

A Department of Defense statement said the department “continues to accept any additional information that may help determine Katrice's whereabouts.”

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