Given the fast-approaching deadline for the £20,00 reward offered by police in connection with the disappearnce of teenager, Damien Nettles, his mother, Valerie Nettles, has issued the following statement to the media.
She says, “Damien Nettles deserves 100% Police commitment to this reward and to the results that it could potentially accomplish. After many years of appealing for a reward and being denied our family is, of course, very grateful to the current investigative team for its support and for establishing this reward. Although it would have had its full potential 16 years ago, it is better late than never.
“When you take into consideration that Damien’s case has been the victim of some bad operational decisions in the past I feel strongly that we should give this case time to resolve all of those inconsistencies and address every lost opportunity.
“I would really like the police to consider renewing this reward for at least another year. At least as long as those who were arrested were kept on bail. Six months for 16 years of a less than satisfactory investigation, mostly in the early days, does not do Damien justice and could be construed as showing a lack of commitment in recovering Damien by the police and that police have already determined the outcome of this case.”
Police review
In response to the appeal by Valerie Nettles, Hampshire Constabularly repolied, “We will review the situation at the end of the six-month reward period in April 2013 and take decisions then.”
