Police say they have fully investigated Christopher Halliwell for the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence. 

North Yorkshire Police has faced growing calls to consider the Swindon double-murderer being responsible for the longstanding mystery over the whereabouts of chef Claudia Lawrence, who went missing in 2009, aged 35.

Her disappearance was six years after Halliwell murdered Becky Godden-Edwards, in 2003, and two years before he murdered Sian O'Callaghan, in 2011.

Claudia's mother recently appeared on national television to say she strongly believed the taxi driver was responsible for her daughter's disappearance, having spoken to witnesses that could place him in York around the time it happened.  

But Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox, head of the major investigation team at North Yorkshire Police, who has been leading the investigation into the suspected murder of Claudia, says they have fully investigated the possibility that Halliwell was responsible, and have found no strong evidence. 

He said in a statement: “Since September 2016, when it was first suggested by a former detective from Wiltshire Police, the North Yorkshire Police inquiry team have continued to engage closely with our colleagues in Wiltshire to establish any possible link between Christopher Halliwell and Claudia Lawrence

“We have pursued lines of inquiry which are focussed on any link he may have to the North Yorkshire area and, in particular, the movements of Christopher Halliwell during the material times in which we believe Claudia came to harm.

“The results of those inquiries, which included examinations of digital devices and the interviewing of several witnesses, indicated that Halliwell continued to operate as a taxi driver in the Swindon area within the relevant time parameters.

“Both investigation teams reached a position in which we concluded it to be unlikely that Halliwell left the Wiltshire area, or was present in North Yorkshire, at the time of Claudia’s disappearance."

Despite this, Detective Superintendent Fox has reissued an appeal for information.

“I am mindful of recent information from witnesses which suggests that Halliwell had links to Yorkshire and may have stalked females in the local area.

“Steps have been taken to conduct interviews with these witnesses and that information has been thoroughly assessed against known facts.

“However, I continue to keep an open mind and repeat that North Yorkshire Police is committed to finding the answers that Claudia’s family deserve and need.

“Should any information indicate that Christopher Halliwell may have been elsewhere other than Swindon between Wednesday, March 18 and Friday, March 20, 2009, then this information will be thoroughly investigated and tested against the volumes of material gathered throughout the course of the inquiry."

Anyone with information should call 101 or go to the North Yorkshire Police website.