Men arrested over missing Claudia Lawrence will not face charges

Thirty-five-year-old Miss Lawrence was last seen on 18 March 2009

Claudia Lawrence was last seen leaving work at the University of York's Goodricke College on 18 March 2009 (Getty)

Four men arrested on suspicion of murdering missing chef Claudia Lawrence will not face charges, police have confirmed.

The men, all in their 50s, were arrested in March and April last year.

Thirty-five-year-old Miss Lawrence was last seen on 18 March 2009 and was reported missing the following day when she failed to turn up for work at the University of York.

Police said they believe she was murdered, although no body has ever been discovered.

Four men will not face charges following their arrests last year in connection with the disappearance of the chef in York in 2009 PA (PA)

North Yorkshire Police, who arrested the four men after a renewed appeal by the force on the sixth anniversary of Miss Lawrence's disappearance, said the decision not to charge the men was taken by the Crown Prosecution services.

Det Supt Dai Malyn, who led the review, said he believed the investigation had been compromised by the reluctance and refusal of some people to co-operate with inquiries.

Mr Malyn said: "I am sure that there are some people who know, or who have very strong suspicions about, what happened to Claudia. For whatever reason, they have either refused to come forward, or have been economic with the truth.

"I am left with the inescapable conclusion that this case could still be solved if only people were honest with us. The fact that they are not is agonising for Claudia's family and they should be ashamed of themselves."

Mr Malyn believes a man captured on CCTV walking near to Miss Lawrence's home on the night of her disappearance is "the most important person to trace".

He added the police will "never give up on Claudia".

Martin Dales, a friend and spokesman of Miss Lawrence's father Peter, described the unsolved investigation as "depressing".

He said: "I know Peter, the family and Claudia's friends will be feeling that the search for what has happened to Claudia seems to have turned out to be yet another false dawn in an already forlorn situation.

"The police have worked tirelessly to try and find answers but currently without success.

"It is nearly the seventh anniversary of Claudia disappearing and it seems that we're all back to square one: it's really quite depressing especially as someone is clearly withholding the information needed."

Additional reporting by Press Association