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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent

Gaynor Lord search: police release footage of last sightings in Norwich

Gaynor Lord leaving work at Jarrolds department store in Norwich at about 2.45pm last Friday.
Gaynor Lord leaving work at Jarrolds department store in Norwich at about 2.45pm last Friday. Photograph: Norfolk police/PA

Officers investigating the disappearance of 55-year-old Gaynor Lord in Norwich have released CCTV footage of her last known movements, after her coat was found in a river.

Lord was last seen on Friday afternoon as she left work early in Norwich city centre, and police said she most likely entered the water at a riverside park.

On Wednesday, the sixth day of the search, Norfolk constabulary released footage of Lord as they appealed to the public for information.

The Norwich policing commander, Supt Wes Hornigold, said: “Today we are releasing the footage of Gaynor’s last known steps on Friday afternoon before she went missing. We hope this will help to jog the memory of anyone who may have seen her in the city that afternoon or who may have footage of her journey.”

Lord’s belongings, including clothing, a mobile phone, glasses and jewellery, were found by a member of the public on Friday evening. They were scattered throughout Wensum Park, about 1.5 miles away from her workplace.

Police identified the items as Lord’s using ID in her bag. When they visited her home, they discovered she had not returned.

Lord’s green coat was found in the River Wensum that runs past the park, and specialist underwater search teams have been deployed.

The CCTV footage released by police shows Lord leaving her job as a retail assistant for Bullards Spirits at Jarrolds department store at 2.45pm, an hour and 15 minutes earlier than scheduled. She can be seen walking to and from the cathedral on Queen Street, and then along St George’s Street at 3.49pm.

She is then seen walking along St Crispins Road towards Pitt Street and finally up St Augustines Street at 4.01pm, the last sighting of her on CCTV.

Crossing from Queen Street into Tombland at about 2.47pm.
Crossing from Queen Street into Tombland at about 2.47pm. Photograph: Norfolk police/PA
Lord leaving the grounds of the cathedral at about 3.17pm.
Lord leaving the grounds of the cathedral at about 3.17pm. Photograph: Norfolk police/PA

Hornigold said: “We are particularly keen on hearing from anyone who may have seen Gaynor in the cathedral grounds, which she enters at 2.50pm and leaves at 3.23pm. It’s not clear where she goes inside the cathedral grounds during this time, so we’re keen to hear from anyone who may have seen her there.

“We are continuing our extensive searches but would appeal to the public to come forward with any information which may help to find Gaynor. In the footage you can clearly see what she was wearing when she went missing. This is a particularly stressful time for her family and specialist officers continue to provide support.”

Lord, who is married and has three children, is 5ft 6ins with blond shoulder-length hair in a bob.

The police force said on Wednesday it was “linking in” with detectives who worked on the Nicola Bulley case.

Hornigold told LBC: “We will absolutely – and have done – be linking in with Lancashire constabulary to understand any of the lessons learned from that inquiry.

“We’ve already had meetings with the National Crime Agency in terms of understanding any specific skills and knowledge in respect to water searching.”

He added: “We’re cognisant of the recent College of Policing report into the Lancashire inquiry, so we’re leaving no stone unturned and making sure we’re doing everything within our power to find Gaynor as quickly as possible.”

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