'Maddie's mother helps me through dark days': Claudia Lawrence's mum reveals she and Kate McCann support each other with letters full of 'words of encouragement'

'Maddie's mother helps me through dark days': Claudia Lawrence's mum reveals she and Kate McCann support each other with letters full of 'words of encouragement and affection'

   Joan Lawrence, 75, from York, is speaking out to mark 10th anniversary
   She reached out to other mothers of of missing children, including Madeleine's
   On 18th March 2009 Claudia Lawrence went missing as she walked home

By Sarah Finley For Mailonline

Published: 07:52 GMT, 20 March 2019 | Updated: 09:58 GMT, 20 March 2019

Joan Lawrence has opened up for the first time about her special bond with Kate McCann as she marks the 10th anniversary of her daughter Claudia's disappearance

The 75-year-old from York, told Bella magazine that her friendship with Kate has helped her through some of her darkest days since Claudia went missing as she walked home from work on 18th March 2009

Joan told the magazine: 'Over the years, I began to get in touch with the mums of other missing children. I exchanged letters with Kate McCann and met up with Ben Needham's mum Kerry.

'We drew strength from one another, offering words of encouragement and affection on particularly dark days - of which, there are many.'

Kate and Gerry McCann were thrust into the media spotlight in 2007 when their daughter Madeleine McCann was abducted in Portugal.

Joan has previously referred to being in touch with Kate but has never been so open about the nature of their friendship before.  

Claudia's disappearance is still a mystery, with police officers following several lines of inquiry at the time, but never solving her case.

While looking into her case detectives found that the 35-year-old had had 12 lovers over five years, some had even been married.

Over the years nine people were arrested over her disappearance.

Police submitted files to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to several men in their fifties but there is insufficient evidence to bring charges.

Theories have also circled that convicted killer Christopher Halliwell was involved.

Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, of North Yorkshire Police this week said police ‘do not believe Claudia fell victim to an attack by a stranger’.

He said: ‘It remains the case that we strongly suspect key and vital information is being withheld that could provide the breakthrough that we all want to see, not least Claudia’s heartbroken family.

‘Unless we get information or intelligence to suggest that Claudia came to harm as a result of an opportunity taken by someone unconnected to her, the team and I still strongly believe the answer lies locally.’  

Lack of CCTV and social media profile have also been a factor around her case, Malyn also said.  

According to the police her mobile phone didn't leave the area of her home, so they believe she wouldn't have been attacked by a stranger.  While they also said fresh lines of inquiry are still being looked at after, as the public are still coming forward with new information.  

Last week Peter Lawrence, 72, Claudia's father, told the Mirror he no longer believed his daughter was alive: 'It's getting more difficult to believe that as time goes on. It's very difficult now.

'It just keeps going on and on, of course, because of not knowing what happened and it is the not knowing which has always been the worst part about it.'

Madeleine McCann, who was just three when she went missing from her parents holiday home in Praia da Luz, Portugal, has never been found.

Some believed that her parents were involved, while others claimed that the Portuguese police delayed the investigation.

This month a Netflix documentary claims Madeleine McCann might still be alive and could be being held by people traffickers - 12 years after she disappeared.

On Monday afternoon, friends of Claudia's gathered at York Minster to light a candle for the chef, which is still missing and appeal for information.

While Joan also spoke to Good Morning Britain about her worries for her daughter, saying: 'If Claudia was abducted, what would she have gone through? What sort of fear? What sort of trauma? If she's still alive somewhere, what is she thinking?'



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6826855/Claudia-Lawrences-mother-reveals-writes-letters-Kate-McCann.html

God Bless Joan.  The agony she is going through is summed up for me in the last paragraph of the article.

If Claudia had been adbudcted what would she be going through, what sort of fear, what sort of trauma ...........................

As has been said many, many times before this is what for many is hard to understand when we see Maddie's parents smiling, laughing on a balcony etc. 

I know there is no way I would be acting in that way.   Absolutely no way, but as we have been told many times - we are all different!

It's sad to see again that someone else's tragedy is being used to hype the McCanns story.