Missing Bradley, five, found fast asleep in his father’s van

WHEN he went missing on Saturday, little Bradley Simpson triggered a huge rescue operation.

As hours passed with no trace of the fiveyear-old Shetland boy, family, friends and the local police and Coastguard searched for him.

A rescue helicopter with a contingent of police was even preparing to fly from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray to join in the hunt.

But more than six hours after he was last seen playing outside his home at Norstane, near Lerwick, at around 4pm, Bradley was discovered safe and well – fast asleep in the back of his father Gordon’s van.

the alarm was raised about 8pm when his family realised Bradley had not been seen for four hours. His 38-year-old mother Leona thought he was at her own mother’s house across the road, while the grandmother thought he was at his own house.

But Bradley had climbed into the back of his father’s mobile disco van and fallen asleep on a pile of cushions and pillows. Mr Simpson, 45, later shut the van door without realising he was asleep inside.

Yesterday, Mrs Simpson praised the scores of islanders who gave up their Saturday evening to try to find her son.

She said: ‘every door we knocked on, the people joined in. there were people driving from Mossbank, 30 miles away, to help. It just goes to show what community spirit there is in Shetland. people will drop everything to help when a kid’s in trouble.’