Taxi riddle as deaf mother disappears
Fears grow for Kirsty’s safety after she vanishes leaving club at 3am
FEARS were growing last night for the safety of a deaf mother of four who was last seen leaving a city centre nightclub alone more than two days ago.
Kirsty Aitchison’s family alerted police hours after she vanished at around 3am on Sunday outside Campus nightclub on Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street.
Miss Aitchison, 30, had been in the club with friends on Saturday night – but left on her own and failed to arrive home.
A witness said they saw her getting into a private hire vehicle outside the venue.
Friends and relatives posted a series of appeals for information on a dedicated Facebook page, saying her disappearance was ‘completely out of character’.
The page, entitled Kirsty Aitchison Who Went Missing, was quickly inundated with messages of support from Glasgow’s deaf community.
Yesterday, Miss Aitchison’s family were too upset to speak; but close friend Rachel Galloway told of the deaf community’s shock.
Miss Galloway, an interpreter with Glasgow-based Deaf Connections, said: ‘No one has slept. Everyone is glued to Facebook waiting for news she has been found. It’s just so hard.
‘It’s not like her, it’s really not like her. She went on a night out and has disappeared off the face of the Earth. My worry is if something has happened to her, it’s going to be very difficult for her to tell someone she needs help. Kirsty’s speech is very minimal and if she said “help” it wouldn’t come out as “help”. And if she is signing the word, people won’t understand her.’
Miss Galloway said the deaf community had rallied round to try to help: ‘It started as a few friends on Facebook spreading the message. But before we knew it, it was everywhere. It’s unbelievable how people have responded. It’s very touching.’
Miss Aitchison, who has three daughters and a son, all aged 13 or under, had been in Campus at an annual event for deaf people called Scotland’s Deaf Booze Crew Round 2.
Yesterday, her family, including her mother Fay, were at her detached home in Robroyston, Glasgow.
Mrs Aitchison declined to comment on her daughter’s disappearance.
Other relatives were at the family home in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, where Miss Aitchison was brought up. One said: ‘We do not know what has happened and are just waiting for news. Hopefully, Kirsty will be found soon.’
Friends posted that Miss Aitchison’s mobile had been switched off since she vanished. Police are understood to be examining CCTV footage taken inside and outside the club. Among those who posted messages was the Glasgow Taxi Forum. It wants better regulation of private hire taxis and raised concerns that private vehicles were touting for business ‘illegally’ in the city centre.
Miss Aitchison is white, 5ft and of slim build with long, dark hair. Police issued an image taken on the night she went missing which shows her wearing a black top, cream skirt and black sandals.
Inspector Leigh McManus said: ‘Kirsty hasn’t been missing before and it is completely out of character for her not to keep in contact with her family and friends. She was reported missing to police on Sunday afternoon.
‘Officers are carrying out extensive inquiries to trace her. I would ask anyone with any information on her whereabouts to contact the Shettleston police office through non-emergency number 101.’
Unusually, the police have also issued an appeal in British Sign Language.
‘It’s really not like her’