Royal Navy ‘cover-up’ over sailor missing in Dubai
THE mother of a missing sailor has accused the Royal Navy of failing to provide answers about her son’s disappearance in Dubai eight years ago.
Timmy MacColl, 27, failed to return to his ship berthed in the city in May 2012.
Despite a desperate search by his family, his disappearance remains a mystery.
His mother Sheena, 57, is convinced he came to harm and believes both the Royal Navy and the Dubai Police know what happened to him that night but are refusing to say.
Mr MacColl was last seen boarding a taxi outside the Rock Bottom Cafe, in the Bur Dubai area, to return to his ship, HMS Westminster, at 1.40am on May 27.
Mrs MacColl, from Killin, Perthshire, said: ‘I think he’s been assaulted. I think something has happened and it’s been covered up by the authorities.
‘At the time, I felt the Royal Navy wanted shot of the case as quickly as possible and were only going through the motions of investigating his disappearance. Both they and the Dubai Police know more than they are letting on, I’ve always suspected that.’
Mr MacColl’s ship, a Type 23 frigate, was berthed 15 minutes from the cafe in the massive Port Rashid complex. The leading seaman and his crewmates had spent the previous seven months on missions against Somalian pirates in the Persian Gulf.
He was initially feared to have fallen in the water but search teams, including Navy divers, found no trace of his body.
Four days after he vanished, HMS Westminster set sail on a new mission with two crew members, who had put him in the taxi, on board.
However, the man and woman, both vital witnesses, were allowed to return to the UK without being interviewed by police. The taxi driver, a Bangladeshi, was traced weeks later. He claimed to have stopped at a tea shack inside the base to ask for directions but when he returned to his taxi Mr MacColl was no longer there.
One theory is that the sailor changed his mind about returning to his ship and instead jumped into another taxi and headed back into Dubai.
The following month, Mrs MacColl, her brother Colin, and her son’s pregnant wife Rachael flew to the city for three days to meet police and Royal Navy officials and to look for Mr MacColl themselves. But in April 2014, Mr MacColl was officially declared dead, presumed drowned, by the Royal Navy, despite objections from both women.
His mother said: ‘I would like to see a fresh investigation by the Royal Navy and the Dubai Police. I would appeal to anyone who has information to come forward.’
A Royal Navy spokesman said: ‘Regrettably, despite various appeals, no new information has come to light. There was a full and proper investigation at the time.’
No one from the Dubai Police had last night responded to requests for a comment.