I know one day he’ll come home
DAD’S ANGUISH ON FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF SON’S DISAPPEARANCE
A NEWCASTLE dad has said he will never give up hope of his son walking through the door on the fifth anniversary of his disappearance.
Michael Whinham was last seen on November 14, 2015, and there have been no confirmed sightings of him since.
Distraught dad Paul, 70, is adamant his boy is still alive and believes he may be living rough in the Wolverhampton area.
He said: “Last year there were 16 sightings of Michael in Wolverhampton which I was told about through our Facebook page.
“I went down there in January and there were quite a few people who recognised him from our posters.
“Homeless people getting help in a church knew who he was straight away. Someone outside an Asda store had said he had been begging outside the store for two years.
“It is a relief to know that he is alive but I just want to see if he is OK.”
For the past five years Paul has been paying the mortgage on Michael’s home, on Oakfield Gardens, Benwell, in anticipation of his return.
The house is almost exactly how it was left when Michael vanished in 2015 without a trace, and contains Christmas and birthday cards and presents his family continues to buy for him each year.
“It breaks my heart,” said Paul.
“We’ve still got almost everything of Michael’s still in that house ready for him.
“I keep paying the mortgage. I keep thinking what if he comes home then has nowhere to live?
“He could obviously come and live with me but he may want to have his own space.”
The last confirmed sighting of Michael
was CCTV which showed him leaving Newcastle Crown Court, on the Quayside, on the day of his disappearance. He is described as 5ft 11ins and of thin build.
Michael, who suffers from mental health difficulties, was reported missing to police nine days later on November 23.
And Paul has spoken of the anguish he faces on a day-to-day basis as he wonders where his son is.
He said: “If you cut my left arm off, that’s what it feels like.
“I do get a bit depressed sometimes thinking that something may have happened to him.
“It is difficult at times, especially birthdays and Christmas which are a big family time for us.
“One day I had to pull over driving along the Coast Road because I was getting emotional when a Tracy Chapman song came on the radio which he likes.
“I have a seven-year-old daughter who will ask when he is coming home, which is understandable, but can also be upsetting.”
The heartbroken dad has made an emotional plea for Michael to return home and has urged him to get in touch.
Paul, from Wallsend, said: “I am never giving up hope that one day he will come home.
“I’ve always said that we can overcome any problems he has together as a family.
“We love him and we just want to have him home.”
A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “We have carried out widespread inquiries and made numerous appeals for information to help locate Michael. Mr Whinham’s family are still searching for him and deserve to know what happened.
“If anyone has any information, even if it seems minor, it may help our investigation and we would ask they get in contact with police.”