Parents of Jack O’Sullivan lodge formal criticism towards police

The heartbroken parents of missing 23-year-old student Jack O’Sullivan have lodged a formal complaint against the police force investigating their son’s disappearance.

Catherine and Alan O’Sullivan’s son – who was 22 when he vanished – has not been seen since he went to a house party in Bristol on March 2 – some 101 days ago.

The family say their desperate search for answers has been made worse by Avon and Somerset Police, who missed crucial CCTV and failed to add Jack to the national Missing People’s Register until he had been missing for more than two months due to an administrative error.

Speaking on BBC News, Catherine said: ‘I wouldn’t want anyone on earth to be faced what we have dealt with in last 100 days, because it’s horrific. To think people who you would possibly depend on most in the world have totally let us down.’ 

She added: ‘It is hell, daily it’s a challenge to get up through the day. We have to somehow keep going and find strength to get to the bottom of this.’

Jack’s family say that there were mistakes made by the force from the start, including how CCTV footage – placing the student in a different location at a different time – was initially missed.

It was only discovered by Catherine when she was allowed to watch some of it for herself.

‘To have footage of my son in their possession the day after he was missing and for someone not to see that is just ludicrous,’ she added.

‘And we have to live with that…thinking what would have possibly been different here if on that second day, the whole world knew that he was there – and we could have appealed to people.’

A GoFundMe fundraiser, set up last night by a family friend, says that Jack’s family have decided to offer a £20,000 reward for ‘information leading to the discovery of Jack is needed to help spark new leads and reignite the search efforts.’

Jack attended school in Bristol before going on to graduate at Exeter University and then return home to continue his studies. 

He had been living back with his parents and close to his older brother Ben when he vanished after a night out.

Jack had been at a house party with friends from his course when he left in the early hours of the morning.

The student’s phone was still in use hours after he was last seen on CCTV but his family say they have been left with unanswered questions.

The law graduate last made contact with a friend shortly after 3.30am, but officers said his phone remained active on the Find My Friends app up until 6.44am. 

Catherine added: ‘The errors that have cast so much doubt in our mind about what was done, when it was done and whether it continues to be done has caused us untold damage.

‘We have to live with the fact that Jack’s not here, but to find that the people who could have been looking for him haven’t done it properly is just devastating.’ 

Jack was last seen in the Hotwells area of Bristol on Saturday 2 March as he began making his way home from a night out with friends. 

He had gone to meet friends in Bristol for a usual Saturday night out, travelling by bus at 8.20pm from his village Flax Bourton to a Wetherspoons pub in the city.

At 10.45pm he texted his mother that they had moved on to a house party and safely arrived at the new location. ‘All good, keys are safe,’ he wrote.

And at 1.52am he sent her a final text, saying he was OK.

Then shortly before 3am Jack left the party alone, CCTV has captured part of his journey through the city.

He is seen crossing the Junction Swing Bridge at 2.53am, turning down Brunel Lock Road at about 2.57am, passing a car park near McAdam Way at 3.08am, near a grassy area beneath the raised Brunel Way at 3.13am, walking across Plimsol Bridge 3.25am and was last seen walking up Bennett Way at 3.39am.

Avon and Somerset Police have said that the last two sightings are ‘likely’ to be Jack with the last officially confirmed sighting of him on CCTV being at 3.13am.

He called a friend who was still at the party at 3.24am. When the friend returned the call ten minutes later, Jack answered the phone and said ‘hello’ but nothing else. The call lasted for 58 second before being disconnected.

Catherine said the friend left the party soon after and added: ‘She tried and tried to get hold of him but couldn’t. She sent messages to him saying, ‘please let me know where you are, please let me know you’re OK’ and ‘please let me know when you get home’.’

His family have now taken to walking his final route every day and at different times of the day just to try and experience what it might have been like for Jack, and any indication as to what could have happened.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson said: ‘We’ve received a formal complaint from the family of missing 23-year-old Jack O’Sullivan in relation to our investigation into his disappearance, which remains ongoing. 

‘The complaint has been recorded by our Professional Standards Department and will now be thoroughly assessed by a trained investigator. We’ll be updating his family as this assessment progresses.

‘Detectives have carried out an extensive investigation over the past 100 days since Jack went missing. He was last seen in the Cumberland Basin area of the city in the early hours of Saturday 2 March after leaving a house party in nearby Hotwells. 

‘This investigation has included reviewing and re-reviewing more than 100 hours of CCTV footage, carrying out expert-led searches by land and water involving multiple teams, including the dog unit, drone unit and specialist dive team, proactively seeking and acting on advice from national policing specialists, and issuing multiple appeals to the public and media for information. 

‘Sadly, despite these efforts we’ve been unable to find Jack to date. We fully recognise the distress and anguish this has had on Jack’s family and our thoughts remain very much with them. We’re determined to do all that we possibly can to find the answers they so desperately need. 

‘We’ll continue to keep them updated on the investigation, as well as on the ongoing assessment being carried out by our Professional Standards Department.

‘We’d like to reiterate our appeal to anyone who was travelling in or walking around Cumberland Basin on Saturday 2 March, anytime between 2.30am and 5.30am, to contact us on 101 and give the reference number 5224055172.’

Jack is white, about 5ft 10ins, of slim build, with short, brown hair. He was last seen wearing a green/brown quilted Barbour jacket, a beige woollen jumper, navy chinos, and brown shoes with a white sole.