The mother of a man who has been missing in Northern Ireland for nearly two weeks fears they are now “looking for a body”. Londoner Lester McLennan was on a family holiday visiting a recently bereaved relative in Belfast when he travelled alone to the Giant’s Causeway area by bus at around 9.30am on Friday, November 1.
The 20 year old, an avid hiker who had previously walked the West Highland Way in Scotland, was eager to explore the stunning North Coast of Northern Ireland and take in the sights. However, Lester hasn’t been seen since November 1, when he was spotted talking to a tour guide on the cliff path near Lacada Point at about 2pm, before heading towards Dunseverick Castle.
(Image: Giant’s Causeway/Facebook)
Lester is described as a white male, 6’3″ tall, slim, with light brown hair. He was wearing black glasses, light beige trousers with a dark belt, walking boots, a long grey coat that reached below his knees, and a dark zip-up jacket. He was also carrying a black backpack, which was handed in two weeks later by two mystery men.
Speaking to Belfast Live almost two weeks later, Lester’s distraught mother, Lalitha McLennan, said: “I’m coming over to Belfast this week, to go back up the coast and try to distribute as many leaflets as I can. I’m also going to go into pubs and shops to ask people if they’ve seen anything.
In the latest appeal for information, issued on November 5, the PSNI said they are keen to speak to the members of public who located Lester’s black backpack in the Giant’s Causeway area and passed it on to staff.
(Image: PSNI)
Lalitha said as of yet, they have not heard from those who handed the bag in. She added: “Search teams had drones up yesterday between Lacada and Ballycastle, including White Park Bay. So they’ve done a very thorough search with these drones there. I’m thinking that we’re now looking for a body, I doubt he’s going to be alive at this point. But I really would like to find his body and bring him home.
“He’s a young person who found lockdown quite difficult and had not managed to do his A Levels. But he just started college in September and looking at his diary entries, it was so lovely, he’d written “college!!!” as he was really excited about it.
“But if anyone is walking in that area or owns land in that area, if you could check your land and check outhouses and see if anybody’s curled up in under a hedge somewhere, that would be amazing. We’re all missing him so much. There are so many people missing him, and we just want to bring him home.”
(Image: PSNI)
A spokesperson for the PSNI said: “Lester is a white male, 6’3” tall, of slim build with light brown hair and was wearing black glasses, light beige trousers with a dark belt, walking boots, a long grey coat to below the knee and a dark zip up jacket. Lester was also carrying a black backpack.”
“Officers are also keen to speak to the member of the public who located a black backpack in the area of the Giant’s Causeway and handed it to staff members there to contact them. Police are appealing to Lester or anyone who may have seen him on 1st or 2nd November to contact them in Coleraine on 101, quoting reference number 76 02/11/24.”
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