Mum of missing teen Charlene Downes ‘who was chopped up into kebabs’ slams cops for bungled investigation as probe launched into ‘breach of duty’

THE mother of a missing teen feared to have been chopped up into kebabs slammed cops as "utterly despicable" today - as a fresh probe was launched into police bungling.

Karen Downes said Lancashire Police had "trampled" on her daughter Charlene's memory by refusing to admit its mistakes could have cost the chance to find her alive.

No trace has been found of Charlene, 14, since she was last seen in Blackpool on November 1, 2003 - despite huge publicity and a £100,000 reward.

Last year detectives finally released the only CCTV footage of her on the day she vanished - after it lay unnoticed on police shelves for 13 years.

Karen, 52, launched a lawsuit against the force earlier this year, seeking a public apology.

But she says police chiefs refused to say sorry. They wrote claiming that not finding the tape in their archives sooner was "not a breach of investigative duty".

Karen said: "This is utterly despicable. This shows the amount of respect they have for my daughter's memory and my family.

"They are willing to trample on it by refusing to admit they have done anything wrong or give me an apology.

"It's ridiculous to say it doesn't matter and wasn't a a failure as obviously more people would have come forward at the time.

"It is a total insult to say anything else."

Now the police watchdog the IPCC has referred the case to the Lancashire Police Commissioner and the force's Professional Standards Department - the real life cop unit like the one in BBC1 drama Line of Duty.

It is understood the elite unit will investigate if there was a "breach of duty" in how officers handled the case over more than a decade.

Karen said after the breakthrough: "I am never going to give up on Charlene.

"They have treated our family badly and now it is time to stand up. All I have ever wanted is for them to do their job properly and fully investigate my daughter's disappearance.

"But in the past they cut down the officers working on the case but now they have nowhere to hide."

The "lost" CCTV followed a series of other alleged failings by the force, which included officers on the original case facing misconduct charges and a damning IPCC report into their methods.

To this day, despite a long investigation, numerous media appeals and a £100,000 reward, nobody has ever been brought to justice over her disappearance.

Two takeaway workers were acquitted of her murder in 2007 after a trial heard her body was chopped up and had "gone into kebabs".

Kebab shop boss Ilyad Albattikhi was acquitted of Charlene’s murder and his co-defendant was acquitted of helping to dispose of her body after a trial in 2007.

The original jury failed to reach a verdict and a later retrial was dropped due to lack of evidence when a series of covert recordings in which they discussed the teen were found to be flawed due to their handling.

The officer in charge later faced disciplinary proceedings over the case.

And a damning IPPC report in 2009 said officers had failed to keep proper records and used untrained officers.

Since then there have been no major leads.

Nigel Lloyd, 51, a former cafe owner and convicted paedophile, was arrested in August on suspicion of murdering Charlene and released under investigation.

He is currently serving five years in prison for indecently assaulting two teenage girls following a probe into sexual exploitation in Blackpool.

Peter Garsden, president of the Association of Child Abuse lawyers, said: “Unfortunately the way in which Lancashire Police has acted towards the family of the victim in this case has only served to inflame emotions.

"Their legal denials are not untypical, and are designed to thwart the family’s attempts to get justice.

"The facts almost speak for themselves. Releasing CCTV this late in an investigation is bound to have a negative effect on witnesses coming forward.

"Unsurprisingly the family will never stop fighting for justice for their missing daughter who was groomed before she went missing.  They want the Police to be held accountable for their actions. "

Lancashire Police confirmed they received a complaint in October and an investigation is underway.

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