A DISTRAUGHT mother has said she is 99% certain her son has died - four years after he mysteriously went missing without a trace.

Nicki Durbin is also critical of the police investigation into Luke’s disappearance, believing it should have been turned into a murder enquiry.

Her 19-year-old son, who would now be 23, was last seen around 4am on May 12, 2006, when he was spotted on CCTV in Dogs Head Street, Ipswich, heading towards the bus station.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s anniversary of his disappearance Ms Durbin, of Hollesley near Woodbridge, said she was still desperate to find out exactly what happened to her son.

She said: “I never in my wildest nightmares imagined that four years on I would know no more today than I did when I first called police.

“It’s impossible to put into words the desperate life you lead living with a missing child. Your imagination becomes your worst enemy.

“In the first couple of weeks of Luke’s disappearance I feel that grave mistakes were made in the investigation. Assumptions were made about my child and time was lost. That window was crucial.

“For over three and a half years I have believed that Luke is no longer alive and that something sinister happened. I am 99% sure he is dead.

“I have asked Suffolk police to turn Luke’s case into a murder enquiry but they have refused - saying it is detrimental to his case as a missing person and that there is no murder scene or suspect.”

Luke was on a night out with friends on Thursday, May 11 2006 and had been at what was then Zest nightclub.

His disappearance was out of character and Ms Durbin is convinced something sinister happened because he did not return home to collect any personal belongings - including a mobile phone he had left at a friend’s house and his wages.

Ms Durbin said: “I hope that as time goes by the police do not realise a grave mistake has been made.

“I will have no closure until Luke is either found alive or his remains are discovered.

“I will not stop fighting to find answers unless I physically and emotionality can’t do it any more.

“There has to be at least one person out there who knows what happened. I really hope their conscience gets the better of them. I beg anyone with information to come forward.”

Anyone with information about Luke’s disappearance should call Suffolk police on 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

DESPITE following up hundreds of lines of enquiry police are no further forward in tracing what happened to Luke Durbin.

The last confirmed sighting of the teenager is on CCTV footage in Dogs Head Street, heading into Ipswich bus station, around 4am on Friday, May 12 2006.

Officers are still keen to trace the occupants of a silver vehicle – possibly a Volvo or Mercedes – that was spotted on CCTV being driven past ‘Tinkerbelle’ at Orwell Place, heading from Tacket Street in the direction of the Spread Eagle public house about 4.09am on the same morning.

Acting detective inspector Ian Addison said the investigation was still ongoing.

“Our hope now is the passage of time may prompt someone to come forward with the piece of information that can lead us to Luke so we can find out what happened,” he said. “It might be that they know something but, for whatever reason, they have felt unable to tell us. Or it could be that they saw something they considered minor at the time that could actually be significant.”

Commenting on Ms Durbin’s criticism of the investigation he said that experienced officers had been over seeing enquiries.

“We have been aware of rumours that he had met an untimely end but there is no evidence of this,” he said. “We have known Nicki’s feelings since the start however we have to keep an open mind.”