Lucie's father warns other girls

Lucie Blackman was earning money to travel

The father of missing Briton Lucie Blackman has warned other girls not be tempted into the hostessing trade.

Tim Blackman, 47, made his comments after flying back to Britain following a three-week visit to Tokyo to search for his daughter.

It is a recipe for disaster

Tim Blackman

At a Foreign Office press conference, Tim Blackman said he remained hopeful that the 21-year-old who vanished in Tokyo four weeks ago while working as a nightclub hostess, was still alive.

But he urged any young women tempted into similar work by the lure of easy money, to think again.

"It is really a recipe for disaster," he said.

He has vowed to return to Japan within the next few days to resume the search.

Tim and Sophie Blackman have appealed for infornation

Mr Blackman, from the Isle of Wight, said: "I suppose the biggest and strongest lead we have that Lucie is alive and well somewhere, is we haven't heard she is dead."

Miss Blackman, of Sevenoaks, Kent, has not been seen since 1 July, when she set off to meet a client from the Casablanca Club in Tokyo's Roppongi entertainment district.

The former air stewardess, had been working as a hostess at the nightclub where she poured drinks and chatted to customers.

Cult theory dismissed

Her father flew out to Tokyo a week after her disappearance to set up an office and information hotline to help police, but his search has so far been fruitless.

His younger daughter Sophie remains in Tokyo manning the office they set up.

He added that the high profile of the case in Japan gives him confidence that his daughter will be found.

He dismissed the theory that Lucie had joined a cult as "not very credible" as he believed she would not have joined voluntarily or been easy to persuade.