Aid worker 'was murdered'

Ms Osborne was last seen on 19 April 2003

The parents of a Cumbrian aid worker missing in Bali since April say they now think their daughter was murdered.

Kate Osborne, 35, from Carlisle, was last seen by a Dutch friend she dropped off at home in the early hours of 19 April.

She had been working on the holiday island as an aid worker for a number of agencies in the wake of the terrorist bombing a year ago.

Her parents, Patrick and Liz, have issued a statement in which they accepted their daughter has probably been killed.

The statement said: "After an extensive investigation into the disappearance of our daughter Kate, we are now forced to conclude that she has been murdered.

"It has been an unimaginably stressful six months for the whole family while we have lived in hope of Kate being found alive."

A spokesman for Cumbria Police said it was "unfortunate but understandable" that Mr and Mrs Osborne had been forced to come to the conclusion they had.

New information

He said: "As each day passed, their hopes for their daughter, Kate, being found alive have diminished.

"Unfortunately but understandably, they have now come to the difficult conclusion that she is dead.

"We have been working closely with the police in Bali. For practical purposes, they are the ones who are taking the lead on the inquiry, but we will assist them where we can if we get any new information.

"Our condolences are with the family."

Cumbria Police officers travelled with the family to Bali in search of clues to Ms Osborne's disappearance.

Her boyfriend, with whom she had a stormy relationship, denied having anything to do with her disappearance.

Detectives had been keen to speak to Peruvian-born Jose Henricci, a professional surfer.

Mr Henricci is being held in a prison in Puerto Maldonado, eastern Peru, on drug-smuggling charges.

Travel records

He appeared on Peruvian television to deny any link to the disappearance.

Mr Henricci is awaiting trial in Puerto Maldonado, which is 500 miles east of Lima.

A check of travel records showed he left Bali on 30 March, and arrived in Peru on 1 April.

Cumbria Police say there was no indication Henricci had re-entered Bali between April 1 and 18.

One suggestion was that Ms Osborne had been targeted by drugs gangs connected to Mr Henricci, but this was ruled out by police in Cumbria.

Ms Osborne lived in Bali for nearly four years, teaching English and then acting as a translator following last October's nightclub bombing.