Torment of missing chef's family

Mrs Sims said her son's first birthday had been tainted with sadness

Family and friends of Claudia Lawrence have described the "void" in their lives since her disappearance.

Miss Lawrence's sister Ali Sims said family events such as her youngest son's first birthday were surrounded by sadness because of his aunt's absence.

The York chef's father Peter Lawrence said it seemed like "an eternity" since his daughter went missing.

Miss Lawrence's friend, Jen King, said: "She has just left such a void for such a small girl."

'Good friend'

Miss Lawrence last spoke to her sister Ali Sims shortly before her disappearance, when she called to cancel a planned weekend visit.

"Her friend was down so she was going to go out with her instead," Mrs Sims said.

"That was typical of Claudia - a good friend.

"She said 'I've got time off at Easter, I'll come down then'. Of course she didn't. I can still hear her voice now. That was the last time we spoke."

Mrs Sims said one of the most poignant occasions was her youngest son's first birthday.

She's not done anything wrong, she hasn't raided a bank or killed someone. She's just my sister." Ali Sims

"My husband and I, our eldest son, all four grandparents and our neighbours sat in our lounge as he took his first steps - exactly the same group as a year previously when I brought him home from hospital. But one person was missing."

Mrs Sims said it was upsetting that her sister had been portrayed in sections of the media as a woman who was out seducing married men.

"She's not like that," she said.

"She's not done anything wrong, she hasn't raided a bank or killed someone. She's just my sister."

Speaking outside Miss Lawrence's home in Heworth, Peter Lawrence said the campaign to find her continued.

He said: "It feels most of the time like an eternity. I just feel empty, hollow.

"We are convinced somebody out there knows where Claudia is. It is a matter of getting that person to give information."

Describing the last six months, he said. "It's been absolutely devastating and has clearly affected us all. Having an essential part of your life missing for six months is an awful feeling.

Miss Lawrence's friend, Jen King, said: "Claudia is a very big part of my life and I lived with her for nearly a year before she went missing.

"I'm just getting on with life but it doesn't get any easier. You just have to keep going."

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Police have widened the search for Claudia to Cyprus