Family of missing man 'living in hell'

The family of a man who has been missing for six weeks say they are “living in hell” as they urge people to contact police if they see him.

Richard Locker, from Paignton, went missing on 4 January after seeking mental health support at a hospital.

The 53-year-old was last seen on CCTV footage in the Torbay area but has not been sighted since.

A spokesperson for Torbay Hospital said it could not comment on individual cases but hoped he was “found soon”.

‘Unusual’

Four weeks before Mr Locker disappeared his best friend Steve Dixon accompanied him to the hospital to see if they could access help.

Mr Dixon said Mr Locker struggled after the Covid pandemic but his disappearance was “unusual”.

He said: “He liked people around him. He wouldn’t isolate himself for any long time he would always contact one of us or always say where he was going.

“It’s very unusual for him to to go for this amount of time.”

Steve Dixon accompanied his best friend to Torbay Hospital

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are sorry to hear that Richard is missing and hope that he is found soon.”

It added it could not comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality.

“Where relevant, we provide information to our policing partners when requested as part of our duty of care,” they said.

Devon & Cornwall Police said they were growing increasingly concerned for Mr Locker’s welfare.

‘A dead end’

Mr Locker’s step-daughter Nicola Wood described the situation as like “living in hell”.

She said: “You go to sleep thinking about it, you wake up thinking about it straight away. It doesn’t leave your mind at all.

“You’re missing someone and you love them and you’re trying to find them. There’s no sightings of him anywhere, the last footage we have is CCTV of him going down Mill Lane where his van was parked, but from that point it’s a dead end.”

Mr Dixon added: “We just want him to know that he could come back to us, nobody’s feeling anything but love for him.”

Police have urged anyone with any information or who may have seen Mr Locker to contact them.

Follow BBC Devon on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].