UK UK - Anthony Knott, 33, last seen at a pub in Lewes, Sussex, 20 Dec 2019

[Officer Dibble]

It's a long time to go without a meal. Unless they ate at one of the pubs they were in.

Often these sorts of days out that are going into evening have a pre arranged thing with a pub who makes burger and chips type meal.

 

[Officer Dibble]

That just made me think now that maybe Anthony was not feeling too well? Maybe that's why he left earlier. Jmo.

Good point. Not just from too much drink and feeling nausaus which would be most obvious thought, but I'm sure some of us have become unwell when out and about and starting a nasty flu/cold type virus and feel really off all of a sudden, for instance. I know I have.

 

[Officer Dibble]

Anyone think it's a possibility that Anthony could have been thrown out of a pub by staff? Might explain why he was roaming the streets alone? Maybe trying to find friends or get back into the pub? Might explain why his friends said he appeared anxious.

No, but only because I followed the Corrie McKeague case from the beginning and it was knowledge he was asked to leave the pub before he went missing.

 

[Officer Dibble]

His fiancé has said the phone call was to a friend to tell them which pub to go to.

This is news to me and explains why he looks up the street towards the right.

 

[Officer Dibble]

Link to the crime map for Lewes for November 2019

The number in each circle is the number of crimes reported, and if you click on the circle it tells you the nature of the crimes.

Crime map for Lewes Town Centre, Lewes Castle and Lewes Priory, Sussex Police - Police.uk

eta - you can check prior months as well on that link.

You can put in December 2018 too to see what crime's happened the previous year.

 

[Officer Dibble]

Do you think he may have been a victim of a crime, a stranger crime?

Yes it's possible. But then where is he now?

 

[guiser]

Another first time poster here, so be gentle with me.
I know Lewes very well but don't actually live in the town and don't spend much time in the area around the Elly but perhaps someone who does can help out here.
If Anthony left the Lamb to buy cigarettes, a charger, something to eat or whatever, in his walk towards and back from the Elephant and Castle, would he be able to see the illuminated Tesco sign? Or are there any of the 'Superstore' directional signs around there?
Because if he decided to make his way to Tesco, he might have come VERY close to the swollen river with its flooded banks, especially if he tried to take a shortcut there.

 

[Coach]

Could he have ran low or out of money?

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Yes it's possible. But then where is he now?

I think the issue with stranger assault is that it would be unusual I think for the assailant/s to go to a lot of trouble in hiding a body. I think they'd want to be out of there sharpish.

Stranger assault in a vehicle is a different kettle of fish. But what would have encouraged him to get in a car, and why? An urgent need to return home, but there's no evidence of that (of course not all info will have been released tho). Or wanting to leave of his own accord, had enough booze/company etc.

I can't imagine myself a family man with four kids, on a night out with his mates, who seemed to be behaving quite normally on the cctv outside a pub just a couple of hours earlier, feeling so distraught he goes and jumps in a freezing cold river.

I can imagine a tanked up disorientated bloke accidentally emding up in the water whilst looking say for a quiet spot to take a pee. But how is there no further cctv or witness sightings? And it must have happened quickly due to the last sighting.

In answer to your question @Kaykedi, I don't have a clue honestly. I feel we are missing a crucial piece of this puzzle tho which would throw a whole lot of light.

 

[RobinCAL]

@HongKongPhooey I completely agree with the missing piece of the puzzle. I am still no closer to my own solid opinion as to what has happened so I can't image how hard the police are finding it if there is no more leads or footage to follow. I think, sadly, it is a waiting game now.

 

[Roadrunner64]

This case reminds me so much of Liam Colgan back in February 2019. He went missing during his brother's stag weekend in Hamburg, walked out of a bar just like Anthony. There was some CCTV footage but not much and to all intents and purposes he disappeared off the face of the earth.

Unfortunately, there was water nearby and the worst happened. Truly awful. I hope that there's a better outcome with Anthony

 

[Elainera]

Because if he decided to make his way to Tesco, he might have come VERY close to the swollen river with its flooded banks, especially if he tried to take a shortcut there.

Hi guiser, Welcome to WS! Glad to have another local voice here.

Can you describe that shortcut to the river a bit more?

 

[Elainera]

This case reminds me so much of Liam Colgan back in February 2019. He went missing during his brother's stag weekend in Hamburg, walked out of a bar just like Anthony. There was some CCTV footage but not much and to all intents and purposes he disappeared off the face of the earth.

Unfortunately, there was water nearby and the worst happened. Truly awful. I hope that there's a better outcome with Anthony

I also thought of Liam. But a big difference to Anthony's disappearance is that Liam really was staggering drunk, he had fallen a couple of times iirc seen on cctv. So not a big surprise that he would fall in the river. Anthony does not seem to have been anywhere near this level of intoxication. Jmo.

 

[motherofdaughters]

Thanks so possibly inside the pub ..I was just wondering if the police would know for certain or not if he tried to go back and find the group

I think The only reason this has been reported within a statement is because it makes him quite distinctive if anyone Had seen a person doing it. It might jog peoples memories etc.
‘Oh yeah, I saw a bloke out side X doing something V similar’ kind of thing. His clothes weren’t distinguishable enough to say
He had bright yellow shoes on. Etc
I don’t think it means anything aside from that.

 

[ZsaZsa]

This case reminds me so much of Liam Colgan back in February 2019. He went missing during his brother's stag weekend in Hamburg, walked out of a bar just like Anthony. There was some CCTV footage but not much and to all intents and purposes he disappeared off the face of the earth.

Unfortunately, there was water nearby and the worst happened. Truly awful. I hope that there's a better outcome with Anthony

Yes, you can find a similar story every few weeks in the Daily Mail etc. and it always involves a very drunk young man who ends up in a body of water.

 

[guiser]

@Elainera
There isn't a shortcut, that's kind of my point.
All sightings are on the west side of the river. Tesco is on the east side but has an illuminated 'clock tower' on the roof which is clearly visible from, say, the Phoenix Industrial Estate.
Someone looking for a shop, in the dark, in an unfamiliar town might not have known the only way to Tesco was via the main road or a footbridge much further north.

 

[Atoz]

@Elainera
There isn't a shortcut, that's kind of my point.
All sightings are on the west side of the river. Tesco is on the east side but has an illuminated 'clock tower' on the roof which is clearly visible from, say, the Phoenix Industrial Estate.
Someone looking for a shop, in the dark, in an unfamiliar town might not have known the only way to Tesco was via the main road or a footbridge much further north.

Could a drunk person assume the illuminated clock tower might be the train station?

 

[DanceCard]

I'm currently overseas and on a rubbish internet connection, so not posting but have been trying to follow the thread which IMO is a bit of a train wreck in parts! Clear to see why WS ToS insists on no victim blaming, and the posting of actual links rather than hearsay.

Anyway, as ever, thank you to the locals for their input which is so useful when trying to get the feel of a place. Also it's so helpful to understand the layout of the town as maps don't always convey it very well

Thoughts are with Anthony's family.

 

[Officer Dibble]

@Elainera
There isn't a shortcut, that's kind of my point.
All sightings are on the west side of the river. Tesco is on the east side but has an illuminated 'clock tower' on the roof which is clearly visible from, say, the Phoenix Industrial Estate.
Someone looking for a shop, in the dark, in an unfamiliar town might not have known the only way to Tesco was via the main road or a footbridge much further north.

Very good point

 

[Rachel2010]

First time poster here too. Following this very sad and very baffling case. IMO I have been wondering if his disappearance was planned. There are a lot of possible converging pointers; mobile switched off, appeared to be very nervous / agitated outside pub @ 7.21 from CCTV outside pub, lack of sightings after 7.40pm. What about a theory that he left the pub to meet a car (pre-booked) but there was a mix up with the meeting point because he wasn't familiar with Lewes. Car could have been called from Gatwick or another city/town away from Lewes. Because of mixup he decides to go back towards pub to meet car near a location he knows (explaining why he walks back in direction of pub). The car could then easily have taken him to Gatwick (just a 40 min drive away from Lewes) and he is no longer in the country. No one has considered this in any discussions about the case here or elsewhere. It's not inconceivable to think he left to start a new life...