Recovered/Located UK - Linh Le, 15, visitor from Vietnam, separated from tour group, York, 6 Aug 2019

[Lass from Yorkshire]

My thoughts too - to approach a young girl in daylight who is part of a group is not the best laid plan surely. She must have known him on some level, albeit probably speaking online.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

There are so many Vietnamese kids on the UK missing people list. I think some are probably just living here and working illegally, but others have been trafficked for more nefarious purposes.

Also, in the UK police can arrest more easily than in e.g. the US, a slight sniff of suspicion and they're nicked - homes and cars searched, evidence gathered, no mucking about. It's less certain they'll be charged though. Hopefully these arrests will yield some answers but I won't be surprised if they're all released under investigation.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Also, in the UK police can arrest more easily than in e.g. the US, a slight sniff of suspicion and they're nicked - homes and cars searched, evidence gathered, no mucking about. It's less certain they'll be charged though. Hopefully these arrests will yield some answers but I won't be surprised if they're all released under investigation.

RSBM/BBM

I had no idea that was the case in the UK. Thanks Cover Me - I have already learned something new today and it’s not even 5:45 am! This day is off to a great start!

 

[CoverMeCagney]

RSBM/BBM

I had no idea that was the case in the UK. Thanks Cover Me - I have already learned something new today and it’s not even 5:45 am! This day is off to a great start!

LOL Blondie! This article explains it really well:

Because it’s a lot easier to arrest someone in the United Kingdom, but being arrested there isn’t a big deal like it is in the United States. American police need probable cause to make an arrest, but in the United Kingdom, officers can arrest on suspicion.

Probable cause is defined as the belief that a crime was probably committed, and that the suspect was probably responsible.
Reasonable suspicion means that a right-minded individual would have grounds to suspect that a crime had been committed and that the suspect might be responsible. To have probable cause, greater evidence is required.

What It’s Like To Be Arrested in the U.K.

There are pros and cons to each, in my opinion. I do think that the UK way means police are more able and therefore more likely to gather forensic evidence more immediately. However, it's often just a means to do exactly that, and no evidence means the arrestee is released within 48 hours.

The Kyrian Knox case in particular drove me mad. If that man could have been arrested and his property searched when Kyrian was reported missing (as would have happened in the UK) I believe evidence would have been found and his killer would not have walked free. It was months (years?) before he was arrested and charged - plenty of time for evidence to be hidden. But then we often have arrests in the UK that lead to nothing. Swings and roundabouts, I guess!

 

[CharlestonGal]

Were the 8 people arrested part of the tour group, I wonder?

 

[CharlestonGal]

Eight arrested after Vietnamese teenager goes missing in York

"The embassy of Vietnam in London confirmed they were aware of the disappearance and had been handed Le’s passport by the tour company she had been travelling with. Her parents who remain in Vietnam have also been informed.

A spokeswoman said: “A lady she was travelling with came to the embassy with the tour guides and they said they couldn’t find the young girl. They called the police and handed her passport in.

“We also kept her companion’s passport but this has now been returned and the lady has gone back to Vietnam. The tour guides have informed Le’s family. We are assisting with the investigation.”

 

[Teche]

I can’t imagine the parents getting this devastating news.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Hmmm. This almost sounds like a plan well executed. Seems Linh's travelling companion has done all the right things with police and the embassy, and gone back to Vietnam already.

Have we any info on what sort of tour this was? How many were on it? Who paid for it?

 

[CharlestonGal]

Eight people arrested over teenage Vietnamese tourist missing from York

Nothing new in the article, but comments from UK posters are very disturbing. On many levels.

 

[whitelilac]

I had to look up what exactly a grooming gang is.
Good God, it is prevalent in the UK.
Scores of cases. Beyond horrifying.
In one case, more than 420 suspects arrested. In one town. Estimated 1500 victims.
grooming gangs

 

[AnnesCuthberts]

TTO - Regarding the disappearance of a Vietnamese tourist in the UK, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 10 confirmed that the missing person is Le Thi Dieu Linh, born in 2003.

Accordingly, on August 8, Mr. Nguyen Ba Thanh Tung, travel guide of Travel Plus Company, went to the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK to report on the disappearance of Vietnamese tourists named Dieu Linh.

Bộ Ngoại giao: Du khách Việt mất tích tại Anh tên Lê Thị Diệu Linh

(Google translated, original translation at source)

 

[Isabelle98]

Even if I'm not very optimistic I hope the police can find this girl live and well as soon as possible.
Unfortunately she can't speak English at all and that's an additional problem.

 

[Looloo]

Wow!

Eight people arrested over teenage Vietnamese tourist missing from York

Nothing new in the article, but comments from UK posters are very disturbing. On many levels.

Comments like on that site are why I avoid social media etc!totally agree,disturbing on many levels.

 

[ZaZara]

I was reminded of a disappearance of a teenager visiting the UK that I followed recently.

Thread here, it is not that long for the lack of new developments:

UK - UK - Yafiet Tesfalem, 17, was on school trip from Denmark, YHA hostel, Manchester, 21 Mar 2019

This Eritrean refugee living in Denmakr was on a school camp with his class and accompanied by teachers. He had a secret phone and one morning he called in sick. Instead of going to bed, he disappeared from the campus. LE concluded that his disappearance was planned.

IMHO it is 'old thinking' that teenagers will be safe when they are on a tour with a supervising adult, as appears to be the case of Linh Le too.
There is a whole world lurking in their phones and they may be up to no good, even when the supervisor sees them all quietly sipping tea.

The Danish group returned to Denmark too, I am not surprised that the Vietnamese travel guide did the same.

Is anything known about the background of Linh Le?
My first impression was that she might come from a well to do family for them to be able to afford this trip.
Another possiblity (apart from grooming & meeting the wrong guy on the internet) is that this trip would have been cheaper and more comfortable than hiring a smuggler.

I hope she is unharmed and found soon.

 

[AnnesCuthberts]

On 8/8, Mr. Nguyen Ba Thanh Tung, travel guide of Travel Plus company, went to the Vietnamese embassy in London to report that a tourist in the group, Le Thi Dieu Linh, was missing while visiting. Shopping in York City, North Yorkshire County, northeastern England on August 6.

Mr. Tung and his 15-year-old partner had previously reported the incident to York police. After taking the testimony, the police allowed the person to accompany Linh to leave and this person returned home on August 10.

Sứ quán Việt Nam tại Anh lên tiếng về vụ nữ du khách mất tích - VnExpress
(Google translated, original translation at source, and bbm)

Le Thi Dieu Linh (or Linh Le as reported in UK media) went missing on the 6th, the tour guide reported it on the 8th, and went home on the 10th.

 

[Rosegold68]

Well I’m in the UK and some of those comments are pretty much spot on actually. Some

Her parents need questioning first before we spend money on resources searching for this girl

Sounds planned

 

[slowpoke]

This is another case this reminded me of:
A 12-year old Chinese National who was on a tour of the US. The group was at the airport to board for the west coast (I think), when she said she had to use the restroom and never returned.
Surveillance video showed she changed clothes and met up with a woman, and got into a car.

It turned out that woman was her mother. I don’t know what the parents were thinking, but the girl was fine, so that was the end of the news reported.
Missing 12-year-old Chinese girl found safe in New York - China Watch - Chinadaily Forum

Anyway, that’s one angle to check out. Does she have any family or link to persons who live here? At least, in this scenario, Linh Le would be ok!

 

[chimpface]

Well I’m in the UK and some of those comments are pretty much spot on actually. Some

Her parents need questioning first before we spend money on resources searching for this girl

Sounds planned

I completely disagree. Just because it may have been planned doesn't mean this girl has not fallen in to the wrong hands and is not in danger. She needs finding ASAP.

 

[AnnesCuthberts]

I completely disagree. Just because it may have been planned doesn't mean this girl has not fallen in to the wrong hands and is not in danger. She needs finding ASAP.

Agreed. The girl is 15 and shouldn't be punished for the sins of the parents, and that's even if the parents have 'sinned' in the first place!

 

[Isabelle98]

Well I’m in the UK and some of those comments are pretty much spot on actually. Some

Her parents need questioning first before we spend money on resources searching for this girl

Sounds planned

Even if it was all planned she's 15 and needs to be rescued as soon as possible.
Money? You're not going to spend millions of pounds for her.
The United Kingdom won't fall for that...