UK UK - Michael Whinham, 31, Newcastle upon Tyne, 14 November 2015

[altojack]

Thanks fidgey, I'll take a good look later, and get up to speed.

 

[fidgeypie]

Thanks fidgey, I'll take a good look later, and get up to speed.

No it doesn't sit right. I have just been through the entire Facebook posts and pulled a load of stuff off. I will post it here in summary. There is a little bit more about Micheals Character and his mental illness. It's going to take me some time to write it out. Poor micheal I've been following this case from the beginning. I'm also a mental health support worker.

 

[fidgeypie]

As we know Micheal was last seen on 14/11/2015 unsure if in or just around court quayside Newcastle tyne and wear. Around 1pm. He didn't have any contact with anyone he knew after 18.30pm that day. It is believed that he spoke to people in North shields and Meadowall. There was an unconfirmed sighting of him at the metro station and it was believed he may have been heading home. The police wanted to know his whereabouts between 1pm and 6.30pm that day.

Micheal had money on him that day but no bank account activity since the 14/11/15

In 2016 there was a possible sighting in Elgin.

As we are aware micheal had mental health concerns. It was also revealed that he had a support team in place and nerds regular medication.

Micheal withdrew £300 out of the bank at 3.30am on the morning of 14/11. Not his usual atm. It is believed he was with someone when he did this as he had to pass 3 atm to get to the one he used. He was arrested at his house at 5.30am for not turning up to court. His father said that it was for a motoring offence.

There was talk of Micheal owing money to people and in the past he had given his bank card to people as a surety for the debt.

His father admitted that his mental health problems were a result of drug abuse and the death of his mother.

The River was searched in 2016.

21st August 2016. A man calls the father to say he has been living rough with MW in Newcastle. Takes the father to a possible camp site. The father checks it out and finds a tent etc but no movement is ever found. The man said he was frightened and didn't trust anyone. Numbers are exchanged but the guy doesnt answer when called.

11th January 2017 two possible sightings in in Newcastle 1/ by the metro station entrance central station Newcastle 2/ at the main central station Newcastle. These go unverified.

January 2017 the man who says he was with MW dies.

20th June 2017. Northumbria police appeal for a man who resembles MW to come forward. He "witnessed an event" in May 2017.

4th December 2017 3 sightings of Micheal at a homeless shelter in Nottingham. The shelter tell police no one here with that name or description.

18th February 2018 sighting in Brighton. Again unverified.

Sightings.

1/Elgin.
2/Edinburgh.
3/ Blackpool.
4/ Nottingham.
5/ Brighton
6/ London. July 28th 2018

MW father tells people on the Facebook page that his son had Schizophrenia. And also psychosis. This was down to using cannabis resin.

 

[fidgeypie]

This is the photo that Northumbria police released that they believe was micheal.

 

[Legally Bland]

This is the photo that Northumbria police released that they believe was micheal.

I'm really bad with faces, but I can't see that it's Michael.

 

[fidgeypie]

I'm really bad with faces, but I can't see that it's Michael.

View attachment 162131

I thought that when I saw it to be honest. I wonder if they are focusing on the eyes. Micheal does have quite intense eyes.

 

[altojack]

I'm really bad with faces, but I can't see that it's Michael.

View attachment 162131

I don't think it looks like him either. The nose looks longer and thinner than Michaels.

 

[fidgeypie]

I don't think it looks like him either. The nose looks longer and thinner than Michaels.

I don't think anything ever came of it. It was pushed on his official Facebook a few times and then nothing.

 

[altojack]

I've shared on my FB as have connections up and down the country. It's his family, especially his father I feel for.
I just don't feel that this is going to have a good ending. If Michael got in with the wrong crowd, or he ran off alone and fell somewhere. Upsetting to think this so I'm hoping that a newer confirmed sighting will come soon.

 

[fidgeypie]

I've shared on my FB as have connections up and down the country. It's his family, especially his father I feel for.
I just don't feel that this is going to have a good ending. If Michael got in with the wrong crowd, or he ran off alone and fell somewhere. Upsetting to think this so I'm hoping that a newer confirmed sighting will come soon.

His father is a good man I believe. He is still paying the mortgage on micheals home as his housing benefit has stopped.

There are several factors at work here. Micheal may well have taken off that day. Running scared. Having been arrested at his home. Now if he is still alive he hasn't taken any medication for his mental health condition for three years. At some point in the last three years I would have expected his behaviour to bring him to the attention of the police. Either the effects of suddenly withdrawing from his medication or his mental health becoming worse. If he had been sectioned then I guess dad would have been notified. If there had been any concerns over his mental health surely his support team would have flagged things up although that doesn't necessarily mean anything would have been done.

From what I can see sightings wise he's using the rail network and possibly just getting on a train to anywhere. But for that he would need money as most stations have ticket barriers. If travelling without a ticket and no means to pay would bring him to the attention of the transport police.

If he is living rough then sadly he's already invisible. In this country we duck our heads when asked "any spare change please".

He was seen going into that ship yard but not seen coming out. That speaks volumes to me. I would like to see that for myself. To see if there's any other way he could have escaped from there

 

[altojack]

fidgey, that ship yard scares me. I know divers did search but if he wasn't seen coming out I suppose he could have doubled back and come out in the opposite direction. Or, and I don't say this lightly, he's fallen into the river and got trapped somewhere further along from the area that was searched.

I'm going to spend a few days to put pen to paper so I've got a handy list of dates, alleged sightings etc.

I can't see how he's managed to use the trains all this time, like you say, no money, he would eventually come to the attention of Railway Police.

 

[fidgeypie]

fidgey, that ship yard scares me. I know divers did search but if he wasn't seen coming out I suppose he could have doubled back and come out in the opposite direction. Or, and I don't say this lightly, he's fallen into the river and got trapped somewhere further along from the area that was searched.

I'm going to spend a few days to put pen to paper so I've got a handy list of dates, alleged sightings etc.

I can't see how he's managed to use the trains all this time, like you say, no money, he would eventually come to the attention of Railway Police.

I might have a look at it on Google maps and see if I can have a walk around it. I wonder if they have searched all the buildings how big it was etc and what it was used for.

 

[fidgeypie]

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This is a link to a video about what they call the swann hunter shipyard but Wikipedia told me they had merged at some point. It closed down way before micheal disappeared. I know the police searched the river. But the shear scale of the place is kinda scary. I refuse to believe they have searched every building in there and every nook and cranny. It's also possible he fell and injured himself and wasn't able to get help.

 

[fidgeypie]

Also by the time he went into the shipyard it would have been dark. For someone who was scared and not thinking straight it could have been a minefield (jmo)

 

[fidgeypie]

A post has gone up by MW's dad on Facebook stating that on the back of a recent poster share. Someone from Wolverhampton has seen him there. His hair was longer and he had a beard.

 

[altojack]

I've just been reading the Facebook post. It sounds promising but we'll just have to wait and see. My fingers are firmly crossed.

Watched the video up above and what a shocker, how things have changed there. As I mentioned in another post, my fears were that running away when scared, tripping over can bring disaster. I've no idea if the Tyne gets dredged these days but anyone falling in could so easily get hooked up on something and never get out. Something that terrifies me. Of course this is all JMO and has not been connected to this case.

 

[fidgeypie]

I've just been reading the Facebook post. It sounds promising but we'll just have to wait and see. My fingers are firmly crossed.

Watched the video up above and what a shocker, how things have changed there. As I mentioned in another post, my fears were that running away when scared, tripping over can bring disaster. I've no idea if the Tyne gets dredged these days but anyone falling in could so easily get hooked up on something and never get out. Something that terrifies me. Of course this is all JMO and has not been connected to this case.

Hmmm I will have a look and see. I asked to join a group on Facebook about shipyards. They interest me. So far not been accepted

 

[altojack]

Hmmm I will have a look and see. I asked to join a group on Facebook about shipyards. They interest me. So far not been accepted

I didn't realise such things existed lol. I've not been 'home' in about 3 years but when I do go back I head to Tynemouth and sit for an hour blubbering, full of emotion. The river Tyne still pulls my heartstrings.

 

[fidgeypie]

I didn't realise such things existed lol. I've not been 'home' in about 3 years but when I do go back I head to Tynemouth and sit for an hour blubbering, full of emotion. The river Tyne still pulls my heartstrings.

It's such a shame to see how industry has shifted. I wonder how easy the site is to access. I've looked on 28 days later and there was only 1 report

 

[altojack]

Just a thought. Well more than a thought, it is possible to look at back copies of newspapers. Paper office would tell you where to go, or the Library.

Is the case actually closed now or just with 'cold cases' ?