‘Lifetime of pain' for Lisa Dorrian's family 20 years on
The family of Lisa Dorrian have described enduring a 'lifetime of pain' on the 20th anniversary of her disappearance and murder.
Ms Dorrian's father John and sisters Joanne and Michelle stood alongside PSNI Detective Chief Inspector Kerrie Foreman at police headquarters on Thursday morning in the latest of scores of appeals to find her over the last two decades.
They later spent time at a memorial bench dedicated to Ms Dorrian in Bangor, and at the grave of her mother Pat who died in 2015 without having seen her daughter found.
Police released CCTV footage of some of Ms Dorrian's last known movements in Co Down on Thursday in the hope of jogging memories for information to help find her.
That has been supported by a £20,000 award for information from the charity Crimestoppers, and a new digital billboard and bus shelter campaign.
In a statement, Ms Dorrian's family, who have campaigned to find her across the last 20 years, described the impact on them.
'Twenty years ago, we lost our beautiful sister and daughter but, even more importantly, Lisa lost her life at the hands of people she knew and trusted,' they said.
'Every day without Lisa is hard, but 20 years has been a lifetime of pain for us.'
They described the 25-year-old as having had many dreams and aspirations.
'She wanted to get married one day and have children of her own,' they said.
'She was a vibrant person who always wanted more from life – she wanted to travel and explore the world. Lisa was denied all of her hopes and dreams.
'Since Lisa was murdered we have had family celebrations, birthdays, births and deaths and have felt the loss of Lisa at every single one.
'We talk about her to her nieces and nephews so that they will know what a loving auntie they would have had.
'Her absence in all of our lives has grown over the years – all of the 'what ifs' and 'if onlys'.
'On the night that Lisa was murdered she would have laughed and joked with these people.
'She would have been her loving, kind, funny self.
'She would never have imagined that they would have caused her harm, murdered her and then decided to put her body somewhere so that it would remain hidden for 20 years.'
Ms Dorrian's family also said they have 'never been the same' since the news that she was missing.
'Our mum went to her grave never knowing what happened to her beautiful first-born daughter,' they said.
'The grief and pain was all consuming. Our lives have to go on around what happened to Lisa but she is at the heart of all of our thoughts and conversations daily.
'We are grateful to have an active PSNI investigation with a team intent on getting justice for Lisa. We hope to see Lisa's murderers in court one day.'
They added: 'Lisa will never be forgotten and we will campaign until we find her and get justice for her murder.
'We will also visit mum's grave where Lisa's name was added last year and lay flowers in the hope that one day we will be able to give Lisa the Christian burial she deserves.
'Twenty years of secrecy could end with a phone call, a letter, a message. Please tell us where Lisa is. We love you Lisa.'
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'Any attempt to justify or explain it as something else is misplaced,' he said at a press conference at Ballymena police station earlier on Tuesday. He said members of the minority ethnic community 'felt fear' and there will be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community. Mr Henderson said that police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed to help the PSNI in the wake of the Ballymena disorder. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The disorder we saw in Ballymena is very concerning. 'Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers while they continue to protect local communities. 'PSNI and the justice system must be allowed to carry out their jobs and our thoughts are with the victims of the assault as well as the police officers who were injured.'
