Deeper probe sought to find missing sailor

Dubai: The family and friends of British sailor Timmy MacColl who went missing in Dubai five months ago have intensified campaigns to press for a deeper probe into his mysterious disappearance.

As they try to get 100,000 people to sign a new online petition which could lead to a debate in the UK parliament, a post on the BringTimmyHome FaceBook page hints at October 21 being “extremely important” to the family.

“I cannot divulge any more details at this time, but promise more will be revealed, just trust me when I say it’s important to them,” said the post. By Wednesday evening, 6,409 people had signed the petition, still 93,591 short of the magic number. MacColl’s supporters admit the task is huge, but they believe it’s not beyond reach.

“Who knows, maybe the petition could lead to a serious look at flaws in the current system which can be improved so that should this ever happen again (praying that it does not happen to anyone with all my heart) but if it does, then that family does not face the wall of silence Timmy’s family has,” says Jim Cunningham, grandfather of Timmy’s wife Rachel.

Writing on its home page, Cunningham, who launched the petition on website change.org said: “We want to gain enough signatures which could lead to a debate in the House of Commons where they can really be forced to question what exactly has been done to help find Timmy and what more could be done. We are not trying to shame anyone or put anyone down – we just are trying to make someone stand up and be accountable to obtain much needed answers for everyone who loves and cares about Timmy and to bring him home.”

Father-of-three Leading Seaman Timmy MacColl, 27, vanished while on shore leave in Dubai on May 27.

He was last seen getting in a taxi outside the Rock Bottom Café in Bur Dubai around 2am. His shipmates said they told the cabbie to take him to HMS Westminster docked at Port Rashid. MacColl never reached the ship. Currently he is the only British serviceman missing abroad and unaccounted for. When a massive manhunt yielded no result, a British Royal Navy minesweeper equipped with hi-tech cameras and sensors was pressed into service in July along the coastline, but failed to find him.

In August, an anonymous benefactor offered a substantial reward for any information that could lead to MacColl’s where-abouts but no one came forward. Last month MacColl’s wife Rachel, 25, gave birth to their third child, a girl named Eriskay.

“My husband went missing serving his country but they don’t want to speak about it — it’s hard to understand why they don’t push it more,” she was quoted as saying in a media report. 

THE STORY SO FAR

•May 17: Timothy Andrew MacColl alias Timmy arrives in Dubai on board warship HMS Westminster

• May 19: Calls wife Rachel in UK to wish her a happy sixth wedding anniversary.

• May 24: Spends the day at Atlantis, plays rugby in Sharjah later in the evening

• May 26: Visits Ducati Café at Dubai Mall to meet motorsporting hero Nicky Hayden before heading to Rock Bottom Café at 11.50pm

• May 27: Boards a cab outside Rock Bottom Café at 1.40am.