THE father of a Skipton man who went missing in York a year ago has urged people to help plug a seven-minute mystery of his movements that night.

Rory Johnson-Hatfield, who works as a waiter at Brody's Pizzeria in Skipton, has not been seen since November 20 last year. Speaking this week, his father Doug Hatfield said he felt police had given up, but he still felt witnesses could help.

Rory was last seen in the early hours of November 20 on CCTV around the Tower Street, Skeldergate Bridge and City Mills area of York. But his father said he believed Rory's disappearance was preceded by some sort of confrontation.

Mr Hatfield, a former restaurant owner in Skipton, said: “We have six or seven minutes of missing time where Rory is on CCTV at the bottom of Tower Street going onto Skeldergate Bridge at 12.38am, and it picks up again on the balcony of City Mills at 12.45am. There’s a witness in City Mills who saw Rory running down Skeldergate towards City Mills and dashing across the courtyard and on to the balcony. In his witness statement he said the impression he got was he was was being chased.

“It only takes seconds to get down there so we have got six or seven minutes where maybe he’s encountered someone or something and maybe had a bit of trouble and turned and run from it. This is what we’re appealing for anyone who may have seen him or anything like that around that time.”

Mr Hatfield said he had asked North Yorkshire Police about the witness statement. They told him they had no record of disturbances in the area around that time, and investigators believed Rory had entered the River Ouse.

He said: “They came back and said their stance remained the same - they thought Rory had gone into the river. They say the investigation is continuing, but say the conclusion is he went into the river, so that’s contradictory.

“I understand what they are saying in so far as there have been no sightings after the balcony at City Mills so there’s nothing they can actively pursue, but they have certainly finalised their ideas as to what’s happened to Rory.”

Mr Hatfield said he felt as if police had given up on Rory, and a member of the diving team brought to carry out a river search in kayaks and with cadaver dogs “said he was 99 per cent sure Rory wasn’t in the river, because they picked up nothing at all and it was a very, very thorough search.”

Superintendent Adam Thomson, of North Yorkshire Police, said the force had “conducted a full and extensive investigation into Rory’s disappearance” with “a number of river searches”, CCTV reviews footage and witness statements.

He said: “The results of these and the initial support from the public resulted in further police activity in Scotland and London. Sadly, the information collated has led us to the conclusion that Rory entered the water somewhere around the City Mills area of York. We believe that the temperature of the river in winter, the river being in flood at the time and the steep banks of the River Ouse make it very unlikely that someone could survive.

“We have followed all the lines of enquiry that the investigation into Rory’s disappearance has currently brought to light. However the investigation is not closed and we would again appeal that if there is anyone who holds fresh information who has not yet contacted the police to please come forward.”

Mr Hatfield also thanked everyone in Skipton and throughout Craven who had offered their support.

He said: "The amount of help and support we have had from so many people has been outstanding and we appreciate it very much during a time which has obviously been very traumatic for us."

Rory’s 30th birthday was in October, and next year should have seen him move to France - where his father lives - and start his own business. Instead, Rory’s family and friends on both sides of the Channel still have no definitive answer as to what happened one year ago.

Jane Hurst, co-owner of Brody’s Pizzeria, in Sheep Street, said they were still hopeful Rory would be found safe and well.

She said: “Rory is very much in our thoughts at this time, as are his family and friends. He is always up for a laugh and a joke, and we greatly miss his smile and his good-natured banter. We hope to share that with him again.”

Anyone who witnessed anything that could help police should phone 101 quoting reference 12150207141.