Man charged with murder of missing Catherine

A 46-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Offaly woman Catherine Gowing who has been missing from her home in Wales since last Friday.

Clive Sharpe from Bethesda was arrested earlier this week following the disappearance of Ms Gowing.

It is understood that he was known to the missing woman. He has been remanded in custody to appear before Mold Magistrates court this morning.

The district crown prosecutor for CPS North Wales, Karen Dixon, told a press conference last night that there was sufficient evidence to charge Mr Sharpe.

“We can now confirm that, having carefully carried out a detailed review of the evidence gathered so far by North Wales Police, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to charge Clive Sharpe with the murder of Catherine Gowing and it is in the public interest to do so,” she said.

Yesterday, police in north Wales recovered Ms Gowing’s car, found burned out, at a disused quarry near her home in New Brighton, Flintshire.

Ms Gowing, aged 37, from Clonlee, Co Offaly, was last seen at a supermarket last Friday night carrying groceries.

She worked as a vet in the town of Mold after taking up the job some 18 months ago.

Her employer David Evans said he took her on after another Irish woman, who also worked for him as a vet, said she had an Irish friend looking for a job.

One line of inquiry officers are investigating is that Mr Sharp may be the boyfriend of her housemate, a fellow Irish woman and vet at the same surgery.

Det Supt John Hanson of North Wales Police yesterday said the investigation would be “a thorough and detailed process” and was likely to take some time.

He confirmed that the Renault Clio recovered at an old quarry near Mold on Thursday evening had been identified as the car belonging to Ms Gowing. He said the car had been completely burnt out. He added all their efforts “continue to find Catherine”.

He said the area, some 3km from Ms Gowing’s home, would be cordoned off for some time while a comprehensive search and extensive examination took place.

He said this would involve specialist search dogs and underwater search teams. He said specialist teams would be examining other locations.

Det Supt Hanson appealed to people near the quarry to contact them if they saw anything suspicious: “Were you walking your dog in the area, have you seen anything that will help us find Catherine, anything that will ease the pain that Catherine’s family is going through?”

A work colleague became concerned after receiving a partial text message from her over the weekend. Staff at the veterinary practice rang police on Monday morning after the vet failed to turn up.

On Thursday, Ms Gowing’s sister, Emma, made a moving appeal for help in locating her sister. She described her sister as the light of her life and that of their parents.

She implored the local community to search for her sister, who she described as a “kind, sensitive, beautiful” person.