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Caithness residents asked for help tracing missing man as Police Scotland officers issue fresh appeal one year on from his disappearance in John O’Groats





John McGrath has not been seen for more than a year.
John McGrath has not been seen for more than a year.

Police search for a missing Caithness man have made a fresh appeal one year on from his disappearance.

John McGrath, who was 52 at the time he went missing, has not been seen since Saturday, March 2 last year.

The last sighting of him was in the John O’Groats area at around 10am that day.

Despite extensive searches by police, specialist resources and the likes of HM Coastguard and the RNLI, no trace of John has since been found.

Fresh images of Mr McGrath on local CCTV which were issued a few days into the search also failed to spark any new leads.

He is described as being white, around 5ft 10in tall, of slim build with short, grey hair. It is not known what he was wearing when he went missing.

An image of missing man John McGrath captured on CCTV close to the time he went missing.
An image of missing man John McGrath captured on CCTV close to the time he went missing.

Inspector Kay Macrae said: “It’s been a year since John was last seen and despite efforts from police and partner agencies, we’ve not been able to trace him. It’s vital we find out exactly what happened to John as we try to provide his family and friends with some answers.

“I’m reappealing to anyone who was in the John O’Groats area on Saturday, March 2, 2024, to think back to that day. Do you remember seeing a man matching John’s description? Do you happen to still have any dashcam or video footage of the area from that day which may have captured him?

“Anyone with information, who has not already spoken to police, is urged to call 101 quoting ‘reference 1186 of 4 March, 2024’.”

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