THE Leyland father of a missing Scottish woman has spoken of the 'life sentence of misery' he faces since his daughter vanished a year ago.

Hector McInnes, of Fossdale Moss, Leyland, says he and his family have been gone through hell since Arlene, 33, vanished from Elgin, near Aberdeen, on April 28 last year.

She was last seen waving to her two young children - Jamie, 11, and Natalie, six - as they went into school.

Hector told the Citizen last year that he believed his daughter was dead. But despite that, he says he is still struggling to find a reason for her disappearance.

He said: "The last 12 months have been nothing short of a nightmare for us.

"All Arlene's friends and family have been served a life sentence. I am sure she is dead. What really riles me is that fact that who killed her has deprived us of the opportunity to give her a decent burial.

"There is no explanation for her disappearance. She wouldn't just vanish like that for no reason."

At a press conference held by Grampian Police last week - during which Hector made a plea for information - detectives admitted they are now treating Arlene's disappearance as a criminal inquiry.

Businesses in the Elgin area are also being asked to come up with cash to help increase the £20,000 reward for information.

For Hector, the return to Elgin was a painful one. During the Easter holidays, he visited his grandchildren, taking them out for a day in an attempt to make sure life carries on in as normal a way possible.

Despite enjoying his time with them, every visit to Scotland hurts for BAe worker Hector.

He added: "To lose a person is bad enough, but to be so far away is even worse. Thoughts about Arlene are always in your head, and that makes it even worse when we return to Elgin.

"I think it would be a lot easier if we still lived there. It is like opening an old wound every time we go back."

Det Sgt Malcolm Stewart, who is leading the inquiry into Arlene's disappearance, said: "We are not expecting her to come forward. Although this is officially a missing persons inquiry, we now believe it is a criminal inquiry."

Arlene's estranged husband Nat, 39, is facing an attempted murder charge relating to an incident involving Arlene in January 1998.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.