'It was torture. We know police did their best.. but they made mistakes too

Parents on missing Leah probe anguish, including scalp blunder

- DAN WARBURTON

THE mum and dad of a murdered teenager have claimed police blunders prolonged their agonising wait to find their missing daughter.

Leah Croucher's parents John and Claire revealed detectives told them they had discovered a human scalp, which later turned out to be horse hair.

Officers also discovered a woman's foot but after a waiting weeks, John and Claire found out it was not hers.

The 19-year-old vanished in February 2019. She had been kidnapped, murdered and dismembered by a wanted sex predator. Leah's body was not found until almost four years later.

Speaking about the distressing wait for news, warehouse manager John, 50, said: "It was torture, we understand the police were doing the best they could. But they were making mistakes, too. We were called out from work one day to say they had possibly found a human scalp.