Hi °C | Lo °C A WOMAN has been given a harassment warning by police for sending abusive messages on Facebook to the family of a toddler who went missing more than 30 years ago.
Katrice Lee disappeared at the age of two while her mother, Sharon, from Gosport, Hampshire, went shopping at a Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) shop in Paderborn, Germany, in November 1981.
The family have recently received an apology from the Government about how the original Royal Military Police (RMP) investigation of the case was handled.
But earlier this year the family were contacted by a woman claiming to be missing Katrice.
However, after the RMP looked into the claims, including a DNA test, it was found that the woman was not her.
The woman, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, then sent abusive messages to Katrice's mother and to her sister, Natasha.
A Durham Police spokesman said: "Following an allegation of online harassment by the family in the Hampshire area, a harassment warning was issued to a 32-year-old woman from the Bishop Auckland area.
"The protection from harassment warning was formally issued by ourselves on behalf of the Royal Military Police."
Mrs Lee told the Portsmouth News that one of the messages she received said that it was her fault that Katrice had disappeared.
She said: "If that hits you in the wrong frame of mind it can be very upsetting."
The case of Katrice's disappearance is currently being reviewed by the RMP.
