“The information that led us to Trafalgar Cemetery is credible and as with any cold case, we will take action if new, viable lines of enquiry present themselves.

“While the searches were not successful in the way we had hoped, we have found some bone material which may or may not be human.

“Further tests are needed to determine what they are and while this is a positive discovery, we are cautious not to put too much significance on it at this time.

“On top of this, our activity has also generated new lines of enquiry from the public.

“This means that the investigation is far from over and we will be following-up these promising leads both in the UK and Gibraltar.

“The response we have had from the public has been great and I would like to thank everyone for sharing our appeals and coming forward with new information.

“If you have yet to contact us, it is not too late. If you knew or knew of Simon, were on HMS Illustrious and haven’t spoken to us yet, you may have information which could help.

“The same goes for anyone who was in Gibraltar on December 12, 1986 and remembers seeing something suspicious. It was a long time ago but news of our searches may have triggered some memories.

“I’d like to thank the people of Gibraltar for supporting us as we carried out our searches this week, as well as the team from Royal Gibraltar Police who have been integral to this investigation.

“I also want to thank Mr and Mrs Parkes for their continued support throughout this investigation. They deserve to know what happened to their son and we will continue our work to find those answers they so desperately want.”

09-12-2019 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR