Georgina Gharsallah: Sussex Police refers itself to watchdog over handling of case

The mum-of-two was 30 when she was last seen at the Clifton Food and Wine off licence store in Clifton Road, Worthing, at 9.30am on March 7, 2018.

Last month, her mother Andrea Gharsallah and investigative journalist Donal MacIntyre held a press conference in which they claimed the force had admitted key failings, particularly with checking CCTV footage, in an internal review, and called for the investigation to be redone.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it had received the referral and has requested additional documentation from Sussex Police so it can determine ‘the level, if any, of our involvement’.

In response, Andrea said: “Obviously it’s positive to hear Sussex Police are self-referring themselves to the IOPC, but there is nothing that can fix their negligence.”