Nicola Payne: Family make burial vow to missing woman's parents

The parents of Nicola Payne have made their children promise to bury her alongside them if the truth about her disappearance is ever discovered.

Miss Payne, from Coventry, vanished as she crossed wasteland towards her parents' house in 1991.

On Monday, two men, Nigel Barwell and his brother-in-law, Thomas O'Reilly, both 51, were found not guilty of the 18-year-old's murder.

Her family say they are more determined than ever to find out what happened.

Nicola's parents, John and Marilyn Payne, both aged 70, said they will be talking to the senior detective in the case about possible future developments and that West Midlands Police have assured them the case will not be closed.

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Police advised them they would be entitled to sue the force over mistakes made in the investigation, but they said have no intention to do so.

"We are just focussed on finding the truth," they said.

"I just want the three Cs - conviction, closure and comfort," Mrs Payne said.

The couple said they had made their eldest son, Nigel Payne, promise that if they die before the truth about Nicola is known, then she will be buried along side them.

The murder trial at Birmingham Crown Court had heard lawyers on behalf of Mr Barwell describe the handling of exhibits at a police station in the early 1990s as "shambolic".

Mark Dennis QC said the handling of a tent exhibited in the case made forensic examination of it "a worthless exercise".

After the not guilty verdicts were returned, Det Supt Mark Payne, of West Midlands Police, said he had offered his apologies to Miss Payne's parents for any mistakes that may have happened over the intervening 24-year period.

"We will continue to revisit the evidence available and explore any opportunity to bring any offenders to justice," he said.