POLICE IN MELBOURNE have appealed to the public for help in tracing the whereabouts of a Scottish man, missing for the past two weeks.
Jonathan Ansell last made contact with his family in Glasgow a fortnight ago and has not been heard from since.
The 26-year-old has been living in Australia for the past two years. He told his mother during his last phone call that he was in Melbourne but did not have a place to stay or any money.
He also told her that he had lost his passport.
He was officially reported missing today after a sustained social media campaign led by his family.
He is described as a quietly-spoken man and his family say they believe he may not approach anyone for assistance if he is in trouble.
He speaks with a Scottish accent, has a fair complexion and short light brown/dark blonde hair.
A police statement adds: “While he stated he was last in Melbourne, he may have potentially travelled within Victoria or interstate.”
The missing man’s mother posted the following appeal on 1 June:
My son Jonathan has been travelling in Australia over the past year and I haven’t heard from him since Christmas, until he called me yesterday. Jonathan told me that he has been sleeping rough in Melbourne. He has lost his passport and has no money left, his visa also ran out that the end of April.I urged him to go to the police or the British embassy, but the call was cut short due to his probable lack of money. I felt that Jonathan’s self-esteem seemed quite low and he may be having problems communicating effectively due to his circumstances.
We reported Jonathan as missing one month ago to the UK authorities, they have informed me that they have passed his details on to the relevant authorities in Australia. We have had no communication from the Australian authorities as yet. I am sending this e-mail in the hope that you may have seen Jonathan, and or able to assist him in getting in touch with myself or the relevant authorities. I know he will be apprehensive in doing so and may need encouragement. He may have grown a beard since being on the streets.
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