Man last seen leaving 1995 Christmas party

The pain suffered by the loved ones of a man who has not been seen since leaving a Christmas party 30 years ago “remains the same”, his family have said.

Philip Fudge was 21 when he travelled from Hull to Liverpool for an event with two friends at the HMS Eaglet Royal Navy base on 10 December 1995.

Last seen getting into a taxi with two women and a man, he never returned to a friend’s house in Liverpool where he was meant to stay before heading back to Hull.

On the 30th anniversary of his disappearance, Mr Fudge’s sister urged anyone with information about his “out of character” disappearance to come forward. Linda Shields said the “pain at not knowing remains the same” after three decades.

Mr Fudge and his two friends planned to stay overnight at a mutual friend’s house who lived near HMS Eaglet, said the Missing People charity which is supporting the family.

The following morning, his friends phoned Mr Fudge’s mother to ask if she had heard from him. His car was left at the friend’s home where he was meant to be staying.

When he failed to return home, Nadine Fudge reported her son missing to the police.

The family said this was the start of their “nightmare”.

HGV driver Mr Fudge had been due to drive across Europe the following day, and his disappearance was “out of character”, his sister said.

Missing People said Mr Fudge’s mother went down “every avenue” possible to find her son, from calling hospitals to all taxi firms in Liverpool, to appeals on local and national media as well as liaising with French authorities in case her son had left the UK.

Mrs Fudge died in 2019, without knowing what had happened to her son.

Ms Shields told the Missing podcast her mother suffered “tragically throughout her life” with the heartache of never having closure.

She pleaded with anyone who knows of Mr Fudge’s whereabouts to contact Missing People.

“I think we deserve it, after all these years,” she said.

She said: “To anyone who may know what happened to my brother on that night in December 1995, I would appeal to them to come forward.

“The people he was with, the people who were at the party have all moved on with their lives but even after all these years our pain at not knowing remains the same.

“Thirty years on, Philip is still in our hearts. We as a family love and miss him very much.

“He is an uncle to two wonderful nephews who have grown up with stories of Philip surrounding them, and I would love them to meet his godson’s baby son, Arthur.”

Missing People, which has released on image of how Mr Fudge may now look, said anyone with information can anonymously report a sighting on the Missing People website or contact its helpline.

Ndella Senghore, of Missing People, added: “Philip, if you are reading this, please get in touch.

“You can call us on 116 000. Our service is non-judgemental, confidential, and free. We just want to provide you with the support you need and help you to be safe.”

At the time of his disappearance, Mr Fudge was described as white, 5ft 10in (1.78m) tall and of a heavy build, with blue eyes and short light brown hair.

He was last seen wearing a blue check shirt, blue jeans, brown leather boots, and a watch.

Merseyside Police has been contacted by the BBC.