Sussex Police refers itself to watchdog over Georgina Gharsallah case
The Worthing mum of two went missing in 2018
Sussex Police has referred itself to the police watchdog over failings in the investigation into the disappearance of a missing mother of two from Worthing.
30-year-old Georgina Gharsallah hasn't been seen since leaving a mobile phone shop in Clifton Road in the town in March 2018.
A murder investigation was launched last August following searches in the town, but no trace of Georgina has been found since then.
Crimestoppers has offered £10,000 for information leading to Georgina's whereabouts.
Georgina's family have been critical of the force's handling of the case, claiming that key CCTV footage was not reviewed for more than a year and that as many as nine potentially significant sections of footage had been lost.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will now look into the investigation process.
In a statement, Sussex Police admitted there had been 'significant missed opportunities' with regard to the way evidence had been handled.
But a spokesperson for the force said it was 'impossible to say with any certainty' whether the information would have made any difference to the investigation process.
“Over the last two-and-a-half years, a number of leads from people purporting to have information on what happened have been spoken to, over 70 potential sightings of Georgina investigated, 1,000 house-to-house inquiries have been conducted and locations Georgina frequents searched.
“We continue to appeal to the public to report information to the police or Crimestoppers.”
An IOPC spokesperson confirmed the watchdog had received a voluntary complaint referral from Sussex Police in connection with the disappearance of Ms Gharsallah.
They added: “In order to fully assess the complaint referral, the IOPC has requested additional documentation from Sussex Police.
“Once we have received the extra information, we will then thoroughly assess all the material in order to determine the level, if any, of our involvement.”