Heartfelt appeal made by distraught mother of missing Alan Whiteside for information on his whereabouts - Antrim man last seen in pub before Christmas

Alan’s mother, Pamela Whiteside, and the wider family circle are growing increasingly concerned for Alan’s welfare.Pamela said: “His son and I just want Alan home safe.

"If anyone has any information, I would ask them to please contact police.

"The smallest thing might help find him.”

Alan was last seen leaving licensed premises in the High Street area of Antrim at around 9pm on Sunday 17th December, heading in the direction of Market Square and down towards the pedestrian bridge over the river.

Alan, who is described as being approximately 5ft 8ins tall, of medium build, and with brown hair and eyes, was wearing black jeans, a short-sleeved black T-shirt and black Adidas trainers when he was last seen.

Inspector Patton said: “We continue to appeal to anyone who may have seen Alan in Antrim town centre, Bridge Street, Lough Road, Clarke Court or Dublin Road between 9pm and 10pm on that date to get in touch. It was the Sunday before Christmas, so we know a lot of people may have been out and about in the area. If you spoke to Alan that night, please let us know.“Lough Neagh Rescue, the Community Rescue Service, and volunteers are continuing to assist with our efforts and we want to thank them for their invaluable support.

“Anyone with any information which might assist us is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 1781 of 19/12/23.”

Earlier, family and friends started a social media page Bring Alan Home in a bid to collect information about what happened to him on December 17.

The page is littered with heartfelt messages from family, close friends and those actively searching who are desperate to find him.

It also includes posts from Community Rescue Service Belfast District who have detailed their exhaustive searches over the Christmas and New Year period.

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