THE mother of missing chef Claudia Lawrence has taken on a new role.
Joan Lawrence has become the mayor of Malton, where she has been a town councillor for the past six years.
She was previously the town’s deputy mayor and has taken on her new role from Jason Fitzgerald-Smith.
Her daughter was 35 and a chef at York University when she disappeared in March 2009. No trace of her has ever been found and the case is being treated as suspected murder.
Mrs Lawrence, who is originally from Darlington, said she had lived through “a nightmare situation” since Claudia disappeared.
She said becoming mayor would help her rebuild her life and she looked forward to her term of office as Malton’s first citizen.
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