Missing Polish goalkeeper: Appeal to trace Kamil Biecke from Luton, feared dead

Kamil Biecke, a former professional goalkeeper, was last seen in the early hours of 8 December in Luton

Police searching for an ex-professional goalkeeper who went missing a year ago have appealed to people who knew him from casinos or betting shops for help.

Kamil Biecke, 35, played for Polish side Baltyk Gdynia until 2013 before moving to the UK in 2016.

He was last seen on Maple Road in Luton in the early hours of 8 December 2018.

"We know Kamil was a gambler and had some debts, so it is this line of inquiry we are keen to pursue," said Det Insp Emma Pitts.

"Our previous appeals to the public have led us to some information - but nothing which has helped us locate him."

She appealed for help from people who recognised Mr Biecke from Luton-based gambling outlets.

Mr Biecke's former club, in Gdynia on the Baltic coast north of Gdansk, is currently in the fourth tier of the Polish football league pyramid.

Bedfordshire Police previously said it was concerned his gambling associations may have led to him being killed and they believed he had been involved in "drug-related activity".

Mr Biecke's estranged wife, who lives in Poland, reported him missing on 14 December 2018 as she was concerned she was unable to contact him.

Officers "upgraded" their investigation to a murder inquiry in June after "extensive searches failed to find him alive".

Kamil Biecke played for the Polish football team Baltyk Gdynia until 2013

Det Insp Pitts is appealing for information from anyone who may recognise Mr Biecke from Luton-based casinos and betting shops, or who may know of any of his associations.

"Though a lot of time has passed, we have not given up hope of locating Kamil, for the sake of his family and friends who love and miss him," she said.

The force said Mr Biecke lived in Luton but has links to Cambridgeshire, Milton Keynes and Scotland.