Richard Morris: Search for missing British diplomat
- Published
Richard Morris is due to take up his new position of British High Commissioner to Fiji
A police search is under way for a missing British diplomat and former ambassador.
Richard Morris, 52, was last seen by his family when he went for a run in Bentley, near Alton, Hampshire, at about 10:30 BST on Wednesday.
He was ambassador to Nepal from November 2015 to November 2019.
In October, Mr Morris was appointed the new British High Commissioner to the Republic of Fiji and is due to take up his new position in July.
Mr Morris was in his running clothes when he went missing on Wednesday
The father of three, who is originally from Worcestershire, is described as white, about 6ft tall, with greying hair and a beard, and has a port wine birth mark on his face, Hampshire Constabulary said.
He was last seen wearing a blue long-sleeved top with a half zip, black shorts and blue trainers.
"We are now asking residents in the surrounding areas if they could assist by checking sheds, outbuildings and gardens," the force said.
Signs of sheltering
"We would like to reassure people that we have professional search teams conducting a thorough search of local areas and would respectfully ask members of the public not to attempt to look for Richard, outside of your own property, themselves.
"This is so teams can accurately monitor all areas that have been police searched to a professional standard and so potential tracking can be conducted by search dogs," it added.
"We again appeal for information and ask residents to check their outbuildings for any signs that someone might have been sheltering there or for discarded items," police said.
Mr Morris had also worked as, external head of the Pacific department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), consul general in Sydney as well as director general of trade and investment in Australasia.
In a statement, the FCO said: "Richard is a much-valued and well-liked colleague. We are extremely worried that he is missing and we all hope he will be found safe and well soon."