ONE of the men police wished to speak to in the wake of the disappearance of Ben Clarkson has now come forward.

Following a public appeal, a man caught on CCTV at the York nightclub where the missing man was seen on the morning he vanished has spoken to officers.

He has confirmed that he spoke with Ben in Fibbers in the early hours of Sunday, March 2 and saw him outside the club at around 3am.

He has also confirmed that he is not the man who was seen walking along Layerthorpe some 40 minutes at the same time as Ben.

That man, still to come forward, was wearing a light coloured jacket with dark trousers, as he walked along Stonebow, towards the Foss Islands Road junction, on the opposite side of the road to Ben.

A short time later, he took the same route as Ben when they walk past National Windscreens, Layerthorpe.

Inspector Neil Drummond said: “If you could be the man who walked along Layerthorpe at the same time as Ben, I ask you to get in touch with us as soon as possible as I believe you will have noticed Ben walking across the street from you.”

Ben 22, from the Heworth Green area of the city, has not been seen since he failed to turn up at home on March 2 or appear for work at a local music shop. Despite extensive searches there has so far been no trace of him.

Contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option one and pass the information to the force control room.