TODAY was supposed to be a happy occasion for Nicki Durbin as her only son left behind his teenage years and celebrated the start of his 20s.But Luke Durbin has now been missing for nearly seven months and his desperate mum does not know if he has today turned 20 or if he will be 19 forever.

TODAY was supposed to be a happy occasion for Nicki Durbin as her only son left behind his teenage years and celebrated the start of his 20s.

But Luke Durbin has now been missing for nearly seven months and his desperate mum does not know if he has today turned 20 or if he will be 19 forever.

She said: “It just feels like the black cloud over us is so thick at the moment and it is Luke's birthday and I am not 100 per cent sure if he is out there and will be turning 20 or if he stays 19.

“Christmas is coming up too and things have all started to cave in a bit.

“If Luke is out there and he happens to read this I would say 'please, please phone home'.”

Luke disappeared after a night out in Ipswich on Thursday, May 11.

The last confirmed sighting of him was at about 4am on May 12 near the Cattlemarket bus station in the town.

Despite extensive appeals for information and numerous unconfirmed sightings of Luke, he has still not returned to his home in Coronation Avenue, Hollesley.

Today is Luke's 20th birthday but earlier this month his mum said she would be unable to do anything to mark the occasion because it is too painful.

Detective Inspector Ian Addison, overseeing the investigation into his disappearance, said a dedicated team of officers remained on the case and were following up leads from all over the country.

He said there has also been liaison with Interpol although there have been no sightings of Luke abroad and no applications for an emergency passport.

He said it was partly thanks to Mrs Durbin that the force still had so many leads to follow up.

DI Addison said: “She is a very strong person and I think, if she hadn't been, she wouldn't have been able to go through this the way she has.

“She is still keeping a high profile and is very much in the public eye and that can only help.

“It has assisted with the public because it has really hit home to them that it could be any one of them in this situation.”

Police said they have had a positive response from the public but are still awaiting the vital piece of information that may lead them to Luke.

They are still keen to trace the driver of a silver car spotted on CCTV driving past Tinkerbelle in Orwell Place around the time of the last sighting of Luke.

Anyone with information about Luke's disappearance should call Suffolk police on 01473 613500, Crimestoppers on 0800 555111, or the Missing Persons Helpline on 0500 700700.

Do you have a message for Mrs Durbin? Write to: Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail: eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

Weblinks: www.missingpersons.org; www.findluke.com; www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/lukedurbin/