Student missing after celebration is found dead

Police have found the body of a 21-year-old who went missing in freezing conditions five days ago.

A major hunt was mounted after Duncan Gibbon vanished at around midnight on Saturday in plummeting temperatures.

His body was found yesterday and his family has been informed.

The student, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, had been celebrating a friend's 21st birthday in Newcastle city centre when he got separated from two groups.

He was not reported missing until Sunday as each group believed he was with the other.

His body was found on an embankment near the High Level Bridge, close to the city's popular Quayside.

Officers were joined by search specialists from mountain rescue teams to carry out fingertip searches on ropes.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "It can now be confirmed the body discovered in the area of Newcastle Quayside yesterday afternoon is that of Duncan Gibbon, 21, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, who was reported missing after a night out with friends on Saturday December 18.

"A post-mortem examination will take place to establish a cause of death.

"The media and public are thanked for their assistance throughout the search for Mr Gibbon."

The Edinburgh University student attended Stokesley School and was with friends he made there a decade ago when he disappeared.

Mr Gibbon's parents, Simon and Kate, and younger brother Jake, 19, were desperate for news before the discovery of a body.

His mother told the Northern Echo newspaper: "He is a smashing lad and we love him to bits. He's a really fun-loving guy, very friendly and outgoing."