A HEARTBROKEN sister fears her missing brother could be dead as she approaches a second Christmas without him.

The festive season for Pauline Gibson, 53, will be another stark reminder of her absent younger brother Paul Booth, who was last seen on October 25, 2016 in Cumbernauld.

She said: "I don’t think he is alive. Last Christmas, I had an overwhelming feeling that he wasn’t here anymore."

Paul, 45, is one of Scotland's long term missing people cases after he vanished more than a year ago.

Police Scotland said the last official sighting of him was at around 2pm on the day he disappeared on a footbridge between McGregor Road and Hillcrest Court.

The family first became aware of his disappearance after a support worker arrived at Paul's Seafar home to find the door wide open and his beloved Staffordshire Bull Terrier Lady left behind.

Pauline, who is from the town's Abronhill, explained her brother had been battling with a drug addiction since his early 20s and had a support worker who checked up on him.

She said: "His support worker went for a home visit and noticed that the door was opened.

"She chapped, and shouted Paul. There was no answer. She went in and upstairs, and kept shouting his name.

"But there was no sign of Paul and the dog was lying there, cowering in the corner.

"She came down and phoned the police."

Paul left his home unlocked and most importantly left all his valuables behind including keys, a wallet, bus pass and mobile phone.

And now his family, including his two brothers Bryan and Gavin, fear the worst.

Pauline said: "It has just been awful because it is always at the back of your head.

"You think, where is he? Is he dead? What has happened?

"It is just so out of character for him to disappear without letting one of us know."

She added: "My brother has had all sorts of phone calls and we have heard all different things. He has had people telling him that he is out in the fishing boats in Aberdeen to get clean from drugs.

"People have also phoned us up and asked for a £1,000 to tell us where he is.

Glasgow Times:

"But they are drug addicts who need money. I have to think of it that way. If I think the other way it will bring me back down."

The family also said that Paul was attacked the January before his disappearance and almost died.

Pauline said that he was beaten up in a street attack. The assault was so severe that Paul had footprints in his face. He spent the months after the attack in recovery and had to retrain himself on how to carry out everyday tasks again.

The grandmother said: "He had carers in his home looking after him and he was in hospital for weeks.

"We don't know if it is linked. But the sad thing about it is that he had started to come off the drugs by being in hospital and he was doing well. He ended up on the drugs again because he was getting flashbacks and could not cope."

Missing People Scotland, which is a voluntary group set up on Facebook to help families of those who have disappeared, have been a great support to Pauline throughout her search for Paul.

She praised the group for their support and said: "They have been fantastic. There is more people than Paul missing and they don't get any funding but they still help families like us.

"They, however, are limited in what they can do."

Pauline just wants the mystery of where Paul is solved and hopes that someone out there knows something.

She said: "Paul would do anything for anybody. He is an animal lover and very family orientated.

"If he is alive, I would slap him and then give him a hug. It is just no like him to do this."

She continued: "People say to me that they have never had this before. People always show up one way or another. I can't believe in the age of this town which is 50 odd years, that there has not been anyone not found. It just doesn't make any sense.

"One way or another I want him to be found so we can get closure. This not knowing is heart-wrenching."

Paul is 5ft 10 inches, of slim build, with sallow skin and light brown cropped hair.

He also has blue eyes and stubble, a slight scar on the right side of his face and a pierced left ear.

When Paul was last seen, he was wearing a dark coloured hooded top, jeans, white trainers and a beanie hat. He also walks with a slight limp.

Anyone with information is asked to contact officers at Cumbernauld Police Office on 101 or by e-mailing Lanarkshiremissingpersons@scotland.pnn.police.uk.