Body of man pulled from Bootle Dock believed to be that of Bernard Cook

May 19 2009 By Kevin Core

Bernard Cook

THE body of a man pulled from a dock is believed to be that of a missing Mersey Docks and Harbour Company Director.

Bernard Cook, 54, from Higher Bebington went missing from his office in Seaforth on Wednesday, November 16, 2005.

Described as a "caring and loving" man by his wife Bernadette, the dad-of-two has been the subject of several emotional appeals for information.

Police were called to Bootle’s Sandon Half Tide dock on Regent Road on Friday after a vehicle was found..

A Merseyside police spokeswoman said they would not confirm the identity of the body until tests were completed.

Estates director Mr Cook was last seen when he left his car at work before taking a white Peugeot 206 van.

During appeals for information he was described as a "kind, wonderful father" who had been under pressure for some time.

A religious man, he loved the countryside and was a member of a 1977 Merseyside Himalayan Expedition and he had scaled some of the highest peaks in the world.

His mountaineering background led police to appeal to member of the climbing community to try to remember if they had seen him in areas such as the Lake District.

Speaking during an appeal for information in 2008 his wife Bernadette spoke on behalf of the family saying: "Bernie is a most loving, kind, wonderful father. He has been under considerable pressure for a very long time, which we think has played a part in his disappearance.