The mother of a missing schoolgirl feared murdered by grooming gangs has told how she will 'never stop fighting' for the truth.

Charlene Downes went missing 15 years ago this week - aged 14.

Her parents, Karen and Bob, were forced to endure courtroom claims her body was cut up and mixed into kebabs.

Now Charlene's mother has written an emotional book detailing the family's never-ending anguish as a warning to other parents.

Unable to have a funeral for her daughter, she holds memorials on every anniversary of her disappearance.

Mrs Downes, 53, said: "When Charlene went missing it was horrendous.

"I kept on thinking she would turn up, that she was just pushing the boundaries and testing my patience. I never for a moment believed I would never see her again, that she had been lured into a gang and groomed for sex.

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"Looking back though, the clues were there and I just didn’t see them – now I want other mothers to learn from my tragedy."

Charlene's disappearance in Blackpool sparked the largest investigation in Lancashire Police’s history.

But despite a criminal trial and a £100,000 reward, Mrs Downes said they were no nearer to finding out how and why she died.

Her body has never been found.

Mrs Downes said police in 2003 initially 'dismissed' Charlene as a runaway.

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"When Madeleine McCann went missing it made global headlines overnight. Of course I feel dreadfully sorry for her parents," she said.

"But was my daughter not worth the same? I can’t help feeling we were side-lined because we are uneducated and working class.

"In the end, I was so despairing of the lack of interest in Charlene that I had my own leaflets printed and I handed them out myself, on the streets of Blackpool, night after night. Sometimes it felt as though I was the only one looking for her.”

The book, 'Sold In Secret', tells the story in full for the first time.

Normally quiet and shy, Mrs Downes said Charlene had started to rebel in the months before she disappeared.

"She’d always been a very affectionate, loving little girl. But she’d started to get cheeky and moody, misbehaving," Mrs Downes said.

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"I was sure it was no more than a teenage phase. All part of growing up. I was sure it would pass and she'd soon be back to her normal self."

She last saw her daughter when she went out with friends on the last night of the 2003 Blackpool Illuminations.

"I was tormented with nightmares," Mrs Downes said.

"Every time there was a body found, I was sick with fear."

Two local takeaway workers stood trial for Charlene’s murder in May 2007, but were not convicted.

The prosecution claimed Charlene’s body had been cut up and minced into kebabs in a Blackpool takeaway.

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Mrs Downes said: "It was horrific to listen to. As a mother, it almost broke me. There were reports that Charlene had been groomed and drawn into the sex trade, which broke my heart.

"My daughter wasn’t here to speak up for herself so it seemed people could say just what they liked. But when I looked back, there were occasions when Charlene had skipped school and I didn’t know where she had been.

"She once came home with £70 and we couldn’t get the truth out of her. We didn’t know where it had come from.

"She had cigarettes too and we didn’t know who was buying them for her. Now, it was all slotting into place.

"Deep down I have to accept that my darling daughter is dead, but without a body, I will always have a glimmer of hope. I will never stop fighting for the truth.

"If anything positive can come from this, I would like to help other families. I want other mothers to be aware of the signs of grooming – to spot them and act on them – before it is too late."