A MAN arrested twice for the Murder of his fiancee more than a decade ago has been released without charge.

Timothy Barnes, 47, will face no further action in relation to the death of his former fiancee Nicola Ray.

Mr Barnes was arrested in April on suspicion of mudering 30-year-old Nicola, but after spending seven months on bail being quizzed by detectives, he has finally been released.

Mr Barnes of Voysey Gardens, Basildon, was originally arrested in connection with the pretty blonde’s murder in February 2001.

Nicola, a mum-of-two, disappeared without trace following a night out with friends in the early hours of May 2, 2000.

She has never been seen since, and her case became one of Basildon’s most well-known and saddest unsolved cases.

Her children Joedy and Stevie were aged 11 and eight at the time of her disappearance. She had been due to get married to Mr Barnes at the time she went missing.

Nicola’s family thought police were finally making a breakthrough in the case on April 13 this year when Mr Barnes was rearrested and his home was searched.

But speaking to the Echo yesterday, Nicola’s mum Janet Judd, 59, was upset the mystery of her daughter’s disappearance had not been resolved.

She said: “It is disappointing we still haven’t got an answer about what happened, or any closure. I’m pleased the police did what they did. At least they were trying to help.

“I was holding out hope we might get some sort of answer after all this time.”

Following his arrest in April, officers also began an extensive dig of Barnes’ home, which he still lives in, but had previously shared with his former fiancee.

During three days, Voysey Gardens was brought to a standstill while forensic archaeologists and police scanned and examined the garden and garage of the property before carrying out the dig.

Murder squad detectives spent three days questioning Barnes, an engineer at Ford Dunton, before releasing him on bail.

He returned to answer bail this week when officers released him without charge and said they are taking no further action against him.

Mr Barnes would not comment to the Echo.