POLICE have refused to name three officers disciplined following the hunt for a murdered teenager.

Information manager Damion Baird at the Directorate of Professional Standards for the Met Police told News Shopper it would not be in the interest of the public to reveal details of investigation surrounding the disappearance of Hannah Williams.

But the 14-year-old's devastated mother Bernadette has blasted the Met Police accusing them of a cover-up.

Hannah, who had learning difficulties, went missing on April 21, 2001, from her home in Elgar Close, Deptford.

Her badly decomposed body was found nearly a year later at a disused cement works in Northfleet.

She had been raped and strangled by sex beast Robert Howard.

In September, News Shopper exclusively revealed how an internal Met probe had led to three Lewisham-based officers being reprimanded for their conduct in the missing persons hunt for Hannah.

News Shopper applied under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain precise details into the investigation which led to their disciplinary action.

In a reply, Mr Baird wrote, "While I accept there may be public interest in this report, this report and its contents have public interest immunity status."

He said if the information was released it would assist the public in understanding the investigation and would show it "to be open, honest and transparent".

But he still refused to name the three officers involved or supply News Shopper or Mrs Williams with further details on the case.

Mrs Williams said: "This is a cover-up and I want some answers.

"When I reported Hannah missing, the police said to me Mrs Williams, do you know how many people go missing every day?'.

"I felt undermined and couldn't believe what I was hearing. I thought police were here to help and protect us.

"I was going crazy for nearly a year, putting up posters appealing on television. I was alone and scared stiff."

A Met Police spokesman said: "We extend our heartfelt sympathy to Hannah's mother and other family over the ordeal they have suffered in the last few years."

News Shopper is appealing the Directorate for Professional Standards' decision to withhold information on the exact details of the investigation.