Man in French custody after disappearing with UK schoolgirl

A 49-year-old UK man was taken into police custody in France on Thursday when he appeared before a court over his disappearance with a 15-year-old girl, also from the UK.

Laura Stainforth, of Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, had been missing since Wednesday of last week after leaving the area with Robert Williams, who she had met on the Internet.

On Thursday, the pair turned themselves in at the British consulate in Lille, France, after which Williams was taken into police custody.

British police had issued a European warrant for his arrest, and after turning himself in, Williams appeared before Douai, France, magistrates in Douai.

On 27 January, he will appear again, and it will be determined if he will be allowed to return to the UK.

A court spokesperson said that the UK man had been remanded in custody.

A Humberside Police spokesperson confirmed that they had collected the girl from French authorities, that she was safe and well and that they were returning with her to the UK.

The spokesperson indicated, however, that it was unlikely she would return to her Lincolnshire home immediately.

Detective Chief Inspector Sharon Fielding commented: “Our main priority now is to ensure that we paint an accurate picture of the last seven days’ events and specially trained officers will be speaking to Laura in order to do so.”

Thanks to news.scotsman.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.humberside.police.uk