Laura Stainforth 15, Msg 01/14/09, Cleethorpes UK-Could be abroad now! [FOUND SAFE]

[sarahhod]

January 18, 2009
Missing girl, 15, was ‘groomed’ for six months

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5537248.ece





http://i44.tinypic.com/35053ef.jpg
Laura Stainforth at Grimsby station with the suspect


A MISSING teenage girl, feared to be abroad with a man three times her age, was “groomed” through an internet chatroom for almost six months, police revealed last night.

Detectives believe that Laura Stainforth, 15, from Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, has run away with Robert Williams, 49, after arranging to meet him through a website.

Laura and Williams were captured on CCTV footage at Grimsby railway station last Wednesday. The girl was then spotted by a member of the public in Dover the following day.

Humberside police have contacted shipping firms, and Interpol is also helping.

Laura’s parents, Robert and Debra, fear the GCSE student may have travelled overseas with Williams, who is known to use the alias Dave Ingram.

He has befriended dozens of girls using the Facebook social networking website.

Detective Inspector Martin Steel, from Humberside police, said: “We are extremely concerned. We know Laura has been communicating with this man in an internet chatroom for some months and we want to know what his motives are.”

Laura was last seen by her parents at 3.30pm on Wednesday when she left home to visit the shops. They contacted police at 9.20pm after she failed to return.

Police recovered CCTV images taken at 5pm the same day showing Laura with Williams at the rail ticket office and then on the platform. Officers believe they took a train to Doncaster, South Yorkshire, before travelling to London.

Detective chief inspector Sharon Fielding, who is leading the investigation, said: “The last positive sighting we have is in Dover and we are urging anyone who has seen Laura to contact us. We are making checks with ferry companies in Dover and around the country.”

Laura’s parents were too upset to comment. Chrissie Williams, an aunt who lives in Bath, wrote an appeal on a website, calling on Laura to get in touch to tell them she was safe.

Parents at Laura’s school had been warned of an older man trying to make contact with girls using the MSN internet instant messenger service shortly before Christmas.

Williams is listed as a “friend” of Laura on Facebook.

[Roamer]

This poor child. :eyebrow1qb:

[sarahhod]

January 20, 2009
Robert Williams eloped with Laura Stainforth ‘while on bail for rape’

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article5550322.ece



A 49-year-old man thought to have eloped with the 15-year-old schoolgirl Laura Stainforth was arrested last month in connection with the rape of another teenager, the alleged victim’s father said last night.

Robert Williams, a lorry driver, is thought to have travelled abroad with Laura, from Cleethorpes, who went missing last Wednesday. Humberside Police are leading the investigation and have stated that he is not on the sex offenders register.

Last night, however, it was reported that Mr Williams was on bail in connection with inquiries concerning the alleged rape on two separate occasions of a 16-year-old girl in November and December last year.

The alleged rape victim, from Sussex, and her father told the Daily Mail that Mr Williams had been arrested on December 6 last year after he was found with the girl in a hotel room. She had run away from her home after he contacted her on the internet.

She claimed that Mr Williams had said that they would travel to Puerto Rico, Germany or France, where they could start “a new life”. Police were unable to confirm the claims.

Laura is believed to have travelled abroad with Mr Williams after meeting him online. Her parents appealed to her last night to get in touch with them. In a statement issued by Humberside Police, Debra and Robert Stainforth, said: “To Laura, this message comes from Mam and Dad. Please contact us as we miss you. You are not in trouble; we just want to be able to see you and hug you and try and help you. And your brother misses you too. Please contact us or the police, or please let us know you are well and safe. Lots of love from Mam and Dad.”

Laura was last seen by her parents when she left home to go to the shops at about 3.30pm on Wednesday. She was reported missing by her family at 9.23pm. The teenager and Mr Williams were seen on CCTV footage at Grimsby railway station that night. Detectives believe that they took a train to Doncaster, before travelling to London and on to Dover. Laura was seen in Dover the next day.

The Sun reported last night that Mr Williams had sold both their phones for £15 each to a mobile phone shop. He used his passport as a form of identification for the transaction.

A shop assistant who later recognised their photographs said they had come into his shop on Thursday morning, and he had assumed that they were father and daughter. “There was no hint of anything wrong,” he said. “Now I believe he wanted to get rid of the phones so he couldn’t be tracked.”

Mr Williams, who is known to use the alias Dave Ingram, has connections throughout the north of England and Scotland. Officers have been examining internet traffic and social networking sites in the hope of finding clues to the teenager’s whereabouts.

Websites based in Cleethorpes and Grimsby have been filled with messages appealing for Laura to get in touch and to say where she is.

The teenager is described as white, of medium build with dark brown shoulder length hair in a ponytail. She was last seen wearing a fawn and cream zip-up jacket with light blue coloured jeans and black trainers.

[sarahhod]

Parents' emotional plea to missing daughter Laura

Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 09:00

http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/news/BREAKING-NEWS-Emotional-appeal-parents-missing-Cleethorpes-girl-Laura/article-625923-detail/article.html



"LAURA, this message comes from mam and dad – please contact us as we miss you."

This was the emotional plea from the parents of missing Cleethorpes teenager Laura Stainforth six days after their daughter was last seen.

They continued: "You are not in trouble. We just want to be able to see you and hug you and try and help you, and your brother misses you too.

"Please contact us, or the police, or please let us know you are safe. Lots of love from mam and dad."

As reported, the 15-year-old Whitgift School pupil went missing after she headed out to the shops, on Wednesday, at about 3.30pm.

She was spotted two hours later on CCTV with a man known as Robert Andrew Williams (49), at Grimsby railway station. He is also known as Dave Ingram.

Laura was last seen in Dover, although police are keeping an open mind as to whether she has left the country.

Today, as Humberside Police said there were no new leads in their search for her, her close schoolfriend Jessica Elshaw (16) also reached out to her pal, via a video available to view now on www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/videos

She said: "Please Laura, get in touch. Either text or phone or email us to say that you are safe. We are really worried about you."

The long-term friend said she and Laura both spent many hours on the internet, and she has helped police with their enquiries as to how she came to meet the older man.

Mark Rushby, the headteacher of the school, joined Jessica in speaking on the video, warning parents of the dangers of internet chat rooms.

He said: "It could be your child next. It is frightening. The internet can be dangerous. It could have been any child. "

He also said he had reinforced the school's message to pupils about staying safe online, which was originally issued late last year following reports a 12-year-old girl had been propositioned by a Turkish-sounding man.

Mr Rushby said: "We have decided all classes will receive an intensive refresher on our internet policy, and we will advise pupils on what is the safest way to be on the internet.

"Two years ago we reminded parents in our newsletter of the way to keep their children safe on the internet. There was a list of tips which went out in our spring newsletter.

"It is important we do everything we can to ensure the safe return of Laura in the very near future.

"This highlights the real danger of the internet. All parents need to be extremely vigilant in their children's activity on the internet."

[sarahhod]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/721776/facebook-cradlesnatcher-facing-rape-charges

Facebook cradlesnatcher 'facing rape charges'
13:00 AEST Tue Jan 20 2009


The 49-year-old British man police believe fled the UK with a 15-year-old girl he befriended on Facebook is already on bail pending a rape investigation.

A manhunt is underway to find Robert Williams, 49, after he was spotted with missing schoolgirl Laura Stainforth on the weekend.

Williams allegedly groomed the child for six months on internet social networking sites and police have discovered a trail of electronic correspondence between the pair.

The truck driver was arrested last year for allegedly twice raping a 16-year-old girl in November and December.

Police found him in a hotel room with a 16-year-old runaway from Sussex.

Laura, from Cleethorpes in England's east, disappeared from home on Wednesday.

CCTV images showed of the pair at a Grimsby railway station that night, with police believing they travelled to London and then Dover before possibly taking the ferry across the English Channel.

Her parents have been too emotional to speak publicly.

Williams' alleged rape victim told the Daily Mail that he had intended on take her to live in Germany, France or Puerto Rico.

"It sickens me to think that they let him go when they could have locked him up," the newspaper reported the girl's father as saying.

"He has now gone off with this other girl and wrecked someone else's life." Williams is known to also use the name Dave Ingram.

[sarahhod]

Laura's 'groomer' sold their phones
By LUCY HAGAN

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2149947.ece


THE creep on the run with missing schoolgirl Laura Stainforth has sold both their mobile phones — to stop police tracing them.

Robert Williams, 49, who groomed Laura, 15, on the Facebook website, flogged the phones for £15 each at a mobile shop.
http://i40.tinypic.com/2ewd1kn.jpg
Missing ... Laura Stainforth

Williams, also known as Dave Ingram, used his passport as ID for the deal in Dover, Kent — from where police fear the pair fled abroad on a ferry.

Shop worker Max Visagie, 25, recognised them from a photo published two days later and called police.

He said: “They came in last Thursday morning. He did all the talking and I assumed she was his daughter.

“There was no hint of anything wrong. Now I believe he wanted to get rid of the phones so he couldn’t be tracked.”

Williams gave him an address in Falkirk, Scotland.

Max gave one of the phone Sim cards to pal Carl Taylor, 25 — which resulted in police tracking Carl’s car for two days.
http://i44.tinypic.com/2ynp82c.jpg
Photocopy ... Robert Williams' passport

Williams is believed to have groomed Laura for six months before she left home in Cleethorpes, Lincs, last Wednesday.

CCTV filmed her at Grimsby railway station with Williams.

Laura’s parents Debra and Robert last night pleaded: “Please contact us. We want to help.”

[sarahhod]

Missing schoolgirl feared taken abroad

Last update: 4:43 p.m. EST Jan. 19, 2009

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/missing-schoolgirl-feared-taken-abroad/story.aspx?guid={098F3530-5ECA-4A0D-A938-F291D7EAF07F}&dist=msr_1


LONDON, Jan 19, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A 15-year-old British girl whom police fear has traveled overseas with a man she met on the Internet is the subject of an intensive manhunt, officials said.
Authorities say Laura Stainforth vanished from her home in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, last week after telling her parents she was going shopping, the Daily Mail reported Monday. They said the teen was recorded on video surveillance footage at a nearby railway station accompanied by 49-year-old Robert Williams.
Detectives told the British tabloid they believed the pair took a train to Doncaster, Yorkshire, before going on to London, and the next day to Dover, where Laura was allegedly spotted by a member of the public.
Police now fear the girl may be abroad, and have contacted shipping firms and Interpol in an effort to find them.
The Mail said Williams is known to use the alias Dave Ingram and has allegedly befriended dozens of girls using the Facebook social networking site.

[TigressPen]

OMG! How scary. I pray LE finds them soon. This child needs to be back home and not with this older man.

[Amusedtdth]

What a sick person this man is. I can't believe he was able to do this to another young woman. I pray shes safe and contacts her parents soon before too much damage is done. Then they need to lock this pervert up and keep him locked away.

[annalyzer]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article5554244.ece

January 20, 2009

Laura Stainforth, 15, who ran off with Robert Williams seen on ferry

A schoolgirl who police fear has run away with a man she met on the internet has been spotted on a ferry travelling to France, police said today.

Police believe Laura Stainforth has travelled abroad with a man called Robert Williams who she met online. The 49-year-old was arrested last month in connection with the rape of another teenager, the alleged victim’s father said last night.

Humberside Police said that Laura, 15, was seen on the Pride of Kent ferry which was travelling from Dover to Calais last Thursday afternoon.

Detective Chief Inspector Sharon Fielding, from Humberside Police, said: "Although we know she was in Dover and she was on that ferry, we do not know if she stayed in Calais, travelled further into France or Europe or returned to the UK.

Related Links
Lorry driver is reported to be on police bail
Missing girl, 15, was ‘groomed’ for six months
Search for schoolgirl Laura Stainforth
"We are working closely with other police forces in the UK, Interpol, the National Missing Persons Bureau, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and others. At this time we are following numerous lines of inquiry."

Laura was last seen by her parents when she left home to go to the shops at about 3.30pm on Wednesday last week. She was reported missing by her family at 9.23pm that night.

The teenager, from Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, and Williams were captured on CCTV footage at Grimsby railway station on Wednesday evening.

Detectives believe they took a train to Doncaster, South Yorkshire, before travelling to London, and on to Dover.

The Sun reported last night that Mr Williams had sold both their phones for £15 each to a mobile phone shop. He used his passport as a form of identification for the transaction.

A shop assistant who later recognised their photographs said they had come into his shop on Thursday morning, and he had assumed that they were father and daughter. "There was no hint of anything wrong," he said. "Now I believe he wanted to get rid of the phones so he couldn’t be tracked."

Laura was spotted by a member of the public in Dover on Thursday. Officers now have many unconfirmed sightings in different areas of the UK and France.

"Our main concern is finding Laura. That is why we released the details of the man we believe she is with," said Det Chief Insp Fielding.

"We appreciate all the calls we are getting from members of the public and each significant piece of information is being followed up.

"At this time we have conflicting information as to where she is and I am keeping an open mind as to her location."

It is understood that Mr Williams is on police bail pending an investigation by Durham Police concerning the alleged rape on two separate occasions of a 16-year-old girl in November and December last year.

The alleged rape victim, from Sussex, and her father told the Daily Mail that Mr Williams had been arrested on December 6 last year after he was found with the girl in a hotel room. She had run away from her home after he contacted her on the internet.

She claimed that Mr Williams had said that they would travel to Puerto Rico, Germany or France, where they could start "a new life". Police were unable to confirm the claims.

Laura's parents appealed to her last night to get in touch with them. In a statement issued by Humberside Police, Debra and Robert Stainforth, said: "To Laura, this message comes from Mam and Dad. Please contact us as we miss you. You are not in trouble; we just want to be able to see you and hug you and try and help you. And your brother misses you too. Please contact us or the police, or please let us know you are well and safe. Lots of love from Mam and Dad."

The teenager is described as white, of medium build with dark brown shoulder length hair in a ponytail. She was last seen wearing a fawn and cream zip-up jacket with light blue coloured jeans and black trainers.

[sarahhod]

Missing girl and man 'on ferry'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/7839502.stm



A missing 15-year-old girl has been seen travelling on a ferry to France with a man she is believed to have met through an internet chat room.

CCTV shows Laura Stainforth, who has been missing from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, since Wednesday, with 49-year-old Robert Andrew Williams.

Police said Mr Williams, also known as Dave Ingram, was on bail after he was questioned over the rape of a teenager.

The pair were seen on the ferry heading from Dover to Calais on Thursday.

Durham Police said Mr Williams was arrested in Darlington in December over the alleged rape of a 16-year-old from West Sussex.

Family appeal

CCTV shows Laura and Mr Williams on the Pride of Kent ferry, which set sail from Dover at about 1700 GMT.

Detectives said they were also following up many unconfirmed sightings in different areas of the UK and France.

Her parents Debra and Robert have appealed for their daughter to get in touch.


Laura your mum and dad must be going out of their minds with worry
Facebook message

They said: "Please contact us as we miss you. You are not in trouble.

"We just want to be able to see you and hug you and try and help you. And your brother misses you too.

"Please contact us or the police, or please let us know you are well and safe."

A group called Find Laura Stainforth has recruited more than 1,250 members on social networking site Facebook.

One message reads: "Laura your mum and dad must be going out of their minds with worry - if you're worried about coming home just ring and put them out of their anguish."

Police talk about the inquiry

Det Ch Insp Sharon Fielding said: "We appreciate all the calls we are getting from members of the public and each significant piece of information is being followed up.

"At this time we have conflicting information about where she is and I am keeping an open mind as to her location.

"Although we know she was in Dover and she was on that ferry, we do not know if she stayed in Calais, travelled further into France or Europe or returned to the UK.

"We are working closely with other police forces in the UK, Interpol, the National Missing Persons Bureau, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and others."

The detective said Mr Williams was known to have contacts in Scotland and the north of England.

Laura is described as white, of medium build, with dark brown, shoulder length hair which was tied in a ponytail.

She was last seen wearing a fawn and cream-coloured zip-up jacket and light blue jeans and black trainers.

[sarahhod]

Missing girl Laura Stainforth in ferry clue

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/01/21/missing-girl-laura-stainforth-in-ferry-clue-115875-21057556/

By Lucy Thornton 21/01/2009



http://i43.tinypic.com/9pvnle.jpg
Caught on CCTV aboard a ferry, this is missing girl Laura Stainforth who is feared to have run away with a middle-aged man accused of raping a teenager.

The 15-year-old was filmed walking near Robert Williams, 49, on a ship bound for France.

It is believed the schoolgirl met the lorry driver online in a chatroom.

Det Chief Insp Sharon Fielding said: "Our main concern is finding Laura. Although we know she was on that ferry, we do not know if she stayed in Calais, travelled further into France or Europe or returned to the UK. We are following numerous lines of enquiry."

Laura, of Cleethorpes, Lincs, went missing after telling parents she was popping to the shops last Wednesday.

Cctv images show her on board the Pride of Kent travelling from Dover the next day.

Dad-of-two Williams was previously arrested for allegedly raping a girl of 16 twice in November and December last year.

Police said he is on bail "pending further inquiries".

[sarahhod]

Concern grows for missing teenager

Wednesday, January 21, 2009, 09:00

http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/news/Concern-grows-missing-teenager/article-630811-detail/article.html



ONE week after missing teenager Laura Stainforth was last seen, police are becoming “increasingly concerned” for her welfare.

A sighting of 15-year-old Cleethorpes schoolgirl Laura on a ferry to France on Thursday has led the police investigation to Europe as Interpol and other agencies have been called in to help find her.

Whitgift pupil Laura, who has been missing since Wednesday, was spotted on the 5pm Pride of Kent ferry, travelling from Dover to Calais.

As reported on www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk yesterday, the man with her – lorry driver Robert Andrew Williams – is on bail following an allegation of rape and kidnapping from a 16-year-old girl he met online.

Laura Stainforth on the ferry Pride of Kent travelling to France from Dover last Thursday afternoon. Williams is seen left.

Police have released a photo of her and Williams on the ferry, wearing the same outfits seen in CCTV footage from Grimsby railway station, taken on Wednesday evening.

Det Chief Insp Sharon Fielding said: “We do not know a great deal about him, except that he has lived a nomadic lifestyle in the past few weeks.

“We have been trying to track down where he was before he came to Grimsby.”

Laura – who left her home in School Walk, Cleethorpes, at 3.30pm on Wednesday – is believed to have met Williams via web chat rooms and social networking sites.

She was previously spotted in Dover on Thursday, when a mobile phone salesman says Williams sold him two mobiles for £15 each.

Max Visagie (25) told The Sun newspaper: “They came in last Thursday morning. He did all the talking and I assumed she was his daughter.

“There was no hint of anything wrong. Now I believe he wanted to get rid of the phones so he couldn’t be tracked.”

Williams – also known as Dave Ingram – used his passport as a form of identification for the transaction.

Two days later, Mr Visagie recognised the pair in the news and contacted police.

However, officers say they have had many other unconfirmed sightings in different parts of the UK and France.

Det Chief Insp Fielding said: “At this time we have conflicting information as to where she is and I am keeping an open mind as to her location.

“Although we know she was in Dover and she was on that ferry, we do not know if she stayed in Calais, travelled further into France or Europe or returned to the UK.”

Humberside Police are working with other UK forces, plus Interpol, the National Missing Persons Bureau, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and others in the search for Laura.

The teenager is described as white, of medium build with dark brown, shoulder-length hair in a ponytail. She was last seen wearing a fawn and cream zip-up jacket with light blue coloured jeans and black trainers.

[Roamer]

This child needs to be found safely and soon!

I want this man in jail forever!

[sarahhod]

I agree Roamer.

I hope the police find Laura soon, because this man has nothing to lose now, I am just praying we get an "alive" Laura home very soon.

[Sioux_Girl]

Laura lives/lived about 20 miles from me.

I have a step daughter thats almost 15 ( the same age as Laura) and it worries the hell out of me when she comes here with laptop and goes on msn and im pretty sure she dont know half the people shes talking to. For a fact shes told boys shes older than she is also ( which caused a big argument here lol) and its possible that Laura has told this guy shes older than she is.

I just wonder where there staying etc. My husbands cousin lives in France and they have had some snow there the past week so I just hope that she is staying somewhere warm and is safe.

[TigressPen]

*Snipped*
lorry driver Robert Andrew Williams – is on bail following an allegation of rape and kidnapping from a 16-year-old girl he met online.


That is scary. I bet he didn't tell Laura that when he met her!

[Sioux_Girl]

Breaking News1:52pm UK, Wednesday January 21, 2009

A 15-year-old girl who went on the run with a man she met on the internet has been found safe and well in France.


http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Missing-Teenager-Laura-Stainforth-Found-Safe-And-Well-In-Lille-France/Article/200901315207804?lpos=UK_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15207804_Missing_Teenager_Laura_Stainf orth_Found_Safe_And_Well_In_Lille%2C_France

[Sioux_Girl]

A schoolgirl who went missing with a 49-year-old man she met on the internet has been found safe and well in France. Skip related content
Laura Stainforth, 15, from School Walk, Cleethorpes, north east Lincolnshire, was found with Robert Williams in Lille.

Williams was arrested at the scene by French police officers and has been taken in custody. Humberside Police said the arrest was made after Williams and Laura attended the consulate in Lille.

French police officers attended and arrested Williams at the scene before taking him into custody, a spokeswoman for Humberside Police said.

Officers from Humberside Police are currently en route to France to bring Laura back into the country.


http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090121/tuk-runaway-girl-found-safe-in-france-6323e80.html

[sarahhod]

Oh Wow that's great news!!!

Thanks Sioux_Girl for the update.

Hope he is put in jail for a long time, knowing our laws it will probably be probation lol.

[Roamer]

So glad this young lady was found safe and the man arrested. No probation! :mad:

[Sioux_Girl]

The British man accused of kidnapping 15-year-old Laura Stainforth only handed himself into French police after running out of money

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Laura-Stainforth-Kidnapped-Teenager-Slept-Rough-In-Lille-Northern-France-With-Robert-Williams/Article/200901415208462?lpos=UK_News_Top_Stories_Header_3&lid=ARTICLE_15208462_Laura_Stainforth%3A_Kidnapped _Teenager_Slept_Rough_In_Lille%2C_Northern_France% 2C_With_Robert_Williams

[sarahhod]

http://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/9393792063cd0f3aa8b3fd8652d8cd1b/Man+faces+French+court.aspx

Man faces French court

A 49-year-old man has been remanded in custody by a French court over his disappearance with a British girl.

Laura Stainforth went missing from her home in Cleethorpes after meeting Robert Williams online, and the pair were eventually located in Lille.

He appeared before magistrates in Douai after a European arrest warrant was issued, and the court will decide next week if he will be returned to Britain.

[MrzEzell]

Wonderful news that the girl was found before who knows what ... may the family be able to now talk and find resolution to the daughter having making said decision, preventing this from hopefully never happen again, I pray for them as this is a hard situation for anyone to be in.

[sarahhod]

French court returns British man


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45393000/jpg/_45393419_robertwilliams_226.jpg
Robert Williams has agreed to the extradition


Magistrates have approved the extradition from France of a British man found with a 15-year-old girl from Lincolnshire.
The teenager turned up in Lille last month after going missing from her home with a man she met online.
Robert Williams is to be questioned in connection with her disappearance when he returns to Britain.
The hearing was held in Douai in northern France. Mr Williams, 49, has agreed to be extradited.
At an earlier court appearance he said he wanted to go back to Britain to give his side of the story.
After the court hearing Mr Williams's lawyer, Henry-Pierre Rulente, said it could take up to a week to complete formalities for his client's return.
"I'm not sure exactly when he will be extradited, but Mr Williams repeated today that he is more than keen to go back and explain the situation." Mr Rulente said his client had insisted that the teenager was travelling with him voluntarily. "That is now what he wants to explain to the British authorities when he returns in the next few days."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/7867178.stm

[annalyzer]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/03/missing-girl-extradition

Man alleged to have run off to France with teenage girl will be extradited

Lorry driver Robert Williams faces questioning in UK over journey with 15-year-old he met on internet

Tuesday 3 February 2009 13.40 GMT

A 49-year-old man who allegedly ran off to France with a teenage girl he met over the internet can be extradited to Britain, a French court decided today.

The court approved the extradition of Robert Williams for questioning about his disappearance with 15-year-old Laura Stainforth, from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire.

The extradition request was granted after a 10-minute hearing in a court in Douai, near Lille, where Williams and the teenager were found on 21 January, a week after Laura went missing.

The lorry driver was brought handcuffed to the hearing from jail, wearing a beige rollneck jersey, black jogging pants and white trainers.

Afterwards, Williams's lawyer, Henry-Pierre Rulente, said it could take up to a week to complete formalities for his client's return: "I'm not sure exactly when he will be extradited, but Mr Williams repeated today that he is more than keen to go back and explain the situation."

Rulente said his client had insisted that Laura was travelling with him voluntarily: "Mr Williams has said during his time under arrest in France that he did not abduct Laura, she was not restrained or forced to go with him in any way and that she was with him voluntarily.

"That is now what he wants to explain to the British authorities when he returns in the next few days."

The week-long search for the 15-year-old ended after she walked into the British consulate in Lille with Williams, where they were recognised by staff. It is thought the pair had not meant to give themselves up.

After Laura was found, a spokeswoman for Humberside police said: "They walked into the consulate and it was [a] tip-off from staff who recognised them. Somebody informed police they were there and they were able to distract them before they could move on."

Detective Chief Inspector Sharon Fielding, who led the force's week-long hunt, said police believed Laura might have been chatting to Williams on the internet for up to six months.

There had been various sightings of Laura as she made the train trip to Dover, in Kent, to catch a ferry for the crossing over the Channel with Williams.

Fielding said the search for the teenager had involved close work with police forces in the UK, Interpol, the National Missing Persons Bureau and the Serious Organised Crime Agency. She was found after a member of the public saw Laura in Lille, which is 60 miles from Calais.

Laura disappeared after telling her parents that she was going shopping.