Judge calls on public to aid hunt for children abducted by mother
Mr Justice Roderic Wood admitted that he was “very concerned” for the welfare of Jessica, Tomas, Eva and David Palacin Jones.
He said the “vulnerable” youngsters – who are aged between 14 and eight – had gone missing with their mother Jennifer Jones from her house in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, and “must be found”.
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Hide AdThe children had been in the care of their Spanish father Tomas Palacin Cambra, 52, who lives in Majorca, according to the judge.
Ms Jones, 46, who teaches English as a second language, had “abducted” the children then “defied” a High Court order to return them to her divorced husband, he added.
Mr Justice Roderic Wood confirmed he had ordered the children’s “immediate removal” from their mother at a High Court hearing on Monday.
But police had found them gone when they went to Ms Jones’s home in the early hours of yesterday.
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Hide Ad“I am very concerned about the children,” said the judge, at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.
“They must be found. I ask anyone who knows where they are or might have seen them to tell this court or the local police.”
He added: “All these children are now missing. The mother removed them from her home in the middle of the night.
“Her and her children’s whereabouts are unknown. I do not know the mother’s intentions.”
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Hide AdThe judge ruled that Jessica 14, Tomas 12, Eva, nine and David, eight, could be identified.
Lawyers said Ms Jones and the children were thought to be with her partner, named as John Williams.
They said Ms Jones spoke with a strong Welsh accent and was slim, about 5ft 7in tall, with strawberry blonde wavy hair and brown eyes.
Mr Williams was said to be aged in his late 40s or 50s, taller than Ms Jones and well built.
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Hide AdLawyers revealed that Mr Williams had family in the Swansea area and the group could be at a port or airport.
Mr Justice Roderic Wood admitted the youngsters were “vulnerable”.
He said last week another High Court judge, Mr Justice Hedley, had decided that Ms Jones had “abducted” the children from Spain, where they were in the care of their father.
Ms Jones had been ordered to return the children to Spain by midnight on Friday last week, but she had failed to do so.
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Hide AdLate on Friday she had been ordered to attend a High Court hearing in London on Monday.
“The mother came to my court yesterday and argued through her barrister that the order of Mr Justice Hedley ... should be set aside,” said Mr Justice Roderic Wood. “I declined to set that order aside.”
He added: “I was also concerned that the mother might abscond overnight and so I, with a heavy heart, ordered that the children were to be immediately removed from the mother’s care and placed in the care of the local authority for a short period of time so that they could be returned to Spain without delay.
“When they police came to remove the children very early this morning from the mother’s house in Llanelli, Wales, they found the mother and the children had gone.”
The judge said Ms Jones had “abducted” the children before.
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Hide Ad“This is the second time this mother has abducted the children from Spain,” he said. “The last time she did so was in 2009.”
Lawyers acting for Mr Cambra yesterday released photographs of the children – who are pictured along with their 16-year-old sister, Sara.
The lawyers said Sara had a similar appearance to her mother.