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Friday, 26 October, 2001, 18:56 GMT 19:56 UK
Abduction girl back home
Fiona Cameron
Fiona Cameron has called for an inquiry into the case
An 11-year-old girl has been re-united with her mother - more than two years after she was abducted by her father.

Sasha Cameron from Portmahomac in Easter Ross went missing 27 months ago during an access visit to France.

Relieved mother Fiona told on Friday how she had feared she would never see her daughter again.

Sasha Cameron
Sasha had been missing since 1999
But the 41-year-old - who is calling for an inquiry following the case - said she did not want to see her husband Robert go to jail.

Mrs Cameron was re-united with her daughter after Indonesian immigration officials detained her husband and his girlfriend Jennifer Carter in Makassar on the island of Sulawesi last week.

A French court has already sentenced him to a year in prison for abduction after finding him guilty in his absence.

However, Mrs Cameron said she would not be supplying the French authorities with an address for him - which they need before serving a warrant.

She said her daughter had lived a "harem scarem" lifestyle for two years - but now seemed to be settling in again at her Highland home.

Access visit

Mrs Cameron had been awarded custody of Sasha, her elder sister Rachael, 13, and her eight-year-old brother Hamish by a French court.

Rachael and Sasha travelled to France in July 1999 for an access visit.

However, Mr Cameron and Ms Carter then indicated that they would not be sending Sasha back to Scotland.

The following day Mr Cameron took Rachael to the airport and left her with airport staff and a return ticket.

Sasha's disappearance sparked a major search by Interpol and a description of the child was issued.


Along the road we have had a real struggle and there were times that I believed I would never see Sasha again

Fiona Cameron
The case was brought to the attention of the Indonesian authorities by Government Minister Ben Bradshaw following a recent visit to the country.

A media conference on Friday heard that Sasha was traced after the parents of Mr Cameron's girlfriend were questioned about the whereabouts of their only daughter.

After a court order was obtained it was discovered Ms Carter had made phone calls from two Indonesian numbers.

These were traced to an address in Makassar and a communications outlet in the village of Bira - near where Sasha was living on a 23-metre yacht called Valkyrie, which had been built by Mr Cameron.

Mrs Cameron said on Friday that it was "wonderful" to have her daughter home again.

Inquiry call

"Along the road we have had a real struggle and there were times that I believed I would never see Sasha again," she said.

Mrs Cameron said she wanted Scottish Justice Minister Jim Wallace to review the case.

"We are calling for an inquiry because we really feel that we don't want this to happen to another family."

Camera-shy Sasha did not attend Friday's media conference.

The cost of sending Mrs Cameron to Makassar was met by a local charity, the Tulloch Trust.

 WATCH/LISTEN
 ON THIS STORY
News image BBC Scotland's Craig Anderson reports
"Fiona Cameron despaired of ever seeing her daughter again"
News image Iain MacDonald reports
"Sasha disappeared in July 1999"
See also:

29 Mar 00 | Scotland
'Sasha' sends letter home
15 Feb 00 | Scotland
New hope in child custody case
27 Sep 99 | Scotland
Fears for girl's safety mount
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