A fugitive father who ‘kidnapped’ his daughter after taking her on holiday nearly a year ago has now breached a total of 13 High Court orders to bring her home and faces a possible jail sentence, The Mail can reveal.
Philip Thomas, 54, took daughter Alice, five, on an agreed holiday to Florida but then flew her to Dubai where the pair have remained ever since, moving between hotels.
Alice’s mother Natalie Kennedy, 44, met Thomas via an unregulated co-parenting website, through which single people agree to have children without being in a relationship.
Miss Kennedy used the website because she wanted to have children and was worried about her body clock.
She said she ‘wanted to start a family before it was too late’ and although she ‘didn’t want a partner’, she wanted a man who ‘wanted to have some involvement in our child’s life’ rather than just use a sperm donor.
But relations between the school dinner lady, who has been bringing up Alice, and IT professional Thomas soured, resulting in Family Court hearings and imposed access arrangements.
Single mother Natalie Kennedy, 43, is pictured with her daughter Alice
Philip Thomas, 54, took daughter Alice, five, on an agreed holiday to Florida but then flew her to Dubai where the pair have remained ever since, moving between hotel
Miss Kennedy said IT consultant Philip Thomas (pictured) defied court orders by refusing to return their daughter Alice to the UK, leaving her ‘heartbroken and in despair’
The legal saga against Thomas has continued at the High Court Family Division earlier this month, when Mrs Justice Emma Arbuthnot made the latest order for Alice’s safe return.
Dubai police are now said to be investigating him for criminal offences relating to Alice not being sent to school, and impact on her psychological wellbeing.
Meanwhile police in the UK are looking at ‘new information’ from Miss Kennedy against Thomas.
High Court judges have described the case as ‘child abduction’.
The father was last night condemned for his ‘grave and flagrant’ behaviour by former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland KC, as Alice’s mother said she fears she will ‘never see her again’.
Miss Kennedy, of Gorleston-on-Sea, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, has been helped in Dubai by American private detective firm Intertect Global in her efforts to track down Thomas.
The mother – who has been able to contact Thomas and Alice by phone despite not knowing their whereabouts – went to in Dubai for nearly six weeks but returned to Britain last week.
She has now launched an online fundraising appeal in anticipation of tens of thousands of pounds of costs if the case ends up in the United Arab Emirates courts.
Alice’s mother Natalie Kennedy, 44, met Thomas via an unregulated co-parenting website, through which single people agree to have children without being in a relationship
Miss Kennedy pictured with her daughter Alice before she was taken to Dubai
Miss Kennedy said she had her daughter with Mr Thomas after meeting him on an unregulated co-parenting website which aims to match people who want to share the upbringing of a child
Mr Thomas broke a court agreement by not returning Alice on August 6 last year to her mother’s home in Gorleston-on-Sea, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
Alice may also face a £11,000 fine after a visa obtained by Thomas ran out. It is not certain whether the penalty will be waived, even though the youngster is there through no fault of her own.
Miss Kennedy said: ‘I think the Dubai police will be able to find him. I am hopeful I can then get her back although I do not know how long the process will take.’
She added her daughter’s disappearance has left her ‘heartbroken’.
She said: ‘To me, she was everything and I just loved her to pieces. If the authorities can’t track her down, there could be a chance I’ll never see her again.’
Ms Kennedy, whose UK court costs are covered by Legal Aid, also described the financial situation as ‘a bit of a nightmare’.
Former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland KC called on officials to investigate whether Britain’s extradition treaty with the United Arab Emirates can be invoked against Thomas.
He said: ‘This is a grave and flagrant breach of repeated orders. There’s also a question about whether there’s going to be a criminal investigation.
‘There is an extradition treaty with the United Arab Emirates which came into force in 2008 and there is a process which needs to be looked at.
‘Clearly a case like this threatens to bring the system into disrepute. All efforts must be made to bring this person to book and, most importantly, for the care and welfare of a five-year-old child.’
Miss Kennedy’s solicitor Anthony Argyrou praised his client for ‘showing untameable persistence to bring her vulnerable daughter back to the home she needs’.
A succession of High Court Family Court judges have treated the case as ‘child abduction’ but Thomas has ignored court orders despite the threat of a fine, imprisonment or seizure of assets.
Miss Kennedy’s daughter Alice who has been taken to Dubai by her father Philip Thomas
Miss Kennedy of Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk, is battling to get her daughter Alice home from Dubai
Miss Kennedy has not seen her daughter since her father took her on a two-week holiday to the United States
Thomas, from Hertfordshire, has set up his own website called FairParentingUK and an associate podcast, which he uses to campaign against what he sees as injustices in the UK’s family courts. He has made a string of accusations against Miss Kennedy and said he will only return ‘with safeguards’ to guarantee access.
At an earlier High Court hearing in February, Thomas seemed to show little emotion while appearing via video link as Mr Justice Cusworth warned: ‘Playing with Alice as a pawn is not in her best interests’.
The judge – who imposed a 12-month prison sentence against Thomas, to be suspended if he brought Alice home by March – said: ‘We need to arrange for him to come to this country with Alice soon — for his sake, for her sake and for the mother’s sake. He cannot live on the run with Alice forever.’
During the February hearing, Thomas’s barrister, Edward Bennett, said: ‘He is prepared to make a return in March if there is progress during mediation.’
Ms Kennedy is being assisted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office whose spokesperson said: ‘We are supporting a British woman in Dubai and are in contact with the local authorities.’
Norfolk Constabulary said it has not previously opened an investigation into Thomas because he took his daughter out of the UK legitimately on an agreed trip.
But Miss Kennedy said she has since told officers she believes the ‘abduction’ was premeditated, with her daughter telling her before setting out: ‘Daddy says I’m not going to see you again’.
A Norfolk Constabulary spokeswoman said: ‘We can confirm new information has been provided to us and we are seeking further legal advice.’
To contribute to Natalie Kennedy’s appeal, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/reunite-natalie-and-alice-help-bring-her-daughter-home
