Megan safe after teacher is held

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29 September 2012

The teacher of missing schoolgirl Megan Stammers is in custody in France as the teenager's family expressed their joy that she had been found.

Jeremy Forrest, 30, was arrested on suspicion of child abduction in Bordeaux after he and the 15-year-old disappeared together for a week.

They were spotted in the town on Thursday by a member of the public who recognised Forrest from television coverage, chief inspector Jason Tingley from Sussex Police said. It was the third potential sighting of the pair in the city, and they were tracked down shortly after midday on Friday.

Megan's stepfather Martin Stammers told reporters at a press conference: "We just can't wait to be reunited with her. Our family are overjoyed at the outcome. As you can imagine it's been an absolute emotional rollercoaster."

It is understood that the teenager has already spoken to her family.

Thanking the police, media and members of the public for maintaining publicity in the case, Mr Stammers said: "I just can't put it into words how grateful we are as a family."

BBC News said that Forrest was being questioned by French police and was free to return to the UK if he chose - in which case he would be escorted on to a plane in Bordeaux. Otherwise police will look at whether or not to charge him on Tuesday, the channel added.

It also said that Megan's mother was due to arrive in Bordeaux very shortly to collect her daughter.

Megan, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was reported missing when she failed to turn up for school last Friday, and it emerged that she had travelled with Forrest to France the previous evening, sparking a highly publicised search.

Forrest's parents Jim and Julie Forrest said in a statement: "We are pleased that Megan and Jeremy have been found safe and well. This has been an ordeal for all the families concerned. We would like to thank Sussex and the French police as well as the British media for their assistance. We are relieved that the search is finally over and everyone can now focus on a safe and secure return for them both."

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