"Every second was like torment": Sheffield mum describes "devious" dad's plan to abduct their children
“Your behaviour can only be described as devious”
“Every second was like torment,” a distressed mum said after her two young children were abducted from Sheffield by their dad.
At the time of the abduction, the woman and her former partner were in the process of going through the family courts to finalise custody arrangements of their children, following the breakdown of their relationship.
The defendant cannot be named due to a court order protecting the children’s identities.
Prosecutor Ella Fornsworth told Sheffield Crown Court that the dad had been residing in a different country, where he has citizenship, and would regularly return to the United Kingdom to visit his two children.
The youngsters have dual citizenship, the court heard.
A hearing on August 10, 2026 heard how the dad had applied to the family court to take the children for a visit to his home country last Christmas.
This request was refused.
Ms Fornsworth said an arrangement was made for the dad to come to the UK instead, and to have the children on alternate days, over a three-week period beginning on December 20, 2025.
The defendant failed to arrive until December 29, 2025, however, and requested immediate access to the children.
After the first two visits, which went to plan, the dad arranged for the children’s mother to bring their buggy and a collection of their favourite items to the next arranged visit on January 3, 2026.
The children’s mother provided the items in “good faith,” believing the defendant had asked for them as part of efforts to make their children as comfortable as possible during the visit.
Ms Fornsworth told the court how the children’s mother went to his accommodation to pick them up as planned, and found it deserted and stripped of their children’s belongings.
The children’s mother made repeated efforts to contact her ex, and he eventually responded, telling her he was going to take the youngsters to visit relatives in a different part of Yorkshire.
Instead, however, he flew them to Belfast.
Judge Charles Thomas told the defendant: “Once you were on your way, your behaviour can only be described as devious.”
The dad continued to maintain his lie about a Yorkshire trip, as he travelled to Dublin.
Once there, he managed to obtain a passport for oldest child from an embassy.
“On January 5, one of your lawyers - rather than you directly - told her you had taken the children out of the jurisdiction,” Judge Thomas said.
The defendant was arrested the following day, and the children were returned to their mother.
Detailing the trauma of finding her children had been taken out of the country, the children’s mother said: “Every second was like torment.”
“I was terrified he would take the children to [his home country].”
The defendant, who is in his 40s, pleaded guilty to two counts of child abduction at an earlier hearing.
Jailing him for 27 months, Judge Thomas described the defendant as “remorseless” and said his intention may have been to take the children to his home country, had the abduction attempt not been foiled.
He noted mitigating features such as the defendant’s clean criminal record and illustrious academic career, when passing sentence.