Elliana Shand, also known as Elliana Richards has been found in Spain
A four-year-old girl who went missing with her schizophrenic mother has been found in Spain, a High Court judge says.
Mr Justice Hayden said on Friday, at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London, that Elliana Shand was safe and well.
The judge had made a number of public appeals for help after Elliana and her mother Jessica Richards, who is in her mid 20s, disappeared.
In May, the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham concluded that Elliana’s placement with her mother no longer provided her with the essential safety and security.
During court proceedings Sharon Shand – also known as Richards – fled with the child the youngsters to Jamaica to spend time together on a ‘farewell final holiday’.
Mrs Shand maintained that she handed Ellianaover to her mother upon their return to the UK last September and did not know where they were.
The judge said his assessment of the family was that Mrs Shand would not let Jessica, who also has severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Elliana out of her sight for one minute more than was necessary.
Mr Justice Hayden said at the time: ‘In optimum circumstances, the mother’s capacity to meet her daughter’s needs was barely satisfactory.
‘But, it is abundantly clear that under stress, perhaps not taking her anti-psychotic medicine, perhaps in the grip of auditory commands which are hallucinatory, she poses, despite her love for her daughter, a very real risk to her safety.’
Mr Justice Hayden said in London on Wednesday that he was ‘very concerned indeed’ for Elliana’s safety
‘I have utterly no doubt that she is in contact with her daughter and, almost certainly, her granddaughter.’
The judge said the was a ‘very significant’ risk which Jessica posed to her child was one that Mrs Shand had been unable to accept or acknowledge.
He also said: ‘It was very clear that, for all her difficulties, Jessica Richards had a warm and affectionate relationship with Elliana and Mrs Shand was similarly close to the child.
‘This is a very much loved little girl. In that she is immensely fortunate.’
He said he hoped that putting the information into the public domain would facilitate the return of Elliana to ‘circumstances where she is safe’.