Police are hunting for a British boy feared to have been abducted in Spain and flown to eastern Europe.
The six-year-old, who lives in the coastal resort of La Antilla on the Costa de la Luz close to the country’s southern border with Portugal, has not been seen since last Friday.
Davy Thompson, father of schoolboy David, reported him missing on Monday.
He has pointed the finger at the youngster’s mum, his 48-year-old Polish ex-partner who has been named locally only as Mirka.
A court in the Spanish border town of Ayamonte is said to have asked Interpol to help track down the pair over fears David’s mum could have headed back to Poland or flown to London where they holidayed last year and Mirka is understood to have friends.
Davy Thompson, father of schoolboy David, reporting the boy missing on Wednesday morning
Local reports said Mr Thompson had recently been awarded full custody of the youngster following a series of court cases after a number of years of joint custody.
Police chief Ezequiel Romero confirmed: ‘The boy’s father has reported him missing.
‘We’re talking about a British man who says the boy’s mum should have returned him and hasn’t.
‘The mum is Polish and she appears to have had her phone switched off now for more than 24 hours.
‘Given the possibility she could have taken the child, we are investigating and are trying to establish hers and the child’s whereabouts.’
He added: ‘We never rule out any possibilities. In principle it appears to be a family problem between the mum and dad but obviously we can never rule out anything.’
Mr Thompson said: ‘I’m very worried. His mum had visiting rights from Friday to Sunday but on Sunday she didn’t return my son and I reported him missing to the police.
‘His mum is not at home, her car’s not there, she’s not answering her phone and he’s not going to school.
‘I’ve no idea where he is.’
Speaking outside a local court yesterday/on Tuesday, he added: ‘It’s possible she could have taken him to Poland.’
The missing boy is believed to have a British passport but it was not clear on Wednesday if he had been born in Spain or the UK.
His expat dad’s lawyer Juan Carlos Gomez said he had been acting for Mr Thompson over a number of years in civil and criminal complaints which began when she ‘falsely accused’ her ex-partner of domestic violence in a case which led to his acquittal.
Claiming she took their son to Poland last August without Mr Thompson’s knowledge or permission, he added: ‘Her phone is constantly switched off. We suspect she has taken the child.
‘We hope the work being done by the police and the courts to find them is accelerated because time is of the essence.’
Sunday’s handover was due to take place at 8pm on Sunday.
The court in Ayamonte investigating the youngster’s disappearance in conjunction with the Civil Guard is expected to issue an international arrest warrant for the British boy’s mum if the missing pair are not located in the next few hours.
The youngster’s grandmother told local press her son had won six court cases against David’s mum and their main concern after her recent custody defeat was she could decide that if ‘I can’t have him, no-one can.’
Rosario Sanchez added: ‘The most important thing for us is that we get him back safe and well. I haven’t eaten or slept for two days.’