A baby girl who vanished after social workers raised concern about her welfare has been found safe and well in the wake of a High Court judge’s appeal for help.
Rose Paduraru disappeared with seven-year-old sister Oliwia Ilksa and 12-year-old brother Krzysztof Ilksa about a month ago.
Mr Justice Keehan appealed for help finding the youngsters shortly after they went missing, when analysing the case at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.
The judge said he was “very seriously concerned” and particularly worried about Rose, who is nearly nine months old.
He said the children had been living with their Polish mother, Joanna Ilksa, in Hillingdon, west London and disappeared shortly after another family court judge decided they should go into the care of social services bosses at Hillingdon Council.
Social workers initially thought all three children had been taken out of Britain by a relative despite ports being on alert.
They thought the children had flown from Stansted to Poland with their mother’s mother, Barbara Wyrzykowska.
However, on Wednesday, lawyers representing Hillingdon Council told the judge, at another High Court hearing, that Rose had been found in England.
They said she had been placed temporarily with foster carers pending decisions about her long-term future.
Lawyers said the two older children had been taken to Poland, adding they had started legal action aimed at getting the children returned to England.
Rose’s mother and Romanian father Nelu Paduraru, both in their 20s, were arrested after lawyers representing Hillingdon Council suggested they might have breached a judge’s orders by not revealing all they know about the children’s whereabouts and could be in contempt of court.
Mr Justice Keehan ruled that both could be released.